(Umm, I actually found the "annotations" kind of annoying. I'd suggest skipping them, at least the first time around.) There are many tense, vicious, and darkly funny pieces in the collection.
"Hangman's Ritual" is a pretty straightforward psychological thriller, but very well done. Not my usual cup of tea, but I really enjoyed the ride.
Antosca has written earlier, well-received books, which I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't checked out. If there are other Antosca fans on Literary Horror, please share your impressions!
After "Hangman's Ritual", Antosca has mostly been busy with TV/film scripts. I've seen 3 of the 4 seasons of Channel Zero, based on creepy pastas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel...
The first 2 seasons, "Candle Cove" and "No-end House", while not unflawed, are definitely worthwhile. "No-end House" in particular has some surreal and disturbing sequences. Season 3, "Butcher's Block", relied heavily on conventional horror tropes. I thought it was less interesting, though there were some interesting visuals. I haven't seen the 4th and last season, Dream Door.
I've read Antosca's excellent collection:
The Girlfriend Game
... and his riveting novel:
The Hangman's Ritual
The collection starts with "Rat Beast", a tight little hairball that just catches in your throat:
https://genius.com/Nick-antosca-rat-b...
(Umm, I actually found the "annotations" kind of annoying. I'd suggest skipping them, at least the first time around.) There are many tense, vicious, and darkly funny pieces in the collection.
"Hangman's Ritual" is a pretty straightforward psychological thriller, but very well done. Not my usual cup of tea, but I really enjoyed the ride.
Antosca has written earlier, well-received books, which I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't checked out. If there are other Antosca fans on Literary Horror, please share your impressions!
After "Hangman's Ritual", Antosca has mostly been busy with TV/film scripts. I've seen 3 of the 4 seasons of Channel Zero, based on creepy pastas:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel...
The first 2 seasons, "Candle Cove" and "No-end House", while not unflawed, are definitely worthwhile. "No-end House" in particular has some surreal and disturbing sequences. Season 3, "Butcher's Block", relied heavily on conventional horror tropes. I thought it was less interesting, though there were some interesting visuals. I haven't seen the 4th and last season, Dream Door.