To Hell and Back - A Hellbound Books anthology Edited by Joe Mynhardt

 Step into the abyss of horror and dark fiction with To Hell and Back…where each story is a gateway to the unimaginable. To Hell and Back serves as a mosaic of contemporary fears and timeless terrors, curated and edited by the Bram Stoker Award-winning Joe Mynhardt. This collection of horror stories brings together a diverse array of tales from both beloved and emerging voices in the horror genre, each story a unique exploration of the dark corners of the human psyche. With an introduction by Lee Murray, this horror anthology includes disturbing tales by Jeff Strand, Gage Greenwood, Gregg Stewart, Jasper Bark, Kenneth W. Cain, James Aquilone, Taylor Grant, Colin J. Northwood, Chad Lutzke, Felix Blackwell, J.P. Behrens, Bridget Nelson, Jay Bechtol, Nick Roberts, Kyle Toucher, Diana Olney, Devin Cabrera, Naching T. Kassa, John Durgin, Francesca Maria, James H. Longmore, and Rowan Hill.To Hell and Back invites readers on a journey through cityscapes and small towns, into office blocks and family homes, along lonely roads, and wooded trails. It confronts external threats like predators and cults as well as internal battles with ambition, mental illness, and moral weakness. Themes of road rage, childhood trauma, the horrors of war, and the supernatural intertwine, offering a chilling snapshot of contemporary societal fears. With stories that range from political and cultural tensions to tales of creeping unease, this anthology not only aims to terrify but also to offer a means of confronting and reflecting on our fears from a safe distance. Uncover the shadows lurking within and beyond with To Hell and Back—dare to turn the page and confront your darkest fears.

I love short horror stories and was thrilled to be invited to read this latest anthology from Hellbound Books.

There are 22 eclectic tales. Some are supernatural, in others, the evils are merely mortal. A couple were too gross even for me so consider yourself warned. I won't go into that though and will just mention a few of my favorites.

Jeff Strand kicks things off with Fix Her- about an entitled frat boy who has his daddy send a "fixer" after he gets into serious trouble when he parties a little too hard. As always you can count on Strand for some dark humor along with the death and mayhem.

 The Air We Breathe by Gage Greenwood takes a more melancholy mood when a man comes home to find his whole family dead and nobody is talking except his daughter's doll. 

Bunny by Gregg Stewart is about a 15-year-old babysitter enjoying movies while she watches a little 6-year-old girl in the home of a very wealthy couple. What could go wrong? Wait, who is that outside the window? 

Steel Horses by Kenneth W. Cain is a road rage story with a twist. This one was super creepy and unexpected.

Get John Flagg by James Aquilone -It began when John Flagg got fired but damned if that wasn't the high point of his day. Things went dangerously downhill fast after that.

Enough and Then Some by Chad Lutzke is a beautiful love story... until it isn't. Elizabeth begins to worry that she might outlive her husband. Her worry turns to obsession, terrified of the thought of ever having to live without him. So what's a husband to do?

The Man From The Woods by Devin Cabrera - Poor Katie is having car trouble but luckily a good Samaritan just happens to be passing by... on foot... in the woods. I'm sure everything will work out.

 A woman finally meets her biological mother in Promise For Rosa Lee by Naching T. Kassa. She brings with her something special that her adopted mother has made her promise to give her, should she decide to contact her.

Mount Chocura by John Durgin finds a heartbroken man camping out in a forbidden area in memory of his deceased son who always wanted to see the sunrise there. 

There were lots of great stories but these were my favorites. 

4 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Hellbound Books

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Velma - a short horror film by Scarlet Moreno

 

Poor lonely Velma is looking for that special someone. She has no problem meeting handsome charming men, but although they all seem to be smitten with her, for some reason, they never stick around past the first date.

Is Velma just too picky or does she get rejected every time? Is there some dark secret going on when she closes that bedroom door? Is she destined to live her life in loneliness? 

These are the questions that ran through my head as I settled in to watch this film.

Tonight could be the night she has longed for and I found myself rooting for her right up to the very end.

This tongue-in-cheek short horror film was a surprising delight. If you have a dark sense of humor pay Velma a visit. 

Arriving on VOD on March 26

 

Sawney Bone by Leo Darke

 From the 17th century and Scottish cannibal Sawney Bean's reign of terror to the 20th century and a runaway child hiding in an ominous cave, two destinies become entwined and an evil course is set.

Mild-mannered Jack Breen works in a video shop in Bristol, living out a dull, uncomplicated existence. But Jack has no clue as to how complicated his life is about to become when a menacing figure walks in asking for "the sickest film you've got."

Bane, proprietor of the horror-themed pub The Slaughter Inn, has an obsession with darkness, death—and Jack himself. As their lives become intertwined, Bane's tormenting of Jack becomes increasingly dangerous. When the evil reaches out to touch his friends with horrific results, he's determined to put a stop to it, no matter the cost. Jack’s final conflict with Bane results in a disturbing journey deeper into the darkness within himself as he takes a bus ride down the Sawney Bean trail right into hell. You've got your ticket, now take your seat, the Maniacal Mystery Tour’s about to begin.

A 101 Ways to Hell novel set in the 1990s, Sawney Bone is by Leo Darke, the infamous author of Lucifer Sam and Pandemonium.

