This book is a compilation of short horror stories from Darcy Coates. It reminded me so much of Guillermo Del Toro’s ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’. I’d say more than half of the stories were incredibly creepy and had me biting my nails on the edge of my seat to see what happened. I think this would be a fantastic book for spooky szn and the stories are short so you don’t have to read it all in one sitting.

This is the first thing I’ve ever read by Darcy Coates, and apparently “Ghost Camera” is a re-release of one of the first novellas she ever wrote. It does read like an author’s early piece, and it contrasts pretty starkly with the others. (This collection also includes a few newer stories.)

In “Ghost Camera,” the concept was fun but the dialogue wasn’t great. It just felt unnatural and not believable. Plus, there were various other little issues such as a self proclaimed photography enthusiast only being interested in digital cameras and not “those ancient clunky things from the 80s.” What??

At one point in the story I lost all sympathy for the two main characters because they were acting like those customers that do not listen and continue to insist that you help them after you have explained to them in detail why you can not, in fact, help them. And then after that they have the audacity to also say, “I can’t believe you don’t WANT to help us!” I was actively rooting against them after that scene. I tried to cut “Ghost Camera” a little slack since I knew it was a very early work by Coates, though. And it was interesting to hold it up next to the rest of the collection and see how starkly different the quality of the writing really was.

The “Death Birds” story in particular, maybe my favorite out of all of them, feels like an entirely different person wrote it. So chilling, violent, and sad. Really cool imagery and a great idea in general.

There’s a very creepy story involving a group of teenagers playing an ill-advised game near a lighthouse, and another good one about a very devoted wife. I was invested for the most part in the story about a plane violently crashing in the snowy mountains, which would have been a top tier read if not for a couple of details that required me to suspend my disbelief a little too much. (And not even the details related to the actual horror. These were logic-related hang ups.)

Another longer piece near the end involved a mother finding a box of mysterious VHS tapes in her daughter’s room, the kind of topic I LOVE in a horror story. It started off very strong but ended up with a bit too much lore for my liking.

I don’t know about her full-length novels, but the impression I got from these stories is that Coates is very skilled at frightening imagery and has wonderful ideas, but sometimes adds too much exposition to the mix and dilutes the fear. However, I would still like to check out one of her books at some point.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

TW: Suicide, Chronic Illness, Plane crash, Animal death, Mention of Child Abuse

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and Darcy Coates for the ARC. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The writing seemed juvenile and the story poorly developed. DNF 5%

I'm just not sure what to make of this book. It was a silly plot where the protagonist, Jenine, finds an old Polaroid camera and upon taking a few pictures with it notices that there are visible ghosts in the photos. She then shows her friend Bree who takes a few pictures of her own. When the ghosts begin making contact with Jenine they reach out for the help of a ghost hunter, who tells them there is nothing he can do and the more pictures taken with the ghost camera, the more visible the photographer is to the ghosts. I felt like I kept waiting for something more exciting to happen, but it never did and then after waiting for things to speed up the resolution happened too quickly. I am thankful it was a novella and not a full-length novel.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

This is quite probably the best horror anthology I've ever read. There is not a single one of the nine stories featured that I would say was bad; a couple were less impactful than the others, but every one of them is so well-written and creative that even those slightly-lacking ones were a great read. My favorite story was Untamed Things (which also had the most descriptive plane crash I've ever read) and the most messed up one that left me slack-jawed was Remains. Those two, A Box of Tapes, and the titular Ghost Camera had me jumping at the slightest noise in real life or looking over my shoulder every once in a while as I was reading them. Phew, what a ride!

If I could give more than five stars to this anthology, I would. I truly cannot recommend it enough for horror fans!

I am not sure if ghost stories aren’t for me or if it was the characters in this story but I just could not connect to the story. I found myself not really connecting with the main characters. Some of of the other stories were better but really I was just turning the pages but was not scared (which I think ghost stories are supposed to do) or invested in their plight.

