BOOK REVIEW: DOORBELLS AT DUSK EDITED BY EVANS LIGHT

With Halloween just over a month away, this is the time of the year that the horror genre has the best chance of gaining new readers, this is when the casual reader is most likely to pick up a book to get into the spirit of Halloween.  And what better way to get into the spirit of things than a Halloween themed anthology featuring some of the brightest names in the genre?  Doorbells at Dusk is one such anthology.  Edited by Evans Light and featuring some well-established names such as Josh Mallerman alongside some names that might not be familiar to all fans of the genre, such as Chad Lutzke, Jason parent and Evans Light, this is overall a perfect book to  bring in new readers to the genre while appealing to those of us who are well versed in the Halloween tale.  

As with most anthologies, not every story will appeal to every reader, and your opinions as to what the best stories are may differ from the ones posted here, however, on the whole, this is a very satisfying read, where every story is well written, and filled with great ideas, and where the stories that disappointed somewhat where only let down by a weak ending. Which is a pity, as even the couple stories that disappointed, were well written and up until the finale had this reviewed fully invested and hooked on the story.  ​

PLAGUE OF MONSTERS by Charles Gramlich

It's Halloween night, and Gus wonders why no one else sees the monsters coming to his door, having already dealt with a couple of the monsters the heat is turned up when a  pair of cops turn up on his doorstep looking for a missing kid.  This is one hell of an opening story, Gremlach has a lot of fun keeping the reader guessing as to what is going on, is Gus crazy or are the monsters real?  Within a couple of paragraphs you'll think to yourself, well this is a bit obvious as to what is going on, and you'll probably feel a bit let down with the story, I know I was.  Stick with it though, because Gramlich will hook you back in with a great sense of ambiguity, keeping the final reveal as to what is going down until the very end of the story.  Plague of Monsters  is a fun read, not particularly gruesome or scary, but I get that this is part of the remit of this anthology, but it is a strong opening story, that perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the anthology.   ​

THE RYE MOTHER BY CURTIS M. LAWSON

An atmospheric story with a nice touch of creepiness and otherworldliness, however, this tale of a boy trying to discover what is at the centre of a corn maze and the truth of who he is is a perfect example of a story that  sacrifices substance for style and atmosphere.  It's a story that feels as though it went nowhere, like a trip to Dundee wonderful scenery on the way, but nothing of interest when you get there.   Yes, the reveal has chilling ramifications, but the payoff feels somewhat lacking when you consider that the story up to that point was a compelling one.  ​

day of the dead by amber fallon 

Amber Fallon's Day of the Dead, is very much like The Rye Mother, strong writing, and a good sense of what the hell is happening here? Is spoiled by an ending that feels as though the author couldn't decide on what to do with the story, so they tacked on a shocking  "Twilight Zone" twist one sentence finale.  While the idea may be good the way in which it was incorporated into the story was far too sudden remain genuinely effective.  
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​RUSTY HUSK by Evans Light

Rusty Husk by Evans Light takes the well-used theme of scarecrows, which are nature's second scariest thing after clown and uses them with fantastic effect.  Rusty Husk always has the best scarecrow decoration in town.  It's become a yearly tradition for both him and the town,  despite saying that the year before was his last, Rusty makes one final scarecrow, that may very well prove to be his downfall.  

Evans Light's story brings this collection roaring back after the lull of the previous two entries, tensely plotted, with some terrifying visuals, this tale of revenge, comeuppance and colostomy bags is a powerhouse of a story, with an ending that ticks all the folk horror boxes.  If after reading this story you don't end up finding scarecrows deeply disturbing then there is something profoundly wrong and unsettling about you.  Rusty Husk, captures the essence of a great Halloween story perfectly, it wouldn't be out of place in a Ray Bradbury collection.  ​

ADAM'S BED by Josh Malerman

Ronnie has money, he also some pretty low morales, and wouldn't even blink for the chance to get high on his boat while copping off with the mums of his son's friends.  However, he also loves his son, and when his son's birthday party, that happens to be on Halloween takes a chilling turn, Ronnie's life is never going to be the same again.  Adam's Bed is the second longest story in the collection and Mallerman uses every page to create a slow burner of a story, that takes a left turn into one of the effectively quiet but chilling passages I have read in recent years.  This bedroom scene will give you the worst case of goosebumps.  I thought I had over my fear of the ghost nun who lived under my bed, thanks to this story I think I'm going to start sleeping on a futon.  ​

