Urban legends? Halloween? Creepy horror?

Yes, please!

Mischief Night Massacre is all of that and more. Jason Parent has written a collection of short stories that really capture the feeling of Halloween of the past, throwing it into the now. Each story offers something unique, giving any fan of horror, both old and new, something to find joy in. There are not so subtle nods to classic horror, like characters named Jamie Carpenter.

As with any anthology, the reader will find stories that they like more than others, but overall, its a nice collection of Halloween themed short stories that's a quick read.

Another book that's perfect for beginner horror readers.

The stories in this book were gross, strange, diabolical and at times, a bit unexpected.

One of the "chapters" did remind me of the movie ”Happy Death Day”!

I will say, there are some triggering things in this book:

– usage of the R slur
– white character doing blackface (it was for a horror character he was portraying, but it shouldn't have happened anyway)
– ableism

So, be mindful if you're going to dive into this book.

Stories I liked:

– Russian Dollhouse
– Keeping Up Appearances
– Black

Rating: 3.75/5

I love a book that takes place on Halloween! This collection is full of fun halloween set stories. Heavy on the fun. Urban legends to go around, and perfect to bring the fall mood to any part of the year.

This was such a great collection of scary, spooky, gruesome Halloween stories. I highly recommend reading it any time of year! So good!

This book comprises 10 short stories that all revolve around Halloween, with several horror tropes used.

A lot of the stories felt like they were meant to be aimed at teens and just made for an older audience by adding swearing and slurs.

I found most of the stories bad or average, with only one actually being good.

My overall rating is a rounded average of the individual ratings below.
• Russian Dollhouse - 3*
• Dia de Los Muertos - 3*
• Easy Pickings - 2*
• Keeping up Appearances - 1*
• A Not Not-So-Scary Halloween - 1*
• Rain - 4*
• Black - 3*
• Ride Like The Devil - 2*
• Pulp - 3*
• Last Halloween - 2*

Mischief Night Massacre is a chilling anthology of Halloween-themed horror stories that blends supernatural terror with psychological dread. The writing is immersive and atmospheric, creating a strong sense of tension while balancing dark humor and horror. Standout tales like Russian Dollhouse and Día de los Muertos explore unique cultural and psychological elements, while others, like Black and Ride Like the Devil, deliver pure, heart-pounding thrills. Some stories lean on predictable tropes and lack a bit of character depth, but the overall variety of horror styles keeps the collection fresh.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to this early. Review has been posted on Waterstones and Amazon.

My thanks to Corpus Press "what a name!" Jason Parent and Netgalley.
Jason Parent is one of those authors who I enjoy reading, to varying degrees. Sometimes I love what he's writing and others, maybe not so much!
I liked these short stories. Some were way better than others, but I didn't find a stinker in the bunch.

Book Review: Mischief Night Massacre
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5/5)

Mischief Night Massacre: Ten Tales of Halloween by Jason Parent is a fast-paced, blood-soaked anthology that delivers ten interconnected horror stories set on the chaotic night before Halloween. Mixing slasher-style terror, supernatural elements, and dark humor, the book offers plenty of thrills, but its inconsistent writing holds it back from being a standout horror collection.

There’s a lot to enjoy here—the structure of the book is engaging, with each story contributing to an overarching narrative that escalates toward a brutal and chaotic finale. Parent crafts a variety of eerie characters, from mischievous pranksters to vengeful spirits, and the quick pacing ensures there’s never a dull moment. Fans of Trick ‘r Treat or Halloween will appreciate the nods to classic horror tropes.

However, the writing feels uneven throughout the collection. At times, the tone and dialogue seem aimed at a younger audience, but this clashes with the more graphic and gruesome moments. Some stories feel well-developed and immersive, while others feel rushed or lacking in depth. This inconsistency makes it harder to fully invest in the book as a cohesive anthology.

Despite these issues, Mischief Night Massacre is still an entertaining seasonal read for horror fans who enjoy fast-paced, darkly humorous, and gory tales. It may not be a must-read, but if you’re looking for a fun and twisted Halloween-themed collection, it’s worth checking out.

The first short story reminded me of the thrill I had opening a Goosebumps book as a kid. It was like a mixture of the movies I enjoy as an adult blended with what I enjoyed as a kid. However, I feel the rest of the short stories fell flat and I couldn’t get into them as the first set up high standards.

Who doesn't love a good killer story. I really suck at giving reviews. Im always simple with it, if i liked it or not. The truth is i did .

Get ready for some thrills and chills in this fine collection of Halloween short stories. I am very particular about short stories and I have to say this is one of my favorite collections. I enjoyed the variety and there wasn't one story that I at least didn't enjoy a little bit. Read during the season or when you're missing the best part of the year.

