Some words are born in shadows. Some tales told only in whispers. Under the paper-thin veneer of our sanity is a world where terrors lurk in the dark. A world that exists, hidden just beyond in plain sight, waiting to consume you should you dare stray from the street-lit paths that sedate our fears. For centuries The Black Room has stored stories of these encounters, suppressing the knowledge of the rarely seen; protecting the civilised world from its own dark realities. This anthology contains twenty masterful tales of the macabre from the twisted minds of a new breed of horror author. The Black Room holds many secrets. Dare you enter?
 
Allegedly, variety is the spice of life and this first charity anthology from The Sinister Horror Company is a wonderfully motley collection of stories from horror writers across the career spectrum, showcasing some damn fine talent, new and older.

After a heartfelt, though brutally honest introduction from Big Jim McLeod (the giant that is The Gingernuts of Horror), we get the first storm of a story as Duncan Bradshaw serves us Time for Tea, in which an ominous gathering of invitees in a basement café find themselves plunged into a murderous clash, as tea room etiquette meets Battle Royale. Delightfully bloody and instant fun.

Next to grab by attention by the balls is J. R. Park’s Clandestine Delights. The rich want for nothing, but some lusts can only be satisfied by spending a lot of money in the darkest corners of society, as one young playboy will soon finds out, what you desire isn’t necessarily the best thing for us. A brilliant build up that keeps upping the tension to the inevitable climax.
Lanmò, by Thomas S. Flowers is a slice of time in sixties Mississippi, where racial tensions run murderously high, leading to a supernatural plot of vengeance in a setting which is written in a scarily accurate manner. Gripping from start to finish as the bad guys are dealt their comeuppance.

Strangely familiar, but still terrifying, Long Haul by David James is a terrifically executed haunted house in deep space as three astronauts discover that loneliness might not be their greatest fear beyond the horizon.

Skin, by relative newcomer Kayleigh Marie Edwards is a horrific little tale that shows us that the creeping dread felt when a spider scurries into our life isn’t always the end of terror. Mixing tension and gore isn’t always easy, but Edwards folds the two together into a delicious combo that clings to the flesh long after.

Needs Must by A.S. Chambers is a short punchy fairy tale with hints of Mary Shelley and Clive Barker as a grotesque being finds that being a monster isn’t the most important thing, finding a friend is, no matter the outcome.

Ian Caldwell mixes Poe and H.G. Wells in The Octagonal Cabinet, as dangerous doorways are discovered and foolishly opened, with only a measure of care for the consequences, on both sides of the door.

Not every story hit home for me, but these are my pick of the best, and thankfully there were more strikes than misses, but of course everyone has their favourites and tastes differ wildly in the horror genre. Each tale is as different as the next, each antagonist is refreshingly new and that’s what you want from a horror anthology; new scares to dwell on before you put yourself to bed.

 
 
 

THE STORY:
The robbery of a stagecoach takes a turn for the downright bizarre when all involved quickly realise that they are being hunted by a creature that appears only under the Blood Moon.

They’ve been all over them werewolves, haven’t they?  They’ve been On Wheels (1971).  They’ve gone from London (1981) to Paris (1997).  One even fought crime as a Cop (2014).  And on several particularly sad occasions they featured in a series of very badly written romance “novels”.  But now they’ve gone Western.  I guess it had to happen sometime, right?  Cue tumbleweed…  Surprisingly enough, however, they have resisted the temptation of using a film title stuffed and dripping with melted uber cheesiness.  Commendable restraint indeed, even if the resulting alternative ‘Blood Moon’ is about as original as a hit single from Steps.

Despite excellent special effects and some competent acting, the editing is frequently clunky and clumsy and the cinematography, though seasoned, at times just doesn’t gel with what is being captured.  The costumes are certainly interesting and just about everybody with a pistol sounds like they are putting down their best impression of Dean Winchester from The CW’s Supernatural series.

