Twisted Horror

Rascals, rapscallions, villains and varlets; all terms of a bygone era intended to describe the guy in the black hat, that perverse character of low virtue and strayed morality who forever ties the distressed damsel to cold, steel rails. Gasp! Within fictional fantasies, they are always guys and damsels, and they must wear black. In reality, we still mostly read about bad ‘guys’, but the women tend to fight back now, often with devastating effect. Tonight, the devil laces thigh-high boots over fence-net stockings before taking a turn through town. Be warned and beware. Of evil delight ...

Champions come in all shapes and forms. The same is true of cowards. Most of us line up somewhere between these two extremes of potential, but none of us eagerly anticipate having to prove ourselves in a crossfire. In fact, most notable acts of heroism are not the results of well-considered, carefully laid plans. Rather, these are often spontaneous yet deliberate demonstrations of selflessness occasionally on display when normal human beings must confront life-threatening risk. Take a deep, calming breath now before you dare gaze into the face of death. Trembling, heed its heckling catcalls...

Disinfectants, detergents, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and homicides – everything a human being needs to clear his or her lot and start fresh in life, clean and pure, and it all waits at the press of a finger. Some of us love a good disaster, but we watch from a safe distance and it always happens to someone else… somewhere else… never here. Never us. Distended bellies and skeletal children are always the misfortune of others. Stop and wonder why. Your preferred answer no doubt leaps easily to mind, but the truth is probably quite different, because pestilence comes in all ...

Mothers no longer name their sons ‘Adolph’. Almost everyone knows why. Though all innocent babes do not develop into monsters, all monsters develop from innocent babes. We prefer fiction to reality, because thoughts of the former easily yield to denials of reason, while the latter only reminds us of our common origins in the primitive. Steal a private moment now and listen to your inner voice. It whispers. Of rising mutant domination amid apocalyptic wastes; of grotesque human chimeras practicing ancient arts; of despicable capital criminals kept in unbreakable cages and of the flawed ...

A silly titmouse once sang sweetly to describe love as “a many-splendored thing”. Perhaps this is so. For some. For others, love’s terrible spectacle shines in its many violent twists and unexpected turns. Each feckless angle of its affection or disaffection invariably leaves a disfiguring blemish that renders exquisite facets of character from alternating impacts of tragedy, disaster, triumph and ecstasy. Too briefly, desire’s artistry sparkles the amazed eye with a fateful brilliance before fiery passion fades to leave its victims cold and trembling in its wake. Steal a secret ...

Within each human being lingers a mischievous child, but each of us also cages an unformed primitive. We keep our individual id-monster within the tempered bars of civility, yet it remains our secret delight of a darkened, unobserved evening and we make it our fondest fetish at every available opportunity. No matter how mightily we struggle, history scrawls with endless tales of failed self-control, so each scandal both titillates and disgusts depending upon personal sensibilities. Indulge your inner-beast. How it roars! Of broken souls crushed between despair and revenge; of normalcy ...

While we collectively fear wild animals and muggers, most contemporary plagues come in the guise of unavoidable corporate logos and unforgettable commercial jingles. This new and most modern form of disease presents symptoms that include unhealthy obsessions, unwise compulsions and preprogrammed responses, all accompanied by an irrepressible tune that inevitably drives a rational mind to the very brink of lunacy. Visualize anything except the latest fad slogan while engrossing yourself in a moment of hysteric interest, and then pause to think. Of dreamscape dominions wrought from the felt ...

Boogeymen, banshees, werewolves and vampires; all figments of horror drawn upon parchments of fable, each the scrawl of individual phobias revisited by trembling quills dipped into inkwells of collective nightmare. Despite vaguely amusing caricatures, these monstrous legends probably developed from grisly human origins. Indeed, we confront our violent primitives in every new atrocity, and each murder teaches a simple lesson that humankind consistently resists. Consequently, we forever lack viable means for exorcising so-called ‘inner demons’. Even now, your secret devil whispers into ...

Peddlers and snake oil, pimps and pornography, lunatics and paranoia… each pair travels the same darkened alleyways to service identical shadow-bound gates. We receive them by the backdoor, thank you, and always well into the evening. These are private matters undertaken and clearly marked by clandestine hush and furtive sidelong glance. Sometimes concealed in the open but more often hidden in a fog of disinformation, our every secret contains a kernel of truth wrapped within a burlap of proficient lies. Patience and due diligence may unwrap the enigma to decipher a hidden message, but ...

For fans of Karin Slaughter, Psychological Horror, and Suspense Thrillers Lynn is a normal girl who moved to Manhattan against her parent's wishes. They worried about how their daughter from a small town would handle a big city. When Lynns attacked, it puts her on a path with a Detective that she doesn't quite understand but one that may know more about what's happened as the case unravels. The Detective starts to see a pattern, something that's familiar to her from a past that she's dying to forget. Except, the past that she remembers belongs more in a horror movie than real ...

