Halloween Nights: Tales of Autumn Fright (2021), edited by James A. Moore.
“The wind moved differently there in the corn, hissing loudly and knocking the stalks together.”
Readers unfamiliar with Halloween Nights: Tales of Autumn Fright may prefer to read these notes only after reading the anthology
Halloween Nights: Tales of Autumn Fright is a modest anthology with several outstanding stories and perhaps one unalloyed masterpiece destined for the 2082 equivalent of The Dark Descent.
”The Trial of Abigail Pierce” by Bracken MacLeod
A quick depiction of battling Puritan-era women, witches, and witch-smellers.
Plot: A woman and her daughter are accused of witchcraft in a Puritan village after the disappearance of a young man. The mother sacrifices herself to save her daughter, but both are ultimately hanged. They are resurrected by a supernatural force and take revenge on the villagers.
Setting: 17th-century Puritan village, Kingshead
Characters: Abigail Pierce, Verity (daughter), Elias Fletcher, Minister Solomon Leach, Martha and Sarah Thurlow
Location: Kingshead Village and surrounding woods
Themes: Injustice, persecution, revenge, the supernatural, mother-daughter bond
Style: Historical fiction, narrative driven, atmospheric
Point of view: Third-person limited, primarily following Abigail's perspective
"I'm Not Gonna Make It" by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
Jimmy had always been a hard worker, dedicated to his job and putting food on the family table, but he hadn’t been too busy to be part of his son’s life. Gabe didn’t share a lot of his father’s interests, but they both liked baseball and music, and they could meet there. The younger Lugo had never seemed that interested in girls, or even in guys. It certainly had occurred to Jimmy that his son might be gay, and he’d prepared himself to live with that, even if he would never be able to understand it.
Then Alex Davis came along.
Jimmy would never have thought of himself as a racist. And as for trans people, he’d had a lot of uglier names for them growing up, but that hadn’t felt like hate or fear to him, just the same disdain for people who were different from him that he’d learned from birth. If asked as an adult, he’d have paraphrased Jesus, something about loving each other, and gone on to say that he treated people as people first, and that as far as he was concerned, there were only assholes and others.
Then . . . yeah. Alex.
Gabe had come home from grad school in Boston with three things—a Master’s in Psychology, a black trans woman he introduced as his wife, and the news that they had a surrogate carrying a baby for them. Admittedly, Jimmy’s initial reaction had not been one of his finer moments. He’d reverted to the old Jimmy Lugo, the Jimmy Lugo who’d run with Anton and Sean. Later, when he tried to apologize, it got even worse.
Plot: Jimmy Lugo, a man struggling with his son's choices and his own prejudices, hits a strange creature with his car on Halloween night. The creature's spirit possesses him, and he transforms into a similar being.
Setting: Halloween night, New Jersey suburbs
Characters: Jimmy Lugo, Olivia (wife), Gabriel (son), Alex (Gabriel's spouse), Lydia (granddaughter)
Location: New Jersey suburbs, Blackberry Lane
Themes: Acceptance, family, prejudice, transformation, the supernatural, doom
Style: First-person narrative, fast-paced, suspenseful
Point of view: First-person, from Jimmy Lugo's perspective
"Kettle" by Dan Brereton and James A. Moore
This is first-rate outdoor spectral fiction.
“They call it Kettle because as weird as it looks, it sounds even weirder. Kettle showed up a long time ago, like a hundred years or more. The land was almost barren back then and there was this thing going on called the dustbowl, everyone was fighting hard to keep their farms and the land had dried up. Farmers were lucky if they got enough out of the ground to feed their families.”
Plot: A group of friends camp out and tell ghost stories, including the tale of Kettle, a ghost who haunts a local farm. They decide to explore the farm and encounter Kettle, who attacks them. One of the boys, Bobby, disappears.
Setting: Halloween season, Harlow Mills
Characters: Caden, Kayla, Theresa, Jeff, Bobby
Location: Harlow Mills, Westlake Cemetery, Pritchard's farm
Themes: Curiosity, fear, the supernatural, consequences of actions
Style: Third-person narrative, suspenseful, atmospheric
Point of view: Third-person omniscient
"The Cemetery On Blackwell Road" by James A. Moore
“Do you miss her? Do you love her? Do you want her back?” The voice asked honest questions, but with a tint of mockery, as if a boy his age couldn’t possibly understand the idea of love. It was an old voice, ancient and withered. That voice sounded like it belonged to a hag or a witch.
“Yes. I want her back.”
“There’s a price for that sort of magic and it’s a heavy price. It costs blood. Are you willing to pay that price?”
“She’s my friend. I want her back.” He’d have said the same for a few other people, too, like Thad or any member of his family.
The memory came to him from nowhere at all, it seemed. He felt the cold, the darkness of that unbidden recollection. The voice was not one he knew, not that he could recall. It was an ancient voice, dark and whispered, and Eddie could feel the warm breath on his ear as he looked out over the cemetery in the darkness.
