A Splattering of Nightmares

Dead of Night, William Todd

Several spectacular servings of scary stories.

A feast of fear. This construction of short stories boasts a wonderfully strong range of terrifying narratives. Not only is each fresh tale original but they are all written in contrasting, or complementary, styles. A little Lovecraft with a little Shirley Jackson; exactly what every horror fans dreams of.

This splattering of nightmares is constantly enthralling, consistently frightening and overwhelmingly entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the final story, but after you’ve switched off the lights and sparked up a candle I’m certain you’ll struggle to pick a favourite. I thoroughly recommend this one.

William has this to say about his work:

I will admit that I am more a fan of Dracula, Wolfman, the Devil, and the unknown than I am of Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers or the creature from Alien. I will also admit that I read more HP Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe than Steven King (sacrilege I’m sure). I have always felt I was a misplaced spirit, belonging more in the Victorian age where belief in the supernatural was rampant in the culture, not just a personal belief. And believing that something is true makes it more real when you read it in fiction. That is why the majority of my writing takes place in this time frame. It was a simpler time where things hadn’t yet been disproven by science. The fear of the unknown was purer, and the unknown covered a much broader spectrum then it does now.

I try to capture that purity of fear in my stories, so you don’t necessarily get gore, you get the bumps in the night from something unknown. On a personal note, I work in pathology and have performed hundreds of autopsies in my time. Seeing entrails and blood is a big yawn for me, which might be why I don’t use it often in my stories. Although if employed correctly I believe it can certainly add to the horror. It just shouldn’t be the focus of the horror.

I wrote my stories for Dead of Night over the course of about three years in the early 2000’s when I wrote for Storiesbyemail.com. The Whitaker House Curse is first because it was my first horror story and my personal favorite. I am a firm believer in the afterlife so making a deal with the Devil, knowingly or unknowingly, scares the bejesus out of me. It is actually a mishmash of Irish and English folklore. A leg of this and a finger of that and voila! Whitaker House Curse. This story is my Frankenstein.

Another favorite—and it seems to be a fan favorite, too—is Jack. Jack the Ripper and Hound of the Baskervilles both got me interested in Victorian times when I was young. Jack is the Ripper with a twist. The story follows Jack on the night known as “the double event”. And it is seen through Jack’s eyes, so you get everything Jack is saying and thinking during the times of the murders.

The impetus of the story I’m Still Alive was reading an article on specially made coffins that had air tubes and lines attached to bells at the surface inserted in case the person being buried was still alive.

The Thing in the Shadows was an idea I got because I wanted to put my home town Erie, Pa in a story. Who wouldn’t want to use their home town when it’s called E(e)rie? Erie was pivotal in the War of 1812 so there are lots of ghost stories of this place.

And Bumps in the Night was a story I wrote with my daughter in mind. She has Down Syndrome, and I wove a story around a girl with Down Syndrome whose father happens to be a werewolf.

It’s Just Johnny was just a little ditty I put in at the last minute. My stories tend to be just a bit on the longer side of short stories, and a few approach novella-length. In terms of what I usually write, this story may have been my version of a haiku.

See! I told you it’s tough to pick a favourite! William Todd also has a new book of horror short stories out called Beyond the Gossamer Veil. Enjoy!

Highlights!

Variety: Like all great short story collections, the theme here of horror is complemented by the author’s decision to include an assortment of themes and styles.

Villains: This is not just a series about vampires or werewolves, but a complex collection of many creatures from the underworld.

Setting: The stories move from one locale to another, leader the reader on a frightening journey.