Thank you Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review.

It's a collection of eleven short stories, all in the horror genre. My favourite was 'Viola Bloom'. The stories didn't scare me, but it was entertaining and had some great twists. I finished it in one sitting. I loved the graphics and storytelling.

I have never read a short story collection in graphic novel form, and with these being horror stories, I completely enjoyed every moment of this book. The art style is fun while the stories are an equal mix of humorous and creepy. I really liked how the author included a little description of what inspired each story after every one, I felt like I was connecting more with the stories that way. I absolutely could not put this graphic novel down and I had to finish it in one sitting. The last story was truly creepy and had such a clever ending that I was giggling out loud. I strongly encourage everyone to pick this graphic novel up when it comes out! I was not disappointed!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

A collection of short horror stories told in the form of modern comics?! Sign me up! I LOVED this book. I am familiar with Adam Ellis' art and so I was really excited to read this. I loved the stories but I loved more that he explained why he wrote it/ what the inspiration behind the story was. I appreciate the authors dark sense of humor and cannot wait to read more of his work. All around this was a great read. The stories, the art, and the creativity are why I gave this one a 5/5 stars! Highly recommend if you like horror stories and a quick read!

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review!

graphic short story collection. Essentially the kids book it stories to tell in the dark. It even had the girl with the ribbon around her neck story in comic book form. the stories are short, have an urban legend/campfire /sleepover scary story feel to them. Definitely not inappropriate in anyway, I would say its target audience is preteen or younger. But fun, quick one sitting reads for adults as well. The stories definitely have the ability to shock and scare a younger audience but have a nostalgic feeling for adult readers as well and the stories have a unique take to them to a new level of horror.
Quick and easy read. Visually the art within reminds me of Sunday morning cartoons. I wouldn't buy this for myself, but definitely a great book for the younger horror fans. Where the stories can frighten and yet something that could air on a scoobie do episode or Sunday morning cartoon.

This comic collection of horror stories was so much fun to read! The mix of revived classic horror themes you may have already heard of (but surely not this way!) and fresh ideas was entertaining and never failed to surprise me. I can't even say which one is my favorite, because all stories were great in their own way. Scary, shocking and humorous - I had a really good time with this book. Recommended!

4.3/5
Quality of writing: 4
Plot development: 4
Pace: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 5
Ease of reading: 5

I've been following Adam Ellis for years. I enjoy his style and humor. His horror comics always creep me out so, of course, I had to snag this collection! I was not disappointed. The art was top tier, the stories - both a mix of new stories and classics. It's great to watch Adam step away from his style in some of the comics too.
This won't be for everyone. But I did love it.

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

With amazing art and scary yet hilarious stories, this can be the entrypoint for someone looking to getting into reading horror.
Absolutely loved the anecdotes after each story which details where the story was inspired from. This makes it so very personal and heartfelt.

The illustrations are super cute, maybe not really scary but so good to flip through!
It would make for a great coffee table book as well, since it's bound to incite conversations and it is a treat to look at.

I have been an Adam Ellis fan since the "Dear David" Twitter days. (If you don't know what I'm referencing, you definitely need to look it up, by the way.) His talent for art and storytelling really shines in this awesome collection of scary (and darkly hilarious) stories. Highly recommend to the young horror lovers out there.

Review to come in April on my blog/other places.

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I am a giant fan of Adam Ellis and his comics/artwork, and I especially love his darker material. His horror stories. They are really goosebumps inducing. So I was freaking hyped when I saw this book announced! I wasn't sure how I would be able to wait until April, so I was delighted when I saw this book appear on Edelweiss. I pressed the download button so fast, haha.

This book has 11 short stories in it. From a spooky movie that isn't findable (did it even exist) to what happens when you have hangnail (this one I remember as the original, and this was hard to read because it was so UGH) to what if a reality show gets a bit too real (which I loved). I loved the diversity of the stories, sometimes a bundle goes for one theme, but in this one you will find all sorts of spooky going-ons. The stories are all a RIDE and some I remembered from online, others were new to me. I had so much fun reading this one and I just couldn't stop, this is one book I read from start to finish in one go. The stories are just too good, you don't want to stop.

I love that each story has a little bit of extra information by Adam on the story. How he got the idea, what inspired him, where the stories were found. I really loved that these were added. They gave the stories something extra.