Twisted Tales returns with a second volume of psychological mayhem and disturbing supernatural encounters. If you're into screaming trains, vengeful clowns, the terror of online dating, remorseful ghouls, pandemic-spreading ghosts, murderous mansions, and seriously sick restaurants, then these Twisted Tales are the short stories begging to be read.

Tales the Crows Taught Me Seventeen Supernatural Tales to Make Your Skin Crawl Fans of Ray Bradbury and the Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock, and Lord of the Flies have reason to rejoice! Here are 17 tales with a twist—many of them award-winning: a traveling sideshow, a shadowy something waiting in a deep Oregon forest, an ancient fishing village where there's a price to pay for magic, a strange parcel dragged for miles over ice and snow, a Florida boarding house full of residents who would VERY much like to meet you... The Uncanny waits to make your acquaintance. Included: Protection: ...

Twisted Fate: Tales of Horror (A Collection of Stories of Terror) The Reaper - Jacob is a young boy who insists that his name is Mark and that he used to live in a nearby village in the 1930s. His parents agree to drive him to the village if only to put his delusions to rest. When they arrive, they discover that their son is right and that there's a bigger plan in place, and their family is at the very center of it. The Reaper is waiting - and he's been there all along. The Painting - A painting in Matt's home office has him spooked. On the surface, it's nothing more than a landscape scene....

You've been misled. Lewis Carroll didn't reveal the whole story... Alice never left Wonderland. She's trapped. She's angry. And she wants revenge. The truth is not what you were led to believe. It wasn't all "just a dream." It's a nightmare. A nightmare she can't escape, where formerly pleasant characters throw her unhappy unbirthday parties to torment her, while others like to make her cry so they can lick her tears. But one day after years of this unpleasantness, she loses her heart. Literally. Well, technically somebody steals it. And she has to get it back. By any means necessary. And ...

Richard Brower has killed a dozen people. Now someone is trying to frame him for the murders committed by another serial killer. Serial killer Richard Brower buried his cheating wife, Mary, in the woods on Saturday. On Monday, Mary calls her brother's girlfriend. A few days later, she calls her mom. Then Mary bumps into her friend at a mall. Are all these people lying or has Mary actually come back from the dead? Richard has no idea, but he will get to the bottom of this. Or at least he'll try. Mania, a suspense novel. -------------- This collection includes two complete novels by Tim Kizer...

Giant arachnids, killer snowmen, ravenous sharks, ghostly motorcades, and the mother of all lobsters—it’s all in here, including a new Samantha Moon story! Included in this collection: "Vampire Widow" - Tammy Moon hears a distant, telepathic cry for help... and convinces her mother, Samantha Moon, to go on a road trip deep into the heart of the Mojave desert to help something ancient... and massive. "Little Snowmen Everywhere" - They are new to town, trying to fit in. All is going well until the first snowfall. That's when their neighbors frantically start building little snowmen. Now, ...

Twisted 50 is a deliciously dark slice of contemporary horror literature. Reading it is like attending a late night secret banquet where you know each course will serve up something unexpected, forbidden, and unforgettably chilling. Take your private seat now for 50 luscious courses of terror, from 50 of the strongest voices in modern horror.

Weird Tales: Strange Stories from Egypt Embark on an extraordinary journey with "Strange Stories from Egypt," a collection of horror short stories that transcends clichés. Immerse yourself in authentic Egypt, where legends come to life, and the line between reality and fantasy blurs. The networks are buzzing: "A collection that takes us on a journey and gives us chills!" – Évasions Littéraires. "A captivating, magical, and chilling short story collection." – Lire Imaginaire. "A fantastically horrific short story collection, brilliantly written." – Books Feed Me More. "A collection ...

Halloween meets Fight Club in this unflinching man vs. himself slasher thriller... Disturbing, voyeuristic, and creepy for the sake of being creepy, Parasomniac, is a twisted and cerebral tongue-in-cheek genre read that you won’t soon forget... Miles Hogan enjoys a peaceful existence as a docile cleaning and maintenance professional. Unfortunately, his gentle personality makes him a target for bullies in his day-to-day life. Despite the mistreatment and constant mocking, he keeps his head down and his mind on work. All the while, he can’t find any relief at home either. Suffering from a...

Folk who value their sanity and their lives would be wise not to visit Larson's Cove this summer. Death, danger, and intrigue have drifted into the small town of Meadowville, and the growing sense that something is amiss is almost palpable on the hot, still air. Larson's Cove isn't a popular spot with the locals, but it is home to Larson's Shed. The seafood restaurant on the bay's falling-down wharf was once somewhat of an icon in the area, but it has stood vacant for quite some time. However, circumstances have recently changed. Boyd Paine, an out-of-towner with a mysterious past, has ...