I looooooved books like this growing up so of course I had to see what the modern version is like. Its exactly what you think it is. Nothing too exciting though.

This was a rough read. Aside from maybe one or two, these stories are *awful*. I’ve no idea who they’re aimed at - they’re too adult for kids, they’re too basic for adults and I imagine most YA readers have better taste.

I’ve seen a few suggestions in reviews that these tales feel AI-generated. I don’t know about that, but if this is an indication of AI fiction then I think humans are safe for a long time yet.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the review copy. Sorry I hated it.

A really enjoyable collection of short Halloween stories. There’s a lot of variety - some are creepy, some are strange, some are kind of sweet, and together they definitely set the tone for October. A few that stood out to me were Witch Apothecary, Morgana Macabre’s Halloween Special, and You’re Never Too Old for Halloween. There’s something about the way those wrapped up that felt especially satisfying. Overall, it’s a quick, fun read and a great way to get into the Halloween spirit. The mix of stories works well, and it’s clear a lot of thought went into putting them together.
Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC for review.

Okay, so this one wasn’t super creepy, but it totally gave me those nostalgic Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark vibes. Honestly, I think it’s better suited for a tween/teen audience than adults.

Not gonna lie—the first few stories had me worried. They felt kind of silly and not overly creepy. But once I got past that, I ended up really enjoying a bunch of them and even discovered some new authors I want to check out!

If you’re in the mood for a quick, fun Halloween read, this is a solid pick. Every story is Halloween-themed, and a few definitely leaned into the spooky vibe—perfect for October nights.

Favorites? Definitely Best Friends Forever, Posts, Sweet Tooth, and my #1 pick, Morgana Macabre’s Halloween Special (seriously, WTF in the best way 😂). If you want something a little weird and out there, check out The Best Halloween.

🎃 Happy haunting & happy reading! 👻

Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night was a fun little read! I was hoping it would give me Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark vibes but it didn't. It was full of a variety of spooky stories and Halloween spookies, but it didn't quite match the macabre and haunting vibes. Overall it was still a fun read and I definitely enjoyed some of the stories!

Unfortunately, I don’t think this book was for me. I love scary stories and with it being autumn now I was in the mood to start reading some horror. However, this was not the book to go for.

While I did enjoy some of the stories, such as ‘Morgana Macabre’s Halloween Special’ and ‘We Don’t Go In The Howard’s House’, a lot of them fell flat for me. The endings felt rushed and left me confused at times, and seemed to be written for a much younger audience despite being intended for an older one. At times it almost felt as though the stories had been written by AI.

Overall, a really big disappointment for me.

Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Halloween Horror Anthology edited by Stephanie Rose and William Sterling. This anthology was inspired by Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. The stories stick mostly to a middle grade or teenage protagonist. The horror level is not too high, but it does get higher as you read. The majority of the stories stick to the middle grade horror, with only a couple dipping into Young Adult/Adult. I feel like this book is for children who watch Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street with their parents. But the book is also for the parents who let their kids watch horror movies. The book has some stories from more well known authors that were asked for and open submission stories from newer authors. The authors that I knew and have read before knocked it out of the park like Brian McAuley, Clay McLeod Chapman, and William Sterling. The new authors I discovered and want to read more of are Renee Thomasin, J.A. Barrios, and V.S. Lawrence. The stories balance horror and humor very well, making this a very easy collection to read. I read Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Halloween Horror Anthology thanks to Netgalley and Death by TBR Books. Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Halloween Horror Anthology will be published on September 16, 2025.

Why did I read Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Halloween Horror Anthology? As a kid, I loved both Goosebumps by R.L. Stine and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. Most of the stories take place in the 90s, which is when I was a kid, first discovering and loving horror. I saw the names Brian McAuley, Clay McLeod Chapman, and William Sterling, who I knew from various podcasts and have read short stories and blurbs from them. I've been actively trying to read more short story collections as I've started writing a few.

I'm going to rank all 18 stories from my favorite to least favorite. I will give a summary and overview of what I liked and disliked. I broke the stories down by categories of 5 stars, 4 stars, 3 stars, and 2 stars.

5-Star Stories From Favorite to Least Favorite:

YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD FOR HALLOWEEN by BRIAN MCAULEY is about an 18-year-old who was never able to go out for Halloween thanks to his drunk mother. He has had a devil mask since he was 8, but never got to use it. Now at 18, he ignores his mother telling him he's too old and goes. This story was gleefully dark. The ending was messed up, horrifying, and oddly funny. The ending story did not let me down.

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER by RENEE THOMASIN is about Myra getting ready to go trick-or-treating with her best friend. They have always dressed together, and nothing is going to change that. This story reminded me of a Tales from the Crypt episode in the best ways. The story was creepy, and it gives the reader enough hints to be uneasy. The story could have gone a couple of ways at the end. But I was very happy with how it went. I appreciated this story more as a writer for all it held back. Everything in the story made sense as it led up to the reveal.

THE LIGHT ACROSS THE BRIDGE by J.A. BARRIOS is about a boy forbidden from celebrating Halloween. He used to, but since they moved to this new block, there are no kids. His mother says there are monsters out, and he can't leave. But he disobeys and finds that his mother did not tell the truth exactly. This story had me guessing what the truth was. The story is very clever. I like that it has a Latino protagonist. The story had a good ending that was sweet. This story is the most fitting for being a Goosebumps story.

BOOGER SUGAR by CLAY MCLEOD CHAPMAN is about a father coming up with a booger witch that is after your booger sugar when you pick your nose. The story starts innocently, then becomes real. This one feels like a Goosebumps story. The tale is both gross and hilarious, with a hint of scary. I liked this story; it was fast-paced and focused.

WE DON’T GO IN THE HOWARDS’ HOUSE by WILLIAM STERLING is about kids on Halloween going behind their parents' backs to go to a haunted house. The rumor is that a kid goes missing every year, but it might be true. The story is great at building tension. The story winks at the audience, but there are some surprises. The story has three twists, and each one keeps getting better. The horror is great, both real and fake.

SPOOK ALLEY by V.S. LAWRENCE is about a guy who is terrified of spooky alley, which is set up mainly for little kids to get scared. He had a bad experience when he was a kid. To add to the terror, kids disappear in there every year. So he looks out but doesn't enter, until he is forced to. The story sounds lame, but it was told very well. The horror was very atmospheric. There were layers to the story. On the surface, it is about a teen scared of a place that scared him as a kid. But under the surface, it is about the loss of innocence and finding oneself again. I enjoyed the story and thought he writing was clever.

4 Stars Stories From Favorite to Least Favorite:

SWEET TOOTH by AMANDA WITTMAN is about a slumber party where they play a game to summon a candy troll named Sweet Tooth. The game was set up to be a prank, but what if it is real? I liked this story; it reminded me of Goosebumps. The story was the right amount of scary for kids. It was atmospheric and took me back to being a kid. The ending was good.

LAST REQUESTS by LOUIE SULLIVAN is about a radio show hosted by Dr. Creepy. This is the last broadcast, but we don't know why. A creepy guy named Lanturn Jack calls in, who knows personal things about the host, and wants to play a game. The story reminded me a little of the movie Late Night with the Devil. The story is very well paced and creepy. I feel this story would be better expanded.

POSTS by TANYA PELL is about a worker at a haunted corn maze who has to turn all the lights off in the maze. The story nailed the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in a maze in the dark. I like the perspective of a worker in costume, scared. The ending was way more intense than I thought. I do think the ghost in the sheet scene was the only weak part. The story was well-paced until the ghost. I enjoyed the story.

MRS. KING’S CANDY by HAYDEN ROBINSON is about a boy who trick-or-treats at a mysterious house. The boy is crying when he approaches. He is crying because his parents eat all his Halloween candy every year. The woman says her candy is special. No one can take it unless you want them. The story is heartwarming in a messed-up way. The story is a little slow. I enjoyed it for the most part.

ALL HARROWS’ EVE by JEFF C. CARTER is about a group of kids who are trick-or-treating. Some of the kids are injured. It is hinted that they survived an ordeal. Or are they in one? I think the story is good. I would have liked to know more about what they survived. The end made me laugh. The story was rapidly paced and fun. It had nice little details to it.

TRICK OF THE TREAT by NIDHEESH SAMANT is about a serial killer who kills with a machete on Halloween. He really wants to kill small children, but has to settle with horny teenagers. He finds Carl, a small child dressed as a ghost. Carl was warned about bad men; did he heed it? This story was brutal. It goes there with the killings. I thought the story was good, but I don't think it was always consistent.

3 Stars Stories From Favorite to Least Favorite:

WITCH APOTHECARY by MORGAN BRICENO is about a woman who owns a witch store. It is very cliché. A real witch visits and is appalled and curses her. The reader finds out the curse was at the end of the story, which was too long. I liked the imagery and the language of the story. The imagery did give me some chills. I thought the story could have been tighter.

THE CRAVING by M.K. HEWITT is a story of a girl eating a candy that said not to eat it. A candy that she can't remember receiving. She eats it and develops a hunger that is all-consuming. The story is okay. Just when it was getting interesting, it ended. I felt the story was trying to say more, but I couldn't figure out what it was trying to say. So others might get more out of the story than I did.

THE PUMPKIN PATCH POLTERGEIST by ANTHONY MICHAEL MURPHY is about Declan, a young middle schooler who is dared to smash pumpkins at a pumpkin patch that is rumored to be haunted. He is nervous about it and looking to smash one. He trips and breaks one, and feels an otherworldly presence that attacks him. He got out alive but left his bike behind. Does he dare go back? The story was okay. I did like the ending. I did like the atmosphere of the quiet, dark pumpkin patch. The bully that egged it on was really annoying and very one-note. For a short story, it felt long.

2 Stars Stories From Favorite to Least Favorite:

THE BEST HALLOWEEN by DANA GRICKEN is about a vampire ready to feast on Halloween. He is happy to finally be his self, but he gets mistaken for a Halloween animatronic on the loose. The story is meant to be funny and doesn't always land. The story is unique and did not go the way I expected. The story was just okay.

MORGANA MACABRE’S HALLOWEEN SPECIAL by WENDY DALRYMPLE is a story about two fans of Morgana Macabre, an Elvira-like movie host. The movie is lame, but after the movie, things get real as the killer from the movie tries to kill Morgana. But like the killer coming through the screen, it allows Morgana through their screen. The story felt like a mash-up of horror tropes with nothing original. The story did take me back to watching Up All Night with Rhonda Sheer as host when I was a kid. I appreciated the small details about the costumes, which really painted a picture.

THE PANTHERA PROJECT by LAWRENCE VERNON is about an animal that is loose with alien DNA infused. The story reminded me of a Dean Koontz story in the worst ways. The story was very paint-by-numbers. The tension between the creature and the car was the best scene by far. The story felt very long.

Recommendation: Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Halloween Horror Anthology is fun and horror-filled. The stories nailed the '90s culture and did not take themselves too seriously. All the stories were easy to read and easy to picture what was going on. I recommend this for readers who grew up reading Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I also recommend this book to discover new voices in horror. Death by TBR Books is fairly new and seems like a fun new voice in horror. I will read more from them in the future.

Rating: Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Halloween Horror Anthology edited by Stephanie Rose and William Sterling. I rated a solid 4.0 out of 5.

4 stars

Wonderful and nostalgic. I enjoyed every story. While they weren’t all spooky (to me) they were all very good.

A good mix of stories, some fun and spooky some a little more creepy spooky. Enjoyed the bulk of these, a good anthology.

Twisted Tales to Tell in the Nighttime, edited by Stephanie Rose and William Sterling, is a collection of spooky stories perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit. The anthology features new voices weaving chilling tales in the tradition of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, each with their own twist. From eerie encounters to unsettling surprises, the stories capture that nostalgic October feeling while offering something fresh and frightening. I really enjoyed this collection and think it makes a great addition to any spooky season TBR. That said, if you’re expecting something light and child friendly like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark I would not recommend this for children it’s definitely written for a more mature audience.Twisted Tales to Tell in the Nighttime releases on September 16, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to have read it early as an ARC. If you’re looking for a creepy read to savor throughout October, this is one to pick up!

I am in annual training right now and barely slept so I am going to post an overall review on the collection as a whole and will come back later to rate each story individually at a later time.

I have to say that Rose did a great job with evoking Halloween and many of the adult readers memories of horror books and short stories that shaped many of us when we were younger. She talks about "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" and I have told readers before how I loved that collection and how I used to scare the crap out of the neighborhood kids while reading out some of the stories.

This collection was on the whole, solid. It was a great horror anthology for young adult readers. Some of the stories thought could have been set up a bit better in my opinion since a few just seemed like they started in the middle and the author didn't even provide any backstory. I am blanking on the name of the one story that had the most egregious set-up, but it's about a bunch of teens who in essence defeated a slasher and then we jump to the ending. Nothing sets this up and the ending felt a bit odd. 

One of the better stories that I loved was the one with the teen kid who got dared to go to a pumpkin field and smash some pumpkins. I thought it was perfect for the audience of this story and significantly scary.

Definitely creepy tales here!! I loved that some of the stories I would read and think “where is the scare?” then the last couple paragraphs tie it all together and bam! The twist! Definitely reminded me of some creepy shows and stories I read while growing up.
Thank you NetGalley and Death by TBR for the eARC of this novel!

A collection of Halloween stories perfect for spooky season. 18 stories centred around Halloween, all with the promise of horror and scares from authors such as Clay Mcleod Chapman and Brian McAuley. I really enjoyed most of these stories; they were easy to read with interesting ideas and concepts being explored, and all manner of horror tropes covered. Some were creepy, some were silly, others I wished were longer. An entertaining anthology.
My main gripe is that most were extremely tame and if it hadn't been for the odd bit of swearing or sex, I would have sworn this was aimed at a YA audience. A lot of the stories also centred around children, which sort of added to the YA feel. When I got to Trick of the Treat, the violence felt much more jarring than it actually was, because up to that point there hadn't really been anything like that.
But like I said, this was an enjoyable collection of stories and thank you to NetGalley and Death by TBR Books for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a honest review. I promise my review is 100% accurate to me.

I feel like a 6th grader reading before bed. Although back then I was a little more spooked.

Great collection of scary stories for the horror loving kid in your life.

A truly terrifying selection of short stories to keep you suitably petrified throughout spooky season. I dipped in and out of this over the course of a few nights. Stupidly so, as it took me a long while to sleep after! Not for the faint hearted! Right up my street. Goosebumps for adults!

Did you enjoy scary stories to tell in the dark as a kid? Me too! Here is a collected anthology filled with spooky, scary, eerie stories to bring some fright into your reading this Halloween! Yikes! Grab this for a bit of nostalgia and some scary tales that make you want to scream!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This was perfect in time for spooky season! I loved every single one of these stories. Highly recommend for any lovers of Halloween or horror.

In the months leading up to Halloween, I always try to cram in as many horror stories/books as I can. Usually, I have to "settle" for regular ol' horror and I'm always thrilled to find stories/books that are Halloween focused and this is a good example of that. Like any anthology, the stories vary in quality, some in writing, some in proof-reading. Having said that, these issues are in the minority but stand out when you're reading them. The majority of the stories are pretty good with a couple that stand above the rest.
All in all, if you're a fan of Halloween looking for some bite-sized horror, this is definitely worth picking up.

Thank you to the Death by TBR books for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGally in exchange for an honest review!

I always find it hard to rate anthologies because all the stories are different and written by different authors in this case. BUT I have to say that I really enjoyed this one! I don´t think I disliked any of the stories.. some were good, and some were REALLY good and scary! I really enjoy a good short story that leaves you with some many questions at the end and you get the possibility to imagine how the story would continue if it where longer. All in all I gave this book 4 stars! I would highly reccomend reading this in october because most of the storyes (or all?) is set at halloween and the spooky vibes was very present all through the book!

Here are my reactions to some of the stories:

All harrows eve - Jeff c. Carter
- Oh damn gross 👀
The pumpkin patch poltergeist - Anthony Michael Murphy
- Omg that was actually creepy 🎃
The best Halloween - Dana Gricken
- Oh I enjoyed this vampire story! The ending was touching 🥹
We don’t go in the Howard’s House - William Sterling
- Oh Jesus the ending 👀
Booger Sugar
- Omg noo disgusting UGH
Mrs. King’s candy - Hayden Robinson
- What a great story. Made me think about both Hansel and gretel, and Charlie and the chocolate factory, even the stories are nothing alike.
The craving - M.K. Hewitt
- This story was so cool! I would love for this to be longer.
Last request - Louie Sullivan
- This was really good and creepy!
You’re never too old for Halloween - Brian mcauley
- Oh damn this was good

I recently read Twisted Tales to Tell in the Dark, and I can see why it’s earned a solid four-star reputation online. As a horror anthology, it delivers a strong mix of eerie, suspenseful, and occasionally disturbing stories that stick with you long after you’ve finished reading. What I really appreciated was the variety in tone and pacing. Some tales creep up on you slowly while others dive straight into the horror. There’s a clear love for classic horror tropes, but the writers add just enough of a modern twist to keep things feeling fresh. A few stories didn’t quite hit the mark for me, either because of predictable endings or uneven writing, but the overall collection was engaging and well-crafted. It’s perfect for reading late at night with the lights low. If you enjoy bite-sized horror that aims to unsettle more than shock, this anthology is definitely worth checking out.