The first story, WALPUSKI’S TYPEWRITER by Frank Darabont, was by far the best of this collection of stories. I laughed my head off at this story. Don't get me wrong, there are some scary parts as well. I will keep a look out for more books by this author. I really enjoyed reading this book.

This eight entry in the Dark Screams series offers up six short stories of horror that vary from the incredibly creepy to just meh.

My favorite of the lot was "Walpuski's Typewriter" by Frank Darabont, a story about a writer and his typewriter. They say you sacrifice for your craft, but Howard Walpuski probably had no idea what he'd have to do for his IBM Selectric II typewriter.

A second favorite was "Twisted and Gnarled" by Billie Sue Mosiman, a story about a narcassistic and highly intelligent serial killer and his latest victim that alternates telling the tale from each other's point-of-view.

The only weak story to me was the closer, "India Blue" by Glen Hirshberg, a story of a cricket game with some unusual characters. However, it just took so long to get to the turning point in the story and was so meandering I was almost angry I took the time to finish it.

But it's rare to like all stories in a collection, and Dark Screams: Volume Eight hits more than it misses for me. I would recommend it to horror fans with the caveat of perhaps passing on the last story.

A good anthology. I've yet to read an anthology in this collection that I didn't enjoy.

Some good, creepy stories just in time for Halloween! Highly recommend!

I think this book was a good book full of some good Halloween type creepy stories. This is a book for people who like to be scared and enjoy short stories.

"Walpulski's Typewriter" opens this collection, and it's every writer's nightmare: a deal with a demon to write bestsellers, which backfires spectacularly.

"The Boy" is creepy in an entirely different way. Instead of being dark and bloody and broody, this story takes place in a pristine suburban community, with a clique of stereotypical PTA moms who feel that there is one particular boy that drags down the perfection of the neighborhood. The action is sudden, and the horror is in the subtle way the story ends.

"Tumor" and "India Blue" both have elements of gory horror stories, but neither of them left me particularly horrified or disturbed. I think it's because there's a distance between the characters and the horror parts so that it's almost too far removed from the reader's awareness. I don't feel invested in any of the characters or events in those two stories.

"Twisted and Gnarled" is one that drew me in out of morbid fascination, as it chronicles a serial killer as he leaves bodies along the California coast. This is more of a suspense story as it goes on, and I enjoyed the climactic fight scene.

"The Palaver" is a nested story-within-a-story tale, which doesn't quite work as well for me. I actually enjoy the embedded story more than the framing one, though it's set up in such a way that the reader knows the events in the embedded story are meant to happen again.

I raced through the stories in this collection and found it an easy, quick read and in keeping with the Halloween spirit.

Dark Screams: Volume Eight may be one of my favorites in the series with stories by Kealan Patrick Burke and Frank Darabont. WALPUSKI’S TYPEWRITER is an excellent story to kick off this book. The tension and story are similar to what I've felt reading early Stephen King short stories going back to Night Shift. THE PALAVER gripped me from beginning to end and this story is at the top of my list of stories from Kealan. Bentley Little gives a solid story in his classic style. The book has many really good other stories and these where what stuck with me.

What Worked & Didn’t Work
Five of these six stories reminded me of the best episodes from late 80s/early 90s horror anthology TV shows (Tales from the Darkside, Monsters, Freddy’s Nightmares). Each had a great twist of an ending and variable levels of gore.

Frank Darabont’s “Walpuski’s Typewriter” sets the tone for the anthology. It’s a nasty piece of work (in a good way!) involving a writer and a demon possessed typewriter. Darabont is best known for his screen writing and adaptations; notably The Shashank Redemption and The Mist. I hadn’t read any of his prose. It did not disappoint.

“The Boy” by Bentley Little was the perfect followup. I found myself wondering if I was supposed to like Christine’s neighbors, especially as they make fun of a kid who supposedly smells. By the end of the story, I wasn’t sure who was worse. Christine solves their stinky kid problem, in a way that is probably more honest than her two-faced neighbors would consider.

With Benjamin Percy’s “Tumor,” we’re solidly back in the land of Tales from the Darkside. This is a simple short, tale, but full of gory glee.

A shift in tone happens in the latter half of Dark Screams, Vol. 8. The stories are more complex and a smidge more contemplative in their horror. The one story that didn’t work for me was right after the mid-point, “Twisted and Gnarled” by Billie Sue Mosiman. The story is told alternately through first person point of view of a serial killer, The Man, and a somewhat psychic mother, The Woman. The internal dialogue of both of these characters really didn’t work for me.

