You Like It Darker by Stephen King

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.

Darker is a subjective term and this book shows that the author's definition is not what I was thinking of when I pre-ordered this book. Even a 100-watt bulb is darker than a 150-watt bulb but you would not need a flashlight to see in it. 

The first story was not at all what I consider dark. It dragged on to tell the tale of how an author who was getting nowhere suddenly became a sensation in middle age. It bored me and some of the references thrown in did not seem to fit the time period the story was set in. I'm almost positive there was no Judge Judy show in those days. 

Thankfully, things took a darker turn after that for at least a few of the stories, although you may have read some of them in previous publications. I had not, so the second and third stories were new to me. They were more along the lines of what I was hoping for. Short, dark, and unsettling.

The fourth story about a man who has a vivid nightmare that leads him to discover the body of a murder victim dragged a little in spots and seemed to stretch more towards novella length. I think if a movie is made from this book as they so often are, this will be the story chosen for it.

My absolute favorites were On Slide Inn Road about an uncomfortable family road trip that goes badly on the way to see a dying relative. 

And Rattlesnakes, which was a novella length sequel to Cujo. If you ever wondered what became of Vic and Donna after that poor rabid dog entered their lives here are the answers. This is the story that deserves a movie but since the original book ended so differently from the film version, I wonder if that could work.

The rest was a mixed bag that reminded me why I no longer automatically buy every new Stephen King book. When I saw the title I thought this would be like his Full Dark No Stars but darker. It wasn't.

While I enjoyed much of this book, Stephen King has written many that are darker.

3 out of 5 stars.

 

Movie Review- Insane Like Me?

 DeskPop Entertainment is excited to kick off their summer slate with the North American VOD release of Insane Like Me?, a twisted supernatural thriller where no one trusts what they think they see. Insane Like Me? debuts on Cable and Digital VOD June 4, 2024, including Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Fandango At Home, Comcast, Dish, and DirecTV.

Insane Like Me? is a supernatural thriller about a combat veteran who returns home after a tour of duty overseas. He becomes the lead suspect in his girlfriend's disappearance and is subsequently wrongly convicted and incarcerated. Nine years later he is released from the mental asylum, and he returns home to find the truth and settle the score.

On Halloween night, Jake, (a recently returned veteran) and his girlfriend Samantha, (the sheriff's daughter) join her brother and his girlfriend to party at what the locals call the massacre hotel, an abandoned building that is said to be haunted and responsible for over 200 deaths and mysterious disappearances.

The party is crashed by vampires and although Samantha puts up a valiant fight she is dragged off and we do not see her fate. Later at the sheriff's station where Jake is being grilled about the incidents at the party, the sheriff (played by Eric Roberts) exclaims "It was supposed to be you!" which lets us know he was somehow in on this attack but was not expecting his daughter to be taken instead of Jake. He pretends not to believe Jake's story about the vampires and has Jake committed to an insane asylum. Upon his eventual release, he sets out to find Samantha and kill the vampires. Reluctantly he allows Samantha's sister in on his plans.

Keep an eye out for dancers in the background of a party in the woods scene. I'm not sure if it was meant to be funny or whether they purposely chose people who can't dance at all but either way it gave me a laugh.

The first few attacks at the hotel were on the cheesy side. Excessive use of growling and what I call demonic voice syndrome sometimes made it difficult to understand what was being said. Later attacks looked more realistic and blood splatter effects were good.

Overall it had a decent plot instead of relying solely on gore. It wasn't scary but it did entertain me. If you like vampire movies it's worth a watch.

I gave it a 7 out of 10 on IMDB

Watch the trailer here

Their Hearses by E.L. Giles

Years ago, John Berryman was responsible for the deaths of his two children and their nanny. But John Berryman was never seen or heard from again. He simply...vanished.

Now, decades later, someone has finally purchased John Berryman's rambling old house.

Marc Larose is no stranger to loss. He hopes to bring the decaying structure to its former glory, a warm place where his family can heal and begin anew, but if these walls could talk, they'd speak of death. Only, Marc isn't listening.

Something vengeful still lingers in the shadows of the old willow, and it has its eyes set on Marc. It isn't long before he is caught in the tangles of mystery, fear, and deceit, where forces beyond his control are vying for his very soul.

Will Marc figure out who...or what...is haunting his new home before he becomes its next victim?
 

Mired in grief over the death of his son, Marc Larose leaves his wife and daughters behind while he works on a decrepit old house where he hopes to move them for a fresh start away from the tragedy that has broken their family. 

The house has had its own share of death. It was the site of a brutal mass murder, and something there still hungers for death. There is an entity that feeds off suffering and grief, and Marc is a plentiful source. It has plans for him and his family. At first, Marc tells himself that the creepy happenings could be chalked up to the locals playing pranks, but before long he is totally under the influence of the house and ready to give in to its horrific requests.

The backstory of the house and the multiple tragedies that occurred there gave this story a well-constructed beginning. It was atmospheric, dark, and terrifying. The concept of a haunted man buying a haunted house was brilliant.

As the book progressed, there were some missing details that I felt were pertinent to the story and created a bit of a plot hole. I can't say much about that without spoiling it for you so I'll just say it has to do with the disappearance of the murderer. I feel that it would have been better to address that instead of Marc's strange proclivities.

3 out of 5 stars

My Thanks to Horrorsmith Publishing.

Get a copy 

About the author

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima

 

At a Halloween party in 1999, a writer slept with the devil. She sees him again and again throughout her life and writes stories for him about things both impossible and true. Stories I Wrote for the Devil lures readers into surreal pockets of the United States and Brazil, where they’ll find bite-size Americans in vending machines and the ghosts of living people. Ananda Lima speaks to modern Brazilian-American immigrant experiences―of ambition, fear, longing, and belonging―and reveals the porousness of storytelling and of the places we call home.

I wanted to love this book. It's clever in theory but the execution left something to be desired. 

It started off well enough, at a Halloween party where a woman is waiting for the man she loves who is actually in a relationship with her friend. How depressing right? 

While she is waiting she meets the devil himself who offers to split up the happy couple and shows that he can do it. After spending a night together she continues to see the devil in various spots...and she writes stories.

I would have preferred it if she just told those stories in a linear fashion. Instead the stories are broken up in a disjointed way. There are pages of story critiques that serve only as an interruption.

The devil was charming and I would have liked him to play a larger role.

I did enjoy some of the stories, especially Antropofaga in which tiny humans are purchased as snacks from a vending machine among all the other junk foods.

And Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory where someone's ultimate hell is Penn Station.

This was just an ok read for me. You may enjoy it more than I did.

3 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Tor Books 

Available for preorder

About the author