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howlinglibraries's review
5.0
October 9, 2019: SALE ALERT! $0.99 on the Kindle store! This is one of my favorite horror collections of all time and there's no better time to read it than right now!
Like most horror fans, it should come as no surprise when I say that Halloween is positively one of my favorite days of the year. It has so much to offer, and given that October is general is my favorite month, Halloween is always the icing on top of the cake of excellence that is October. That said, there’s a shockingly low amount of actual Halloween representation in most of the horror books I read, so when I heard about this anthology full of horror stories taking place on Halloween, I didn’t hesitate.
Candy and costumes were all well and good, but Halloween was about that breach between the worlds and the magic which poured in.
—Curtis M. Lawson
Let me tell you, this anthology is one of the most fun horror collections I’ve ever read. True to its claim, each story very heavily focuses on Halloween—many of them including costume parties or trick-or-treating as a prominent feature—and this was one of those rare anthologies where I can say I genuinely loved almost every single story. There were two stories in particular that didn’t jive with me as well, but even they were still worth a read!
I’m not going to give a full breakdown for this anthology because many of the stories are hard to describe without spoiling (as is often the case in horror shorts), but I would like to tell you a little about my favorites from the collection:
→ A Plague of Monsters—Charles Gramlich
blreed's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Spookytime short stories!
The tales included here run the gamut from spooky fantasy to no-holds-barred gore. While every story won't be for everyone, this collection definitely offers something for every horror reader. Kind of like a trick-or-treat haul: You might not like the licorice, but there's plenty of chocolate in the bag, too. Hell, some of these are so good they're full-sized bars.
Here are my favorites:
"The Rye-Mother" by Curtis M. Lawson
A Halloween changeling story? You can't strike any closer to my heart or my literary interests than this. Immediate seasonal classic for me, right up there with The Halloween Tree and The Graveyard Book.
"Rusty Husk" by Evans Light
Engages the senses in the beautiful-but-terrible way good horror should. Reading this gave me the same shivery, creeped-out kind of fear that I felt reading scary stories as a kid. And that assonance!
"Between" by Ian Welke
Beautiful, atmospheric, dark urban fantasy steeped in Los Angeles. I've never been there, but I found the theme of change almost uncannily relatable in light of when I read this story.
"Many Carvings" by Sean Eads and Joshua Viola
A vaguely historical, fantasy-tinged tale that went in a wildly different direction than I thought it would. It's fun to still see an evil witch crop up from time to time.
"Offerings" by Joanna Koch
The thought of suddenly becoming the caretaker of three demonic children? Panic-inducing.
"Masks" by Lisa Lepovetsky
Lepovetsky masterfully builds suspense in a way that kept me reading just to find out what was going on, which slyly mimics the Halloween party at which the story is set. It, too, culminates in a final unmasking. I love when the macabre and attention to form meld so well.
The tales included here run the gamut from spooky fantasy to no-holds-barred gore. While every story won't be for everyone, this collection definitely offers something for every horror reader. Kind of like a trick-or-treat haul: You might not like the licorice, but there's plenty of chocolate in the bag, too. Hell, some of these are so good they're full-sized bars.
Here are my favorites:
"The Rye-Mother" by Curtis M. Lawson
A Halloween changeling story? You can't strike any closer to my heart or my literary interests than this. Immediate seasonal classic for me, right up there with The Halloween Tree and The Graveyard Book.
"Rusty Husk" by Evans Light
Engages the senses in the beautiful-but-terrible way good horror should. Reading this gave me the same shivery, creeped-out kind of fear that I felt reading scary stories as a kid. And that assonance!
"Between" by Ian Welke
Beautiful, atmospheric, dark urban fantasy steeped in Los Angeles. I've never been there, but I found the theme of change almost uncannily relatable in light of when I read this story.
"Many Carvings" by Sean Eads and Joshua Viola
A vaguely historical, fantasy-tinged tale that went in a wildly different direction than I thought it would. It's fun to still see an evil witch crop up from time to time.
"Offerings" by Joanna Koch
The thought of suddenly becoming the caretaker of three demonic children? Panic-inducing.
"Masks" by Lisa Lepovetsky
Lepovetsky masterfully builds suspense in a way that kept me reading just to find out what was going on, which slyly mimics the Halloween party at which the story is set. It, too, culminates in a final unmasking. I love when the macabre and attention to form meld so well.
wellwortharead's review
5.0
Sometimes you can judge a book by it's cover. Look at this gorgeous work of art. This anthology contains more treats than tricks, so step away from the Halloween candy, and put this in your goody bag because horror can taste as sweet without packing on the pounds. Among my favorite treats were The Rye Mother by Curtis M. Lawson about a young boy who longs to experience a Halloween that is forbidden by his Jehovah's Witness upbringing.
Rusty Husk by Evans Light is a deliciously disturbing tale about a man who makes the most lifelike scarecrows anyone has ever seen. Adam's Bed by Josh Malerman finds us in the midst of a birthday party for little Adam who was born on Halloween. What could be better than having his drunken lothario of a dad in charge of the celebration? Keeping Up Appearances by Jason Parent takes us along on a crime spree gone wrong as a small band of criminals use the cover of Halloween to rob the wealthiest looking homes. There is a dark neighborhood secret kept in
Vigil by Chad Lutzke.
Trick 'Em All by Adam Light is a splattery gore soaked tale that begins when an angry 16 year old is relegated the lowly task of staying home to hand out candy.
As much as I love short horror stories it's always a bit difficult for me to review them without giving too much away. That is why I have just touched briefly on my absolute favorites. The whole collection is delightfully gruesome.
5 out of 5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy for review.
Rusty Husk by Evans Light is a deliciously disturbing tale about a man who makes the most lifelike scarecrows anyone has ever seen. Adam's Bed by Josh Malerman finds us in the midst of a birthday party for little Adam who was born on Halloween. What could be better than having his drunken lothario of a dad in charge of the celebration? Keeping Up Appearances by Jason Parent takes us along on a crime spree gone wrong as a small band of criminals use the cover of Halloween to rob the wealthiest looking homes. There is a dark neighborhood secret kept in
Vigil by Chad Lutzke.
Trick 'Em All by Adam Light is a splattery gore soaked tale that begins when an angry 16 year old is relegated the lowly task of staying home to hand out candy.
As much as I love short horror stories it's always a bit difficult for me to review them without giving too much away. That is why I have just touched briefly on my absolute favorites. The whole collection is delightfully gruesome.
5 out of 5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy for review.
quilly14's review
4.0
Y'all like Halloween, right? I don't need to sell you on the theme of this one.
My five faves from the anthology:
"The Rye-Mother" by Curtis M. Lawson
"Rusty Husk" by Evans Light
"Vigil" by Chad Lutzke
"Between" by Ian Welke
"Offerings" by Joanna Koch
This one was fun. Dug a lot of the stories, and even the ones that weren't my favorite got me in the mood for the season.
laurasmash's review
4.0
With any collection of short stories, there's always going to be ones that stand out: good or bad. I feel that this collection had a lot of good shorts and only one that was terrible.
The stand outs for me were definitely:
Rusty Husk
Many Carvings
Masks
Vigil
Day of the Dead - this stands out because I hated it, unfortunately.
All of the other stories are easily 3-4 star stories.
I would recommend this collection of Halloween readers.
The stand outs for me were definitely:
Rusty Husk
Many Carvings
Masks
Vigil
Day of the Dead - this stands out because I hated it, unfortunately.
All of the other stories are easily 3-4 star stories.
I would recommend this collection of Halloween readers.
moonlit_shelves's review
3.0
My favourites from this collection of Halloween themed stories include The Day of the Dead by Amber Fallon, The Friendly Man by Thomas Vaughn, and Many Carvings by Sean Eads and Joshua Viola.
theboldbookworm's review
4.0
This is a great collection for Halloween. There were a few stories that I didn't care for as happens in any anthology, but most of them were really good. My absolute favorites were A Plague of Monsters, Rusty Husk, Vigil, The Friendly Man, and Trick 'Em All.
motherhorror's review
4.0
Thank you to Erin and Corpus Press for sending the Night Worms review copies in exchange for honest reviews.
Doorbells at Dusk is a no-brainer for horror fans looking for a Halloween anthology stuffed full of October mood and atmosphere.
My favorite stories were as follows:
Rusty Husk by Evans Light- Straight-up horror. Evans pulls no punches and goes right for the throat with this story. You think one character is pretty messed up and terrifying but then someone else comes on the scene and makes that guy seem Psycho-Lite in comparison. Really, really scary.
Adam's Bed by Josh Malerman- I loved this story. I think it's one of those type of stories that are almost target preaching to a certain type of people. You know how in scary movies, there is that not-so-subtle target preaching to teenagers not to sneak off to the woods to party and have sex or else they'll get axed to death by a psycho-killer? Well Josh's story here is target preaching to neglectful, self centered parents that don't keep a good eye on their children or have children and then live a lifestyle that puts their kids on the back burner. What can happen to them? Read this story and learn the lesson. *evil grin*
Keeping up Appearances by Jason Parent- I read They Feed by Jason Parent a few months ago and his voice was still very present in my mind as I read this story and it worked so well in this short story. Perfect for a Halloween anthology.
Vigil by Chad Lutzke- I am a HUGE Chad Lutzke fan and his unique narrative and worldview that is characteristic of Chad's writing. This short story was no exception. It's haunting and tragic with a huge dose of emotions. I'd expect nothing less from Lutzke-he never disappoints.
Offerings by Joanna Koch- this one was so disturbing and had a wicked twist that made me smile.
The rest of the stories were not as on par with some of the standout voices in this collection but overall, I think the stories I highlighted here are worth having in your Halloween library. The cover is so perfect for the season--I'll be taking pictures of it for my instagram for years so come and re-reading some of my favorites.
Doorbells at Dusk is a no-brainer for horror fans looking for a Halloween anthology stuffed full of October mood and atmosphere.
