Amazon has made the decision to not allow the spookiest season of the year to go by without a collection of short stories; I have decided to explore that strange noise in the basement all by myself and see what the Creature Feature collection is all about. What could go wrong?

The Pram by Joe Hill

I’ve been waiting a long time to get something new from Joe Hill. I saved “The Pram” for last.

I appreciate the time Hill spent building up his story. Even in a short story, we need to have some idea of who we are dealing with, what is going on in their twisted mind.

“The Pram” was good, but I am still waiting for my fix of Joe Hill magic; I may have to wait longer for his next full-length novel.

*3.5 Stars

Ankle Snatchers by Grady Hendrix

I’ll be honest, I am a huge fan of Grand Hendrix, I was saving this one.

Hendrix had a great premise for this one and squeezed in some great content into 29 pages. I found this story to be a bit of a departure for him, I was looking for more of the Hendrix humor. I suppose there is only so much an author can do with a short story.

*3.5 Stars

It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman

This story by Malerman is one of the meatiest of the Creature Features at 52 pages. Malerman has put out some fantastic full-length novels. “It Waits in the Woods” just seemed to be lacking. While the story was entertaining enough, it was forgettable.

*3 Stars

In Bloom by Paul Tremblay

Paul Tremblay has made quite the name for himself in the horror community over the past decade. I’ve never had that winner from him, but I’m reading the collection, let’s see what he does with a short story.

I’ll give Tremblay this, he writes atmospherically, he really sets up the scene. As a reader, I can really feel that I am there with the characters; "In Bloom" is no different in this respect. Despite this, I still didn’t connect with the protagonist or the story itself.

At 35 pages, it wasn’t a waste of time, but I would have liked more.

*3 Stars

Best of Luck by Jason Mott

This is exactly how a short story was meant to be done: twenty-nine pages (easy to read in one sitting), something completely different, and one hell of twist at the end, one that I did not see coming.

Mott sets this story up with a great joke, the rest of the story is no joking matter.

“Best of Luck” is simple and straightforward yet layered with mystery. It is all about the interaction between the two characters. The back and forth between them works perfectly.

If you want a quick, fun read, “Best of Luck” is a perfect book for the season.

*5 Stars

Big Bad by Chandler Baker

Chandler Baker is an unknown commodity to me; so, let’s start at book six and make my way down to book one.

Now, I don’t want to give anything away, but one look at the cover and you may get a clue as to what the creature in this Creature Feature happens to be, that is, if you don’t already have a good idea from the title.

Baker has done something completely different with the genre, I was impressed with what she was able to do in only fifty-nine pages. We have a couple of great characters, complete with a backstory and demons to wrestle with. There are multiple “villains” and just like a box of Cracker Jacks, a surprise inside. What more could a reader want from a Halloween short?

“Big Bad” might be the last in the Creature Feature collection, but it was a great place to start.

*4.5 Stars

Overall rating: 3.75 Stars

Ankle Snatcher - 4 stars
Will I ever not enjoy a Grady Hendrix book, even if it's just a short story? This book had me turning on lights and not getting too close to my bed in the dark. For such a short book this really had a lot of scary parts. The ending really cinched my enjoyment though, I loved it.

It Waits in the Woods - 3 stars
Josh Malerman's writing is pretty hit or miss for me and this book in particular was just all right. There were a couple of pretty spooky moments but for some reason his writing style is hard for me to get into, almost like it's dense. I did enjoy the ending and how descriptive the writing was.

In Bloom - 3 stars
I believe this was the first book I've read by this author and it was decent. It definitely didn't spook or creep me out in any way which was kind of disappointing. He does have atmospheric writing with great descriptions which I did appreciate. I like the cover and really enjoyed the ending.

Best of Luck - 4 stars
Okay, this book was really good. It had excellent descriptors of all the gore and a pretty decent plot twist that I wasn't expecting. I've never read anything by Jason Mott but I really like his writing style. It flowed very nicely and kept me engaged throughout the book.

Big Bad - 5 stars
This was definitely my favorite story out of the Creature Feature. It was perfectly gory and had just a hint of family drama, especially at the end, which I loved. I definitely wasn't expecting the ending but I absolutely loved it.

The Pram - 4 stars
Wow, this was really good. I think my favorite part of the story was the setting and its nod to his Dad but I also just loved the eeriness and gore to this. It had a fantastic twist at the end and I loved the creepy town people and what the ending alluded to. I will definitely be reading more by this author now, I really enjoyed his writing style.

Many thanks to Amazon Original Stories for the gifted copies for my honest review!

3.5 Rounded up to 4 Stars Overall!

Creature Feature is a collection of six Amazon-Original scary stories, each focusing on a different monster, penned by well-known authors in the horror and thriller genres.

