Other Places by Thomas Smith

 In his debut collection, Thomas Smith explores the boundaries between the world we know and the twilight-shrouded borders with the strange, the dangerous, and the mysterious.

A professor who gets the offer of a lifetime, but at a hefty price. A mad scientist’s creation that has made an important, dire decision. A dinner party for five that is heavy with blood and consequence. A family outing in a cemetery.
In this haunting collection, Thomas Smith blurs the line between reality as we know it and those Other Places…

These weird and entertaining stories are perfect for anyone who likes dark fiction. Most have intriguing plots with engaging characters and unexpected outcomes.

A few ended too abruptly for my taste with no definitive closure, but as always with short story collections I had several favorites, and the following were a few of what I enjoyed the most.

Presto- a man undergoes an experimental treatment after an accident that should have killed him. Now he's the greatest magician in the world, but there are no tricks here it's all too real.

This was a story of revenge with an explosive ending.

Mother And Child Reunion - This is another revenge story in which a woman is reluctantly reunited with the son she abandoned years ago.

 

Problem Can - This was a fun story about a school girl who has a surprise for a grouchy teacher.

We Create Them- Two well-to-do women voice their differing opinions on those who are less fortunate over lunch in a fancy restaurant. This one was quite thought-provoking and one of the more serious stories in the collection that had me thinking of my own circumstances.  Happily for me, I don't look up to people just because they have money and I don't look down on those who don't.

If you're in the mood for something dark and unusual take a trip to Other Places, from the safety of your favorite reading spot.

4 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications.

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A Better World by Sarah Langan

You’ll be safe here. That’s what the greasy tour guide tells the Farmer-Bowens when they visit Plymouth Valley, a walled-off company town with clean air, pantries that never go empty, and blue-ribbon schools. On a very trial basis, the company offers to hire Linda Farmer’s husband, a numbers genius, and relocate her whole family to this bucolic paradise for the .0001%. Though Linda will have to sacrifice her medical career back home, the family jumps at the opportunity. They’d be crazy not to take it. With the outside world literally falling apart, this might be the Farmer-Bowens last chance.

But fitting in takes work. The pampered locals distrust outsiders, cruelly snubbing Linda, Russell, and their teen twins. And the residents fervently adhere to a group of customs and beliefs called Hollow . . . but what exactly is Hollow?

It’s Linda who brokers acceptance by volunteering her medical skills to the most powerful people in town with their pet charity, ActHollow. In the months afterward, everything seems fine. Sure, Russell starts hyperventilating through a paper bag in the middle of the night, and the kids have drifted like bridgeless islands, but living here’s worth sacrificing their family’s closeness, isn’t it? At least they’ll survive. The trouble is, the locals never say what they think. They seem scared. And Hollow’s ominous culminating event, the Plymouth Valley Winter Festival, is coming.

Linda’s warned by her husband and her powerful new friends to stop asking questions. But the more she learns, the more frightened she becomes. Should the Farmer-Bowens be fighting to stay, or fighting to get out?

A family struggling with financial crisis in a dystopian world gets a rare chance to live in a "Company Town" where the elites hide away from the problems of the real world. They just need to pass the first interviews for the husband to secure a job.

Food is plentiful there. There is no sickness, you will be given a job, and everything is free including your car and home. No worrying about bills, provided you can afford the deposit which may or may not be refunded if you don't stay. There's even a nuclear shelter in case the big one hits.

"Beware The Sacrifice"

Space is limited, so not everyone can stay. Where they will go if they do get kicked out is a mystery since the jobs don't actually pay any money. 

Linda, her husband, and their twin teenagers try to assimilate into this strange neighborhood where everyone is fake polite while hating their guts since every newcomer who stays means their own chance of getting kicked out increases.

There are lots of rules that are never really explained but dire consequences may follow for breaking any of them.

There is a pervasive cult-like atmosphere in the way that everyone acts the same and refuses to speak on certain topics. Linda wants real answers while her husband seems more willing to look the other way when it comes to the strangeness of the town. The stress of this living situation, especially on their daughter Josie brings their long-ignored dysfunctional family dynamic to the surface.

Although this is dystopian fiction and not horror, it reminded me somewhat of The Association by Bentley Little with its biting satire, and also that old made-for-TV John Ritter movie The Colony, both of which I loved so I also enjoyed this.

4 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Atria Books for the invitation to read this ARC

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Movie review- The Coffee Table

 

THE COFFEE TABLE follows Jesus and Maria, a couple going through a difficult time in their relationship. Nevertheless, they have just become parents. To shape their new life, they decide to buy a new coffee table. A decision that will change their existence.

 

The film held a robust festival life, including a World Premiere at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival where it won Best Film in the 'Rebels with a Cause' section, a North American premiere at Fantastic Fest, and additional screenings at Fantaspoa - International Fantastic Film Festival, Macabro - Festival Internacional de Cine de la Ciudad de México, and Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, where it received the White Raven award.

 

THE COFFEE TABLE will begin a limited theatrical run beginning in Los Angeles at Laemmle Glendale on April 19, with additional markets to follow including New York, Austin, and Chicago. The film will arrive on DVD and VOD on May 14. 

A married couple are in the process of settling into their new home. A smarmy salesman is pushing hard to unload an ugly glass-top coffee table which he swears is unbreakable, and will bring them much happiness if they treat it well. The husband is so intent on buying it that it becomes apparent that this is about more than furniture. After all how much do most men care about the color or style of furniture their wife chooses so long as it is functional and comfortable? This is less about his taste in ugly furniture and more about the fact that his wife has chosen everything on her own right down to their new baby's name. She has promised that he could choose the coffee table, but does not want this ugly thing in their home. It is a choice they will both regret.

Except for the swearing, I could picture these two as a couple from any classic sit-com. The chemistry between  David Pareja and Estefanía de los Santos as new parents was perfect. Their sarcastic bickering is laced with humor that made me giggle more than once. So when the horror happens it is all the more shocking and impactful for its sudden and unexpected intrusion. Gala Flores adds to the tension with a top-notch performance as the 13-year-old neighbor with dangerous fantasies.

If you enjoy psychological horror and suspense and you are prepared to be traumatized, this movie is for you.

Watch the trailer

Directed by Caye Casas

Written by: Cristina Borobia, Caye Casas

Starring: David Pareja, Estefanía de los Santos, Josep Riera, Claudia Riera, Eduardo Antuña

Produced by: Norbert Llaràs

Production Company: Alhena Production

Co-Production Company: Apocalipsis Producciones, La Charito Films

Cinematography by: Alberto Morago

Edited by: Caye Casas

Music by: Bambikina

Spain I 2022 I Horror, Comedy I 90 minutes

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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