Halloween Nights: Tales of Autumn Fright is a wide-open Halloween-themed anthology featuring a ton of talented authors. Published in 2021 and edited by James A. Moore, the book includes stories from a variety of worlds and points of view. Where other anthologies might put some guide rails in place, Autumn Fright just lets the authors build and journey through their own playgrounds.
In addition to editing, Moore contributes several of his own stories and they are riveting. Kettle is a particular standout because the visuals and the characters make the reader feel as if they’re right there in the graveyard. This recipe includes some scared children, a dare that no one should fall for, and a story with an iconic villain.
Moore’s other story, The Cemetery on Blackwell Road, rolls in slowly. It follows a young man named Eddie whose memories and dreams tend to blur. He is fixated on a young girl who has disappeared in his neighborhood, and he sees her memory imprinted on all the lives she touched. This becomes an obsession that soon overtakes all his other distractions until he has a chance to make a sacrifice in her name.
Other highlights include the short but hysterical My Favorite Halloween Memory by Jeff Strand and Night Boy by Errick Nunnally. Like many Halloween-themed short stories, these authors build worlds, introduce characters, set up conventions, and knock them down with expert precision. I’m Not Gonna Make It by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene taps into the generational challenge and stubbornness of modern social norms. The authors pivot from lead character Jimmy’s stubborn internal monologue and some forces he couldn’t even conceive.
Some of the writers use the set up only to bring in the big twist ending. What’s wonderful is that the stories are never thin enough to rely on simple shock value. They each have depth. Reading the book is like treating friends to a random night of horror movies chosen just for the cover art. They might feature a quick glimpse of a slasher or torturer. They might cover centuries of legends surrounding witches and the occult.
Halloween Nights is formatted in the perfect fashion. Readers might want to bite off one story at a time or dig in and devour the entire anthology. Either way, they will be delighted, scared, angered, saddened, terrified or tickled, depending on the author’s mood.
The book is 246 pages long and includes some wonderful artwork from Daniel Brereton. It’s a delightful read during the titular Halloween season or an absolute treat any time of the year.