The art was, once again, totally awesome. Adam Ellis is such a good artist and I hope he draws for a long time to come.

Oh, and RIP Brittany again. That story was a ride. If I had such a thing in my home I would either remove it, burn the house, or just brick it completely. Yeah, no to that staying.

All in all, I would HIGHLY recommend this spooky story collection to you all. If you love horror, scary stuff, disturbing bye bye and no thank you stories and love great art, this is perfect for you! I will be getting the book and adding it to my collection. I need to re-read this one for Halloween! Oh, and I do hope that Adam Ellis will be making more scary stories and bundling them in a book!

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

I didn't find this scary, but one of the stories did really gross me out. I think it's hard to be scary when the art looks so cute. I liked the art style and the stories were interesting. It was good for someone like me who isn't into super scary stuff.

Spooky bedtime stories anyone?

I don’t know why i decided to read this before bed given i am notoriously sensitive to scary things despite my big age :’)

These beautifully illustrated scary short stories were truly great and i’m certain they’re going to stay with me for a long time! Several of them i’d heard told in different ways but i liked how the author put their own twist on them!!

Definitely recommend!!

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC! :)

3.5 rounded up

What a lovely little anthology!

This book takes the charm of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and turns them into short stories in this graphic novel.

There were 11 total short stories in this anthology. Many stories were original and 1 story, Green Ribbon, a beloved story with the author's twist. The stories were fairly short overall, around 10-30ish pages depending on the story. At times the short stories did feel like a hindrance. There were several stories where I wanted more, whether that be more information at the beginning, during, or at the end...I wanted more details. I think this is a problem with many short stories not just the ones featured in this book. There are lots of great ideas that I think would be even better if they were expanded upon.

After each of the stories, the author added a short paragraph explaining where they got the inspiration for that particular story. I thought it was a nice element as I'm always intrigued by where authors find their inspiration. I know some readers like the meaning of their stories to be a bit more ambiguous so if you're one of those people maybe skip this part as the author sometimes says the direct meaning of the story.

However, I will say there was one author's note that I found a bit odd. I won't say too much about the short story as to not give any spoilers but there is one story involving true crime podcasts. The author talks about how true crime has rotted people's brains, that it's weird that people consume murder for entertainment, and goes on to talk about people speculating about murders. Now, I do believe some podcasters are this extreme, they aren't respectful when talking about these situations, and just use it for views or whatever... however, I would say many (as a true crime listener myself) are not this type of person. While I do know true crime is different than reading the horror genre, I just find it a bit odd that this was said in a horror genre book. I do understand this particular short story was a message, and I understood the point, it just felt a bit odd. This didn't affect my rating really as this story was one of my favorites in the book but I wanted to mention it.

Some of my favorites were Bus Stop, Murder Party, Viola Bloom, and Green Ribbon.

I really enjoyed the art in this book. Each of the stories had a different color pallet to fit the story and it worked for it.

While this is listed as a horror book, I would say it's minimal horror. Some of the stories fit more into the horror genre than others. Some stories felt more like a little message or had me thinking when I was finished. Just a thought to keep in mind when going into this.

This book is tagged as an adult; however, I wanted to mention a couple of things in case you're looking at this for a younger audience. I read Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark when I was in the 5th grade and since this book is compared to it in the summary I felt like I should mention some of the content (even though one could say SSTTIND is not a book for younger audiences). Some images included the butt of a naked woman (alien), and one image has boobs (I think) on a monster (is the monster a girl idk). There is some murder in the book so images include bloody humans and objects. Meth is also mentioned in the book. Now the book is mentioned as horror so one shouldn't be surprised at some things included in the book.

Overall I liked the book, and enjoyed the art and stories! I'd recommend to someone who enjoys graphic novels and is looking to get into the horror genre but doesn't want something to gross or scary.

If you grew up as I and the author did with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, you will loooove this graphic novel horror anthology. Like any good (young) millennial, Ellis doesn’t take himself too seriously, but I really enjoyed the explanations into each story that came after. My favorites were Green Ribbon (iykyk), Bus Stop, Murder Party, and Viola Bloom. This was super fun and fast and would make a great gift!

