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caitie145's review against another edition
3.0
Not what I was expecting, some stories were good others were not but I still had a good time. I enjoyed the illustrations
dragonx111's review
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
whendles's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Nostalgia
alexampersand's review
4.5
I really, really, REALLY love the concept of this book, and I love a lot about it.
The illustrations are gorgeous (and despite flicking through the book god knows how many times, jus the thought of The Haunt still sends a shiver down my spine).
A lot of the stories are good... in theory. But unfortunately, it feels like so many of them just fall slightly flat, purely through the telling of them. The big twists are sometimes just delivered with absolutely no sense of tone or ambiance. "She died of fright." "When he died, he looked like the skeleton." They just seem so factual and to the point.
Saying that, there are a handful that really stood out and were so well done - the one about The Haunt (not just for the illustration), and largely the modern day stories; the one about the babysitter, and about the car headlights in particular were so good.
I also really loved the writing at the end of the book, about some of the history behind some of the stories and where they come from. A really fascinating look at folklore and scary stories.
So overall, a really nice little collection, I just sort of wish that some of the stories had a little more sense of gravity to them.
The illustrations are gorgeous (and despite flicking through the book god knows how many times, jus the thought of The Haunt still sends a shiver down my spine).
A lot of the stories are good... in theory. But unfortunately, it feels like so many of them just fall slightly flat, purely through the telling of them. The big twists are sometimes just delivered with absolutely no sense of tone or ambiance. "She died of fright." "When he died, he looked like the skeleton." They just seem so factual and to the point.
Saying that, there are a handful that really stood out and were so well done - the one about The Haunt (not just for the illustration), and largely the modern day stories; the one about the babysitter, and about the car headlights in particular were so good.
I also really loved the writing at the end of the book, about some of the history behind some of the stories and where they come from. A really fascinating look at folklore and scary stories.
So overall, a really nice little collection, I just sort of wish that some of the stories had a little more sense of gravity to them.
mehsi's review against another edition
2.0
Sorry, scary tales? Rather sleepy tales. I don't see how any of this was scary at all. Most of the time I was hoping for something scary and the story seemed to go in the right direction... only to suddenly end. Really, I was finally all into the story, I finally had the right tension, and then nope. And some of the stories were just weird.
It is such a shame as I was really looking forward to this book. I had planned on reading it last year, but didn't get to it, so I thought I would combine it this year with the Banned Books Week.
The illustrations were scary though, but that is about it, really, those were scarier than all the stories combined (though sure, at times I had a giggle).
And yes, this is a kid's book, but believe me I have read plenty of horror for children that scared the fuck out of me and that had me sleeping with the lights on or had me not sleeping that much (recent one would be Aveline Jones).
It is such a shame as I was really looking forward to this book. I had planned on reading it last year, but didn't get to it, so I thought I would combine it this year with the Banned Books Week.
The illustrations were scary though, but that is about it, really, those were scarier than all the stories combined (though sure, at times I had a giggle).
And yes, this is a kid's book, but believe me I have read plenty of horror for children that scared the fuck out of me and that had me sleeping with the lights on or had me not sleeping that much (recent one would be Aveline Jones).
yasminsophia's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
sel21's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
icephoenix44's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Has a lot of charm and creativity despite it was aimed towards children. Love the charcoal drawings, although i feel like some stories are somewhat forgettable and derivative. It was definitely better most crappy "kid friendly" horror games we have these day (poppy playtime, fnaf)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Death
swampbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Of course this is the first book I read on my new Kindle. Obviously it wasn’t as spooky as when I was a child, but the true crime based stories did strike a cord in me. I also didn’t realize that all of them were based off of existing legends/folklore/crimes.
The Hook story just made me think of the iconic “man door hand hook car door” meme which made my day.
The Hook story just made me think of the iconic “man door hand hook car door” meme which made my day.