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Man Behind the Mask
The ‘80s brought us the horror genre’s golden the best films, directors, cheesiness, soundtracks, and the sexiest scream queens. We especially held the women of those films close to our hearts. Still do.Featuring all-female contributors, stories in The Man Behind the Mask anthology include ‘80s-style cliché masked killers, peepers, perverts, toolbox killers, killer clowns, window-watchers, sister-touchers, geeks, cheerleaders, big-breasted women, men with big knives (to compensate for the size of something else), and, most importantly, heroines.This one’s for you, ladies. It’s a thank you for all the great contributions you’ve added to the beloved horror genre over the years, and it’s sure to be a prick-teasing wet dream for the geeks of yesteryear.Bolt the doors or run screaming into the woods. The man behind the mask is back, and his chainsaw is revving. Edited by David Owain Hughes, Veronica Smith, and Jonathan Edward Ondrashek Table of Linnea Quigley, Audrey Heart’s Desire, Dani Movie Star, Alice J. The Travelling Circus, Carly Club Cruelty, Jaime The Best Damn Revenge, Lisa Black Rose, Stevie Camp Counselors Wanted, S. L. The Harvest, Dawn Bag Lady, Debby Killer Times at Ridgeway Mall, Michelle Garza & Melissa Rock, Paper, Scissors, D.M. 24 Lone Pine Lane, Fox Broken Rules, Crystal Hot Sauce, Suzanne Original Sin, Rose Love Will Tear You Apart, Charlotte Ambush, Christine Elise Dinner, C. A. Prom Night, A. Slumber Games, Kasey Dawn Scream Campers, I Know What You Dreamed Last Bloody Halloween, Briana Bloodbath, Delphine This isn’t the Breakfast Club, Kindra Courtesy Call, K.M. Laugh out Loud, Rachel It Takes a Lot of Guts, Tamara Fey Birthday Face, Florence A Clown Guy
- GenresHorror
388 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2016
179 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 31, 2016
As those who know me are well aware, I love a good short story collection. This extends to anthology films and shows such as Tales From the Crypt and Masters of Horror. I just love short and sweet segments that cover all different kinds of horror and fun. Many anthologies have a theme or underlying concept. I've read short story collections in which all the stories are about holidays, others where all the stories deal with the south. Man Behind the Mask is the latest book I've read in this wheelhouse and allow me to explain what it's all about as well as my thoughts.
Man Behind the Mask opens with an introduction by the great scream queen Linnea Quigley. She writes a bit about her experiences in the movies and soon it becomes clear that this book will feature primarily female characters. All the authors are women and while, as you will learn, there is a lot of diversity to the characters the stories contain, a female character will be making it to the end. Fans of the classic slasher film will know that more times than not, this is the case. Halloween, Friday the 13th, Hatchet, Texas Chainsaw Massacre; although not always the case, the “final girl” concept comes into play quite frequently. However, this is only a small fraction of how these characters will be utilized throughout the stories contained in Man Behind the Mask. The book sets out to match the tone and style of the classic Slasher on more than a few occasions, which is a lot of fun to see. This includes a lot of moments that recreate aspects of slasher movies with descriptive gore, attractive women, and even references to the movies of the genre themselves. There's also some different types of concepts and themes thrown around, so let's just dive right in.
After getting through the first few stories I found myself happy with the mixture of characters that I was presented with. Just because the book is about female main characters doesn't mean that they're all heroines. Some are, such as the brave 14 year old girl in Fox Emm's tragic story Broken Rules, as with several other stories where the characters show spine and will. However, there are plenty of female central characters who are evil themselves, those who do terrible things.
Paper, Rock, Scissors by Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason has two twin sisters who are anything but heroic. Gleeful and evil, this story shows that just because a character (or characters) are front and center in this collection, that doesn't mean they're necessarily the type of individuals society would generally root for.
Love Will Tear You Apart by Rose Garnett, for another example, follows a woman commanding a horde of violent “servants” who may not be what they appear. This mixture of character background and intent is great, as I feel it humanizes the characters and gives them depth. It portrays the women within the pages as complex, capable of both good and terrible actions depending on the individual. There are plenty of things to do with this leniency, and the book takes every advantage.
The book also features the fan favorite concept of the “final girl”, but with a unique spin. Camp Counselors Wanted by Stevie Kopas, for example, perfectly encapsulates the fun adrenaline-pumping energy and feel of the classic slasher. It comes complete with our protagonist desperately trying to survive and fighting for her life at every turn. However, the places it goes are far from ordinary and there's nothing typical or “by the numbers” about it. This wonderful story is a prime example of how the tales in this book are able to match a fan-favorite style while finding a life all their own and painting their own creative picture.
Many different subjects were handled throughout the book and no one reminded me too much of another. The authors all gave their unique spin on classic horror/slasher subjects such as vampires, cabins in the woods, serial killers, movie theaters, the Ouija board, demons, a sinister circus and prom night gone awry, among many others.
