Samhain Screams

by Greg Chapman (Editor), Cameron Trost (Editor), Matthew R. Davis

HALLOWEEN.

So much more than costumes and candy, it's the time when the veil between our world and the other side is at its thinnest. The hour when dark forces come into the light in search of innocent souls. A time of blood and evil.

With SAMHAIN SCREAMS, Australian Shadows Award-winner and multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated author and artist Greg Chapman, and acclaimed author Cameron Trost, bring you TWENTY original Halloween tales by authors from across the globe.

Stories of nightmarish trick or treats, supernatural slashers and macabre rituals - all to make your blood run cold on the most terrifying of nights - last night of October.

Toomie’s Ghost Story - Epiphany Ferrell
Candy Train - Em Starr
Vengeance of Halloween - Kevin M. Folliard
Halloween Under the Sea - Nick Manzolillo
Clyde - Tom Rimer
Hauntology - Matthew R. Davis
Indian Corn - Jacy Morris
The Last Pumpkin - Mia Dalia
The Knock - DJ Tyrer
That Time of Year - Daniel Fox
Where the World is Thin - Arthur Goodhill
We Played the Odds at Whitley - Darren Todd
Whispers - Martin Livings
Sweet Tooth - Brian Moreland
Living Creatures - Elle Jones
The October Shadows - Hannah Baxter
The Revellers of the Rift - Marty Young
The Hollows - C.E. O’Conaing
The Day You Die - S.B. Watson
The Black Van - Tom Coombe

Edited by Greg Chapman and Cameron Trost
Cover art by Greg Chapman

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2025

About the author

Australian Shadows Award-winner***, two-time Bram Stoker Award nominee** and Ditmar Awards nominee*, Greg Chapman is a horror author and artist based in Queensland Australia.

Greg is the author of the novels Hollow House, The Noctuary: Pandemonium and Netherkind and the collections, Vaudeville and Other Nightmares, This Sublime Darkness and Other Dark Stories, Bleak Precision, Midnight Masquerade and Black Days and Bloody Nights. His short fiction has also appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines.

His artistic endeavours include designing book covers for various publishers in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. He has been creating book covers and artwork for IFWG Publishing since 2013. The first graphic novel he illustrated, Witch Hunts: A Graphic History of the Burning Times, written by Rocky Wood and Lisa Morton, won the Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel category at the Bram Stoker Awards® in 2013.

Greg was also the President of the Australasian Horror Writers Association from 2017-2020.

*** Best Collected Work, for Midnight Masquerade 2023 Australian Shadows Awards
** Superior Achievement in a First Novel for Hollow House (2016) and
Superior Achievement in Short Fiction, for “The Book of Last Words” (2019)
* Best Artwork (internal illustrations in “Polyphemus”) 2024

Reviews

[Tom Rimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samhain Screams is the best Halloween anthology I have ever read.

Full stop.

I say this with some obvious bias, of course, as I do have a story in this collection. That said, as far as the rest of these tales, I went in blindly. Each one legitimately hooked me and gave all the leaf-crunchy, jack-o-lantern flickering, Michael-Myers-staring-in-the-window, candy-corn gobbling, feels I crave this time of year. Genuinely scary. Genuinely fresh, somehow exploring new territory even as familiar, nostalgia-laden notes are hit. I read a lot of horror (almost exclusively in fact) and watch just as much. Still, I am in awe at the talent and the folks that came together on this one.

There's still time before October 31st and I can't think of better read to accompany you while ghouls and goblins run amok.

[Jim X Dodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samhain has arrived and this year's treat is Samhain Screams from Black Beacon Books. Inside you will find 20 stories from 20 authors, all crafted to give you the best spooky holiday possible. As usual, there are some stories I like better than others but there are none in here that I didn't enjoy. The final story, The Day You Die by S.B. Watson, provides the perfect ending to the collection but every story leading up to it builds the tension and the creeping dread to this titillating crescendo. You may not have heard of many of these authors but that's no reason not to dig into this collection. This just gives you 20 chances to find your new favorite books, including this one which you are wisely about to purchase. Happy Samhain! -Jim X Dodge, author of The Bite and Erogenous Jones: Private Dicktective

[Deborah Sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's plenty to love here, with horror stories across a range of subgenres, moods, and styles. That said, my absolute favourite was "Toomie’s Ghost Story" by Epiphany Ferrell.

[Jacy Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of Halloween tales (including my own). This anthology was solid throughout. I loved the vibes, all different takes on Halloween and Halloween-related things. Quite a nice bit of variety on display. Check it out if you need a dose of Halloween.

[Tom Coombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wide range of Halloween-focused stories from around the world that -- full disclosure -- includes one of my stories.

I'll leave it to others to judge my work (re-reading it last week, I found things I'd change, of course), but beyond that, there are no weak spots here.

Some standouts:

- "Indian Corn" by Jacy Morris. A creepy, brutal mashup of cultural lore and teenage customs.
- "Halloween Under the Sea" by Nick Manzolillo. Normally not a fan of horror centering on mythical creatures, but I loved the world he created here.
- "The October Shadows" by Hannah Baxter. Never not going to be a fan of stories about cursed movies.
- "Living Creatures" by Elle Jones. Ditto stories involving found videos and antlered creatures.
- "Whispers" by Martin Livings. An apocalyptic story with a very simple premise. Would make a great segment in a horror anthology movie someday.
- "Toomie's Ghost Story" by Epiphany Ferrell. A ghost story -- from a teller who carriest just the right amount of sinister -- hits too close to home for one of its listeners.