The Rack: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks, by various authors
Greymore Publishing, 2024
ISBN: 9780990632771
Available: Paperback, Kindle edition
Buy: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com
The Rack is a mixed bag. That’s surprising, considering the pedigree of the authors involved, many whom I’ve read before. There are some really good ones, but when the best one is a Stephen King one borrowed from his ’80s collection Skeleton Crew, that tells you something. If you really want good ’80s style horror stories, track down the original ones from that era on Ebay,
The reason it’s a bit of a disappointment is that for the five or six really good ones, there are an equal number of clunkers. The rest are somewhere in the middle: they provide some entertainment, but nothing you are likely to read again. The writing and ideas are fine, but most of them just don’t have any real “grab” to them. Still, there are some that have plenty of zip,
“White Pages” is one of the best and most creative stories, illustrating how prank calling could go horribly wrong in the old days of rotary phones. “Fuzzy Slippers” is straight, messy, ’80s-inspired lunacy, with yes, killer slippers, and a great twist at the end. This one really captures the feel of the gory, free-for-all stories that marked some of the best ’80s horror. “Blood of my Blood” may be the most unusual, with its blood-drinking health zealots. Mixi them into a marriage ceremony with a groom who has no idea what type of family he’s marrying into, and you have a wonderfully dark humored story. “The Keeper of Taswomet” and “Lips Like a Scythe” are solid, vintage-inspired monster mashups, with enough character interactions to keep the story humming. They’re not just focused on the monsters and carnage, although there is plenty of that too! The best story, King’s “The Raft”, is one that doesn’t need to be mentioned; you already know how good it is.
As for the rest…again, this is strictly opinion. There’s nothing lacking in how the stories are written, they just really aren’t page turners, which is my main requirement for a good short story. Other readers may feel differently..
Bottom line? If you want to read the best ’80s shorts, go back to the originals: they truly hit the mark. King’s Night Shift or Skeleton Crew, Robert McCammon’s Blue World, or Clive Barker’s Books of Blood are all prime examples of what made the ’80s such a fertile period for creativity in the horror field.
Reviewed by Murray Samuelson
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