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A review by caidyn
Dark Screams: Volume Four by Brian James Freeman, Ray Garton, Heather Graham, Ed Gorman, Richard Chizmar, Clive Barker, Lisa Morton
4.0
The Departed - 4/5: I really liked the heart of this one. Not creepy. Not scary. Just sweet and full of a mother's love for her son. It was perfectly short as well. Didn't drag it on for too long, although I saw how it could have gone in that route and it would have still been enjoyable.
The New War - 3.5/5: Again, not a creepy one for me. It was a melancholy story about some sort of dementia. It was sad, for the most part. A sad story about an old man losing some memories, with a hint of that foreboding death hanging around, lurking for all the old patients.
Sammy Comes Home - 4/5: Me no likey hurt animals. That was the part that got me the most. I hate it when animals are hurt or dying in books or movies or whatever it may be. Just makes me hurt on the inside, more than when people are killed/hurt -- except children. But, this one pulled at my heartstrings just enough for the dog and the dog's family to feel that tinge of creeped-out about what was going on. It was a good combination, although I wished I had more of the creep to it.
The Brasher Girl - 4.5/5: My favorite so far. It was great the story-telling in it and I could taste Stephen King as an inspiration. At least, the older Stephen King, not the newer things that are coming out now. Maybe that was why I liked it so much. That taste of old horror to it. The story in this one was great. It had a great mix of the supernatural, horror, and character development.
Creature Feature - 3/5: Funnily enough, this was the one that completely sold me on asking for the ARC on NetGalley. And this one turned out to be my least favorite. I was sold because of Jack the Ripper. And if you see I have a Jack the Ripper shelf, you should realize that I love this serial killer. This one lacked something. It was all action and zombies, but that's not my interest. If that's going to happen, I like some build up. Still, fucking creepy to think some doll thing could come alive and inhabit the mindset of Jack the Ripper.
Overall: This was a very good collection. Of course, it was only five short stories to it, but that was the beauty. Nothing got repetitive as what often happens in short story collections, and they were all very diverse. My final rating -- 3.8/5.
The New War - 3.5/5: Again, not a creepy one for me. It was a melancholy story about some sort of dementia. It was sad, for the most part. A sad story about an old man losing some memories, with a hint of that foreboding death hanging around, lurking for all the old patients.
Sammy Comes Home - 4/5: Me no likey hurt animals. That was the part that got me the most. I hate it when animals are hurt or dying in books or movies or whatever it may be. Just makes me hurt on the inside, more than when people are killed/hurt -- except children. But, this one pulled at my heartstrings just enough for the dog and the dog's family to feel that tinge of creeped-out about what was going on. It was a good combination, although I wished I had more of the creep to it.
The Brasher Girl - 4.5/5: My favorite so far. It was great the story-telling in it and I could taste Stephen King as an inspiration. At least, the older Stephen King, not the newer things that are coming out now. Maybe that was why I liked it so much. That taste of old horror to it. The story in this one was great. It had a great mix of the supernatural, horror, and character development.
Creature Feature - 3/5: Funnily enough, this was the one that completely sold me on asking for the ARC on NetGalley. And this one turned out to be my least favorite. I was sold because of Jack the Ripper. And if you see I have a Jack the Ripper shelf, you should realize that I love this serial killer. This one lacked something. It was all action and zombies, but that's not my interest. If that's going to happen, I like some build up. Still, fucking creepy to think some doll thing could come alive and inhabit the mindset of Jack the Ripper.
Overall: This was a very good collection. Of course, it was only five short stories to it, but that was the beauty. Nothing got repetitive as what often happens in short story collections, and they were all very diverse. My final rating -- 3.8/5.