Quiet horror continued in “The Palaver” by Kealan Patrick Burke. Alluding to the stories of the late 19th century, this is a tale within a tale. Our narrator is the owner of the slowly failing Palavar Barbershop. He’s told a story of cosmic horror from the Great Depression that may or may not repeat itself in the 21st century.

The last story in the anthology is Glen Hirshberg’s “India Blue.” As with many of these tales, the “payoff” is at the end of the story, which means reading through one man’s endeavor to bring cricket to America. Not just cricket though, but America’s Rockin’ Professional Cricket, complete with cheerleaders and a showboat player who has been drummed out of respectable leagues. Luckily, the journey is possibly better than the ending.

Overall
Solid anthology. It’s release date is Halloween and it’s the perfect little reading treat.

3.5 stars

The latest in the Dark Screams Anthology series once again came through with some dark, creative and creepy horror stories.

My favorite has to be 'The Palaver', with 'Twisted and Gnarled' a close second.
I rarely have read a shorty in this series that I just didn't like, but I did find one here: 'India Blue'. I really struggled to get through it.

Volume nine is waiting in the wings, perfect for this time of year :)

ARC provided by NetGalley

Have you read the previous volumes? Even if you have, don't stop now! Volume eight has terrific stories to read. I enjoyed them all. I guess (hard to decide) my favorite story is "Walpuski's typewriter." It certainly surprised me. I know I will never look at a typewriter without remembering this story and wonder. All the stories were excellent. I didn't know a couple of the writers. It was great reading their stories. I will be looking forward to more writing from those writers.

This volume has delivered great stories again! I highly recommend it!

The stories in this collection were quite strong and definitely on the dark side. Great seasonal reading material around Halloween time.

Dark Screams Volume Eight is a weaker than usual entry in this otherwise excellent series. With short stories by Frank Darabont, Bentley Little, Benjamin Percy, Billie Sue Mosiman, Kealan Patrick Burke, and Glen Hirshberg it continues the trend of mixing some genre greats with new voices in a bite-sized, affordable ebook.

Of the stories on offer, Darabont's Walpuski Typewriter and Patrick Burke's The Pavaler are the two stand outs. The first is a quirkier one about about a struggling writer who makes a deal with a mysterious typewriter repairer that would not be out of place as a Twilight Zone episode. A fun, if familiar tale with shades of Little Shop of Horrors, it overcomes any cliched ideas with a snappy humour and a cool, smart-talking typewriter.

The Palaver is another highlight about a creepy story about a man who visits a down on his luck barber to unveil a darker truth. Tense and original it's well worth a look.

Of the others, Little's The Boy is probably the only other story worth digging out. A short, punchy story about a woman who is unnerved about a smelly boy, while not his best, it's written with Little's typical efficiency and a killer ending.

Dark Screams Volume 8 edited by Richard Chizmar and Brian James Freeman was received direct from the publisher. The Dark Screams series never lets the reader down. If you or someone you know likes shorter length horror stories you generally cant go wrong purchasing from this series. This particular rendition has its ups and kind of downs but a good solid read overall.

I really enjoyed the following stories: Walpuski's Typewriter by Frank Darabont, Twisted and Gnarled by Billie Sue Mosiman and The Palaver by Kealan Patrick Burke. The Boy by Bentley Little seemed to be more social commentary than horror. Also I found the motives behind the main character's actions very offensive. Tumor by Benjamin Percy is the type of body horror story that didn't appeal to me due to its grotesque sexual imagery. Finally, India Blue by Glen Hirshberg was a letdown because I found the descriptions of cricket very boring and nothing exciting happened until near the end.

I was given this ebook by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dark Screams has done it again with Volume 8 in the series. I love this series. It is a set of 6 short stories, all of which are creepy or just downright scary. I love that each book and each story is written by a different author. Some stories I like, some not so much, but the stories I like out weight the ones I don't by a large amount. It's not that the ones I didn't care for were bad, they just weren't my thing I guess.

My favorite in this book would be Walpuski's Typewriter by Frank Darabont. I love that he dedicated it to Stephen King and it has the feel of Stephen King's writing style in this story. Did you know Frank Darabont is a Award Nominated movie director, a screenwriter, and a producer? He is now a short story writer too.

Can't wait to read Volume 9!!

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

the normally brilliant 'dark screams' anthology series' eighth entry is sort of a let down. the stories feel more like stories about people trying to tell stories about good horror than actually just being good horror stories in and of themselves. definitely not the kind of taut story telling the 'dark screams' name has worked so hard to become known for.

This is a great collection of horror stories. Of the six stories here, I loved five. The final story, India Blue, was my least favorite. That story went on too long, tried to make cricket sound exciting to Americans, and had very little horror in it. This volume would have been perfect if that story was omitted.

WALPUSKI’S TYPEWRITER by Frank Darabont
This got a little predictable towards the end, but still a gripping story.

THE BOY by Bentley Little
I was actually shocked by the ending. A story of suburban horror.

TUMOR by Benjamin Percy
Very interesting story that had some dark humor.

TWISTED AND GNARLED by Billie Sue Mosiman
Great serial killer story with a look into the mind of a killer.

THE PALAVER by Kealan Patrick Burke
I loved the story within a story. When the old man finished telling his tale, I was genuinely shocked to find I was back to the original story. It was that compelling.

INDIA BLUE by Glen Hirshberg
Ugh. So boring and did not feel like it belonged in this collection.

This is my favorite of the Dark Screams series so far. I highly recommend it.

DARK SCREAMS: VOLUME EIGHT would probably fall into the upper-middle ranking of the Dark Screams series. A good book with enjoyable stories but also a couple that fell short. On the plus side though, two of the stories worked away on my subconscious afterwards. I found myself thinking about them and pondering the events and characters and what happened. I've listed the stories below in my order of least favorite to most.

"Twisted and Gnarled" by Billie Sue Mosiman - Unfortunately this story did nothing for me. I didn't feel for any of the characters. The mystery / chase that made up the plot seemed forced. Much of the story is told by a serial killer who by definition could have been an unreliable narrator but his story was too straight-laced to be unreliable.

"Tumor" by Benjamin Percy - This story ended way too fast and was a quick tonal shift. Percy was describing most of the story in loving detail. The miscellaneous blood and guts. The events happening to the main character. And then suddenly on the last page of the story, the descriptions became vague. The gore was hidden. Plus the ending didn't seem to flow with the characters as we had seen them. I was basically thrown off and very disrupted by the ending. And not in a good scary type of way.

"The Palaver" by Kealan Patrick Burke - Burke weaves a tale within a tale with a moral in both stories that goes missed by the main characters. It was a very nice tale of how the monsters aren't always the true monsters of the story. I didn't find the scary parts with hair growth that scary but my wife would have freaked out, so I can definitely appreciate it from that angle.

"The Boy" by Bentley Little - Little is great at making parts of our every day life scary. He finds things in suburbia that are frightening. The normal rules of society that when streched can leave us powerless and afraid. I'm thinking here specifically of his novels THE ASSOCIATION and THE STORE and THE RESORT. This short story isn't as strong as those novels but I found it eating away at me a few days later. A sign to me of a good or great story.

"Walpuski's Typewriter" by Frank Darabont - When I started this story, I could have sworn I read it before. The title seemed so familiar. I quickly realized that I had not because I didn't remember anything about the story. And it's definitely a story that I would remember. It's fun, scary, and pretty creepy. The story has a feel back to the 80s and early 90s horror. Demons, hunger escalations, animal deaths, and finally a comeuppance.

"India Blue" by Glen Hirshberg - There is a lot squished into the final story of the book. The characters are richly developed; I heard all of their voices inside my head with their own accents and rhythm. The town and stadium are also flushed out and easily pictured. And probably best of all, I liked everyone even seeing and knowing their flaws. Who doesn't want to cheer the underdog as he tries to introduce Cricket to central California? An endeavor that we know will fail but not how badly it will fail. And just like Bentley Little's "The Boy", this story ate away at me afterwards.

The stories included in this anthology are not your average horror stories.  They are written for those who love suspense and for those who like to "think" about the stories that they read long after they are done with them. 

"Walpuski's Typewriter" by Frank Darabont is written in the style of Steven King.  When you dance with the devil, there is always a price.  Walpuski is repulsed and fascinated by the price he is expected to pay.  Specifically, to his typewriter.

In "The Boy," Bentley Little shows just how much of a nightmare the suburbs really can be, especially if you have just the right neighbors.

And "The Palaver," is a story of the evil that is overtaking our world and those who do their best to restore the balance of good and evil.  

The other stories will also take you for a ride in the authors' twisted imaginations and leave you wondering,"what if this were true."This compilation is a great break from the normal and lets you explore the darkness in the safety of your living room.  It's a fun, yet disturbing break from reality.

There are no weak links in this collection, but there are some standout stories from Bentley Little and Frank Darabont. The stories are pulpy and fun rather than chilling, but that's no bad thing.