Review of "Horton's Halloween Hauntings: 14 Tales of Halloween" Compiled by Desiree Horton
Updated: Jul 23
Horton's Halloween Hauntings: 14 Tales of Halloween, compiled by Desiree Horton, is a stunning collection of horror that is packed full of nightmare-fuel.
It definitely helped cure my FOMO a little when it comes to Halloween as someone from a country where it's not really celebrated. Which is to say, these authors did a wonderful job in making me glad to be missing out!
My thoughts on each story:
⇝ My top three are in orange! ⇜
• The Jack-O'-Lantern Boy – Ross Killey
A beautiful folklore-ish story. I also loved how Halloween itself felt like a character!
• Turnip Head – Desiree Horton
A creepy spin on the cycle of life, and it ended in the best possible way.
• Anything for Candy – Ashley Fox
There were a few instances when I thought the story could be over, then it kept going—and I was glad it did! Such a dark tale that doesn't end up anywhere you might expect it to.
• Lucy's Game – Chloe York
The direction this went also took me by surprise. So good!
• Devil of the Eden – Boe Healy
A proper WTF?!-type of story. Sprinkled in this horror is a bit of heartbreak, how could I not love it?
• The King of Gourds – E.M. Otero
Insanely creepy and super haunting. The writing is very immersive!
• The Unseen – Jerry Blaze
Fun slasher-core (and gore!)
• Acid Boy – Zach Ellenberger
Dark and twisted; almost reads like a cautionary tale.
• Riddles Three – Z. Martin
I love how eerie this is. It's to the point and fully formed, but still left me wanting more!
• Sweet Lolly's Candy Shack – Christy Aldridge
I found myself constantly being in awe of the prose and the way this story's written. The candy/sweet tooth metaphors are constant and never fell flat; I also appreciated how prominent the power of memory was here. Amazing!
• The Birthright – Eve L. Fell
Fun to read; a little break from all the darkness before it.
• A Halloween Prank – D.L. Winchester
Bone-chilling and such a twist! Love!!!
• Jaq-O-Lantern: The Pumpkin Queen – Chisto Healy
My favorite thing about this story is that the core of it lies in friendship.
• Zenith – Aukai Arkus
Beyond haunting. The fact that it's set in what seems like a bleak futuristic landscape, adds wonderfully to the horror. It's also beautifully written!
[P.S. It wasn't easy to pick my top three, which is a good sign!]
Quotes I thought were neat:
• "The houses were packed close together like tombstones in a crowded graveyard."
— The Jack-O'-Lantern Boy, Ross Killey
• "Death hurts, but decay hurts more—to melt away, bit by juicy bit, until there’s naught left but bone meal."
— Turnip Head, Desiree Horton
• "I can’t help but imagine, as I drive back home, that I carry a truck full of heads."
— The King of Gourds, E.M. Otero
• "Eventually, John Mercer became just a bad memory. But some memories just don’t want to die."
— Acid Boy, Zach Ellenberger
• "She had learned to talk around it, the way a woman learns to speak while holding a nail between her teeth: carefully, clipped, never too wide a smile."
— Sweet Lolly's Candy Shack, Christy Aldridge
• "Being dead and being gone are two different things,"
— A Halloween Prank, D.L. Winchester
Outside of the wonderful stories, the cover art and interior candy-decorations are both wonderful. And, of course, the H-alliteration in the title?! I love it all!
Unease and dread followed each tale in one way or the other; I had the most fun reading Horton's Halloween Hauntings, and being immersed inside these horrific little universes!