The Pram by Joe Hill – 4.5 Pumpkins 🎃🎃🎃🎃.5

After suffering a miscarriage Marianne Halpeeny is a shadow of her former self, so her husband Willy decides a move from Brooklyn to a dilapidated farmhouse in Maine (where Marianne grew up) is exactly the fresh start she needs. One day, Willy strolls to the corner store, and when he buys too many groceries to carry home, the shopkeeper gives him an antique pram to transport his bags. But there is something strange and magical about this pram.

Joe Hill delved into the heartbreaking trauma of miscarriage, and how the emotions of the father are often overlooked. Willy's entire focus was on taking care of and being strong for his wife. When she fell apart, he couldn't afford to and bottling up his own feelings of grief and loss, meant Willy was more susceptible to the enticing nature of The Pram, when on the surface it seemed like Marianne was the one who was more in pain. It was a harrowing and tragic read and elevated the evilness to a whole new level. Like his father Stephen King, it seems Joe Hill favours the setting of Maine as well. Their writing styles are similar too, and The Pram reminded me of, The Shining, which I read last year.

Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix – 5 Pumpkins 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

When Marcus Needham was six his father was arrested and sent to prison for killing his mother. But the night it happened his father told his young son that he didn’t do it, that the Ankle Snatcher had grabbed his mother because she’d gotten out of bed in the dead of night without turning on a light first. Always turn on the light before getting out of bed his father warned. And even though Marcus has always believed his father to be delusional, he has always turned on the lamp first, even as an adult, until the night his girlfriend stays over, and she gets up to use the bathroom in complete darkness…

Ankle Snatcher is the shortest of the Creature Feature stories but it certainly left its mark – but fortunately not a physical one on my ankle. Who wouldn’t be terrified of something lurking under the bed? Especially something that only exists after dark. Are you superstitious? Would you turn on the light before getting up in the middle of the night just in case? The ending the protagonist found himself in was quite the conundrum. This little gem creeped me out.

It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman – 2 Pumpkins 🎃🎃

Since the 1970’s there have been whispers of a faceless creature named Ospo, haunting Michigan's, Ucatanani National Forest, killing victims to steal their faces. Three years ago, Brenda's sister, Amanda went missing in said forest. And now that Brenda is 18, she intends to venture into the woods to capture video proof of the creature's existence.

It Waits in the Woods dragged on relentlessly for six and a half exhausting chapters. The ending was the highlight, resourceful and unexpected, although unbelievable. The monster itself was kind of cool – akin to a troll living under a bridge which has always freaked me out. Question: Do all Josh Malerman’s horror stories feature insufferable parents? I've concluded this author isn't for me. So much detail of Brenda traipsing through the woods reflecting on the trauma of her missing sister, and how her parents blame her, even though Brenda was only a young teen herself when Amanda went missing. And with little opportunity for dialogue, the story was all ‘tell’ which contributed to the slow pace.

In Bloom by Paul Tremblay – 1.5 Pumpkins 🎃.5

Jimmy relates a story to reporter Heidi of when he was 12 years old in 1983 and encountered a swamp-like monster.

This was my first experience with Paul Tremblay, so I have a question – does he always write so technical? Because I was struggling not to nod off. For example, when the description of the creature contained words like ‘amorphous flagella' I'm rolling my eyes as opposed to being terrified. And do characters in a short story really need so much irrelevant backstory? The ambiguous ending did arouse my curiosity, but it was tedious to get there.

Best of Luck by Jason Mott – 5 Pumpkins 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

In the darkness of Barry's kitchen his best friend Will holds him at gun-point. How did things get to this point? Will has a gruesome tale to tell. It starts with a story of luck.

Jason Mott was the only Creature Feature author I had never heard of, and Best of Luck was a riveting, chilling story with notes of black comedy. I was glued to the pages from the first sentence to the last, and both sentences were exactly how you want your horror story to start and finish. The author's writing, and use of metaphors, were exceptional. I'll definitely be checking out what else he's written. My top favourite of the Creature Feature Collection.

Big Bad by Chandler Baker – 1 Pumpkin 🎃

A family of four fight for their lives one never-ending night when evil from outside and within invades their isolated farmhouse. The wolves are circling.

Aside from the ending, which was decent, this was predictable, meh, with awful characters who I didn't care what happened to. Even the kids were whiny and irritating. Scenes were choppy and ended abruptly. The writing was gross rather than scary or creepy – overly gory with revolting descriptions of bodily functions – gag! I'm crossing this author off my list. My least favourite of the Creature Feature collection.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Amazon, Joe Hill, Grady Hendrix, Josh Malerman, Paul Tremblay, Jason Mott, and Chandler Baker for the e-ARC.

Available Now!

Ankle Snatcher was my favorite short story in the Creature Feature collection. I love how we came full circle with his dad. I thought the prison scenes were really interesting and provided important information that Marcus truly needed.

Big Bad was my second favorite book in the Creature Feature collection. This was a weird story that starts off with normal domestic disappointment, with a successful wife and a husband that seems to resent his wife's success. Then the story takes a turn and the strangeness begins.

The Best of Luck was my third favorite book in the Creature Feature collection. I absolutely loved the ending of this story; it was very unexpected.

It Waits in the Woods was an interesting story. I felt bad for Brenda, her parents blamed her for her sister's disappearance and her entire family fell apart. I was not expecting the ending of this story but I like how it ended.

The Pram was an interesting short story. I felt bad for Willy and how badly he wanted the baby they did not have.

In Bloom was not for me, I found it hard to remain interested in the content of this story. Maybe it was the baseball, maybe it was the pace of the story, but I just couldn't get into this story.

If you’re looking for a collection of samples that delivers both intrigue and excitement, this group of book samples are a must-read. They were not only entertains but also reaffirms the power of storytelling in the mystery and thriller genres. Each sample story in this set is a masterclass in tension and intrigue. The narratives are expertly crafted, weaving complex plots with well-drawn characters who are both relatable and enigmatic. The settings range from the shadowy streets of urban landscapes to the eerie solitude of remote locations, creating an immersive experience that adds to the suspense.

This was a really interesting collection of short stories. A few of these were first time reads for several authors. First Joe Hill and it was good, not great, but made me interested in reading more. Ankle Snatcher was maybe one of my favorite Hendrix stories and my favorite of this series, who I don’t always love. Mott, Malerman and Baker’s were all pretty interesting and made me want to read more. Unfortunately In Bloom was my least favorite which is sad because I love Tremblay.

This was ok. Some of the stories were misses for me but some were good, like Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix. He writes such fun creepy stories.

Some of my favorite authors here, I really enjoyed these short stories! They were all very creepy but it was nice to have a collection of short stories so you could take a pause and come back for more later.
These are great short stories and I look forward to reading more by these authors.

nicely done collection with a great mixture of horror short stories from different authors and different plots all with their own unique tone and plot line.

it was entertaining and nice to read and a good collection for anyone that’s interesting in a quick horror fix!

Wonderful collection of short stories by some of the genre's best horror authors! Grady Hendrix was a favorite as well as Paul Tremblay. I also had an opportunity to listen to the audio shorts which I highly recommend.

Love this so much! Its the perfect sampler from some of horror biggest names! Whether you love these authors or if your looking to try them out this is a great collection.

I found the books to be very interesting. There was a lot of good stories in here from some great authors. I really like that it was centered on monsters for this collection.

This was such a fun collection for the Halloween season. I love Grady Hendrix so much and it was fun to read his short story. Most of the other authors were new to me, so it was a great way to get to know their style without committing to a whole story. It was also fun to see that it was offered free for Amazon Prime subscribers.
My favorite story for sure was Grady Hendrix, I love his style. The boogieman is one of those timeless stories that span childhood into adulthood.

I enjoyed most of these inventive horror-shorts. It's a great introduction to explore beloved horror/thriller authors as each has a distinct voice that is apparent in their stories.

As an amazon exclusive I can not buy this. I do not buy from amazon and hate their exclusivity contracts.

As an amazon exclusive I can not buy this. I do not buy from amazon and hate their exclusivity contracts.

As an amazon exclusive I can not buy this. I do not buy from amazon and hate their exclusivity contracts.

As an amazon exclusive I can not buy this. I do not buy from amazon and hate their exclusivity contracts.

As an amazon exclusive I can not buy this. I do not buy from amazon and hate their exclusivity contracts.

As an amazon exclusive I can not buy this. I do not buy from amazon and hate their exclusivity contracts.

A wonderfully exciting collection of horror reads by some fantastic authors who know how to give you a good scare. There is a story for everyone who loves to be scared or thrilled when they read. Don't miss out on this wonderful collection. I've read books from most of these authors and will be adding those that I hadn't to my tbr list!

I enjoyed every single one of these short stories, some more so than others. Collections like these are so much fun because they are quick and to the point but also leave you wanting more.

Fun short horror stories by some of my favorite horror authors. Thank you so much for allowing me to read these in advance in exchange for a review.

This was such a fun collaboration that would be attractive to horror readers with varied tastes. The stories were all wonderfully written and a joy to read. My favourite was The Pram by Joe Hill.

Very dissapointed in this collection. Most of the stories were slow paced, not even scary and overall boring. My favorite and the only one that I consider to be actually good was Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix. That story was very well paced for its lenght, it was funny, engaging, a tad gruesome and a good time.