One of the big things about horror, whether it be books or film, or the monster. A horror movie or a scary story seems weak when there isn’t some monster to fear. Sometimes we’re faced with something rational like a killer clown or serial killer, other times we’re presented with something paranormal like Dracula or Pazuzu.
With over hundreds upon hundreds of classic horror titles, and with new ideas popping up here and there, we have a huge and growing list of monsters.
But which one is your favorite and why?
Some might mention Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers. Others might mention Frankenstein’s monster or even the Wolf Man.
Some might even surprise and mention Jennifer Check, played by the very hot Megan Fox. Others might even mention the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Let us know what horror monster us your favorite. I share mine this Friday on the Deadman’s Tome podcast.
Check out what The Scary Reviews said about Monsters Exist!
Review copy provided by in exchange for an honest review
Growing up we have all heard stories or urban legends about monsters and creatures. We’ve seen footage or reports that feel sketchy at best. But we all want to believe them, and why not, it’s fun to think the impossible could be possible. Monsters Exist has 14 short stories covering a variety of monsters. I found a number of stories in this anthology really good. Many hit the spot fulfilling my horror expectations while many fell short and could use more polishing. I’ll cover a few that really hit the spot for this horror fan.
The first story Legend Tripperswas a solid tale, an urban legend, and very well told. I liked the characters and plot. I thought the ending gave it that little extra kick to seal the deal making it feel like a story I’ve heard as a kid. Never Sleep Again was a breath of fresh air. This was my kind of story with a beginning, middle and end. I was reminded this was one of my own fears as a child. It was a nice expansion and twist on the classical childhood fear of monsters under the bed. The Voice from the Bottom of the well was a slow mover but the twist at the end gave it a nice finish for me. The antagonist was strongly written to be hated, making the twist better. Eclipse at Wolfcreek was creepy as hell, and well-constructed. We get two monsters, one was the Mothman, the other an old lady. I’m not sure which one was more frightening but I enjoyed the scares equally. No. 7 had great pacing and tension. The monster was never explicitly revealed or described but it wasn’t necessary here. There was enough hints and clues for the reader to fill in the blanks. Criatura was a fast read and fun read with a good sense of humor about the monsters. It had plenty of the blood and guts variety horror but not over the top. I’m a horror fan through and through but I find spiders one of the nastiest creatures in existence. Bitten took that weakness and repulsion of those eight-legged monsters and made me cringe all the way to the end of the story. This was a perfect length for a short story. It had a solid plot, including an ending to raise the hairs on your arms. Well done sir, well done.
From the time we are young, we fear the monster under the bed or in the closet, making it impossible to sleep without a nightlight. Then, we hear stories of Bigfoot, and maybe even the Mothman around campfires. When we are adults, we wonder if there might actually be supernatural creatures lurking in the shadows. Are these tall tales and urban legends only metaphors for what horrific things humanity is capable of-or do monsters exist? Go to some terrifying places with this cast of authors. You will be dragged into mystifying realities where demonic fairies hide, where devil monkeys lure carnival-goers to their demise, where Goatmen seek to destroy their prey, and where the goddess of death puts out a hit on victims of her choice. These shocking tales will have you biting your nails and locating that childhood nightlight. Because, in the end, we all know monsters do exist.
This is such a great anthology about monsters of all shapes and sizes. This book holds monsters that we all have feared since our childhood. It is the things that go bump in the night. It is the stories we tell around campfires. They are the urban legends and the tall tales.
Let me be straight forward with you now. I have never read any of these authors before. Now that I have, I will definitely be reading their other work. Each author brought something to the table. I thought the editors did a great job of ordering the stories as well. There was not a bad story in this anthology! With that being said, let’s get to the stories.
The anthology gets off to a strong start with Master Vermin by Wallace Boothill. This story is about rats taking over Baltimore. Think the bubonic plague with a twist! It is a great story!
5/5 rabid vermin!
Legend Trippers by Theresa Braun is amazing! Ever wonder why there is never any proof of urban legends? Read this story and you will know why! The story is about a Goatman. Great story!
5/5 horns!
The Murder of Crows by S.J. Budd is crazy cool! A mysterious lady gets into a serial killers cab. He tries to kill her, but he can’t. Turns out he owes her a debt! I will never look at crows the same way again!
5/5 crows!