In Scream Campers, I Know What You Dreamed Last Bloody Halloween by Kasey Hill, buried secrets come back in bloody fashion, and in This Isn't the Breakfast Club by Delphine Quinn, detention turns deadly. Kindra Sowder's story Courtesy Call deals with a lunatic going after telemarketers. These stories are quite clever and cover a broad spectrum, which I appreciate. Subjects that resonate with us all are often featured as well, stories about death and loss, about the whole world being against you. Our greatest fears as a species are strewn throughout and in competent form.
As with any anthology presenting an array of stories and authors, there's going to be somewhat of a rise and fall in quality, or at least that’s how I see it. There are a few rare moments where a story seemed more like a bitter tirade than a series of events and these moments became very predictable without being interesting. Don't get me wrong, it's not always a horrible thing to know where a story will end up, but you at least need to have some twists and turns to make the ride there worth it. Telegraphing your punches will only get you so far. Fortunately, these blips are heavily in the minority. I was overall impressed with the consistent skill and flavor put forth and the majority of the stories held my interest and didn't let go until I had read the last word.
The stories also feature a variety of styles and perspectives. Some are first person, others are told in the third person, and some blur the line between the two with creative result. Best Damn Revenge by Jaime Johnesee, for example, goes back and forth between victim and predator, the normal mind and the deranged. This story shows the author's deft hand at getting into the mind of the respective characters.
The entries are all of similar length and arranged nicely. The healthy mixture of subjects is emphasized by the way they are organized with the tales switching back and forth between subjects. One second the reader will be delving into a good 'ol fashioned hack 'em up bloodbath, then the next will be dealing with some kind of monster or supernatural terror. It allows each story to be a palate cleanser from the last and at no point did I feel like I was being bombarded by too much of the same type of material one after the other.
All in all, I was very impressed with Man Behind the Mask. It never grew dull or tedious and each author gave their own flair and take on the world of horror. The stories weren't afraid to get down, dirty, and bloody, and I think that's something we can all be thankful for. All of the proceeds of the book go towards breast cancer research, so we can all certainly be thankful for that as well.
To put it simply, I heartily recommend Man Behind the Mask.
Man Behind the Mask opens with an introduction by the great scream queen Linnea Quigley. She writes a bit about her experiences in the movies and soon it becomes clear that this book will feature primarily female characters. All the authors are women and while, as you will learn, there is a lot of diversity to the characters the stories contain, a female character will be making it to the end. Fans of the classic slasher film will know that more times than not, this is the case. Halloween, Friday the 13th, Hatchet, Texas Chainsaw Massacre; although not always the case, the “final girl” concept comes into play quite frequently. However, this is only a small fraction of how these characters will be utilized throughout the stories contained in Man Behind the Mask. The book sets out to match the tone and style of the classic Slasher on more than a few occasions, which is a lot of fun to see. This includes a lot of moments that recreate aspects of slasher movies with descriptive gore, attractive women, and even references to the movies of the genre themselves. There's also some different types of concepts and themes thrown around, so let's just dive right in.
After getting through the first few stories I found myself happy with the mixture of characters that I was presented with. Just because the book is about female main characters doesn't mean that they're all heroines. Some are, such as the brave 14 year old girl in Fox Emm's tragic story Broken Rules, as with several other stories where the characters show spine and will. However, there are plenty of female central characters who are evil themselves, those who do terrible things.
Paper, Rock, Scissors by Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason has two twin sisters who are anything but heroic. Gleeful and evil, this story shows that just because a character (or characters) are front and center in this collection, that doesn't mean they're necessarily the type of individuals society would generally root for.
Love Will Tear You Apart by Rose Garnett, for another example, follows a woman commanding a horde of violent “servants” who may not be what they appear. This mixture of character background and intent is great, as I feel it humanizes the characters and gives them depth. It portrays the women within the pages as complex, capable of both good and terrible actions depending on the individual. There are plenty of things to do with this leniency, and the book takes every advantage.
The book also features the fan favorite concept of the “final girl”, but with a unique spin. Camp Counselors Wanted by Stevie Kopas, for example, perfectly encapsulates the fun adrenaline-pumping energy and feel of the classic slasher. It comes complete with our protagonist desperately trying to survive and fighting for her life at every turn. However, the places it goes are far from ordinary and there's nothing typical or “by the numbers” about it. This wonderful story is a prime example of how the tales in this book are able to match a fan-favorite style while finding a life all their own and painting their own creative picture.
Many different subjects were handled throughout the book and no one reminded me too much of another. The authors all gave their unique spin on classic horror/slasher subjects such as vampires, cabins in the woods, serial killers, movie theaters, the Ouija board, demons, a sinister circus and prom night gone awry, among many others.
In Scream Campers, I Know What You Dreamed Last Bloody Halloween by Kasey Hill, buried secrets come back in bloody fashion, and in This Isn't the Breakfast Club by Delphine Quinn, detention turns deadly. Kindra Sowder's story Courtesy Call deals with a lunatic going after telemarketers. These stories are quite clever and cover a broad spectrum, which I appreciate. Subjects that resonate with us all are often featured as well, stories about death and loss, about the whole world being against you. Our greatest fears as a species are strewn throughout and in competent form.