It took me way to long to realize this was 10 different stories in 1 book. I honestly thought I was loosing my mind for a bit. However once I realized it I went back and reread and it was great (side note: it says in the description its 10 in 1 i never read descriptions before starting a book) I

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to review this title.
This review is based on the 68% I did read. This was not the book for me at all. The persistence of harmful language and over focus on masogenistic sexual scenes were just over the top and were redundant as there was no point to them. I read from every genre but love horror, but this was just gratuitous with no actual plot either. The first 30% I thought I was reading a war story... only to realise it was back story/flash backs that went on for way too long. If you don't like reading about someone being turned on by a student, or have to read language that hit all the unacceptable areas (race, intellectual disability, sexism, ageism, fat phobia to name but a few), this one isn't for you. However, if you like disjointed reads that have a focus on sex in a very boundary challenging way then this might be for you. I'm sorry I couldn't get on board with this one and I hope it finds it's audience... I'm just not that audience.

This is a collection of 10 Halloween stories, I actually enjoyed all of the stories in this book. Of course I enjoyed some more than others. The first story was Russian dollhouse, a haunted House story, and I loved it. Overall all the stories were creepy and atmospheric, and it's a great read for halloween.

**Book Review: *Mischief Night Massacre: Ten Tales of Halloween* by Jason Parent**

Jason Parent’s *Mischief Night Massacre* is an electrifying homage to Halloween that captures the magic, mischief, and sheer terror of the holiday. With ten unique and spine-chilling tales, this collection serves up a devilishly satisfying mix of classic Halloween tropes and unexpected horrors, ensuring there’s something to delight and frighten every reader.

From haunted houses and creepy amusement parks to locales you’d never expect to encounter horror, Parent masterfully crafts atmospheric settings that immerse you in the heart of Halloween. Each story is a testament to his skill at balancing vivid imagery, gripping tension, and visceral scares. Just as you think you’ve figured out where a story is headed, a shocking twist plunges you deeper into the dark.

The tales vary in tone and style, ranging from traditional horror to urban legends, with enough monsters, ghosts, and sinister figures to rival an entire season of *Creepshow*. Standouts include a terrifying Halloween party gone wrong, an unnerving tale of revenge in a haunted corn maze, and a deceptively innocent amusement park ride that delivers anything but fun. Parent’s knack for injecting humanity into his characters makes the horror hit harder, as you find yourself rooting for—or fearing for—each one.

What truly elevates *Mischief Night Massacre* is the way it captures the duality of Halloween: the thrill of costumes and candy juxtaposed with the lurking danger behind the mask. The stories tap into universal fears and add fresh, inventive spins, making them resonate long after the lights go out. Parent doesn’t shy away from gore or psychological horror, but he also laces the collection with moments of dark humor and clever commentary, keeping the tone dynamic and engaging.

For fans of seasonal anthologies, this collection is a must-read. It’s perfect for those who crave an immersive Halloween experience, packed with enough scares and surprises to keep you awake long after Mischief Night has passed. Whether you’re a casual horror fan or a die-hard Halloween enthusiast, *Mischief Night Massacre* will leave you thoroughly spooked—and eagerly awaiting your next October read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5

I am always looking for a good collection of short horror stories to read during the spooky season. This book was a better than average collection. There were only a couple of stories that weren't that great, but overall, the book offered a good variety of chills and thrills. A couple of the stories still have me thinking about them a couple of months later.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an advanced e-arc of this book to review! Unfortunately I’m giving this book a 1 out of 5 star rating because I could not get into it at all and had to DNF 80 pages in. The concept seemed really good and interesting to me, and I was really excited to read some spooky short stories in and around Halloween, but as the stories played out it was just… not what I was expecting. The stories were quite dark and gorey and graphic, more than I was expecting, and actually had me feeling gross reading them and not in a good way that some spooky/horror stories can do. Some of the language used was also not up to my cup of tea, the third? or fourth story drops a lot of r-words which I’m not comfortable with at all.

Overall, if you’re looking for dark, gore-filled and at times gruesome stories for Halloween this would totally be the perfect book for you! But if you were hoping for just spooky and creepy short stories like me, avoid it at all costs because this is not it. Thank you again NetGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. This is a book of short, spooky stories centered around Halloween. I really enjoyed these stories; some more than others, but there weren't any that I didn't like. Some I found were a bit long, but for the sake of the story I think it was necessary. Overall a great book of scary short stories!

Here we have a diverse collection of horror short stories by Jason Parent. Several of the stories are themed around Halloween, but not all of them. The writing is strong, and the author does a good job overall of showing as opposed to telling. He satisfies nearly every genre convention throughout this endeavor, and a few stories include graphic gore. Sensitive readers may be offended, however I enjoyed most of these stories, and I was really impressed with Parent’s ability as a writer. Nice collection!