This is an anthology with ten stories that while not really scary per se are at least mostly atmospheric and can give that feeling of loneliness that can engender fear. Many of the characters are not really worth thinking about one way or the other but you do run into the occasional person who makes you feel some sympathy for them and their situation and then there are those who you just want to see gone because they appear to be beyond redemption.
While I gave this 3 stars it is based on an average of each story, the average total was 2.7 stars so, of course, I had to round up.
"Cabin Creek", 2.5 stars. In this prequel to Walking After Midnight, part 1, we get to learn more about Sheriff Benoit and how the tiny town of Cabin Creek came to hold a bigger secret than anyone imagined. This story shows that a parent's love can twist even the sweetest child into something unrecognizable when Vengence is set in motion.
"The Devil You Know", 2.5 stars. Dr. Martell is a psychiatrist at the local insane asylum. But the dark shadows in the minds of his patients aren't just in their minds as he learns. This was not really a horror story to me but one about a doctor who did not care about his patients and got a taste of what he gave out.
"Flashing Lights", 1 star. Hank Bowser is a truck driver, a lonely man in a lonely job. When he is faced with a damsel in distress he jumps at the chance to save her. This did not even keep me engaged for the short term and I kind of just blasted through it to get to the next one.
"The Pumpkin Patch", 3 stars. Cassie is forced to spend the summer with her eccentric aunt and socially inept cousin because she has gotten into a lot of trouble in the city. She thinks it can't possibly be that bad. As the summer draws to a close however she begins to have visions that prove things can always get worse. This wasn't that bad, a ghost story with a little twist.
"Loup Garou", 3 stars. Leon Hermanutraut lost his wife and kids to the Beast 50 years ago. In the swamps of Bidart, Louisiana this old man plots his revenge. I liked the simple explanation but they did not tell you what a Loup Garou is and did not even give you a good look at him.
"Wraith of West End Woods", 3 stars. While on a run in the woods of West End tourist Rick Downing learns that he should have listened to his elders when they said to stay out. This had a nice pace and the action was expected but well done. The ending is what made it work for me.
"Black-Eyed Children", 2 stars. Eric is a college student who has found the perfect job, he house sits for a wealthy woman in an affluent part of Chicago. When on his last night a knock comes at the door. What he finds are two strange-looking children who make him pause at the thought of allowing them in, they seem weird and he cannot decide what to do. There is no real action and begins and ends so fast that you almost miss the plot.
"Wendigo", 3 stars. A blind date has gone wrong. Kate is navigating the winding roads of the northern Sierra Nevada mountains late on a dark night. To add insult to injury she is being stalked by an ancient, evil being. Liked the story for the most part but the detail was lost because they ignored certain elements.
"Run Away", 4 stars. John Brighton's first problem was not escaping from prison, but trying to find what to do after. Once free he wandered the rural countryside, deciding who to trust was going to be his major decision. This had a rather anticlimactic ending but the rest did keep me reading because I kept waiting for that big moment.
"Ritual", 3 stars. Bored on Halloween night, two couples decide after reading a book to try and find the church referenced in it when one of the guys says they went there before. The abandoned nineteenth-century church was not given a good enough description in the book and left out some of the most important details. While I really liked this story there were numerous spelling errors and the story description did not match the story that was being told.