Hellnotes
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Horror - Covering the horror genre ... horror films, horror novels, horror reviews, writing horror, horror conventions and more.
Hellnotes
11h ago
Den of the Wererats
Terry Miller
Gloom House Publishing (August 7, 2022)
Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy
Devin is a pizza boy down on his luck and Kelly Tate is the unluckiest girl at closing time. Both are turned by the den of wererats led by their maniacal leader, Jonathan and both are betrayed by the den, learning quickly that the only wererat you can trust is yourself or possibly, The Mother. But can you really trust The Mother? Terry Miller’s Den of the Wererats is a fun, fast-paced rat brawl with more teeth than Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh.
If you’re looking for high fantasy with a backst ..read more
Hellnotes
1w ago
The Girl in Red
Christina Henry
Berkley (June 18, 2019)
Reviewed by Carson Buckingham
In this clever re-imagining of “Little Red Riding Hood,” Red is a young woman on her own in an apocalyptic world decimated by a disease called “The Cough,” as well as something more insidious. Some, like Red, are immune, but most are not.
The military is rounding up those left alive and putting them into internment camps “for their own protection.” Now where have we heard that before, F.D.R? Red’s life simplifies down to a search for food and hiding from…well…everybody. She makes Fox Mulder look like an open ..read more
Hellnotes
1w ago
This Mortal Coil
Cynthia Asquith
Solar Press (March 2024)
Reviewed by Mario Guslandi
Originally published in 1947 by the legendary Arkham House, the present collection includes nine weird and macabre stories penned by Lady Cynthia Asquith ( 1887-1960), a British author and anthologist especially devoted to ghostly and supernatural tales.
Writing in an elegant yet straightforward style, Asquith captures the reader’s attention from the very first paragraphs and is able to hold it until the last sentence.
Not all the stories in the volume are quite memorable, but most of them are truly excellent ..read more
Hellnotes
2w ago
Orphans of Wonderland
Greg F. Gifune
JournalStone Publishing (July 27, 2018)
Reviewed by Andrew Byers
Originally published in 2015 by Samhain Publishing, Orphans of Wonderland was re-released by JournalStone in 2018. The protagonist of Orphans of Wonderland is Joel Walker, a journalist haunted by a dark history. Twenty years prior, he delved into the investigation of a ritual killing, a tale that captivated the masses during the Satanic hysteria of the 1980s. Walker’s pursuit of truth left him shattered, a victim of a nervous breakdown, forcing him into a reclusive, small-town existence. Joel ..read more
Hellnotes
2w ago
The ReformatoryTananarive Due
S&S/Saga Press (October 31, 2023)
Reviewed by Carson Buckingham
From page one, The Reformatory pulled me in and didn’t let go until I reluctantly turned the last page. This book was a real eye-opener for me, as I knew very little about the Jim Crow South prior to reading it. It is categorized as a horror novel, and there is a supernatural element to it, but the real horror emanates from those in charge at The Gracetown School for Boys, where atrocities run rampant under the guise of so-called reform. A black child, Robbie Stephens, age 12, is sent there for ki ..read more
Hellnotes
3w ago
Children of ChaosGreg F. Gifune
JournalStone Publishing (May 25, 2018)
Reviewed by Andrew Byers
In Greg F. Gifune’s Children of Chaos, the past becomes an inescapable specter, haunting the present with its sinister secrets and unrelenting grip. Gifune, a virtuoso of psychological horror, embarks on a mesmerizing journey that traverses the treacherous terrain of guilt, redemption, and the forces that compete for influence within the human soul.
The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of a torrential downpour, as three teenage best friends—Phil, Jamie, and Martin—stumble upon a mysterious str ..read more
Hellnotes
3w ago
Razored Land
Charles Allen Gramlich
Tule Frog Press (November 9, 2023)
Reviewed by Andrew Byers
In Charles Allen Gramlich’s riveting Razored Land, the world as we know it has been irrevocably altered by the cataclysmic aftermath of The Flux—an insidious genetic plague that has unleashed chaos and devastation on an unprecedented scale. Against this backdrop of desolation and despair, protagonist Jase Holland embarks on a perilous quest for survival and redemption, navigating a treacherous landscape teeming with monstrous mutations and malevolent forces.
Postapocalyptic thrillers used to be a ge ..read more
Hellnotes
3w ago
Dead Girl, Driving and Other Devastations
Carina Bissett
Trepidatio Publishing (March 8, 2024)
Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy
If the cover artwork by Mario Nevado doesn’t draw you in, the first story in Carina Bissett’s collection, Dead Girl, Driving and Other Devastations will. Imagine the most decadent dessert you’ve ever devoured, every delicious, delectable silky bite melting on your tongue times ten. Imagine the most sinful kiss you’ve ever had with your lover in a dark and forbidden place and that’s how yummy Ms. Bissett’s work is. She’s also intelligent, playful, and hilarious, so be prepare ..read more
Hellnotes
1M ago
House of Haunts
Heather Daughrity, ed.
Watertower Hill Publishing (October 13, 2023)
Reviewed by Carson Buckingham
I have to say that this is the most beautiful book I have ever had the occasion to review. It is a signed, numbered hardcover with a sleek cloth surface. The paper cover is a very classy design and nice texture. The interior illustrations are gorgeous, as is the layout of the entire book. I loved it before I even opened it.
Unfortunately, most of the stories, at least for me, did not live up to the aesthetics.
The idea was a great one. This is an anthology in which each story take ..read more
Hellnotes
1M ago
Grasshands
Kyle Winkler
JournalStone (January 19, 2024)
Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy
“Good and evil? … Wrong dichotomy. She preferred thinking of Less Pain or More Pain. More knowledge or Less Knowledge.”
With a loud “FA,” a glowing saltshaker, a singing pike, and a machete Sylvia, Albert, and Ms. Gamlin save the city of Caldecott, Indiana from Grasshands and the moss originating in the library that overtook the town. Kyle Winkler has written a unique and beautiful fairytale like no other I have read. If Neil Gaiman, Tim Burton, Lewis Carroll, J. R.R. Tolkien, and William Gibson created a baby, t ..read more