My favorite stories were as follows:
Rusty Husk by Evans Light- Straight-up horror. Evans pulls no punches and goes right for the throat with this story. You think one character is pretty messed up and terrifying but then someone else comes on the scene and makes that guy seem Psycho-Lite in comparison. Really, really scary.
Adam's Bed by Josh Malerman- I loved this story. I think it's one of those type of stories that are almost target preaching to a certain type of people. You know how in scary movies, there is that not-so-subtle target preaching to teenagers not to sneak off to the woods to party and have sex or else they'll get axed to death by a psycho-killer? Well Josh's story here is target preaching to neglectful, self centered parents that don't keep a good eye on their children or have children and then live a lifestyle that puts their kids on the back burner. What can happen to them? Read this story and learn the lesson. *evil grin*
Keeping up Appearances by Jason Parent- I read They Feed by Jason Parent a few months ago and his voice was still very present in my mind as I read this story and it worked so well in this short story. Perfect for a Halloween anthology.
Vigil by Chad Lutzke- I am a HUGE Chad Lutzke fan and his unique narrative and worldview that is characteristic of Chad's writing. This short story was no exception. It's haunting and tragic with a huge dose of emotions. I'd expect nothing less from Lutzke-he never disappoints.
Offerings by Joanna Koch- this one was so disturbing and had a wicked twist that made me smile.
The rest of the stories were not as on par with some of the standout voices in this collection but overall, I think the stories I highlighted here are worth having in your Halloween library. The cover is so perfect for the season--I'll be taking pictures of it for my instagram for years so come and re-reading some of my favorites.
charshorrorcorner's review
4.0
DOORBELLS AT DUSK: HALLOWEEN STORIES was an above average anthology that challenged me to take my time and savor the tales of Halloween mischief. I failed that challenge!
There are 14 spooky tales included within, and these were the ones that stood out the most for me:
KEEPING UP APPEARANCES by Jason Parent. I just adored this story of Halloween thieves picking the wrong house to burgle. I laughed out loud at the eyeball scenes. (Not sure what that says about me.)
VIGIL by Chad Lutzke. This wasn't a gross-out or even a very scary story. (Unless you're a parent.) It was poignant though, something Chad has mastered in his tales.
THE FRIENDLY MAN by Thomas Vaughn. I don't even know what to say. This story was so darkly macabre that even though what was happening was just AWFUL, I found myself gleefully turning the pages. This was my favorite story in the book. Well done!
OFFERINGS by Joanna Koch. I absolutely loved the concept and execution of this story. It's not complicated but it is MESSED UP. The take away? Don't escort any trick-or-treaters to your bathroom whilst others are briefly left unattended at your front door.
TRICK 'EM ALL by Adam Light. A disturbed and misguided (?) boy. A talking Jack O'Lantern. What could go wrong?
THE RYE-MOTHER by Curtis Lawson. This tale spoke to me more loudly once I finished this anthology, because it was unlike every other story and because it kept popping into my mind at weird times. It has staying power. (Also, I'm opting out of the corn maze this year.)
I had a great time with this anthology and liked almost all of the stories included within, which is pretty rare for me. Evans Light did a great job of bringing these authors together and the stories flowed well from one to the next. If you're looking for a great anthology to fill out your Halloween reading this year, make it DOORBELLS AT DUSK: HALLOWEEN STORIES. (Oh, and stay away from those corn mazes!)
Highly recommended!
*I received a paperback ARC of this collection in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
There are 14 spooky tales included within, and these were the ones that stood out the most for me:
KEEPING UP APPEARANCES by Jason Parent. I just adored this story of Halloween thieves picking the wrong house to burgle. I laughed out loud at the eyeball scenes. (Not sure what that says about me.)
VIGIL by Chad Lutzke. This wasn't a gross-out or even a very scary story. (Unless you're a parent.) It was poignant though, something Chad has mastered in his tales.
THE FRIENDLY MAN by Thomas Vaughn. I don't even know what to say. This story was so darkly macabre that even though what was happening was just AWFUL, I found myself gleefully turning the pages. This was my favorite story in the book. Well done!
OFFERINGS by Joanna Koch. I absolutely loved the concept and execution of this story. It's not complicated but it is MESSED UP. The take away? Don't escort any trick-or-treaters to your bathroom whilst others are briefly left unattended at your front door.
TRICK 'EM ALL by Adam Light. A disturbed and misguided (?) boy. A talking Jack O'Lantern. What could go wrong?
THE RYE-MOTHER by Curtis Lawson. This tale spoke to me more loudly once I finished this anthology, because it was unlike every other story and because it kept popping into my mind at weird times. It has staying power. (Also, I'm opting out of the corn maze this year.)
I had a great time with this anthology and liked almost all of the stories included within, which is pretty rare for me. Evans Light did a great job of bringing these authors together and the stories flowed well from one to the next. If you're looking for a great anthology to fill out your Halloween reading this year, make it DOORBELLS AT DUSK: HALLOWEEN STORIES. (Oh, and stay away from those corn mazes!)
Highly recommended!
*I received a paperback ARC of this collection in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*