Hell Comes To Hollywood II, is a collection of themed stories that deal with the dark side of movie making (well, for the most part it does, some of these tales deal with the peripheries of the business). On the whole, the anthology receives a big thumbs up; it is entertaining read with an unusually high number of good stories to those that are average. Having said that, I thought there were at least four tales in Hell Comes To Hollywood II that were excellent, and those four stories alone would be a good enough reason for picking up this collection.
‘Setting’ by Richard Christian Matheson isn’t really a story but an excerpt from his novel, Created By. It’s the tale of a man purchasing a new home who has the ability to envision evil in everyday occurrences and in ordinary people. While he is with his real estate agent looking at an elegant house, she begins her pitch with how he should make a decision on the house quickly because it is bound to sell any minute now. However, her tone changes when he enquirers about the history of the house. It seems some gruesome murders took place between these walls. The man’s interest is peaked, especially after he learns the details about the murders. By the way, ‘Setting’ had my favorite line in the anthology…“She had a lung cancer laugh.”
‘The Crimson Marquee’ by Anthony C. Ferrante, is a story about a young man who works in an old, decrepit movie theater that was in its day, glorious. The young man is content to work there, cleaning up and selling popcorn, even though there appear to be ghosts that inhabit the old theater. One evening he makes friends in the lobby with a young girl who is having problems at home. The two bond and we discover that she is quite adventurous, and that she wants to learn more about the ghosts. Unfortunately, she does.
‘She-Devil A-Go-Go’ by Lisa Morton, is one of the wilder stories in the anthology. The tale is lewd, descriptive, nasty, and a whole lot of fun. The story is about a director on a movie shoot that features voluptuous young women. The movie, like all of the director’s movies, is a horror film with plenty of nudity. But we learn that some of his pretty young starlet’s get sick soon after their parts are completed, and then they die a strange death. On this movie shoot there is one actress who has discovered the director’s secret, and she aims to put an end to him.
‘Hot Tub’ by Hal Bodner is my favorite story in the anthology. ‘Hot Tub’ reads fresh, and it is presented with a very liberal dose of black humor. Simply put, ‘Hot Tub’ is about a sentient hot tub that likes to eat human flesh. The hot tub has established a mental link with an untalented actor and has made a deal with him. The hot tub will insure that the actor gets some great roles and becomes a big star as long as the actor brings the hot tub some human bodies to eat. A deal is made and things go along great for both of them, until the actor starts forgetting what it was that put him where he is.
There are others stories in this collection that are well worth the read but unfortunately, space will not permit more than a mention. John Palisano’s – Welcome To The Jungle, Eric Miller’s – Culling The Herd, Richard Payne’s – Mexican Clown Hands, William Lebeda’s – Charlie’s Angel, Eric Guignard’s – Dreams of a Little Suicide, and Carla Robinson’s – The Voice Coach Cometh are all entertaining tales that will stay with the reader long after the book has finished.
- Inflictions - April 11, 2015
- The Equinox - April 2, 2015
- The Nightmare Girl - March 9, 2015
- Intruder - February 12, 2015
- The Only Red Is Blood - February 12, 2015
- Insanity Tales - February 3, 2015
- Qualia Nous - January 28, 2015
- Once Upon An Apocalypse - November 25, 2014
- The Janus Demon - November 17, 2014
- Case White - November 7, 2014
