Kevin J. Kennedy Presents Collected Christmas Horror Shorts IV is another killer collection of horror tales centered around the chilling winter holiday. This book has the supernatural, the grief, and the terrible, all wrapped up nicely with a bow.
Let’s dive in!
My Thoughts on Kevin J. Kennedy Presents Collected Christmas Horror Shorts IV –
Fans of holiday horror, you’re in for a treat again with this collection! Every single tale made me feel so uneasy.
Per usual, here are my notes on each story.
Foreword –
Per usual, Levin includes a perfect kick-off to the tales! I can’t believe this is the 36th anthology already! Any collection Kevin puts together is killer. I couldn’t wait to get into these!
The Holly King by Dexter McLeod –
Forced to recount the events of a stormy night, readers follow the main character as he arrives at a terrible scene where five bodies have been discovered. But that was only the beginning of that horror-filled night.
My gosh, this tale will have you chilled to the bone! All the references to the storm and the ice had me ready to go find a blanket to cover up with. And then there’s the horror that’s uncovered… it just kept getting more terrifying!
The Yule Thief by C. W. Stevenson –
When a young man steals a ship in a bottle, his family and their employer want to teach him a lesson. Even so, they caution him not to enter the woods. Blinded by determination to have a nice holiday feast, he ends up deep in the forest, regretting what he has done.
This poor boy. A little trouble leads to some terrible consequences.
It’s Just How it’s Gotta Be by Veronica Smith –
After the world has turned into a wasteland where people will do anything to survive, Santa is happy to go visit his favorite family that has stayed on the nice list. But this year, something changed.
The suspense of this one was so good! Right from the start, I had a guess as to what was going on, but finding out for sure wasn’t any less sad and upsetting.
Paper Crowns by Stephen Barnard –
When siblings surviving a terrible childhood are told to be on their best behavior for the visit of this father’s boss, the eldest is locked in her room. When their guest arrives, the eldest is strangely quiet. The family soon learns why.
This tale, while so upsetting and dark, had such a fun twist! The excitement of seeing what would come next in each popper was a blast!
Christmas People by Lucretia Stanhope –
On Halloween night, this woman finds out that she seriously underestimated the wildness of her new HOA. As the Christmas holiday approaches, things only get worse. Will she cave and stick to their intense schedule?
Oh, this one stressed me out! That ending though!
The Traveling Christmas Carnival by Brian Moreland –
When a Christmas carnival suddenly arrives in town, some of the community are excited to attend, but others are weary. Once they walk into the carnival, they quickly realize it’s not what they had hoped. Things only get worse from there.
Christmas and carnival horror?! These are two of my favorite horror topics, and what a fun blend they are!! This was such a dark tale, filled with action and terror!
Black Pete by Callum Pearce –
When an annual holiday tradition is interrupted by an old woman, the holiday cheer is dashed when one man learns what is to come.
This tale is absolutely terrifying. The element of the holiday items keeping the darkness at bay had me ready to do some early decorating! Ugh, the bit with the kids broke my heart. I had to skip a couple of those scenes.
Good Boy by Steve Stred –
This boy has a bedtime ritual to keep the monsters away. But on Christmas Eve, he lets his guard down…
I loved this one! How dramatic the boy was with his actions was adorable at the beginning. But then when the horror arrives, the tale takes a terrifying brutal turn!
The Naughty List by P. J. Blakey-Novis –
Cooking up a plan to break into homes and steal wrapped presents, these two boys immediately think something is off with the first house they enter. When they find a gift wrapped up in one of the rooms, they decide to stick to the plan. Ah, but if only they had bailed…
Such a bloody tale! I was so nervous to see what would come next!
A Nightmare on 34th Street by Ryan Colley –
Rushing to get everything in place before Santa visits, this father takes the carrot nose off the snowman to give it to the reindeer. The little girl says it’s not a good idea because the snowman doesn’t want them to take it, but of course, he doesn’t listen and that has disastrous repercussions.
What a premise! My gosh, there was so much terror packed in here. Every scene was chilling!
Krampus Kids by Candace Nola –
When kids go missing, the local cop realizes that sometimes they come back a year later, but they’re forever changed. They no longer speak and stare out into space. They also have a strange new body feature. Will this cop figure out what is going on before the next kid is taken?
Ah, kid horror hits me so hard now. While my heart broke for these kids, I also hoped they would learn a lesson and be okay. Things certainly wouldn’t be okay here though. Phew!
O Holy Shit by Amanda Ruzsa –
When receiving a letter under their door offering a trip that sounds far too good to be true, these parents jump at the opportunity. Their young daughter is more hesitant but is brought with them. Once they arrive, they quickly see that this is not the trip they had expected.
Such an awesome premise! The descriptions of the beings were so unsettling! This tale had me so on edge to see what was going to happen next.
My Favorite Passages from Collected Christmas Horror Shorts IV –
When it’s quiet out and everything has a thick coat of snow, the cold usually has a strangely clean smell. Unless the weather has you congested, a real deep winter can open your sinuses. No pollen. No flowers. No animals. Just that bitterly cold aroma that’s more of an absence of smell than the presence of one.
— The Holly King by Dexter McLeod
Even though he was seven, he had a dedicated list he did every night to make sure the monsters that hid once the light was turned off kept their distance.
— Good Boy by Steve Stred
My Final Thoughts on Collected Christmas Horror Shorts IV –
I love holiday horror so darn much! When I first heard that this book was going to launch, I couldn’t wait and of course, it did not disappoint.
While reading this book, I was just getting into the Halloween holiday spirit, and this one had me ready to dive into the December holidays!
Snag your copy today!
Thanks for reading!
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