Mess Hall

by Richard Laymon

Short Story

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Zombies

Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Richard Laymon was born in Chicago and grew up in California. He earned a BA in English Literature from Willamette University, Oregon and an MA from Loyola University, Los Angeles. He worked as a schoolteacher, a librarian, and a report writer for a law firm, and was the author of more than thirty acclaimed novels.

He also published more than sixty short stories in magazines such as Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, and Cavalier, and in anthologies including Modern Masters of Horror.

He died from a massive heart attack on February 14, 2001 (Valentine's Day).

Also published under the name Richard Kelly

Reviews

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting short story. Good horror with not only gore, sure there is a bunch of it, but also a really surprisingly good premises and a character we almost instantly relate to or like and cheer for her to survive. Fun and quick read!

[Jaffa Kintigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

While most zombie tales have violence, the best do so to show the breakdown in the social contract and in the "humanity" of humans. This tale has violence seemingly only for the sake of creating torture porn. It starts with explicit sex, moves quickly into gruesome violence and then tapers into increasingly ridiculous blends of the two. Think: rapist serial killer. And that's all before zombies appear in the form of previous torture porn victims.

Unfortunately, the zombies do not seem to follow any of the multiple previous lores out there for zombies, or even to have a guiding rule as to how they exist, move and act. They seem to be present merely to add to the gruesome violence and sex themes. They're props, and quizzical ones at that. Between tool use and questionable pack behaviors, they carve an inconsistent new mythos in zombie behavior.

This tale appears in Book of the Dead edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector.

[Ranjana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of gore. An average short story

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nuevamente un cuento alucinante de Laymon.
Un asesino recibe su merecido, pero por desgracia los heroes también tienen su agenda.
Y otra mujer desnuda corriendo por el bosque, no tan gráfico en este sentido como "No Sanctuary", pero me parece que se debe a la extensión del relato.

[ShoSho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of Zombies! Zombies! Zombies!

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A serial killer meets his own victims as they come back as zombies.