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A review by dtaylorbooks
Video Nasties by Duncan Ralston
5.0
First off, that cover. I’m a total sucker for it. I am absolutely in love with that old VHS-type art that book covers are using more and more of lately. So I was pretty much sold on the cover alone. Luckily, the actual contents of the book is pretty stellar too.
Not going to lie, I was a little concerned at first because the first two stories of the book are pretty similar, albeit equally disturbing. But each one after that brought its own brand of old school horror flavor that I greatly enjoyed, even if some of them made me a little queasy. But I love visceral reactions like that while reading, despite the fact that I may be eating when they happen. It’s a sign of good writing, IMO.
2017 isn’t that long ago, but all of the stories had sort of an antiquated feel to them, especially any that had to do with bullying. It felt more like bullying from my youth (more physical and what people my age and up might think of when they think of bullying) than anything current, but I think that added to the nostalgia factor I kept getting with each story. They were current enough for me and once I settled into the cadence of the era the author was writing for, everything else fizzled away and I really enjoyed the stories.
Another honest moment, I’m pretty hand shy when it comes to reading dudes writing horror, especially when there are women in the stories, because bro. Ugh. I’m still not over the vagina eating demons from the last book I read. But no complaints with VIDEO NASTIES. Everyone was an equal opportunity victim who went through equally gender-relevant horror things so the scales were nice and balanced. I appreciate that.
I liked VIDEO NASTIES because it provided a good peek into the author’s style and how he writes a variety of different stories and they’re quite compatible with the type of horror I enjoy. When I got to the end of the book, I immediately signed up for Ralston’s newsletter (and got a few free stories out of it too), I just purchased the paperback version (OMG I need that book cover, ugh), and I look forward to reading more of his work. His horror is genuinely creepy and toes the line of being too gory but never quite crosses it, which I can appreciate.
If you’re looking for a good horror anthology, look no further than VIDEO NASTIES.
4.5
Not going to lie, I was a little concerned at first because the first two stories of the book are pretty similar, albeit equally disturbing. But each one after that brought its own brand of old school horror flavor that I greatly enjoyed, even if some of them made me a little queasy. But I love visceral reactions like that while reading, despite the fact that I may be eating when they happen. It’s a sign of good writing, IMO.
2017 isn’t that long ago, but all of the stories had sort of an antiquated feel to them, especially any that had to do with bullying. It felt more like bullying from my youth (more physical and what people my age and up might think of when they think of bullying) than anything current, but I think that added to the nostalgia factor I kept getting with each story. They were current enough for me and once I settled into the cadence of the era the author was writing for, everything else fizzled away and I really enjoyed the stories.
Another honest moment, I’m pretty hand shy when it comes to reading dudes writing horror, especially when there are women in the stories, because bro. Ugh. I’m still not over the vagina eating demons from the last book I read. But no complaints with VIDEO NASTIES. Everyone was an equal opportunity victim who went through equally gender-relevant horror things so the scales were nice and balanced. I appreciate that.
I liked VIDEO NASTIES because it provided a good peek into the author’s style and how he writes a variety of different stories and they’re quite compatible with the type of horror I enjoy. When I got to the end of the book, I immediately signed up for Ralston’s newsletter (and got a few free stories out of it too), I just purchased the paperback version (OMG I need that book cover, ugh), and I look forward to reading more of his work. His horror is genuinely creepy and toes the line of being too gory but never quite crosses it, which I can appreciate.
If you’re looking for a good horror anthology, look no further than VIDEO NASTIES.
4.5