He had been here, this very spot when the voice asked him.
Alvina Bathory. She said her name was Alvina.
The witch of Beldam Woods.
Plot: Eddie, a twelve-year-old boy, wakes up in a cemetery after midnight. He's drawn to the memories of his missing friend, Trina. He encounters a witch and makes a deal to find out what happened to Trina.
Setting: Halloween season, Beldam Woods
Characters: Eddie, Thad (best friend), Trina, Jenn McPherson, Ms. Derringer (teacher), the witch
Location: Beldam Woods, West Gate Cemetery, Blackwell Cemetery
Themes: Grief, loss, the supernatural, coming-of-age, guilt, witchery, witchcraft
Style: Third-person narrative, mystery, suspense
Point of view: Third-person limited, primarily following Eddie's perspective.
"Marigolds For Flesh" by V. Castro
Plot: The narrator, a supernatural being who exists between worlds, describes her role in carrying out acts of retribution on behalf of those who have been wronged. Her daughter, Elena, unexpectedly joins her in this task.
Setting: Dia de Los Muertos, unspecified location
Characters: The narrator, Elena (daughter), Amanda, Amanda's friend
Location: Unspecified, possibly the narrator's home and a field of sunflowers
Themes: Justice, revenge, the supernatural, mother-daughter bond, identity
Style: First-person narrative, poetic, introspective
Point of view: First-person, from the narrator's perspective.
"Beneath The Veil" by John McIlveen
Plot: On Halloween night, Maureen Salvucci and her son Danny encounter Estella Lopez and her son Dario while trick-or-treating. Estella reveals a mortal wrong she and her son suffered, and displays her revenger’s skills.
Setting: Halloween night, Riverside
Characters: Maureen Salvucci, Danny (son), Estella/Mia Lopez, Dario (son)
Location: Riverside, Grove Hill Luxury Estates
Themes: Loss, grief, revenge, the supernatural, justice
Style: Third-person narrative, suspenseful, atmospheric
Point of view: Third-person limited, primarily following Maureen's perspective
"Mr. Flexxo Discontinued" by Sheri Sebastian-Gabriel
Plot: Jerry Jansen, a man haunted by a past trauma, attends a children's Halloween performance. He becomes agitated by a child's Mr. Flexxo costume, triggering a shocking transformation.
Setting: Halloween, Wenville Elementary School auditorium
Characters: Jerry Jansen, Pete Salvato (therapist), Katy Kerrick (partner), Pimental (antagonist)
Location: Wenville Elementary School, Wenville
Themes: Trauma, transformation, the supernatural, identity, loss
Style: Third-person narrative, psychological horror, suspenseful
Point of view: Third-person limited, primarily following Jerry's perspective
"My Favorite Halloween Memory" by Jeff Strand
Plot: A serial killer struggles to recall his favorite Halloween memory while his captive waits for the coup de grâce. Several humorous and disturbing anecdotes follow, before the tables are well and truly turned.
Setting: Unspecified location, possibly the killer's home
Characters: The narrator (unnamed), the killer (unnamed)
Location: Unspecified
Themes: Memory, fear, death, the macabre, droll storytelling
Style: First-person narrative, dark humor, suspenseful
Point of view: First-person
"Stains" by Richard Chizmar and Billy Chizmar
“What happened?”
“What you see is what you get. The cheerleader is Cindy Greenberg, age nine. I counted fourteen stab wounds. Some kind of hunting knife most likely. Serrated along one edge. Superman nailed to the wall of the shed is Matthew Greenberg. Throat cut. He’s seven.”
“Christ.”
“Peter Pan is Bryan Greenberg. Just turned five.”
“Parents?”
“The mother’s inside. Waiting to talk to you.”
“Where’s the father?”
“Your guess is as good as hers. Took off a few years back.”
“The mother call it in?”
“Next door neighbor. Said a bunch of trick-or-treaters took a short cut through his back yard. One of em had a flashlight.”
“Some big ass therapy bills heading their way.”
“You’re not kidding.”
Plot: Detectives investigate the murder of children on Halloween night. Shirley Greenberg, the mother of both victims, has some things to say during her interrogation.
Setting: Halloween night, suburban neighborhood
Characters: Detectives Frank Logan and Ben Richards, Marsha Eugley (forensics), Shirley Greenberg/Lewis
Location: Suburban neighborhood, Greenberg/Lewis residence
Themes: Murder, family, religious extremism, the macabre
Style: Third-person narrative, police procedural, suspenseful
Point of view: Third-person limited, alternating between the detectives' and Shirley's perspectives
"Hannah" by Mary SanGiovanni
I think Detective Mackey thought the blood would be the thing that upset me, but it wasn’t. Hannah was kind of a klutz—for all her years as a child in dance school, she had the grace of a cinder block—and it wouldn’t have surprised me if she’d accidentally bumped her head or scratched herself or even gotten a sudden bloody nose. It wasn’t the blood that had me worried.
