Below is a listing of 6 creepy creature feature tales told by some of horror writing’s stars. This collection has a little bit of everything. So please sit back, dive in, and get into the thick of it with these Amazon Prime free stories.
You will be glad you did.
Joe Hill
The Pram
A husband’s obsessive desire for a child leads to an unexpected manifestation of his yearning in a nightmarish short story about fatherhood dreams by New York Timesbestselling author Joe Hill.
Willy and Marianne’s farmhouse in Maine has acres of meadow and fresh air, and a lonesome bridle path in the forest along which Willy daydreams and ambles. When he’s loaned a decrepit old baby stroller to cart his groceries home, the rickety squeak of the wheels comforts him. So do the sweet coos of a baby Willy knows can’t be real. Can it? In this twisted thicket, wishes come true—with a price.
Joe Hill’s The Pram is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.
Rebecca’s Review
Willy would love nothing more than to become a father. However, Marianne has been unable to carry a pregnancy to term, and each loss becomes harder and harder to bear. Finally, she is done, and refuses to go through the pain of losing another child.
As he carts groceries back and forth, the shopkeeper kindly lends him an old pram, something that he can use to push his groceries home in. But soon, Willy finds there is more to the pram than just carrying groceries. It seems to be carrying something else, something that he knows cannot be real, but his mind latches on anyway.
They say terror comes in all forms, and the terror waiting to be unleashed will be more than Willy could imagine.
What a book – the mind games and the intricate storytelling in this read will have you reading as fast as you can. There are some twists (you have to read this one to find out) that left me gasping!
4.5/5 stars
Beth’s Review
There are many scary things, many types of horror in this world. There is the horror of the the big bad coming to get you, of the unknown stalking you and so much more. But, then there is horror of the mind. Which I think is the scariest. It is not knowing what is true, and what is a lie. It is being an unreliable narrator in one’s own life. That is what The Pram is. Yes, there are aspects of the story that delve into other types of horror, but it is the horror of grief and not knowing what is wrong or right is what makes this so powerful. Honestly, I would expect no less from Hill.
This is a fantastic story.
5/5
Grady Hendrix
Ankle Snatcher
Obey the rules. It’s the only way to survive the night in a short story about what hides in the dark by the New York Timesbestselling author of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.
Marcus grew up believing his father killed his mother—then blamed it on the boogeyman under the bed. Always leave the lights on, his father warned, or the boogeyman will get you. Marcus still heeds the superstition, especially when he invites his new girlfriend over. Is Marcus haunted by a creature or has he just inherited his father’s murderous delusions? The night will tell.
Grady Hendrix’s Ankle Snatcher is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.
Beth’s Review
Hendrix, you are a maniac.
I read a lot of horror. I have read everything Hendrix has written. And this is the scariest. It isn’t suspenseful or deep imagery, but as a child afraid of what was under the bed, this story is creepy as hell. My only caveat is that while the beginning was incredible, the end lost me a bit. It did not end on the note that I was hoping for but not all stories do. Even in that, this was an excellent short story.
4.5/5
Josh Malerman
It Waits in the Woods
Some chilling campfire tales ring too true to ignore. For one young woman, an urban legend calls her into the woods in a spine-tingling short story by the bestselling author of Bird Box.
The dense Michigan forest. Haunting wails. The clip-clop of demon hooves on a bridge to nowhere. It’s more than a tall tale to Brenda Jennings, whose sister disappeared in those woods one fateful night. Three years later, on a solo stakeout in the dark, Brenda goes in after her. She’s desperate for answers, and terrified to find what lies waiting on the other side of that bridge.
Josh Malerman’s It Waits in the Woods is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.
Rebecca’s review:
After the disappearance of her sister, Amanda is determined to find her. She does everything she can, but her parents still blame her. Finally, she decides to set off herself, and determine what happened. As she walks deeper into the woods, she is very aware of the disappearances, and of course, the legendary creature that supposedly haunts the woods. But nothing matters to her more than her sister.
But this trip could cost her more than she bargained for.
This was a fantastic read! I really enjoyed it, and some parts of it had me on the edge of my seat, reading as fast as I could. Highly recommend this one.
4.5/5 stars
Paul Tremblay
In Bloom
There’s something in the water in this hallucinatory short story by Paul Tremblay, bestselling author of The Cabin at the End of the World and The Beast You Are.
Journalist Heidi Cohen is in Cape Cod investigating the sources of recurring toxic algae blooms along the coast. A local named Jimmy has his own theory for her. Every year the fetid growth gets worse—but it’s been going on longer than anyone knows. Decades ago, something happened to Jimmy that he’s never forgotten. Is Heidi ready for the real story?
Paul Tremblay’s In Bloom is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting
Rebecca’s Review:
I mean, after reading this book, I want to start watching plants a little more carefully. Honestly, it was super, and I was a bit sad when the book ended. I wanted more!
Beth’s Review
This was an interesting take on algae blooms. It didn’t read much like a horror story. It read more like an accounting of a tragedy. It was sad. Which is part of the horror of it all. Love the last few lines though. You will see.
4/5
Jason Mott
Best of Luck
Did you ever hear the one about the man with a string of bad luck? The worst is still to come in a chilling short story of an insatiable friendship by the New York Times bestselling author of Hell of a Book.
For best friends with vastly different fortunes, what’s left to hash out other than a forced confession at gunpoint? All that the destitute, sickly, and grieving Will demands is that monstrously successful Barry admit to draining all the luck right out of him. Like blood. As the standoff escalates, the truth is not the only thing ready to come out.
Jason Mott’s Best of Luck is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.
Rebecca’s Review:
Oh. My. Goodness. I was blown away with this one! The entire plot unfolding took me by surprise. Highly recommend this one!
Chandler Baker
Big Bad
For a family trying to make an isolated farmhouse into a home, fear and rage are getting harder to control in a primal short story by the New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network and Cutting Teeth.
The Strauss family is on knife’s edge. Sam is a resentful stay-at-home dad. Rachel feels the restlessness in her blood returning. Their children are getting out of hand. And a recent mudslide has forced the wolves out of the woods to look for food. As dusk falls and tensions rise, the family must come together to survive the night—from the threats outside and those within.
Chandler Baker’s Big Bad is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.
Rebecca’s Review:
What happens when the moon brings out something terrible?? Well, you are going to have to read the book to find out!
I seriously loved this one! It was a fun read.