Absolutely thrilled with this book! Adam Ellis has outdone himself with stunning illustrations and a collection that's just a joy to read.

I've been following Ellis for years and his passion for this project shines through every page. What I loved most were the author's notes accompanying each story. They give a glimpse into Ellis's creative process, ranging from deep and thought-provoking to delightfully whimsical, illustrating how inspiration can come from the most unexpected places.

Reading this anthology felt like a nostalgic trip back to the scary story collections of my youth. It's the kind of book that sends shivers down your spine in the best way, reminiscent of those nights spent reading under the covers, heart racing with every turn of the page. While some stories may fall apart if you think too hard, the overall experience is captivating and spine-tingling. A must-read for anyone who loves a good chill!

Fantastic. I love these books from Adam Ellis, and of all I've read, they've all been bangers. I follow him on social media and get access to some comics from him here and there. I have been a fan for years, long enough to see his art style change and develop, it's like watching a kid grow up. I absolutely LOVE horror, so this book was even better. Truly a must read.

I have always loved comics since before I was alive, is that even possible? My earliest memories were eagerly waiting for my grandpa to pull that most coveted page from his newspaper on Sundays after church. I would devore the page as if I couldn’t read it fast enough. When I was done, I’d start all over, but slower, acting out the scenes in my head and doing the different character voices to really feel it.

What Adam gives with his newest book is satisfaction for that hungry craving, the desire, to be immersed in visually striking comics slapped with eeriness and horror. I loved it. I’m still hungry.

Bad Dreams in the Night has a total of eleven short stories. Each one made my eyes widen and left my skin crawling. They are so creepy, some are just plain gross, but in a good way. I like how each story ends with a small explanation of where Adam got his inspiration from, whether it be a dream or real-life experience, for example, overeating ramen on a trip to Japan (one of my favorites... I think I might get some for lunch today).

I also enjoyed seeing the improvement and progression in Adam’s art throughout the years. I’ve enjoyed some of his earlier comics when he was still working at BuzzFeed. The maturity and growth are on display here in his graphic novel. He’s worked hard to fine-tune his skills and it shows, especially in his “Hangnail” story... oof, I can feel my body shiver just thinking about it. Excuse me while I go shower and scrub with a steel loofa to make sure I’m still in one piece.

I’m definitely, absolutely, 100% going to be adding a physical copy of this one to my library shelf. My only complaint is I wish it was longer!! I want a big thick fat stack of comics that takes me days to get through!

Bad Dreams in the Night comes out on April 16th, 2024. Pre-order now!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @andrewsmcmeel for the opportunity to review this incredible book!

I follow Adam on Instagram and I absolutely loooove his comics, but this is the first book I read by him. It has been entertaining but I must confess I prefer his online stories. For me they have been less spooky/disturbing than I expected. I enjoyed it anyway though.

*Thank you for the ARC!! All opinions are completely my own.** 4-4.5 stars. Great collection of creepy comics. With a twist!

Me and Evangeline at the Farm - how could his grandparents not know there were dead people in the house? Well a dead man and a dead alien?
Milk door - was my fave. I definitely screamed, “WTF is that????” And the friend kept texting at the end and the story ended. Loved it.
Butter corn ramen - made me want to vomit.
The Green Ribbon - had me shook and then I laughed at the end when he said he doesn’t ask her about it anymore. That was very unexpected.
Forest Fruit - was okay. Wish there was more to it.
Bus Stop - was creepy af but she better be grateful for it since it made her miss the bus.
The scream I let out in Hangnail woke my son up. I…I will never pick a hangnail again.
Better Kate than Never - was okay. Not too scary. She got out, so there’s that.
Little House in the Sea - was confusing. If I’m not mistaken, the cycle repeats, like the circle of life?
Murder Party- she definitely committed to her role as a true crime podcaster. A little too committed.
Viola Bloom - when Viola came down the hall, I wanted to run too. That was scary!!

I loved this and I want to read more horror comics. It’s even more frightening when there are illustrations.

I really really enjoyed ‘Bad Dreams in the Night’ I am really excited to buy a physical copy for myself when it is released 😍 I would highly recommend ‘Bad Dreams in the Night’ my favourite of the stories was Green Ribbon and Bus Stop but really all the stories are very good. 😊

Rating 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️