​​KEEPING UP APPEARANCES BY JASON PARENT 

Halloween is probably the best time of the year to go on a crime spree.  Not only do you get to rob houses you also get to wear a cool disguise without standing out but be careful whose house you decide to break into.  Keeping up Appearances is a wonderfully tense slice of home invasion terror turned on its head.  Creepy as hell this and featuring a family more outlandish than the Adams family and far more dangerous than the Manson family Keeping Up Appearances​ is another highlight of this anthology.  ​

VIGIL BY CHAD LUTZKE 

Chad Lutzke's slice of urban terror forgoes the supernatural elements present in every other story in this anthology to deliver a poignant and utterly chilling account of "real life horror" Told in, for want of a better phrase, a matter of fact style, Lutzke tale is devoid of the normal shocks and scares and yet it ends up being a terrifying tale, that will leave you a little dead inside.  Lutzke cements his reputation as one of this generations finest genre writers.  Intelligent prose combined with an understanding on how to scare without the literary equivalent of the jump scare this is a masterful tale. ​

​Mr Impossible by Gregor Xane 

Gregor Xane's tale has echoes of Halloween III, (the best of the Halloween films), replacing witchcraft with a new designer drug distributed in the kids Halloween sweets, Mr. impossible is a gloriously over the top gorefest, crazy as hell, it feeds on every parent's nightmare of someone handing out doctored sweets to bring you a fun-filled story that sees the author  gleefully relish. ​

​BETWEEN BY IAN WELKE 

​Switches gear from the previous story, an articulately touching tale of a woman who is metaphorically lost at sea, who then seeks guidance from her dead parents.  Beautifully constructed this story can't help but touch you right in the feels.  

​The Friendly Man by Thomas Vaughn

In some ways, this can be seen as a companion piece to Rusty Husk, as the main character also likes to provide the most realistic scares at Halloween.  It takes a more visceral approach to deliver the scares with a  killer ending that is one of the highlights of the anthology.

Many Carvings by Sean Eads & Joshua Viola

They say you reap what you sow, and based on this darkest of dark tales you better be careful when trying to raise an army of children to do your bidding.  Disturbing as hell and featuring the creepiest set of evil kids since The Midwich Cuckoos many Carvings will have you looking at the kids who come trick or treating at your door in a whole new light.  ​

Trick 'Em All by Adam Light 

Trick 'Em All Is another tale of evil children, when Travis is told that he is too old to go trick or treating he turns to his carved pumpkin head for solace, the only problem with that is the pumpkin head isn't very nice and soon has him doing some rather nasty stuff.  This over the top gorefest could easily have stepped over the line fro horror to a farce, but Light knows precisely how to keep this triumphant story on the right side of the track. 

“Offerings,” by Joanna Koch 

They say Hell is other people; well hell is definitely other peoples children.  Offerings is a weird tale, that doesn't entirely work; it's a classic example of a story that needed a little more exposition.  Despite some nicely twisted imagery and strong final act, it lacks a cohesiveness to combine the two acts of the story fully into a satisfying tale

​Masks by Lisa Lepovetsky

The final tale sadly fails to close the book on a high note.  Masks suffers from an ending that feels almost like the author wanted to annoy the readers.  All that build up with the approach of the mysterious guest to the costume party is not just squandered but thrown out of the window with an ending that annoyed me even more than the conclusion of N0S4R2.  


Despite a couple of slight misfires and one story that failed to click, Doorbells at Dusk is still an excellent anthology, when the stories work they work spectacularly.  When you have an anthology where authors such as Mallerman, Evan's Light, Chad Lutzke, Jason Parent and Adam Light are firing on all cylinders, then you have a winner in your hands.  And who knows perhaps you will find that the few tales that didn't work for this reviewer will work for you.  Doorbells at Dusk captures the essence of Halloween, it is fun, scary, and will leave with a rush that only an overdose of candy corn can match.