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Book Review: Double Barrel Horror, Volume 3 edited by Matthew Weber

cover image for Double Barrel Horror Volume 3

Double Barrel Horror, Volume 3 edited by Matthew Weber (  Amazon.com  )

Pint Bottle Press, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-945005-01-5

Availability: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

Double Barrel Horror, Volume 3 is a 182 page collection of horror shorts by six different authors, two stories by each one.  Most of the stories clock in at around the 10-15 page mark, and the quality is all over the map.  There are some good ones, but some clunkers as well.   Or, in keeping with the “shotgun” theme of the book title, there are some good rounds of double-aught buck in here, but there is also a fair amount of birdshot and blanks mixed in.

 

Calvin Demmer is the most consistent author out of the six; his “Highway Hell” and “Motel Madness” are entertaining romps, concerning how roadkill is really removed from the highways, and what happens to a bad, but not truly evil, person when they are tossed into purgatory.  Robert Essig’s “From Unclean Spells” is a decent story of necromancy gone wrong.   If nothing else, the belch-and-barf-fest (literally) in the story is quite amusing.  Essig comes up big with “Fuel for the King of Death”, which scores high both in terms of originality and excitement.  How does a freaky little Museum of Death keep getting new video footage for the museum?  Read on and find out.  Mark Matthews adds “Goodwin”, which is an entertaining take on the joys of necrophilia, from a corpse’s point of view.  The most chilling story in the book certainly comes Glenn Rolfe.  His “The House on Mayflower Street” is a terrifying look at what happens when nosy neighborhood brats start investigating the classic “abandoned house” in a suburban neighborhood.  As the kids find out, curiosity is not only painful, it’s a lot worse than death.  This one would make a good movie; it alone is almost worth the price of admission.

 

As for the rest of the stories…meh.  They aren’t necessarily bad, but they aren’t that interesting either.  The writing quality for all of them is fine, there just really isn’t anything in the stories to capture and hold the reader.  They are okay for a quick moment, but there is nothing that will make the stories truly memorable for the reader.  If you have the money to spare, you may want to consider picking this up for the good stories it does contain.  Anyone on a limited budget, though, would be better off investing in The Third Corona Book of Horror Stories or Lost Highways: Dark Fiction From the Road.

 

 

Contains: violence, profanity, gore

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Book Review: Double Barrel Horror, Volume 2 edited by Matthew Weber

Double Barrel Horror Volume 2

Double Barrel Horror Volume 2 edited by Matthew Weber

Pint Bottle Press, 2017

ISBN: See individual reviews for individual ISBN numbers

Available: Kindle edition

 

Double-Barrel Horror Volume 2 is a series of stand-alone short ebooks, published separately but marketed as a collection. each with two stories by a specific author, which will eventually be collected as a paperback. In the meantime, each ebook is available separately on Kindle.

At the beginning of each of these short ebooks, there is a well-placed warning for readers preparing to go through these tales of terror: “Double-Barrel Horror is a series of fictional horror stories. They are likely to include death, graphic violence, profanity, blasphemy, sexual content and other themes and images that commonly disturb. If you can’t deal with these themes in your fiction, then you should avoid this book.” It would be wise for a potential reader to take this to heart before opening any of these tomes. I have included some warnings with my brief reviews. You’ve been warned…

 

 

“Punk Rock Horror”/”Holes” by Chad Lutzke

ISBN: 9781945005800

Available: Kindle edition

 

In “Punk Rock Re-Animator,” a young man is dragged to his first punk show by his friend, Mike, who promises that it will be the experience of a lifetime. Once he’s in the venue, he starts people-watching. For a little while, it’s nothing out of the ordinary—just a crowd of people wanting a good time. Then he spies the man he calls The Professor. The latter is watching the crowd intently. The evening really picks up after The Professor pulls out the syringe with the glowing green fluid, and injects two people who will never be the same again. Warning: this one gets gory.

“Holes” presents another interesting tale of observation.  Manny Steven is a very bad kid. His neighborhood antics have worn down the people in the neighborhood, children and adults alike. The narrator is no different. He’s alone in the world after the death of his dog, Quincy, for which Manny is responsible. The narrator spends some of his days with a pair of binoculars at his window. He vows never to look inside the privacy of others windows, he strictly relegates his viewing to the street. All is going well until he breaks this promise and his eyes wander over to the Stevens’ apartment where he sees a most disturbing sight. It looks like someone has figured out the best revenge to take on young Manny, and one by one the neighbors are joining in. Warning: torture

 

 

“There Will Be Angels…”/”Marlene the Magnificent” by John Boden

ISBN: 9781945005800

Available: Kindle edition

 

“There Will Be Angels” is the story of a young boy, chained, locked, and alone in a room with nothing but a few tins left of cat food and his angels. Something has happened to his captor. The passage of time is not clear, and he is delirious from hunger and thirst. But his angels watch over him from their permanent places on the ceiling and the walls, and he has faith that his angels that will save him. Warning: child abuse

“Marlene the Magnificent” is…interesting. Marlene is a very popular act for children’s parties, and Timothy Brushett’s parents were able to book the unusual act, sparing no expense. I’m not sure that I would assign the word “magnificent” to Marlene, but she certainly wows the crowd. Warning: a lot of weird sexual content

 

 

“Black Rock Boys”/ “The Perfect Figure Eight” by Simon Dewar

ISBN: 9781945005855

Available: Kindle edition

 

In “Black Rock Boys,” three teenage boys are out in the woods late at night when the school bully, Richie, shows up with an armed friend. What happens when the narrator runs to the black rock covered in runes asking for help? Only he knows, but the next thing he remembers is waking up in the safety of his home. When he shows up to school, he’s different, changed somehow. This story was very Lovecraftian in tone and is a truly great read.  Warning: bullying

“The Perfect Figure Eight” is another tale set around the high school years. Pete loves racing movies, his bike, and his dog. And a girl named Katie. New neighbors move in next door, and Pete finds the new girl, Jessica, is less than polite when they meet. One afternoon, Pete goes to the movie store for another rental of his favourite film and finds himself recommending a title to Katie and her friend. He’s elated as he rides home, and decides to take the most dangerous path, speeds down the hill toward a jump, and eats it…hard. It leaves scarring that becomes the target of Jessica’s bullying. It all comes to a head when he finds Jessica tormenting his beloved dog. They make a deal. Jessica will leave the dog alone so long as he takes the same ride again. He makes one small modification to the plan. Warning: bullying, violence against animals

 

“Shellfish”/”Exile” by Karen Runge

ISBN: 9781945005862

Available: Kindle edition

 

In “Shellfish,” the narrator just wanted to remember the seaside trip she took as a child by herself, but when her lover Tom suggests they go together, she says yes anyway. She’s angry. When they arrive at the hotel, the receptionist remembers her and reminds her of the name David. David, who followed her everywhere when she and her family vacationed there so long ago, who annoyed her as much as Tom is annoying her now. Slowly, memories come back, and her anger and annoyance grow. Warning: brief mention of sex

“Exile”: This is told in second-person which actually works well for this story. It focuses on Elise, who is told she needs to take a vacation. She wants to get away from the day to day noise, to be utterly alone. However, when she succeeds in this endeavor by staying in a secluded house, even the sounds of nature encroach on her surroundings. When she tries to take care of the yard on her own, something terrible happens. But, she just wants to be alone…Warning: a lot of blood, sexual content

 

 


“Roadkill”/”The Getaway” by Patrick Freivald

ISBN: 9781945005831

Available: Kindle edition

 

In “Roadkill,” Jim is driving Gina to work when they see something in the middle of the road. They can’t believe what they see emerging from the animal splayed out in the road. After calling 911 to report it, they both get out to take a look at the thing in the road. Could that really be a child climbing out of the mass in the road? Warning: sexual content, gore

“The Getaway” is the story of a robbery and carjacking gone terribly wrong. After the shooting of their friend Jimmy, Alan and Bud drag an old man out of his own vehicle. As they are driving, they hear knocking coming from the trunk. Jimmy dies in the car, and the remaining failed robbers pull over to dump the body. The knocking gets frantic so they open the trunk to find a bound woman screaming to be taken back to her captor. Warning: gore, gore, and more gore

 

 

“Blinky”/”The Midnight Show” by M.B. Vujacic

ISBN: 9781945005824

Available: Kindle edition

 

“Blinky” is the last person you want to be with on the road, especially if you are a foul-mouthed whippersnapper. Emily’s brother Rod is complaining about the old man behind them who won’t back off his bumper. At the red light, the old man gets out of his vehicle and approaches Rod and Emily, loudly and rudely complaining about Rod leaving his blinker on. After a heating exchange, the old man, who Rod nicknamed Blinky, shoots Rod in the head. Emily takes off, with Blinky and his gun close behind. He kills anyone who gets in the way of his elusive target. What follows is, put simply, is a bloodbath. Warning: gun violence, blood

“The Midnight Show” has a very Lovecraftian feel to it. A traveling circus comes into town, and it’s less than stellar. Will hates it, but Clyde is distracted by a girl named Sombra, the daughter of one of the clowns. She invites them to The Midnight Show, which is guaranteed to be much better than anything the regular show has to offer. Warning: sexual content, blood, eldritch horror

Each of these authors present tales of terror that, while short, sit with the reader for a long time after finishing them. Weber selected some great authors for Double-Barrel Horror Volume 2. It’s clear he has an eye for horror. Recommended for those with ironclad stomachs.

 

Contains: See individual reviews for specific content warnings.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker