Creep Out, by Jeff Strand – 5/5
Reading another book by Jeff Strand is always a pleasure and will certainly interrupt the old “To Be Read” queue like no other. Well, like no others. Plural. King. Konrath. Strand. Crouch. These are my favorite authors and will always take precedence.
Strand’s latest tale weaves together feels of the classic Devil Doll (1964), Amelia (part two of the Trilogy of Terror), and Conky (from The Trailer Park Boys), and throws them at you all at once. Coincidentally, Amelia has always been the most scary movie I have ever watched. I remember watching it with my dad, who then terrorized me for many nights after, chasing me around the house with his comb as a make-shift spear, sliding it back and forth under the door. So thanks for bringing those memories back, Jeff.
Ezra visits his mom after the death of his father and receives his inheritance – a box containing a ventriloquist dummy, named Virgil. What happens next is neither traditional nor expected from the Devil Doll subcategory. Prepare for Strand’s typical fast paced delivery, quirky dad-jokes, and immersion into a hellish story that will certainly have you locking up your own dolls and sleeping with the lights on. Warning: do not fall asleep.
Available at all the usual sources.
I’ll leave you with my favorite quote.
“He wanted to strangle that bitch. Rip her head off and gargle the blood as it poured into his mouth.
Ezra, Creep Out