It was that damned running car.
See, I knew Hannah. She didn’t like to drive; she had some deep-seated, innate mistrust of cars. She was one of those types who, despite her intelligence, readily believed any number of implausible scenarios where the car could, given the slightest provocation, spontaneously combust, so I couldn’t think of any normal situation where she would have left the car with the door open, keys in the ignition, engine rumbling away. Not my Hannah, who probably thought deep down that somehow, if she left the car like that, at the very least it would figure out how to up and drive itself off, just to mess with her.
Plot: The narrator's wife, Hannah, disappears for two weeks and returns seemingly unharmed but changed.
Setting: Unspecified location, Pennsylvania
Characters: Jonas (narrator), Hannah/doppelganger
Location: Pennsylvania, the narrator's home, Ghost Block
Themes: Grief, loss, identity, the supernatural, love, sacrifice, doppelganger
Style: First-person narrative, psychological horror, atmospheric
Point of view: First-person, from Jonas's perspective
"Night Boy" by Errick Nunnally
Plot: Maurice, a twelve-year-old boy, prepares for Halloween, determined to be the Black Panther. He encounters bullies who are stealing candy from younger children and intervenes, using his costume and skills to fight them off.
Setting: Halloween night, urban neighborhood
Characters: Maurice, Mama, Pop, Mike, Billy
Location: Urban neighborhood, Blue Hill Avenue
Themes: Courage, standing up for others, identity, coming-of-age, last year for trick or treating
Style: Third-person narrative, action-driven, coming-of-age
Point of view: Third-person limited, primarily following Maurice's perspective
"No One Will Believe You" by Trisha J. Wooldridge
Let me just say this story is brilliant. It braids together the two most powerfully attractants in the Halloween horror story trope/tradition: coming-of-age and the last year for trick or treating.
Plot: Dinah, a thirteen-year-old girl, and her brother Derek explore the haunted Anderson house with his friends on Halloween. They encounter the ghost of Hannah Anderson, who helps Dinah escape a sexual assault and then sets Brian, the attacker, on fire.
Themes: Survival, murder, BDSM, adolescence, final girl, coming of age, last year for trick or treating, brother and sister, Haunted house.
Setting: Halloween night, Dunfield
Characters: Dinah, Derek (brother), Brian, Tom, Billy, Hannah Anderson's ghost
Location: Dunfield, the Anderson house
"Rawhead" by Hilary Monahan
Plot: A single mother, Cam, protects her son, Evan, from the child-eating monster, Rawhead. Her only weapon is the same thing the community used to push-back against Rawhead years before: cold iron.
Setting: The story takes place in the Appalachian Mountains, specifically in the fictional town of Chanawooga. The time setting is contemporary, likely around Halloween. The primary location is Cam's house, particularly focusing on the kitchen and Evan's bedroom. The story also references the surrounding woods and mountains.
Character: The main character is Cam, a single mother struggling to cope with her husband's abandonment and the threat of Rawhead. Evan, her young son, is another significant character, representing innocence and vulnerability. The antagonist is Rawhead, a monstrous creature that preys on children who lie.
Location: The Appalachian Mountains, Chanawooga (fictional town)
Themes: The primary themes include motherhood, fear, sacrifice, and the power of belief and folklore. The story explores the lengths a mother will go to protect her child and the consequences of even unintentional lies. It also delves into the enduring power of folklore and the fear it can instill.
Style: The story is written in a straightforward, visceral style that effectively conveys the horror and suspense of the situation. The language is simple but impactful, with vivid descriptions of Rawhead and the emotional turmoil Cam experiences. The narrative also incorporates elements of Appalachian dialect and folklore, adding to the story's atmosphere.
Point of view: The story is told from a third-person limited point of view, focusing primarily on Cam's thoughts and experiences. This allows the reader to intimately understand her fear, desperation, and determination to protect her son.
Halloween Nights: Tales of Autumn Fright is an enjoyable anthology with some powerful tales. They are best read slowly: one per day.
"Night Boy" by Errick Nunnally and "No One Will Believe You" by Trisha J. Wooldridge combine traditional coming-of-age themes with another trope: a youth setting out for their last trick-or-treat night because they are getting too old.
"Hannah" by Mary SanGiovanni deserves praise simply for being about adults interacting as adults, as do "Stains" by Richard Chizmar and Billy Chizmar and the droll tail-stinger "My Favorite Halloween Memory" by Jeff Strand. “Hannah” is an exceptional marriage portrait, underscoring how much one spouse can know about the other, and how much strength comes from reliance on marital pairing.
"Kettle" by Dan Brereton and James A. Moore and "The Cemetery On Blackwell Road" by Moore are both expertly executed outdoor autumnal horror stories, and catch the feel perfectly.
Jay
16 September 2024
