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Syntax Error
It’s the mid-1990s. VHS tapes clutter every shelf, and late-night television hums with static and impossible promises.
Steve has never been good at relationships. Heartbreak, toxic expectations, and loneliness drive him to a midnight infomercial for the PC-2000 — a machine built to be the perfect partner. She arrives flawless, lifelike, and programmed to please. At first, she fills the cooking recipes straight from daytime TV, mimicking romance from worn-out tapes, and whispering exactly what he wants to hear.
But the more Steve leans on her, the stranger things become. Her smiles linger too long. Her words feel rehearsed. And when static screens and horror marathons begin to seep into reality, Steve realizes he doesn’t understand the thing he’s invited into his home.
Syntax Error is a haunting trip back to the VHS era, where the line between desire and dread blurs, and not every tape should be played.
Steve has never been good at relationships. Heartbreak, toxic expectations, and loneliness drive him to a midnight infomercial for the PC-2000 — a machine built to be the perfect partner. She arrives flawless, lifelike, and programmed to please. At first, she fills the cooking recipes straight from daytime TV, mimicking romance from worn-out tapes, and whispering exactly what he wants to hear.
But the more Steve leans on her, the stranger things become. Her smiles linger too long. Her words feel rehearsed. And when static screens and horror marathons begin to seep into reality, Steve realizes he doesn’t understand the thing he’s invited into his home.
Syntax Error is a haunting trip back to the VHS era, where the line between desire and dread blurs, and not every tape should be played.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 21, 2025
1 person want to read
About the author
Allen Dusk
14 books39 followersAllen Dusk is a writer of dark speculative fiction who thrives on weaving shadows between genres. His stories slip between horror, science fiction, and the erotic, creating unsettling worlds where dread and desire collide. Known for twisting the familiar into something hauntingly strange, he pulls readers into narratives that refuse to stay predictable.
When he isn’t conjuring nightmares on the page, Allen explores his fascination with imagery through photography and revisits the eerie comfort of classic horror films.
When he isn’t conjuring nightmares on the page, Allen explores his fascination with imagery through photography and revisits the eerie comfort of classic horror films.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 22, 2025
Syntax Error is a familiar but timely tale about loneliness, technology, and the strange ways people try to feel connected. It takes the early ’90s world of dial-up modems, VHS tapes, and late-night infomercials and turns it into something dark and unsettling. The main character, Steve, is a guy whose life has fallen apart after a breakup, and when he orders a “personal companion” from a sketchy company, things spiral into a nightmare that feels both retro and disturbingly real.
As someone who is also revisiting the 90s in my fiction, I loved the atmosphere here. It’s drenched in that early-Internet weirdness and the analog grime of old TVs and static screens. The pacing builds perfectly, moving from sadness and isolation to psychological horror. By the end, I felt like I’d watched a lost horror films on VHS.
Allen Dusk manages to make the story creepy, emotional, and even a little sad, a reminder that sometimes the scariest thing isn’t the technology itself, but what it says about us.
As someone who is also revisiting the 90s in my fiction, I loved the atmosphere here. It’s drenched in that early-Internet weirdness and the analog grime of old TVs and static screens. The pacing builds perfectly, moving from sadness and isolation to psychological horror. By the end, I felt like I’d watched a lost horror films on VHS.
Allen Dusk manages to make the story creepy, emotional, and even a little sad, a reminder that sometimes the scariest thing isn’t the technology itself, but what it says about us.
Displaying 1 of 1 review