Jack works in a video store, lives with a roommate named Dennis, loves horror movies, and has some serious repressed memories that are about to rip his life apart. When a stranger approaches Jack in the store one day in search of the "sickest" film he's got, Jack thinks it must be some sort of prank at first. Relieved when the man finally leaves, he still finds himself compelled to check out a pub the stranger has mentioned. Enlisting his friends to go with him they find this weird club to be complete with horror décor, a horrific sounding band, and genuine convicted murderers. This visit sets off a chain of events that will drag Jack and his friends into some dark and deadly consequences.

There are a lot of characters in this book, some that amused me, some that disgusted me, a few that I hoped would survive, and a couple whose deaths would have filled me with glee. This is a dark and disturbing read in all the right ways. The ever-increasing danger and gradual reveal of secrets kept me glued to the pages.

My thanks to Grinning Skull Press

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Alfred Hitchcock's Tales of the Supernatural and the Fantastic

 Drawn from the pages of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, this collection of more than thirty stories features the talents of Lawrence Block, Rob Kanter, Patricia Moyes, Chet Williamson, Taylor McCafferty, and George Chesbro.

I've been collecting these old anthologies for a while now. They are out of print but you can usually find used copies in decent condition still floating around. I have too many to count but have only read a few. I think this is my third.

This is a huge volume of stories at over 400 pages.

There are some classics included by Poe and H.G. Wells but I more enjoyed the stories that were new to me. One of the few stories that had enough bite to creep me out was The Balancing Man by Charles Ardai in which a young boy follows his big brother to a mysterious red barn where he sees something unforgettable.

I also loved Roughing It by Michael Beres, probably because I have had some unusual experiences in the great outdoors myself. I found this story quite sinister from the start when a large and luxurious motor home takes over the space next to a tent where a married couple are trying to enjoy some peace and quiet while camping out. 

Some stories are more humorous, including one where a ghost still shows up for work every day. They are all pretty tame compared to today's standards, but most were entertaining. A few fell flat and a couple I just skimmed because they didn't interest me. If you are looking for subtle chills and mild thrills this may be for you.

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Of All Things Sacred by Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev

 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

A prophet has arrived in the small mountain town of Red Tree, California, bringing with him a revival. Repenting of sins. Healings. Exorcisms. Speaking in tongues. Visions. Prophecies.

Something big is happening in Red Tree, something so transformative the small town can barely contain it. And Iron King's mother is the Prophet's most committed follower, even though Iron's father isn't totally on board.

Any doubts the townspeople have that the Prophet was anointed by God evaporate when a man who questions his integrity is struck by lightning on the church steps. Unreproachable, the Prophet's stature—and his control over the souls in his care—grows along with the size of his church, despite whispered rumors and his increasingly strange prophecies.

Until Iron falls in love with a girl and realizes that between God and Satan, between truth and deception, lies a great contradiction. And a horrific terror.

After a great start with an intriguing and gory prologue this turned into an unexpected disappointment, considering it was labeled as horror.

A self-proclaimed prophet arrives in a small town and soon has everyone speaking in tongues and believing that everything from wearing jeans to owning a TV is a sin.

The prophet himself is just hiding behind religion as a front for molesting teenage girls.

The book could have been cut by half if all the bible passages were removed. They did not contribute to the story or help the flow, they merely increased the length.

The teenage characters seemed strangely innocent for their years, lacking basic knowledge.

The author doesn't know how the morning after pill works and doesn't know the difference between plan B and abortion.

For some reason, the letter L was omitted at the end of every word that should have ended with two instead of one, making it very distracting. 

This is not a book I can recommend personally, although others have enjoyed it so perhaps you will too.

Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi

Five childhood friends are forced to confront their own dark past as well as the curse placed upon them in this horror masterpiece from the bestselling author of Come with Me. 

Maybe this is a ghost story…

Andrew Larimer has left his past behind. Rising up the ranks in a New York law firm, and with a heavily pregnant wife, he is settling into a new life far from Kingsport, the town in which he grew up. But when he receives a late-night phone call from an old friend, he has no choice but to return home.

Coming home means returning to his late father’s house, which has seen better days. It means lying to his wife. But it also means reuniting with his friends: Eric, now the town’s deputy sheriff; Dale, a real-estate mogul living in the shadow of a failed career; his childhood sweetheart Tig who never could escape town; and poor Meach, whose ravings about a curse upon the group have driven him to drugs and alcohol. 

Together, the five friends will have to confront the memories—and the horror—of a night, years ago, that changed everything for them. 

Because Andrew and his friends have a secret. A thing they have kept to themselves for twenty years. Something no one else should know. But the past is not dead, and Kingsport is a town with secrets of its own.

One dark secret... One small-town horror...

Andrew has already been troubled by a constant pervasive worry over his wife and their unborn child. A phone call from a former friend summoning him back to his hometown only increases his anxiety. Feeling as if he has no choice, he lies to his wife and heads to his childhood home. Is it karma or witchcraft that reunites these former best friends? Are they haunted by a ghost or is it their guilt?

Secrets are revealed slowly at first but just as I thought I knew everything there was to know I could almost hear the author say BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! as the final bombshells nearly had my heart in my throat.

Small Town Horror was everything I could possibly want in a chilling, spooky read. Told on two timelines it is both a coming-of-age tale of five childhood friends and a story of the consequences that plague them as adults who have kept a shocking secret for longer than anyone could hope to get away with. 

In my humble opinion, it is Ronald Malfi's best work to date.

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Titan Books.

Available for Preorder

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