Halloween Carnival Volume 2 by Glen Hirshberg, Lee Thomas, Holly Newstein, Del James

by MK French

There are five short stories in this collection, which are a mix of psychological horror and supernatural/gory horror.

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October 2017; Hydra; ebook (130 pages)
short stories; horror

"Mr. Dark's Carnival" actually has a carnival like the title of the series, but it takes quite some time before we get to see it. Once we do, that's where the traditional horror story kicks in and I find it much more enjoyable than the slow meandering start.

"The Facts In The Case Of My Sister" is another one that starts off a little slow, but this one hit me in the gut when I realized what had happened. Monsters come in all forms, after all, and this kind of monster is only too real and common for comfort. This would be more psychological horror than the traditional gore fest that people think of for Halloween themed stories.

"Mischief Night" and "The Ghost Maker" are creepy, but ultimately didn't leave me haunted.

"The Pumpkin Boy," however, absolutely had me hooked from the start. Boys in a small town go missing, and the police officers looking for them are haunted by past cases. The story is creepy, the boys sympathetic, and the surreal nature of the pumpkin boy is the kind of image that can keep you up at night.

Overall, this is a creepy collection of stories, but not likely to cause nightmares after reading them.

Buy Halloween Carnival Volume 2 at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and golden retriever.

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