As with any anthology presenting an array of stories and authors, there's going to be somewhat of a rise and fall in quality, or at least that’s how I see it. There are a few rare moments where a story seemed more like a bitter tirade than a series of events and these moments became very predictable without being interesting. Don't get me wrong, it's not always a horrible thing to know where a story will end up, but you at least need to have some twists and turns to make the ride there worth it. Telegraphing your punches will only get you so far. Fortunately, these blips are heavily in the minority. I was overall impressed with the consistent skill and flavor put forth and the majority of the stories held my interest and didn't let go until I had read the last word.
The stories also feature a variety of styles and perspectives. Some are first person, others are told in the third person, and some blur the line between the two with creative result. Best Damn Revenge by Jaime Johnesee, for example, goes back and forth between victim and predator, the normal mind and the deranged. This story shows the author's deft hand at getting into the mind of the respective characters.
The entries are all of similar length and arranged nicely. The healthy mixture of subjects is emphasized by the way they are organized with the tales switching back and forth between subjects. One second the reader will be delving into a good 'ol fashioned hack 'em up bloodbath, then the next will be dealing with some kind of monster or supernatural terror. It allows each story to be a palate cleanser from the last and at no point did I feel like I was being bombarded by too much of the same type of material one after the other.
All in all, I was very impressed with Man Behind the Mask. It never grew dull or tedious and each author gave their own flair and take on the world of horror. The stories weren't afraid to get down, dirty, and bloody, and I think that's something we can all be thankful for. All of the proceeds of the book go towards breast cancer research, so we can all certainly be thankful for that as well.
To put it simply, I heartily recommend Man Behind the Mask.
February 7, 2018
The perfect read for Women In Horror Month! Or anytime!
Besides the sheer awesomeness of all the proceeds going towards breast cancer research this book needs to be the standard that all anthologies need to be held to. (Forgive me, I recently finished a different anthology that was god-awful. It just makes me all warm and fuzzy to think how spoiled I am with this one, clearly a well thought out, planned and executed anthology.)
Besides the sheer awesomeness of all the proceeds going towards breast cancer research this book needs to be the standard that all anthologies need to be held to. (Forgive me, I recently finished a different anthology that was god-awful. It just makes me all warm and fuzzy to think how spoiled I am with this one, clearly a well thought out, planned and executed anthology.)
October 26, 2016
First I get to brag that I got to read this before everyone else! I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Horror anthologies are my new favorite thing. The fantastic bit about this anthology is that it was written by all female contributors in support of women in horror AND in support of breast cancer research! Yes, all proceeds from sales of this book go to breast cancer research. That said, the stories in this one are fantastic, especially if you are/were a fan of 80's horror films. I totally was. Think Halloween, Friday the 13th, etc... That's the theme of this anthology. Who is the man behind the mask and can the heroines in these stories kick some ass? Yes, yes they can! A lot of these stories have fun, surprising twists. A bit graphic and gory in some instances, but I think there's something in here for everyone. Including clowns. Ugh - I hate clowns. The foreword was written by 80's scream queen Linnea Quigley who starred in films like Night of the Demons (a favorite of mine), and Return of the Living Dead. In particular, I really enjoyed Alice J. Black's The Travelling Circus, Fox Emm's Broken Rules, and Dawn Cano's Bag Lady. The rest of the stories were good, too. Those three were just some of my favorites. Great stories for a great cause. I'm so glad I got to read this one before it was released. I plan on buying a paperback for my keeper shelf on this one.
June 2, 2017
Excellent Anthology!
This is truly an excellent bunch of authors. Each telling a fantastic story. Each leaving you wanting more stories to read!!!!
This is truly an excellent bunch of authors. Each telling a fantastic story. Each leaving you wanting more stories to read!!!!
February 13, 2017
I was fortunate to win an advance copy of this book. It's a terrific horror anthology that nods to the horror cliches of the 80's and all the stories are written by women, which I thought added to the greatness of the book. Another wonderful thing about the book is that proceeds are going to support breast cancer research, which is a subject near and dear to my heart. The horror stories in this anthology have a series of different themes like masked killers, peepers, perverts, toolbox killers, killer clowns, window-watchers, sister-touchers, geeks, cheerleaders, big-breasted women, men with big knives (to compensate for the size of something else), and, most importantly, heroines. I thought it stayed very true to the 80's horror genre and was reminded of Friday the 13th and Halloween. Some of the stories have great twists and will definitely keep you guessing. There was an obligatory amount of gore in some, but that is to be expected with a horror anthology. Overall, this was a great book full of scary stories with feisty heroines and great scares. I'd definitely recommend it.
October 1, 2018
Excellent collection of slasher inspired, 80's horror style short stories written by women. If you loved horror in the 80's then you'll love this anthology. All proceeds go to Breast Cancer Research.
December 20, 2016
Awesome collection of downright horror-rific fun! This is a massive tome that'll drag you back in time ... And for an amazing cause! Grab your copy.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews