It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right by Brandon Applegate

It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right Reviews

• 
  Sheena Forsberg

  I enjoyed this anthology a lot and think the authors all succeeded in turning well-worn tropes into something different. That being the explicit goal, they’ve also put together a well-rounded, socially conscientious and inclusive anthology as represented by the different backgrounds of the authors as well as their characters. You’ll find tales about the Jersey Devil, the killer at lover’s lane, the killer spying on a woman inexplicably undressing in a window without curtains, aliens, werewolves, fairies, possessed dolls, zombies, creepy clowns and much more; and neither of the stories going the way you’d expect them to.
  Thank you for letting me read this, Brandon! You’ve reinforced the love I have for the authors I know from before, as well as made me fall in love with some new ones.
  Side note: Love the cover (Evangeline Gallagher) and interior artwork (Christopher Castillo Díaz)!
  
  -Short overviews below (NB: Spoilers!) and I’ve marked the ones that stood out to me with an “*”:
  
  
  -Everyone’s Got A Little Devil In Them (Erin Keating):*
  A family supposedly descended from the Jersey Devil itself and the townies that torture them every Michief Night in the hopes of catching it. I’m Norwegian and hadn’t come across the legend of the Jersey Devil before this.
  
  -Parting Gift (Cormack Baldwin):
  I couldn’t help but read this as a more modern and explicitly sadder take on the Frankenstein story as told from the creature’s lonely point of view. The OG tale included the creature’s side of the story, but this one deals more with the disability it’s condition gives it in our society today.
  
  -Bloody Nights at Hippie Cliffs (Eric Raglin):*
  A clever take on the lover’s lane trope. Ryan’s boyfriend Ignacio plans to kill the murderer that’s been taking lives at Hippie Cliffs while Ryan has other reasons for joining.
  
  -Pickle (Die Booth):
  A creep is spying on a woman he intends to murder. There’s just one problem; her happy terrier.
  
  -Fuck This Shit Manor (Laurel Hightower):*
  The less-than-alive and hungry inhabitants of a mansion are struggling to attract new vict..tenants, and find themselves with no other options but to contact a real estate agent. A funny take on the haunted house trope.
  
  -A Maiden Will I Die (LC Von Hessen):
  Quite literally the final girl in that there’s really nobody else left but the murderer.
  
  -Don’t Say Its Name (Taylor Rae):
  Entitled rich girls hire native Americans in the hopes of experiencing or debunking ________ -let’s refer to it as something humanoid with deer horns. They get what they paid for but the story has a twist.
  
  -Jumbies! (Lyndon Nicholas):*
  A socially aware retelling of zombies that tells truths through its fiction.
  
  -Searching for Überwald (Alex Woodroe):
  A man searches for his family history and creepy tales in Romania. He gets a bit more than her bargained for when he finds himself haunted. Also plays nice with the dream-trope.
  
  -Advent of the Clown King (Tom Coombe):*
  Note to self: Don’t accept a box from a clown.
  There’s an illness (of sorts) affecting large parts of society wherein people dress up as clowns and chaos ensues as they clash with those who haven’t felt the need to don clown-gear. Madness of crowds, entropy and peer/clown pressure. It might have been inspired by a weird, and very real, occurrence, but there’s also some deeper societal issues being dealt with in this story.
  
  -Don’t Go in the Woods… Or Do, See If I Care! (Patrick Barb):*
  Got a soft spot for Friday the 13th and that one person who warns people of impending doom (and who everyone ignores?). Then this story will do you just fine.
  
  -The Thickest Soup You’ve Got (Nikki R. Leigh):
  A cabin in the woods, a time loop and a bit of self searching.
  
  -Hail Mary, Full of Rage (J.V. Gachs):
  A murdered newborn is found in a dumpster. This possession tale is different from most as in that God is responsible, although it seems just as costly as the more run-of-the-mill demon possession.
  
  -Castoffs (K.A. Wiggins):
  One of the more humorous tales of the lot.
  A demon comes to collect its pound of flesh from a woman it made a deal with. Maybe it should have been a bit more specific when they drew up the contract though.
  
  -Ghostwritten (Madison McSweeney):
  A struggling writer decides to compete in a script competition. Things get weird very soon as madness ensues and the 4th wall breaks down (note to aspiring writers; listening to your characters might not be the best idea).
  Also manages to play a bit with cannibalism.
  