That said, when it comes to the setting of scenes that signal the imminent arrival of the werewolf, the atmosphere is absolutely on point; from the framing to the sound, to the eerie combination of darkness and moonlight.  Unfortunately I couldn’t help thinking that if Blood Moon had been set in modern times I would have found these creepy sequences much more chilling, as they certainly don’t waste the ever-effective use of shadows.

LAST WORDS:
Werewolves and Westerns…  They don’t quite go together, do they?  Though it may have been the makers’ concept, it very nearly could have been their complete and utter downfall.  Sometimes it can be a blight to rely upon the techniques used by the classics and the golden oldies, but in this case I believe it to be their saving grace.

In THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS there is a curio for every reader - a man who keeps reliving the same life, repeating the same mistakes over and over again, a columnist who kills people by writing their obituaries, a poignant tale about the end of the human race and a firework competition between neighbours which reaches an explosive climax. There are also intriguing connections between the stories; themes of morality, guilt, the afterlife and what we would do differently if we could see into the future or correct the mistakes of the past.
 
Clocking in at close to 21 hours this was an Audible steal for myself and my first such purchase, and gave me opportunity to catch up on several of Mister King’s novellas that I’ve missed over the years. I listened whilst driving, which was perfect, as many of these are set on dark, though familiar highways of King Country. I picked my favourites.
First up was the novella Mile 81 which King sets up as a traditional David vs Goliath story as a young lad finds himself up against an otherworldly, evil car (it’s Stephen King, there’s a car, of course it had potential for evil). The set up for this turns wonderfully as death follows death, but I felt a little cheated by the somewhat silly bizarro ending, which felt a little close to the way Under the Dome ties itself up. Still, the ride is nice, shame about the destination.
Afterlife takes us that metaphysical of all places, a limbo waiting room of the afterlife as a man finds himself repeated the same mistakes. An amusing musing on what might come next for all of us.
In the introduction to Batman and Robin Have an Altercation, King gives us his thought on how stories come about, namely the handle and the cup of how stories are bloomed. Each introduction gives the listener a little insight into the whole story birthing process and this one is no exception. A touching and wonderfully amusing story, which steps away from the supernatural in a welcome slice of an everyday beat ‘em up.

Bad Little Kid King shoots himself in the foot with this one. In the intro, he states that he wanted to create a just a bad kid, but not supernatural. You can tell he’s trying to conjure a Pennywise like monstrosity, though he doesn’t succeed in creating a greater monster, but an annoying little brat that defies the aging process as a lifelong antagonist to hero.

Morality gives us the age old quandary of what you’d do for xxxxxx amount of cold, hard cash. The question isn’t what you’ll do, but how you’ll feel about it afterwards.

A magic Kindle linked to the dark tower? Yes please! Ur gives us a gateway to another world and the endless possibilities presented if author lived on in alternate dimensions. But like every treasure, there’s always certainly a dark side to such a gift, and the question, what do you do with it if you could change the world.

An agonising slice of car crash soap opera as one women decides that life just isn’t worth the effort Herman Wouk Is Still Alive, barrels along into a tense and abrupt ending.

I’m not a fan of sports, but the baseball mystery drama Blockade Billy kept my attention throughout (despite all the sports stats) and came through to a satisfying closure.

Obits gives us an likely superpower, as a journalist finds himself with peculiar ability that just can’t be a coincidence.
 
Drunken Fireworks is an amusing confessional as a two warring families attempt to outdo each other with spectacular results.

Summer Thunder is wonderfully narrated by Will Patton in a worn gristle fashion, as the last man alive lolls in melancholy as radiation takes everything left he holds dear. There’s only one this is going.
The multitude of narrators helps keep things fresh. King even narrates a few as well as providing the humorous introductions, so each story takes on its own personality. There’s less supernatural action here, a few murderers, a poem or two, but all in all I enjoyed it. King doesn’t always hit the nail on the head (he’s only human, one assumes), but when he does get it right, it’s a great ride.