Book picks similar to
Mother Maggot by Simon McHardy


horror
splatterpunk
book-recs-5
dark-entertainment

Snuff


Eric Enck - 2008
    The money is rolling in, despite the death count. Both men begin a vicious killing spree in their films as more and more people are demanding the best in bloody porn.When the mafia becomes involved, things couldn't be better, until one of the victims turns out to have a father more disturbing than any killer out there. Soon, the tables are turned on the filmakers as a dangerous game of cat and mouse ensues. This is a brutal novel. It's already being called one of the most disturbing efforts is literature and is being advised to come with a WARNING: label.

Other People's Shit


C.V. Hunt - 2013
    People are turning into clowns. Society isn’t interested in finding a cure or treating the infected as humans. But when unconventional couriers begin to harass the contaminated, and clowns start disappearing, a band of transformed coworkers set out to find answers.

Witchopper


Dan Soule - 2020
    But when Rob's journalist father dragged him along to investigate the legend of the Witchopper for the local paper, her curse became their reality.She was priestess to the pagan god of the wild wood, hanged by a rabid mob for her unspeakable crimes. Now, something far worse than the hell of high school is after Rob and his dad...In the vein of The Wicker Man and Midsommar, Witchopper is an epic ordeal of a father and son relationship, where past sins echo in the present. Dan Soule delivers another of his terrifying Fright Nights, with a tale of love, lies and truth that will leave you sleeping with the light on.

The Reserve


Jordon Greene - 2018
    So when his brother Nick surprises him with a leading role in a B-horror movie, Cooper can't say no.The only catch is the team's filming location is off-limits to the public. Yet, that doesn't sway film director, Luca Sanchez. He's set on trespassing North Brother Island, an abandoned isle in the middle of New York City set aside as an avian reserve for a bird that no longer graces its shores.Ready to make a movie, Cooper and his new film mates cross the East River to shoot their scenes among the restricted island's decaying ruins. But a day into production fellow actor, Riley Cannon, goes missing, leaving only a smear of blood on a nearby tree.Cooper swears he heard something in the woods before Riley went missing, but no one believes him. Once the screams begin to rise, Cooper wishes he had never signed up for this real life horror story.SOME PLACES WERE MEANT TO BE FORGOTTEN

The Other: Encounters With The Cthulhu Mythos Book One


Troy Young - 2020
    But in recent times, alien interference has been on the rise. Why? What mysterious forces are causing an increase in these encounters, and what ultimately will be humanity’s fate? Governments around the globe are working in secret to uncover and unravel the taint of cosmic horror that infects the planet. Three investigators employed by a shadowy government agency encounter entities fueled by the malevolent energy of something known as “The Other.” As they peel back the layers obscuring the unknown horrors that inhabit the vast universe, the investigators enter a futile struggle against inhumanity, insanity and despair.T his collection of linked short stories pulls the reader into a modern take on the world of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. The book contains the following stories: It Came From The Sea: the remains of a mysterious creature is washed ashore on a small Cape Breton village, forever changing the lives of all who see it. It Slumbers Beneath The Ice: an ancient entity of cosmic evil lies trapped in the ice of the Canadian Arctic. A mysterious cult seeks to free it from its prison, an event the investigators rush to prevent. It Lives In The Woods: A cultist summons an entity from the Dreamlands and unleashes it on this world with deadly consequences. It Hides In The Village: Small rural towns are breeding grounds for Mythos activity, where a dedicated group of followers assists The Black Pharoah in his plans to spread discord and chaos. It Lurks In The Basement: An investigator is recovering from her encounters with The Other when she learns of an entity of unspeakable evil imprisoned in the basement of a home in her neighbourhood. It Ends Where It Began: All of the investigators are brought together and return to the blighted Cape Breton village where their odyssey began and learn of the diabolical plan of a malign deity and one of the Mythos’ most active antagonists. The Happenings of December 13, 2012: The story of the investigator’s mysterious handler, and how The Other first drew him into its web of terror. This is the first book in a trilogy.

Night Terrors III


Theresa DillonPaul Tremblay - 2014
    A wave of sinkholes appears on the anniversary of a rural tragedy, and local residents begin to hear the voices of the dead. A woman encounters a predator from her youth—and a chance to turn the tables. A child’s inner beast takes on a sinister life of its own. An undetectable serial killer raises tensions on a college campus. Experimental physics reveals another world, and it might mean the end of ours. Shrouded in darkness, lurking in the shadows, NIGHT TERRORS III awaits you. The third installment of the chilling Night Terrors anthology series includes stories from Jack Ketchum, Steve Rasnic Tem, Dennis Etchison, Taylor Grant, Eric J. Guignard, Aric Sundquist, Jennifer Brozek, John McNee, Simon McCaffery, Patty Templeton, and many more!

Coldheart Canyon


Clive Barker - 2001
    His fiercely loyal agent finds him just such a place in a luxurious forgotten mansion high in the Hollywood Hills. But the original owner of the mansion was a beautiful woman devoted to pleasure at any cost, and the terrible legacy of her deeds has not yet died. There are ghosts and monsters haunting Coldheart Canyon, where nothing is forbidden . . .

Your Secret Admirer


Carl Laymon - 1980
    I know lots about you...From the moment I saw you in the park I haven't been able to get you out of my mind. Thoughts of you fill my days and haunt my nights...With all my heart,Your Secret Admirer"Janice's best friend things the guy who's writing these letters is looney--and may be dangerous! After all, what kind of person goes around sending anonymous letters? But Janice is secretly thrilled about the mystery person who is in love with her. Maybe now, Mike, the guy she really likes, will hear about her secret admirer and begin to take notice!

The Last Resort


Matt Drabble - 2016
    A private haven for only those deemed worthy enough to attend.Landon Verger is a titan of industry, a man who casts a long dark shadow and founder of Paradise. The resort's opening weekend should have been a celebration of wealth and excess, but without warning the resort has gone silent.Sam Verger knows his father only too well; the great man casts a long and dark shadow. He also knows that Landon Verger's enemy list is long and varied, any one of which would love to see his father dead.Sam seeks to employ a professional to investigate the island, Mac is one such woman. An ex-military officer she works dirty jobs and doesn't ask questions if the money's right. With her like-minded team they travel to Paradise.Mac thought she'd seen everything that death had to offer, she was wrong. What started out as a simple mission will quickly become the most desperate fight for survival she's ever faced. There's only one thing that she's sure of, not everyone is getting out alive.

Suckers


J.A. Konrath - 2009
    On his way to the store he meets Konrath's obnoxious private eye Harry McGlade, co-star of the Lt. Jack Daniels thrillers.Horrific violence, bad jokes, and lots of name calling soon ensues. Some sex, too, but not between the main characters.

Skullcrack City


Jeremy Robert Johnson - 2015
    Doyle, so he decided to bring down the whole corrupt system from the inside. But after discovering something monstrous in the bank's files, he was framed for murder and trapped inside a conspiracy beyond reason.Now Doyle's doing his best to survive against a nightmare cabal of crooked conglomerates, DNA-doped mutants, drug-addled freak show celebs, experimental surgeons, depraved doomsday cults, and the ultra-bad mojo of a full-blown Hexadrine habit. Joined by his pet turtle Deckard, and Dara, a beautiful missionary with a murderous past, Doyle must find a way to save humankind and fight the terrible truth at the heart of...SKULLCRACK CITY

Something Came Through


Joe Hart - 2019
    In “Down In The Valley” a young fire service member discovers the horrifying truth regarding the missing persons in the lonely state park his fire tower watches over. A man whose entire life has been haunted by a hideous childhood event gets a second chance to make things right in “You Can Never Go Back”. And a young woman’s tragic mistake while driving and texting literally comes back to haunt her in “More”. Written in Hart’s hypnotic and unnerving style, Something Came Through features ten new terrifying stories that peel back the surface of everyday life to expose the darkness waiting beneath.

The Lake


Tananarive Due - 2011
    A free short story taken straight from the pages of THE MONSTER’S CORNER, an all original anthology from some of today’s hottest supernatural writers, featuring stories from the monster’s point of view.In THE LAKE, Abbie LeFleur, a lifetime Bostonian, has relocated to Graceville to start her life anew when she sets her eyes on a young student in her English class.

The Complete Short Stories: Volume One 1944-1953


Roald Dahl - 2012
    In this, the first of two volumes chronologically collecting all his published adult short stories, we see how Dahl began by using his experiences in the war to write fiction but quickly turned to his powerful and dark imagination to pen some of the most unsettling and disquieting tales ever written.In 27 stories, written between 1944 and 1953, we encounter such classic tales as 'Man from the South', featuring a wager with appalling consequences; 'Lamb to the Slaughter', in which a wife murders her husband yet has a novel idea for throwing the police off the scent; and in 'The Sound Machine', the horrific truth about plants is revealed.Enter the sinister, twisted world of Roald Dahl: whether you're young or old, you'll never want to leave.'Roald Dahl is one of the few writers I know whose work can accurately be described as addictive' Irish Times'The great magician' SpectatorLook out for Volume Two, introduced by Anthony Horowitz Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.

Little Killers A to Z


Howard Odentz - 2016
    . . EPIC Award finalist Howard Odentz has penned twenty-six disturbingly fascinating horror stories about the youngest predators among us. From Andy and Boris to Yuri and Zena, this eclectic anthology is filled, A to Z, with psychopaths, monsters, and murderers! So turn on the lights and huddle under your blankets because murder isn't just for grown-ups anymore. Come meet our gallery of little killers. After all, they're dying to meet you! Author and playwright Howard Odentz is a lifelong resident of the gray area between Western Massachusetts and North Central Connecticut. His love of the region is evident in his writing as he often incorporates the foothills of the Berkshires and the small towns of the Bay and Nutmeg states into his work. 5 Stars "a relentless, thrilling ride" - Court Street Literary, on Bloody Bloody Apple. "Howard Odentz takes this mis-mosh of dysfunctional characters and puts together a wonderful story that is equal parts horror and love." - Scared Stiff Reviews, on Bloody Bloody Apple.