  -The Pizza Curse (Helena O’Connor):
  An accident-prone woman looking at her last shot at a job lands a spot at a pizza place. The night before she’s set to begin she receives a creepy wolf costume which may, or may not be cursed.
  The coziest tale of the bunch and one that plays with the idea of cursed objects and werewolves.
  
  -Tattered Fairy, Hungry Fairy (Belicia Rhea):*
  Ruthless children decide to try to rob the tooth fairy. I’m torn as to who’s scarier; children willing to knock each other’s teeth out or the fairy who detests them. Up there with my favorite creepy fairy stories.
  
  -Playing Tricks (Angela Sylvaine):*
  A marriage breaking apart due to the father’s mental illness and a little girl given a doll as a comfort for the hard times. This seemingly possessed doll comes with a clever and brutal twist.
  
  -Gone in a Flash (Gabino Iglesias):
  The extraterrestrial story of the collection; flashes of light, extraterrestrials, mutilated pets… this one goes hard on the parental fears.
  
  -Nyctimene (Gemma Files):*
  An overturned car, and a driver running away from someone and trying to find a place to hide. Unfortunately there’s something that’s been waiting for someone, anyone, for a long time there to receive them. Not your run-of-the-mill vampire story and one that makes me want to know more; why were they running? Did they make it out?
  
  -I Unlock the Cage (Erin Brown):
  A fairly unusual lovers trip to the cabin. One that merges the werewolf storyline with a codependent (and unhealthy) relationship.
  
  -Miss Rennie (Edward Lodi):*
  I love Christmas tales along the lines of A Christmas Carol and I love stories featuring witches; this one merges the two. It’s said that no good deed goes unpunished and that there’s something good in everyone and this tale highlights both. I might reread this one for Christmas.
  
  -It Wasn’t a Wedding Cake (Drew E. Huff):
  A man has escaped the mental health facility and sought refuge at his stoner friend. A camping trip soon turns bloody, but not in the way usually depicted in movies. Turns the stoner- and mentally-ill killer-tropes on their heads.
  
  -Flight 457 to Portland (Danielle Davis):
  Armageddon as seen from an airplane and through the eyes of the man who is thrown into keeping order on the flight. I hope they had something to land to and that he got to know the woman in 19C a bit better. I’d like to see the fat guy win for once.
  
  -The Devil’s Morning (Wendy N. Wagner):
  It begins as an epic western with a ragtag duo making their way towards the Black Mountain. On their way they’ll have to pass through dead towns while pursued by an ominous horse and a scarecrow. In other words, there’s more going on here than just a dusty western. I can’t help but think about how great this would be as a graphic novel.
  
  -Hollywood Werewolf Conspiracy (Hailey Piper):*
  What should have been a romantic polyamorous trip to the cabin turns into a nightmare for Selena as one of her bf turns into a werewolf and mauls the others. Deals with open/ cliffhanger endings.
• 
  Audra (ouija.reads)

  Tropes, whether you find them bad or not, have a time-honored place in horror. Some of them have been moldering in the back of the attic for years and should have been thrown out long ago (looking at you "built on a Native American burial ground" and "the Black guy dies first"). Others are still kicking, however tired they may be, and can be found in new movies, books, and stories every year—it's up to you to decide how creatively they are employed.
  
  This anthology hosts twenty-six authors—some whose books I've loved and others whose work was new to me. Each story takes on a different horror trope and gives it a new spin. Some authors were deconstructing problematic tropes and offering a new perspective while others were lovingly poking fun at tropes they enjoy. Some are more successful than others, but everyone went their own direction with it. I especially enjoyed the illustrations and reading the short author notes found at the end of the book, which offer insight into why the writer chose that trope and what their intention was for subverting it.
  
  Horror fiends will enjoy these unique and spirited interpretations of tropes, including: sex = death, the final girl, the harbinger, the person with mental illness did it, deal with a devil, and so many others. Each story subverts expectation and breathes new life into tropes that were just corpses rotting on the floor.
• 
  Horror DNA

  The first anthology edited by
  Brandon Applegate asks an important question: can a well-worn tool be polished enough to shine again? Tropes are indeed tools, used to create and hone stories. But some tropes are used so often that they can stop being interesting – or in the case of horror, scary. Talking dolls, things in the closet, final girls. These have been seen a thousand times.
  
  Can they be done right? Made scary again?
  
  You can read Zach's full review at Horror DNA by
  clicking here
• 
  James

  The dead bad guy's body disappears or lumbers away. The protagonist's pet barks seemingly at nothing, but will soon disappear, its warnings silenced. A demon lumbers forward after its side of the Faustian deal has been met to claim its target. These are horror tropes we have seen play out in books and movies time after time yet we all love horror... so this book posits something of note in asking, "How can a bad horror trope be done right?"
  
  I had the honor of reading an advanced reading copy of this as part of a prep to interview a few of the authors and the editor for an episode of the popular culture podcast / video blog Bonehead Weekly, and found that this book most assuredly answers the call to revisit those tropes. This is the horror answer to re-arming Chekhov's Gun - if every element of the story must serve its purpose, these are where the tropes are polished, renewed, tilted against the grain, and more. There's a lot to delight the horror fan and the thriller fan here. Moreover, the sheer joy of this being an anthology is the diversity of the approaches - dark humor, satire, and, yes, sheer horror all get to have their time here. These are varied voices playing with tropes we know and the sheet variation of voices and the sheer number of tropes ensure that you as the reader will find something to like within these pages.
  
  I chuckled at one tale which showed the challenges of a haunted mansion and its largely undead denizens having to get with the time to find new renters, while another story involving the appearance of the odd left me tense as I approached the inevitable end that could not close well. We have tales here of the monster as protagonist, the protagonists as victims and creatures, the darkness being safer than the light, and so much more. Not every story worked me over the same way, but every story accomplished something. This is horror tropes writ large, sure, but the stories are balanced to feel personable and human. The authors crafted something each so unique that the anthology plays so well for horror fans. You may know how the tropes go, but there is enough tilting and wordplay among the authors that you will walk away with something new to ponder.
  
  As I read more and more of the stories, I thought about how many of them could play out as a horror anthology show - the quiet one room terrors so well blend with other stories of desolated worlds are all here. This is a collection of horror delights that bring forth in my mind the most joyous of terrors in the old Hammer and Amicus anthology films like Tales from the Crypt, The House that Dripped Blood, Monster Club, and more. Those anthology films likewise played with tropes - the ending of Monster Club, wherein the vampire played by Vincent Price convinces the other monsters that it is humans who are the ultimate monster and that they deserve a place in the club... this is the spirit in which I came to view this work. Applegate as editor has compiled an anthology that uses tropes as a gateway, but once you are through that gateway, these stories have something to say and the blessed variations of the authors assure that you will find one story that will leave you smiling, another that will leave you a little less likely to turn off the lights, and one that will come back to you when you least expect it.
  
  In short, I had a blast with this the same as I did with those old Amicus anthologies. Not every story will strike us all the same, but then neither does every trope. Whether you fancy the unstoppable monster, the young lovers facing the serial killer, the haunted mansion, the terrifying alien pursuer, or any of those other tropes we all know in horror, I can guarantee there is something in this collection for you. These stories hold a horror trope up to the light and while we've seen the horror tropes before, what they show us is the delightful little barbs on the other side that the light has yet to hit and they are kind enough to press that barb into the meat of our mind's eye and let us know that the trope is not done... it can still get to us.
  
  So, buy this ticket and take this ride - sure, it covers some familiar ground, but the drivers are different...and maybe some of the roadway ahead is washed away and the path back... well, maybe these new drivers know a new way to get you to your final resting place.
• 
  Lor

  Horror tropes are not crutches, they're building blocks. The authors in this anthology built a CASTLE with the best materials, most luxurious furnishings and a kitchen stocked full of delicious food. We as readers are guests to this banquet and eating GOODDDDD.
  Fave stories: It Wasn't A Wedding Cake and The Devil's Morning
• 
  Samantha Lokai

  It Was All A Dream - An Anthology Of Bad Horror Tropes Done Rght, does exactly what it set out to do. This is a must read for all horror lovers.
  
  The authors take you on what may feel like a familiar journey, but the route is different and your arrival is far more satisfying than you could ever imagine!
  
  The stories use well known horror tropes to deliver an alternative narrative in fresh and reimagined ways. You may think you've read it all before, but wait till you see what these brilliant authors have done. They will thrill and surprise you.
  
  What I loved most about reading these tales was that the stories felt cosy and nostalgic with a classic vibe, yet new and unpredictable at the same time. I also loved the illustrations throughout. They added a really nice touch.
  
  I would usually mention a few favourites when I read an anthology, but the talent and creativity for each of these stories is phenomenal and I enjoyed them all equally! I have no doubt you will too.
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  Chris Scott

  Wonderful anthology of short horror fiction, bursting at the seams with creativity and unexpected twists and turns. A diverse collection of talented writers and topics here means there's a little something for everyone. My favorites of the bunch were "Advent of the Clown King," "Flight 457 to Portland," "Gone in a Flash," and "The Pizza Curse" but really there are no weak links here.
• 
  Tintaglia

  Un'antologia notevole, con pochissimi racconti scadenti, alcuni davvero ottimi, e una media molto alta. Stereotipi veramente ben utilizzati.
• 
  Christopher

  Quite the collection of tired tropes re-done to be worth revisiting. As always, a collection that casts such a wide net will not have every entry please every reader, but I found the overall quality consistently good. Some of these authors I was familiar with and they delivered well (especially Iglesias and Files), but my favorite story of the whole lot, the one that actually genuinely got to me, was "Advent of the Clown King" by Tom Coombe." It was really embracing that feeling that clownworld, not as a symbolic but rather as a literal thing, is just one mass psychotic break away.
• 
  Tiffany aka Chai Tea And Books

  Apparently I am in my anthology era, and I’m not mad about it. This is a collection of short horror stories, focusing on tropes that we usually groan out when played out on the TV or movie screen, but done right. There were definitely a couple that I wanted more from, but usually it was just the storyline to continue 😅 this was great to read even while my kids were home from school because I could set it down between short stories. Overall, a really good read for spooky season!
• 
  Raul Reads

  I think I’ve become a huge fan of anthologies. The authors in this collection brought their A-Game! Who knew playing into the tropes can be such a fun ride. The mix of writing styles is so perfectly curated/edited by Brandon Applegate who has a knack for a good story. Spooky szn essential for any reader who enjoys Scary Stories to tell in the Dark, Goosebumps or CAMP horror in general. The illustration included in the story also elevated the stories. Beautiful illustrations that alone are worth picking this collection.
  
  Highlights 🪩✨
  Pickle by Die Booth
  Bloody Nights at Hippie Cliffs by Eric Raglin
  I Unlock the Cage by Erin Brown
• 
  Morgan of Cabinet 13

  Alien Abduction, Werewolves, and The killer who just won’t die are all too familiar horror tropes that even people who are not fans of the genre know. Is it possible to make these somewhat overused and tired tropes into something shiny and new again? That’s what It Was All A Dream and its various writers intend to do. I think it was a success.
  
  I also loved the interior artwork provided for each story by Christopher Castillo.
  
  Rated up. My rating is 4.5/5
  
  There were 26 stories in total, loved 12 of them. Here are a few:
  
  - Everyone’s Got a Little Devil in Them- based around the stories of the Jersey Devil author Erin Keating brings us a story that will make you question who is the devil in the story.
  - Bloody Nights at Hippie Cliffs- author Eric Raglan flips the script on the “if you have the sex you die”
  - Fuck this Shit Manor-Author Laurel Hightower explores one of my favorite tropes of the haunted house and puts a spin on what would happen if you couldn't get anyone to come to stay.
  - A Maiden I Will Die- author LC von Hesson had to be laughing with this one, with an obvious play on Michael Myers, our FMC and Final Girl is the ultimate Final Girl as in, the last human left on Earth after the Killer who will not die continues to hunt her across the earth and time. Instead of the dread of a silent and unrelenting killer, our Final Girl, fed up with this tiring routine instead focuses on a more existential crisis.
  - Don’t Go In the Woods…Or Do, See if I Care- author Patrick Barb also plays on the ever-present “foreshadowing, harbinger of danger” trope with the “crazy old man”, with plenty of chuckle-worthy moments
  - Castoffs- takes the “Devil's Bargain” and turns it into a loophole that could make any Demon speechless and take pause.
• 
  D.B. Schmidt

  A Wonderful Foray Into Horror Tropes
  
  I'm so glad I picked this up! I started out reading stories from this collection to study the art of writing short horror fiction. I've discovered new work by some well known authors, but even moreso, I have new writers to watch for in the near future.
  
  The stories capture the expanse of human emotion. I laughed, felt anger, dread, joy, and sadness at different points in this reading adventure. I'll be looking forward to reading their next collection when it drops!
• 
  Jenna

  Favorites of the collection: Playing Tricks (only story I found remotely scary, though that does not really heavily influence my rating of the collection); Hail Mary, Full of Rage; Tattered Fairy, Hungry Fairy (hate the title, though, sorry); The Thickest Soup.
  
  Least favorites: It Wasn't a Wedding Cake; Hollywood Werewolf Conspiracy; Pizza Curse.
  
  As a whole, this is one of the better smaller-press anthologies I've come across. Interesting prompt/theme, but more interesting is how each author interpreted it. In full honesty, some interpretations of "doing it right" means muddling things down and making horror more wholesome, which I do not personally enjoy. However, those that chose to rely on the tropes as a backbone to their own twist I think succeeded in surprising, diverse ways. Most importantly, I found this collection engaging and eclectic, so I think anyone can find a winner within.
  
  P.S. The drawings in this book are palpably done by a furry, and no, I don't need to fact-check that for myself.
• 
  Mother Suspiria

  IT WAS ALL A DREAM is a great story collection that subverts, overturns, and reclaims horror tropes with all moods represented: fun, funny, disturbing, earnest, scary, disquieting. These fresh, imaginative tales destroy every cliche but leave you pining for one: the sequel to it. Each story is perfectly paired with a black and white illustration, and I was hooked and entertained by the variety of these stories, especially "Everyone's Got A Little Devil Inside Them," by Erin Keating which was masterfully told; "Gone in a Flash," by Gabino Iglesias which was scary af; and Danielle Davis' sincere, beautiful tale, "Flight 457 to Portland." If you want an enjoyable read that will keep you guessing, check out this anthology.
• 
  Daniel Mowery

  Kudos to Applegate and all of the contributing authors for successfully tackling the Herculean task of reinvigorating horror tropes. Whether it was by doubling down on the horror and suspense, flipping a trope on its head, inverting and reversing, or reclaiming hurtful or appropriated tropes, this collection defies the rut of genre fiction and refreshes it in a page-turning collection, with amazing illustrations by Christopher Castillo Diáz. The best thing I can say about this collection is that it not only made me enjoy tropes that I would normally avoid, but they were in fact my favorite stories. Clever, creepy, well-written and well-compiled, this is a great read for those new to horror, and for the ghost-scarred veterans that have grown weary of the same ol' same ol'.
• 
  Andrés Menéndez

  This is one of the best anthologies I've ever read! Not only does it have amazing stories that twist old horror tropes in ways you have never seen, but it also has author notes and an incredible art piece for each story that instantly catches your attention before you even start reading. There are werewolves, serial killers, haunted houses, scary clowns, violent children, possessed dolls, and more. There's something for everyone, and each of these stories has a plot twist that feels fresh and shocking without taking away from the amazing plot of these tales. I really recommend this book to any fan of horror; each story is unique in its themes and characters, and it shows the love these authors have for the horror genre
• 
  Caroline

  Even if I didn't enjoy every story (it's almost impossible to like everything when there is many novels and so many different sensitivities) what was really relevant to me though was the mere concept of the book. We're used to see tropes as a deadlock, things that we have seen so many times can't possibly offer anything valuable for the reader, but the author's of this anthology managed to prove this wrong so incredibly well. You can't escape tropes but you can use them and make them something totally new, something unique. The key is just to use the trope not as an end in itself but as a way to tell your own story and to use your own voice.
• 
  maddie

  favorites:
  - “everyone’s got a little devil in them” erin keating
  - “advent of the clown king” tom coome
  - “hail, mary, full of rage” j.v. gachs
  - “castoffs” k.a. wiggins
  - “ghostwritten” madison mcsweeney
  - “the pizza curse” helena o’connor
  - “playing tricks” angela sylvaine
  - “i unlock the cage” erin brown
• 
  Mike

  Loved it. Great collection of short stories that you can pick up whenever you have some time. Standout stories include those written by Eric Raglin, LC von Hessen, Laurel Hightower, Tom Coombe, Helena O’Connor, and Gemma Files, although I enjoyed almost all of them within the collection
• 
  Marissa Dillon

  Great anthology with a play on horror tropes! I loved that it was so inclusive! It had multiple texts written by women and underrepresented authors. There were some fun/ funny plays on tropes, while others were gory or just sad in their horror.
• 
  Margin of Terror

  This anthology was so much fun to read and has some real gems. Definitely for horror fans who don’t mind laughing at themselves a bit.
• 
  Rikki

  Anthologies don’t really hold my attention, but I’m glad I gave this one a shot. Most of the stories were really good and I enjoyed reading this book.
• 
  Jj Flynn

  Solid collection of short stories. It only has taken me a few weeks to finish this one.
• 
  Kookie

  Like with any anthology, not ALL of the stories are perfect, but I’d say 80% of them were in this one.