Wicked Congregation by Gary Buller is terrifying! This is about sacrifice and fairies. This story is told as a confession or a recounting of events. I have wanted to visit England for a while now, but I might hold off due to the fairies that reside there. Great story!
5/5 wicked fairies!
Playing Dead by S.E. Casey is amazing! Who doesn’t like a circus that pops up overnight in your town? I don’t know what it is about them, but you just have to check them out. Am I right? The story is set in New Hampshire at a circus. This story deals with loss, nightmares, and depression. Great story! Didn’t see that ending coming!
5/5 devil monkeys!
Lake Monster by Mr. Deadman is crazy! Two friends go on a fishing trip, but things go terribly wrong! Great story!
5/5 bloated carcasses!
Never Sleep Again by Calvin Demmer is creepy! There is a serial killer on the loose. The serial killer has killed 4 people. The only thing left behind is dirt under the victims’ beds. This story will make you want to leap from your bed. You never know what might be under your bed! Great story!
5/5 sleepless nights!
The Voice from the Bottom of the Well by Philip W. Kleaver is mind blowing! Johanna hears a voice at the bottom of an old well near her house in Massachusetts. The thing at the bottom of the well is hungry. Johanna must feed it, and boy did she! Awesome story!
5/5 creepy wells!
Eclipse of Wolfcreek by Sylvia Mann is eerie! I have heard of the Mothman, but this story takes the legend to the next level. Great story!
5/5 red eyes!
No. 7 by William Marchese is crazy! This story has zombies and soldiers. Great story!
5/5 zombies!
Criatura by John Palisano is great! He breaks down in the desert. He runs into La Criatura, a desert creature with white fur. He finally makes it to his destination the next day, but he is different. He has transformed. Great story! I honestly have never heard of a Criatura until I read this story.
5/5 Criaturas!
Bitten by Christopher Powers will make your skin crawl! Charles goes to the Congo Basin on a trip and gets far more than what he was looking for. He finds a new species of spider in the sausage tree. The spiders are great hunters. One spider has hunted Charles down. Great story!
5/5 creepy-crawlies!
Kelpies by Leo X. Robertson is wicked! This is the first time that I have ever heard the term Kelpie before. A Kelpie lures a man into the water. Turns out he can go home anytime he likes, but he doesn’t. Years later he meets his son. Crazy story!
5/5 wicked Kelpie!
Bloodstream Revolution by M.R. Tapir was a good read! This story is about Chupacabras during the Mexican Revolution. I enjoyed this story!
4/5 Chupacabras!
This is a great anthology that everyone should read! This book doesn’t have any low points because the stories are balanced out so well. I highly recommend this book to fans of horror, tall tales, and legends!
With a healthy four out of five stars, Monsters Exist stands out as a bold and engaging title. Everyone with a Kindle knows that Amazon lets just about anything in, and because of that there is a lot of dumpster stories flooding the Kindle store. Well, Monsters Exist is far from that. But don’t take my word for it, check out this review.
What are we reading?: Deadman’s Tome, Monsters Exist, edited by Mr Deadman and Theresa Braun.
Give me the short version: No, really, it’s all in the title.
If you haven’t checked them out yet, online horror magazine Deadman’s Tome (founded 2008 as Demonic Tome) has been rapidly spreading its tentacles of outré horror. Monsters Exist is a wonderfully neat concept with wide appeal; short stories about monsters; and from a publisher known for edginess this collection is actually very accessible – you can read it over lunch without losing it.
People always want something different from stories and of course we all have our best and brightest cryptid. I’ve got a nose for what bends the brain so I’m calling out my favourites as:
• The traditional brutal simplicity of Christopher Powers’ Bitten.
• Some unexpected silver-tongued social critique in Leo X Robertson’s Kelpies.
• Mr Deadman himself’s Lake Monster, with its quick-step dialogue and the hilariously great characterisation.
• And my top highlight: to join SE Casey in a frictionless slide into the unnerving with Playing Dead is always a treat.
Something which I haven’t seen much of in other anthologies, Monsters Exist popped author bios at the end of each story. This was super convenient and I loved being able to look the author up (and buy more stories) while still in the moment.
My favourite bit: “The kissing tent’s side flaps were rolled up allowing a glimpse of Ms. Pinn, the retired town librarian, making out with a much younger man. Harry’s heart jumped at the sight of her grey hair that had been torn away from its bun, the feral kiss too deep and passionate to be appropriate in any context.” – Playing Dead, SE Casey.
