 If you’re not familiar with the works published by Sinister Horror Company, get your hands on some of their stuff immediately. I’ve never been disappointed by anything I’ve read from them. And they introduced me to one of my absolute favorite horror authors, Tracey Fahey. Death Cap is a sampler of four short horror stories from Sinister Horror Company. All four works were a pleasure to read. You can download this sampler from their website. I first read “Papering Over the Cracks” in Tracey’s collection called The Unheimlich Manoeuvre. The entire collection has a very modern and dark atmosphere to it. There is a great balance of horror and sad, dark feelings. This short story is no different. Donna and her partner move into her great-aunt’s gorgeous old Georgian house. While fixing up the attic room, Donna finds a drawing of a woman behind the wallpaper she’s peeling from the wall. Even with the drawing’s panicked, urgent facial expression, the woman has an uncanny resemblance to Donna. And the more she learns about her great-aunt Jane, the more unsettling the situation becomes. I highly recommend this story and the entire collection. The second story, “Nose to the Window” was written by Andrew Freudenberg. In this apocalyptic tale, a father prepares for the end of the world while at the same time protecting his 6-year-old daughter from experiencing the same panic and fear happening all around. Andrew painted a dark, suspenseful atmosphere where there was always a sense that everything they encounter while driving is a big threat. I hadn’t yet read anything by Andrew, and I’m so glad I did through this collection. His writing has a very natural style that was easy for me to become immersed in the story. I know I will be reading more from him in the future. This story can be found in his collection, My Dead and Blackened Heart. “I Love You” by J.R. Park is a fascinating and creepy story. I don’t want to give too much away, but the main character is trapped in a mirror. J.R. does a great job of having the reader feel the emotions of the MC at this realization. This story has a very clever ending, kind of unsettling, relly. This is definitely a story that will stick with me for awhile. And while looking into the folklore behind mirrors with evil spirits/beasts trapped inside, I learned that in some cultures, people covered mirrors in the home when mourning a dead loved one, for different reasons. I love stories like this which prompt me to research new things. This story can be found in Death Dreams In A Whorehouse. The final short story is the prologue to the novella Hell Ship by Benedict J. Jones. It’s February 1944, and a ship carries captured Allied soldiers underneath the deck, in the dark. The living conditions are horrible, and men die down there while the others live to wonder if they’ll ever get off the ship alive. Soon enough some of the captors pay a visit downstairs, but it’s hard to tell what the Japanese soldiers want. It’s a story with a sense of foreboding throughout and when the action began, I was on the edge of my seat to see what would happen to the captured Captains Nunhead and Cort-Smith. A great teaser that makes me want to read the rest of the book. Like everything else I’ve read from Sinister Horror Company, this sampler doesn’t disappoint. My rating - 5 out of 5 stars Download the free sampler here https://www.sinisterhorrorcompany.com/free Review by Kimberly Wolkens   the heart and soul of horror ficion reviewsComments are closed.
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