Reviews

The Halloween Store, and Other Tales of All Hallows' Eve by Ronald Kelly

arockinsamsara's review against another edition

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2.0

For as big of a fan of horror as I am, and also the short-story as an exciting genre, all of these stories fell flat for me. None felt particularly exciting or new, all just felt expected, with rather droll narration and no interest in giving any depth to its characters. Trashy and pulpy stories can also be a lot of fun, but these didn't live up to any expectations I might assoicate with those categories. These stories weren't bad, but ultimately they just kind of bored me, which is probably evena greater offense.

kindredscribe's review

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

3.0

geniesurreal's review

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3.0

Only one story felt original and scary. The others felt oddly familiar and at times boring. A little bit of a let down.

anxiouslyreading33's review

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4.0

Pretty good collection of stories perfect for Halloween

larry_yonce's review against another edition

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5.0

Seven short stories in the old, grisly EC Comics style. Perfect for the holiday. Includes a couple of nostalgic essays from the author that are also excellent; one about his last year as a trick-or-treater in 1972 and the other titled "My Top 10 Favorite Halloween Stuff of the '60s & '70s!"
Had a blast with this collection.

blatdriver's review

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5.0

This is a fantastic Halloween read.
Being from Australia, we didn't have Halloween when I was a kid, but despite that this book gave me a warm nostalgic glow by reminding me of all the adventures we had as kids.
It has a similar feeling to the 1986 movie 'Stand by Me'.

The stories were great, with a creepy, campfire tale feel to them, and the story of The Last Halloween about Kelly's own last Halloween, was interesting.

There is also a few Easter eggs for those that have read some of his other books.

I loved it.

bucher_freund's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.5

Kelly grew up on the 60s and 70s, and the stories are dripping with old school Halloween nostalgia in the best possible way. Although the dialogue and exposition can be clunky at times, the stories are still pretty satisfying. My favorites:

Clown Treats - a trio of fifth graders knock on the door of their teacher's house and are greeted by a clown who gives them some very unorthodox treats...

The Cistern - on a business road trip, a man takes the exit to his childhood hometown, where the annual Halloween Festival is taking place. However, things are a little different this year...

Pretty Little Lanterns - a serial killer is carving up heads, with the small town's constable and a nosy librarian on his tail. This one's a bit predictable, but the gruesome parts are exceptionally well done.

A great pick if you're looking for some Halloween flavored  shorts. 

tabithathewitch's review

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5.0

Perfect for spooky season!

teaandtales1's review against another edition

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dark

3.0

rockhoppingpenguin's review

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dark sad tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.25