From the time we are young, we fear the monster under the bed or in the closet, making it impossible to sleep without a nightlight. Then, we hear stories of Bigfoot, and maybe even the Mothman around campfires. When we are adults, we wonder if there might actually be supernatural creatures lurking in the shadows. Are these tall tales and urban legends only metaphors for what horrific things humanity is capable of—or do monsters exist?
Go to some terrifying places with this cast of authors. You will be dragged into mystifying realities where demonic fairies hide, where devil monkeys lure carnival-goers to their demise, where Goatmen seek to destroy their prey, and where the goddess of death puts out a hit on victims of her choice. These shocking tales will have you biting your nails and locating that childhood nightlight. Because, in the end, we all know monsters do exist.
Deadman’s Tome Monsters Exist features the following authors:
Wallace Boothill
Theresa Braun
S.J. Budd
Gary Buller
S.E. Casey
Mr. Deadman
Calvin Demmer
Philip W. Kleaver
Sylvia Mann
William Marchese
John Palisano
Christopher Powers
Leo X. Robertson
M.R. Tapia
Out Now!
Order the eBook version today to receive Monsters Exist on your Amazon Kindle or other Kindle App supported device
Get access to Monsters Exist and other issues for a dollar becoming a patron of Deadman’s Tome. Go to https://www.patreon.com/deadmanstome and pledge a dollar, and you’ll be able to listen to Monsters Exist readings, as well as readings from other issues.
This Friday at 10PM CST, Texas Cryptid Hunter meets with Mr. Deadman and the Dynamite Marchese to talk about creatures and animals that may or may not exists. That’s right, we’re going to go deep with a legit hunter and ask him about sasquatch, chupacabra, and other creatures that might exist in the wilderness.
Every Friday (sometimes Saturday) at 10PM (CST), Mr. Deadman and Marchese host a podcast that features interesting guests, exploration of the paranormal, discussion of conspiracy theories, and the occasional angry rant. Call in during the show using phone number: 2816172830
Are you ready to go deep into the fringe? Then you’re in luck. J. Nathan Couch, author of Goatman: Flesh or Folklore and Washington Paranormal: A Wisconsin Legend Trip, joins Mr. Deadman and Dynamite Marchese to talk about The Goatman and much more! Mr. Deadman plans on asking about Goatman’s penis and if sexual encounters have ever been documented.
Tune in to Deadman’s Tome this Saturday (5/20) at 10PM CST to catch the show live. Listeners can send questions via chat or twitter (@MrDeadmanDT) and they will be asked without any filter. Listeners can also dial in during the live stream via skype. Just look for Legato10@swbell.net.
Behind a veil of secrecy, lost in a barrage of fake news, and buried deep under layers of ignorance is a simple truth that only the truly skeptical understand: monsters exist.
Many refuse to accept this fact, but once woke, it is undeniable that creatures do indeed live amongst us. I could say that these cryptid creatures are kept from the populous by some globalist illuminati, but that’s a cop-out. The truth is, non-believers are either willfully ignorant or overly skeptical.
Those that are willfully ignorant would rather live their life distracted by Kim Kardashian’s ass, Dave Chappell, Beyonce, and beer without ever wanting to worry about the possibility of monsters. For them, I don’t hold any ill feelings. I understand the bliss of ignorance. If I could purge the red pill from my system, I would.
For those that are overly skeptical, I’m in possession of evidence that offer definitive proof as to the origin and activity of certain cryptid freaks such as Bigfoot, Lake Monster, Goat Man, and Chupacabra.
I am working diligently with a select team of trusted professionals and will produce the evidence. If all goes well, the personal accounts and evidence will be available in July 2017.
Follow #DTMonsters for updates.
Some stories merely delve into darkness only to pull the reader out from it with some light humor. Others, however, not only descend into the abyss, they thrive in it. Dumping the reader into a dark, brutal, hopeless world so that she has no other choice but to face the fear!
The Bleeder began as a series of short stories. Following a monstrosity that is both alive and dead. This monstrosity, this colossal of decay and rot, looms in the dark, taking the lives of anything that crosses it’s path, but is it human? Is there a shred of humanity left inside the monster?
