Scared Stiff: Tales of Sex and Death

Rating:
Summary: Bored Stiff!
Review: Boring,unimaginative,predictable tales written by Snooze and Snore.A definite cure for insomnia.Stick to the "Hot Blood "Series for real sex and terror tales with real thrills and Chills.Worst collection of Garbage I've ever been punished by.

Rating:
Summary: The deadly art of seduction
Review: Clive Barker's introduction is as good as the stories themselves, stating in regards to the melding of horror and erotica that "In an age when characters in all manner of fiction have forsaken their blushes to fornicate, horror fiction clings to its underwear with a nunnish zeal." Since Scared Stiff was first published in 1988, this was one of the influential books that led to the production of more erotica in horror, such as the Hot Blood series.

There are only seven tales in this collection, making it a wonderful traveling companion or vacation book. Starting with `Dolls', we visit a quiet village and the witch's coven that conjures the devil during orgies, leading to `The Other Woman', a tale of an artist's obsession with his work bleeding over onto the canvas of his own life.

Next is `Liliths', probably my favorite story in the compilation. A strange shop appears out of nowhere, and a man makes a purchase that changes his life. A life sized doll that fills him with compulsive behavior.
`The Seductress' is a low-key suspense tale, of obsessive love and a mother's revenge. `Stages' tells of us a deadly combination of $ex, drugs, and voyeurism. `Loveman's Comeback' speaks of possession, and the lengths one will go to in order to break out of a bad relationship. And finally, `Merry May' is about wandering into a strange town, and finding their odd celebration a little more than you can handle.

While in comparison to today's erotic horror, Scared Stiff is a bit tame for this blossoming genre, but Ramsey Campbell's early foray into this forbidden realm truly opened doors for those of us who enjoy peeking into the bloody rooms to find titillating delights within. If you are really a fan of visceral lust run amok, then you should own a copy of Scared Stiff. Enjoy!


Rating:
Summary: clever erotic horror anthology
Review: This collection is a combination of a reprint of a previous anthology containing seven repeat tales plus three new short stories released in the nineties and a new afterward. Each tale is well written, cleverly designed and clearly show why Ramsey Campbell is the father of erotic horror, as they all star a perverted individual either as a tormentor or a victim. Not for everyone, Scared Stiff: Tales of Sex And Death consists of ten frightening and horrifying yet erotic somewhat perverted stories at least from the mindset of this middle age female boomer who loves the macabre but is often disgusted by the plots. This anthology provides a voyeur's look into the soul of this award winning horror author great.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: clever erotic horror anthology
Review: This collection is a combination of a reprint of a previous anthology containing seven repeat tales plus three new short stories released in the nineties and a new afterward. Each tale is well written, cleverly designed and clearly show why Ramsey Campbell is the father of erotic horror, as they all star a perverted individual either as a tormentor or a victim. Not for everyone, Scared Stiff: Tales of Sex And Death consists of ten frightening and horrifying yet erotic somewhat perverted stories at least from the mindset of this middle age female boomer who loves the macabre but is often disgusted by the plots. This anthology provides a voyeur's look into the soul of this award winning horror author great.

Harriet Klausner