This review is of the 2024 expanded edition of Ghost Camera that opens with the title novella followed by eight new stories by Darcy Coates. The final piece, “A Box of Tapes,” I would also call a novella as it takes up a bit more real estate than “Ghost Camera”—and it serves as a perfect bookend since it is, in its own way, a ghost camera story, too.

Overall, I would say this collection of stories gets better as it goes. Coates has become a more skilled storyteller since originally releasing “Ghost Camera” on its own ten years ago, and it shows. In this volume, my favorites are the last four or five stories, constituting the second half of the book. The stories all vary widely in length and creep factor, with “A Box of Tapes” taking the top spot on both accounts. I genuinely got the willies while reading that one, and in a lot of ways, it reminded me of Coates’ awesome 2023 YA novel Where He Can’t Find You to the point where I thought the two tales might be set in the same fictional town. Maybe this is its sister story…

“Cathedral,” one of the shortest stories in the collection, is a real standout example of short horror. Even though I figured out the “twist” almost immediately, it still horrified me—and made the reading experience more (wonderfully) torturous for it.

I would recommend this to fans of Coates’ other work and to those interested in checking her out for the first time. However, I will caution readers not to get bogged down by the first story. Skip it if you have to. The rest of the collection is better. 👌

Full review posted on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6007465928

Darcy Coates is one of my favorite authors, so I'm always excited to read anything she writes. I love that she published some of her previously written work for this collection. I really enjoyed the anchor story, Ghost Camera. The concept of the story is really cool (a ghost camera!) and, while the title made it look like it would be corny, it was actually pretty horrifying. I will definitely be recommending this book to my readers as a great thriller.

Yet again the queen has done it! These stories kept me reading well past my bedtime. My favorite would have to be the Box of Tapes. That is a side of Darcy I haven't read before and hope to see a lot more of!

I'm a Darcy fan and there's really not much she can do wrong in my eyes.

It was a bit surprising to discover that this is actually a collection of novellas and short stories. I assumed I'd misread, but from reading other reviews, I think most of us were bamboozled. I'm not complaining, though; I'm just giving a heads-up.

Ghost Camera is the main feature in this collection, and I say this with love: It feels like a Goosebumps story—if Goosebumps were written for adults instead of nine-year-olds. It's a fun twist on the ghost story. I really appreciate Coates's style of writing; it's to the point, not overly flowery, and just easy to read.

My favorite story was A Box of Tapes. Each trope in this story is creepy a f on its own: kids, recently moved-in, VHS tapes, etc. Now, add them all together...shudders.

I'll be adding this collection to my shelves :)

There was a lot of atmosphere and ghostly activity in this fantastic ghost story. I always look for Coates' works when I want to take a peek into a haunted house or the otherworldly realm because she has always been a fantastic ghost storyteller. This novel was no different—as the plot progresses, the characters maintain a steady pace, and the ghost action gets more intense!

Darcy Coates has the knack for writing books that I enjoy. I love their creepy, paranormal, horrific, and sinister premises and Ghost Camera delivered. This book contained both the title novella, Ghost Camera but also added spooky stories as well.

In Ghost Camera, Jenine has found a polaroid camera in a lighthouse. When she takes a photo, she finds that she captured more than she intended in the photograph. She and her friend, Bree take more pictures and learn that the more pictures taken, the more dangerous the situation becomes. This was creepy and sinister read which did not disappoint. I also enjoyed the additional short stories included in this version of the book as well. I especially enjoyed the one with the found VHS tapes and the note which reads "Don't watch. You'll Regret it."

This was a great collection which delivered the thrills, chills, and spooky moments. I enjoy Coates’ writing and creepy vibe of this collection.

A simple, yet effective ghost story from Darcy Coates.

Janine finds a Polaroid camera at the top of a lighthouse and then discovers that it can capture images of ghosts...

I found this to be a rather generic, predictable and clunky read. The dialogue between the main characters was awkward at its very best.
Regardless of these things, it was a pleasant read and I'll be sure to try more of Darcy Coates' work.

Darcy Coates' latest novel, Ghost Camera, is a re-release of an earlier novel with some slight tweaks and added short stories. While the story is not exactly original, Coates makes it her own and gives a few chills along the way.

Ghost Camera follows Jenine after she stumbles upon an abandoned polaroid camera that captures unsettling images of ghosts. After sharing this information with her best friend Bree, the two are on a mission to find out more and how to stop the possible dangers that lay in front of them. With each picture taken, the danger gets ever closer, leading to chilling tale.

Ghost Camera offers a twist on the classic ghost story, bringing a fresh perspective to the concept of spirits trapped within photographs. While the premise may not be entirely original, Darcy Coates manages to make it her own with her signature writing style. The eerie atmosphere she creates throughout the novel does give off a feeling of being watched, wanting us to read the pages with the lights on.

As fans of Darcy Coates we were excited to read this one. However, we were underwhelmed. The dialogue seemed awkward and strained at times leaving us wanting more. Additionally, the story itself seems a bit too unbelievable when our guess was that was not the original idea. The two main characters find a camera that captures eerie ghosts and you keep using said camera without finding out more about it?

Coates ability to craft a story is wonderful, just not as much in Ghost Camera. The short stories added to this in the second half of the novel gives us a reprieve from the main story at the front. While we are usually not fans of short stories, these give us a good reason to grab the paperback on release.

Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates is not perfect by any stretch, but is a solid addition to the horror genre. A ghostly story is always worth reading and one that can give you chills is even better. Coates is a fantastic writer and we will continue to read anything she puts out.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the pre-release copy of Ghost Camera. Below is my honest review.

This one was a collection of novellas and short stories, which somehow I missed when I requested an ARC. I have to be in the right mood for an anthology, so I went in with some trepidation.

I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed most of the stories more than expected. Most of them had some really cool concepts, even if a few felt like retellings of movie plot lines that we've seen - they at least had much different takes on similar concepts.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this one, but not as much as the full-length novels of hers that I've read.

So, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Recommended for Darcy Coates fans and horror anthology fans.

I recently read Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates. I've read, reviewed and greatly enjoyed several books by this author. This book is a collection of short stories, all told in typical spooky Coates manner. This first story, and book namesake, involves a ghost camera. Jenine and Bree investigate a polaroid camera that shows images of ghosts. The tension increases as with each additional photograph the spirits move closer. Was that a breath on my neck or did I imagine it? Was that a touch? The story is fascinating and is only the first of several included. The final story literally had me putting down the book, I was so creeped out. Very fun!

If you are a fan of this author, or not, you won't want to miss this collection. The storytelling is wonderful. One thing that Darcy Coates does so well, is keep it spooky without any cheap shots or taking the easy way out. She doesn't go for the easy "boo" or resort to gore. Instead, she develops quality characters and interesting stories. As always, a great read.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. I am thrilled to be able to give you my thoughts.

Seriously, this girl can write! This amazing storyteller new disappoints. When we leave your toes curled and you will leave your light on!

_Ghost Camera_ by Darcy Coates is a compilation of short horror stories that are dark, disturbing, and engrossing. The stories include the book’s namesake of a haunted camera, a plane crash survivor struggling in a remote land with sinister beings, and a mother who finds deadly VHS tapes. The compilation is filled with terror from hauntings, monsters, and the unknown, a treat for supernatural horror and Darcy Coates fans.

Yes! Yes! Yes! A great horror short collection! I really liked the variety in the types of horror stories in this collection. My favourite had to be “A Box of Tapes”. It read like a horror movie which I appreciated. It was chilling and creepy.

If you’re a fan of horror this is a must read (really anything by Darcy Coates is a must read)

A great collection of short stories by Darcy Coates. This set really highlights her ability to take well-known scary story tropes and play with them in a way that makes it fresh and newly terrifying. Really enjoyed these, and I did not think there was a dud in the bunch, which is a high bar for most books of short stories.
A fun, scary read that you might not want to read in the dark...