aaaand welcome back ladies, gents, and monsters, to Splatter Mini-Reviews, where I talk a bit about the extreme novels I’ve had my nose in lately.
Check out the first post and the second, if you so please!
Trigger warning for nasty shit, abuse, assault, gore, stomach churning content. Read with discretion.
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Roe V. Wade by Matt Shaw
extreme horror, splatter punk, commentary
published : July 2022
my rating : ★★★★★
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the story starts with a note from the author on the overturning of Roe V. Wade. he offers some really honest and thought provoking observations on the topic. i really appreciated that.
this story is true political criticism, in my opinion. you think ooohhh it’s going to rip everything to shreds and be super offensive. no, actually, it’s a look into an extreme version of the future.
it’s 2023, pregnancy tests are tracked, contraception is illegal, and for some reason segregation exists again. something to be said about how we’re set back by the overturn.
women who don’t want their unborn babes are taken away and put into what most people think is a luxurious hotel. well, ya know, that’s just not the case. they’re held like prisoners.
❝ Turning a blind eye never helps in the grand scheme of things though, does it? Instead of dealing with a problem, they just bury their heads in the sand and either hope it fixes itself or they act all confused and shocked when the problem becomes worse.
super dystopian and creepy because it’s so relevant to the fears of women everywhere.
the point of view switches around, between a man who works at the “prison”, and 2 families who are expecting.
there’s some gross “extreme” parts, gory and gross but overall this story just filled me with anxiety and anger.
i’ve never read A Handmaids Tale but was told, while sharing some of the story with a friend, that it was somewhat similar.
i’d recommend this completely. i loved it.
The Swine by Simon McHardy and Sean Hawker
extreme horror, splatterpunk
published : October 2022
my rating : ★★★★★
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it’s unusual for me to have to take a break from a book because of it’s disturbing nature but this goddamn book made me so uneasy i had to put it aside for a bit.
the novella follows a bus of special needs kids and their counselors who take a shortcut through the back country. they’re trying to make it to the campsite before darkness falls. their bus breaks down and they go to a nearby house for help. of course, there’s a horrible family living in these backwoods and their cannibalistic nature is quickly put on display as they start to terrorize the group. one of which is a man with the head of a pig carrying a giant sledgehammer, along with his fucked up mom and the rest of the half piggy-half human family.
ya know, i’ve read a lot of extreme horror novellas but i think this is one of the best i’ve read. not only because it’s such an epic plot with epic well-constructed characters but the brutality and complete utter perversion that was abound in this book was ALMOST offensive. almost.
❝ Barry’s crimson eyeballs shot out of his head. Tethered by the optic nerves, they retracted and bounced against his pudgy cheeks. His head made a sickening crunch and exploded. Mushy, pink grey brain matter and broken teeth spewed over Corinna’s face and chest.
McHardy’s and Hawker’s best book yet, in my opinion.
❝ …But do you reckon it’s true about being able to summon demons?’
‘If you’d asked me that before this fucking camping trip, I would have said no, but now it’s a definite yes. I do think it’s all read. Ghosts, demons, leprechauns… hell, we’ve seen monsters with our own eyes so why wouldn’t there be all sorts of supernatural shit out there in the world?’
there’s parts to laugh at, parts to grimace at, and some parts that i wish i could unread. i would highly recommend this to any splatterpunk fan who wants it a little bit grosser.
Abby Vs The Splatploitation Brothers Hillbilly Farm
by Stephen Cooper
extreme horror, splatterpunk, fantasy
published : June 2022
my rating : ★★★★★
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this novella twisted and turned into this epic love letter to horror film lovers everywhere. i mean, the literal horror movie references are amazing, and i loved that aspect.
Abby, our main character, is a horror movie reviewer. she hates everything that the Splatploitation Brothers production has put out, and makes this rudely and readily known on her popular blog.
❝ This was a studio that made horror films in the now, but with the aesthetic and gear of the video nasties from the seventies and eighties.
Splatploitation Bro’s films are generally marked by: bad acting, lots of tits, scream queens, bad costumes, and overdone horror tropes. this is all torn apart by Abby.
in the beginning of the story, i didn’t like Abby at all. stereotypical loner goth girl with a fucking attitude. but this lends itself to the story because she grows into this amazing character you actually care about.
the Splatploitation Brothers read Abby’s latest scathing review, hunt her down, point a camera at her, and she wakes up in a new world. one where she’s wearing goddamned daisy dukes and zombies, trees, and other monsters are trying to take her life.
