Halloween horror, dark fiction and suspense short stories.Carve your pumpkins and turn on the porch light, Halloween frights begin with the sound of… horror and suspense.
Halloween has always gone hand-in-hand with horror. The holiday gives many children their first taste of terror, the discovery and overcoming of fears. For those who find they love a good scare, that first taste can grow into a voracious appetite.
That might be why you’re looking at this book right now. If so, you’ve come to the right place.
These are the thrills you crave, packed into a collection that’s pure Halloween.
Featuring stories by:
- Sean Eads
- Amber Fallon
- Charles Gramlich
- Joanna Koch
- Curtis M. Lawson
- Lisa Lepovetsky
- Adam Light
- Evans Light
- Chad Lutzke
- Josh Malerman
- Jason Parent
- Thomas Vaughn
- Joshua Viola
- Ian Welke
- Gregor Xane
Book length: 290 pages
About Corpus Press:
Corpus Press is a publisher of Horror and Weird Fiction, specializing in modern pulp that emphasizes plot over gore. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, the press has garnered praise from SCREAM Magazine, Cemetery Dance, Horror Novel Reviews, Hellnotes and others for its Bad Apples:Slices of Halloween Horror series, the anthology Dead Roses: Five Dark Tales of Twisted Love, and for its short story collections and novellas.
Horror anthologies and collections from Corpus Press:
- Screamscapes: Tales of Terror
- Toes Up: Horror to Die For
- Dead Roses: Five Dark Tales of Twisted Love
Halloween horror books from Corpus Press:
- Doorbells at Dusk: Halloween Stories
- Bad Apples: Five Slices of Halloween Horror
- Bad Apples 2: Six Slices of Halloween Horror
- Bad Apples 3: Seven Slices of Halloween Horror
more
DOORBELLS AT DUSK: HALLOWEEN STORIES was an above average anthology that challenged me to take my time and savor the tales of Halloween mischief. I failed that challenge!
There are 14 spooky tales included within, and these were the ones that stood out the most for me:
KEEPING UP APPEARANCES by Jason Parent. I just adored this story of Halloween thieves picking the wrong house to burgle. I laughed out loud at the eyeball scenes. (Not sure what that says about me.)
VIGIL by Chad Lutzke. This wasn’t a gross-out or even a very scary story. (Unless you’re a parent.) It was poignant though, something Chad has mastered in his tales.
THE FRIENDLY MAN by Thomas Vaughn. I don’t even know what to say. This story was so darkly macabre that even though what was happening was just AWFUL, I found myself gleefully turning the pages. This was my favorite story in the book. Well done!
OFFERINGS by Joanna Koch. I absolutely loved the concept and execution of this story. It’s not complicated but it is MESSED UP. The take away? Don’t escort any trick-or-treaters to your bathroom whilst others are briefly left unattended at your front door.
TRICK ‘EM ALL by Adam Light. A disturbed and misguided (?) boy. A talking Jack O’Lantern. What could go wrong?
THE RYE-MOTHER by Curtis Lawson. This tale spoke to me more loudly once I finished this anthology, because it was unlike every other story and because it kept popping into my mind at weird times. It has staying power. (Also, I’m opting out of the corn maze this year.)
I had a great time with this anthology and liked almost all of the stories included within, which is pretty rare for me. Evans Light did a great job of bringing these authors together and the stories flowed well from one to the next. If you’re looking for a great anthology to fill out your Halloween reading this year, make it DOORBELLS AT DUSK: HALLOWEEN STORIES. (Oh, and stay away from those corn mazes!)
Highly recommended!
*I received a paperback ARC of this collection in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
This is a perfect horror anthology for Halloween! I do not believe that I have read any of the authors included, so I had no idea what to expect. I was thrilled at just how good it was. All of the stories were amazing, but I did have favorites. The first story, A Plague of Monsters was incredible and set the tone for how much I was going to enjoy this book. Rusty Husk was another one I loved. I love surprise endings and these two, along with others, definitely gave them to me. And the cover art is terrifying and incredible! Really, the whole book was fabulous and i highly recommend this book.
If you want a scary Halloween book to get you in the mood for the season, go get this book now!
This is a book that comes HIGHLY recommended and has appeared on many best of lists not just for Halloween but the best of the best as well. Evans Light and Corpus Press knocked it out of the park with this Halloween horror anthology. It includes some of the most renowned authors in the genre including: Sean Eads, Amber Fallon, Charles Gramlich, Joanna Koch, Curtis M. Lawson, Lisa Lepovetsky, Adam Light, Evans Light, Chad Lutzke, Josh Malerman, Jason Parent, Thomas Vaughn, Joshua Viola, Ian Welke and Gregor Xane.
This is one of those books people are going to be talking about for a long, long time. Doorbells at Dusk is must have modern horror collection that’ll be sure to put you in the mood for those autumnal evenings.