“Horror is NOT for children!” I have heard this said so many times. And while in some cases, this is true, in the case of reality, horror may not be for children, but many children definitely know horror. After all, they have to contend the monster under the bed (check!), school testing (check!) and trying to change themselves so they can fit in and be accepted by others (check!).
In The Children’s Horror: Cursed Episodes for Doomed Adults, author Patrick Barb covers these areas well, along with a scattered other few. The thing about the stories in this book, though, is that the children appear to be, well, so CALM while the horror is taking place.
Maybe it’s just the children have been so desensitized to real horror after being exposed to so much other horror going on in their lives. I mean, there’s abuse at home, homophobia in the schools, books that help them feel seen and included being banned from their libraries, peer pressure, bullying, and, oh yeah, puberty. (EEK!)
Seriously, though. All that is not to say that this is a book that would be okay for children to read. I mean, they can, but some of these stories are just so frightening, that maybe they’d rather not? This is definitely a book of stories for older readers, not children, and I really enjoyed reading them. My favorite stories were the title story, “The Children’s Horror” (of course), “The Dogcatcher,” “Two Rare Specimens” (a nice twist on the Boogeyman story!), “The Shark in Her Belly” and “The Big Good Boy.”
If you enjoy reading stories of horror and suspense, check out Patrick Barb’s new collection, The Children’s Horror. You won’t be disappointed.
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About the author
Creepy but lots of Character!
I recently rewatched parts of the 1985 TV movie The Hugga Bunch because reading Patrick Barb's new short story collection got me thinking about the various slightly creepy 1980s and 1990s children's TV programs I watched as a kid via so many VHS tapes. I'm mostly familiar with Barb's short stories and he has a strong penchant for ratcheting up the tension and delivering the strange horror goods we all expect from this genre. I thought the horrific children's TV show angle was unique and captured in unexpected ways throughout. My favorite stories out of this particular bunch were "Two Rare Specimens," "The Shark in Her Belly," and "The Big Good Boy." Weird horror tales can often lose track of the characters, but Barb keeps the emotional core intact for these stories even as the action rises.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2024
- Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2024
I recently rewatched parts of the 1985 TV movie The Hugga Bunch because reading Patrick Barb's new short story collection got me thinking about the various slightly creepy 1980s and 1990s children's TV programs I watched as a kid via so many VHS tapes. I'm mostly familiar with Barb's short stories and he has a strong penchant for ratcheting up the tension and delivering the strange horror goods we all expect from this genre. I thought the horrific children's TV show angle was unique and captured in unexpected ways throughout. My favorite stories out of this particular bunch were "Two Rare Specimens," "The Shark in Her Belly," and "The Big Good Boy." Weird horror tales can often lose track of the characters, but Barb keeps the emotional core intact for these stories even as the action rises.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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Top reviews from other countries
- Thomas JoyceReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2024
A fantastic collection
