2020 was the Year of the Splatter Western with Death’s Head Press leading the way and releasing eight titles. Half of those titles received Splatterpunk Awards nominations, and one earned the win for Best Novel. Since 2020, Death’s Head has continued to release books blending extreme horror with a nineteenth-century American West setting, injecting the subgenre with new life. April’s theme at HorrorAddicts.net is Ghost Towns and Wild West Horror, so I decided to compile a list of the Top 12 Splatter Westerns from Death’s Head, chiefly based on ratings, reviews, and recognit ..read more

“The terror was in the legends.”  From that opening line – “The terror was in the legends,” Bog Beast by Massachusetts author Brian Gatto displays a nostalgic respect and knowledge of cryptids that saturates the 161-page book. Plus it’s just plain fun. Released in February by Raven Tale Publishing, the novella features at least one legendary beast and a father-son relationship complicated by past tragedy. Much of the fun from reading Bog Beast is discovering if the creature is a vengeful grizzly bear, a Nandi bear, a Bigfoot, or a legendary Arkansas aquatic reptile known as the Arking. O ..read more

Hello Addicts, One of my favorite dystopian story types is zombie apocalypse. Seeing how fragile our society is when faced with rabid creatures trying to kill you while wearing the face of someone you love. You know they can’t control themselves, that they aren’t the person you remember, and your brain finds it difficult to process their change. Not all zombie apocalypse stories show a definitive reason the plague started, but ‘The Collapse’ by Alice B. Sullivan does so in a believable fashion. The story opens with a scientist smuggling some of his work home to do testing he’s not permitted t ..read more

Hello Addicts, I am writing this review on Valentine’s Day, which seems fitting given the story. ‘Vicarious’, by Chloe Spencer, is a tale of abuse and love, but with some very horrific experiences in between. This book comes with a content warning regarding discussions of child sexual abuse, homophobia and homophobic slurs, fatphobia, violence against animals, attempted sexual assault, discussions of domestic violence and stalking, and violence against children. If any of these bother you, this story may not be for you. Gertie was the happiest woman in the world. She had a lovely daughter and ..read more

Song to the Siren by Barb Lien-Cooper & Park Cooper Trigger warnings: animal harm, cutting, suicide, grief, mental institute, alcohol and drug abuse Sam Mac is an acclaimed photographer who grew up with the members of the infamous band, Big Carnival. With one member being her brother and the other the only man she ever loved, an interview with her is a dream come true. Indie documentarians Brandon and Ryan hit the jackpot when Sam Mac invites them to stay in her home and record what really happened to the band–especially the circumstances surrounding the lead singer Reed Sinclair’s d ..read more

Insomnia by Kelly Covic Trigger warnings: pretty tame. Insomnia by Kelly Covic is a book of short, not very horrifying tales suitable for a gateway into horror or starting your kids off with some “kinda spooky” stories. In fact, because these stories are just pebbles of ideas, it would be a great way to get those little ones or teens to start writing. Just have them read one and then they can finish it out. Inside, you’ll find nine stories mostly related to death, dying, or ghosts with a little supernatural stuck in. There are some good ideas in here that mostly remind me of the TV shows The ..read more

  Reviewed by Emerian Rich Content warning: harm to animals, blood sacrifice, some gore, mental patients When I read the description for this book, they had me at, “Dominique, inherits [a] Gothic Irish mansion.” I was looking forward to creaking stairways, old dusty tome-filled rooms, and shadows in the peripheral. And yes, there was that, but this book is about so much more.  A Lunatic’s Laugh begins when Dominique starts having visions as a child. She is chastised for her premonitions that end up pointing to a child’s death. A priest is involved and although her parents claim nefa ..read more

NOW AVAILABLE! Issue #1: Haunted Holidays Telling haunted tales at Christmas is a tradition I was so excited to hear about a few years ago. After reading The Woman in Black and realizing that telling spooky tales was a “thing” that people actually used to look forward to during the holidays, I deep-dived into the history and just couldn’t get enough. These were people after my own heart!  You see, I fully support making your tree into the grim reaper, crafting a wreath out of skeleton bones, or peppering your mantle with cobweb-encrusted ivy. I love listening to creepy Christmas carols l ..read more

Something Stirs by Thomas Smith Trigger warnings: harm to animals, religious overtones It’s rare to find a Christian Horror novel and even more rare to have it submitted to HorrorAddicts.net for a review. If you are a Christian who loves Horror or a Horror reader who doesn’t mind seeing the story told through the eyes of Christians, this book is for you.  Ben Chalmers is a new novelist whose books are on the rise. Although just hitting the big time, he’s seen as a “celebrity” in the small town he and his family have moved to. His newfound fame has given them the ability to buy their drea ..read more

NOW AVAILABLE! Issue #1: Haunted Holidays Telling haunted tales at Christmas is a tradition I was so excited to hear about a few years ago. After reading The Woman in Black and realizing that telling spooky tales was a “thing” that people actually used to look forward to during the holidays, I deep-dived into the history and just couldn’t get enough. These were people after my own heart!  You see, I fully support making your tree into the grim reaper, crafting a wreath out of skeleton bones, or peppering your mantle with cobweb-encrusted ivy. I love listening to creepy Christmas carols l ..read more