❝ What the fuck was this place and why was it so intent on hurting her? If it was a nightmare or a drug induced dream, why was she causing herself pain? If it was something else, then why did everything want to fuck her up?
Stephen has a creative mind and in my opinion this story shows it, maybe even more than Near Death (read my review here!). the obstacles Abby tackles, the brutality of the extreme horror when it finally rears it’s head, and a surprising aspect of fantasy gives this story a really nice spicy kick. i didn’t know what to expect, it wasn’t this, the story is absolutely fantastical, it’s charming and it’s fucked up.
❝ If he really did believe she was some petrified little girl waiting to die, he was wrong.
definitely recommended, i loved it. oh did i mention there’s gonna be sequel?
It Gets Grosser as You Go by RJ Benetti
extreme horror, splatterpunk, shock
published : October 2022
my rating : ★★★☆☆
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rounding up from 2.5 stars. a lot of references to a story called Hamster Ball in the beginning and in other reviews so maybe i’ll check that out. maybe this wasn’t the right entry point into Benetti.
this is a very short collection (currently free on Godless) comprising of 3 stories.
we’ve got :
Ghost Poop : a man has a giant shit but when he turns around there’s nothing in the toilet
Slop Tart : a bunch of wannabe frat boys are getting hazed in an extremely disgusting way
and Raw Dog : a guy has to fuck a gross woman until his foreskin is essentially rubbed off
one thing that i liked about this wee collection is that, yes, it really does get grosser as you go. like stomach churning. it’s just endlessly disgusting, so for that, i salute the author.
what i didn’t like is that it feels like it tries really hard. like i said, first time reader of Benetti, so maybe that’s just his writing style but overall it was just in your face grossness with nothing of substance.
and that’s totally okay! i laughed a couple of times, grimaced, and boom the book was done. i was grossed out. that’s the whole point.
i’m not really sure what to make of this book other than i guess i wanted more than just a lot of shit and farts and jizz.
no quotes from this one ‘cuz they’re all nasty.
i WOULD recommend this book though, to anybody who enjoys Benetti’s writing, and to anybody who wants some funny, outright shock content.
Magick by Judith Sonnet
extreme horror, splatterpunk, supernatural
published : October 2022
my rating : ★★★★☆
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rounding up from 3.5 stars, this is another great novella by Sonnet but definitely wasn’t one of my favorites.
the Dobbsin house is haunted as all hell, having a sordid past as a brothel where many people have been killed horribly and anybody trying to investigate claims of ghostly activity mysteriously disappear.
Jace buys the house to film a porn, “Magick Manor”, she finds that the house makes you incredibly horny and she has first-hand accounts on camera of spiritual instances. her crew shows up and everything goes to shit.
❝ The house was absolutely stuffed with energy, and it manifested as sexual potency to all who approached it.
one thing i adore about Sonnet’s writing regardless of my opinion of the story is that her writing and creativity are off the goddamn charts. where does she come up with this shit? i mean, this specific novella is what? – less than 200 pages and it could literally be made into a movie. it’s just pure genius.
it’s not all guts and sex with Sonnet, there’s character involvement, there’s twists and turns, there’s tension and an actual plot. this is definitely a good work, i enjoyed reading it. my qualm is that it felt too much like other things i’ve read by her, and again felt like it was relying on rape as a plot device.
with somebody as unique and brilliant as Sonnet, i’d like to see some extreme horror that doesn’t fall into the realm of something she’s done before. Judith is going really far, and i can see her blowing up online, and for good reason. she has TALENT. i just think Magick, as fun as it was to read, isn’t in my top favorites by her.
but as always, i’ll keep reading Judith’s work and cheering her on because the content she puts out is amazing.
highly recommend this and any other Sonnet novellas to fans of extreme horror.
another 5 novella round-up by yours truly. was planning on posting this monday but took a little day off due to personal reasons.
a lot of really good works, and i’m excited to read more!
as always, read with discretion because this shit is offensive and nasty on purpose.
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thanks for reading
♡
biblio goblin 
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