This was a fun read, with all of the stories sharing a theme of movie theaters or drive ins in the heyday of 80s classic cheesy horror films. There are aliens, serial killers, demons who steal souls through movies and then possess their victims, and more. Some of the stories were scary while others were more of a nostalgic and campy good time. As someone who grew up in the 80s spending most Friday nights at the drive in theater and most Saturday mornings in the video store poring through the new releases on VHS this was like a trip back in time to my youth.

When I saw this anthology on Netgalley I thought 'now that's a piece of me'. I love all things 80's horror movie related and this book promised to transport me to a time of old fashioned movie theatres, slashers and gore. However, these stories did not live up to that promise and I'm bummed out about it.

An anthology in my opinion should start with one of it's strongest stories, that way the mood is set early on and you know you're in for a good time. Unfortunately this particular anthology decided to start with it's weakest story and this was the case for the next 2 or 3 stories too. Around the 40% mark things took a turn and we had stories that grabbed my attention but still didn't blow me away and by the end I was kind of glad it was all over.

The gore wasn't spectacular, the horror wasn't impressive and there were too many stories in this anthology. I know that sounds a strange thing to say but I would have preferred fewer stories that were longer so the authors had more time to explore the themes they were paying homage to. The one thing I did enjoy was all the nods to the movies I love, Nightmare On Elm Street, The Evil Dead, Friday 13th. I wish they had have made more of the nostalgia though.

So all in all, an excellent premise that was poorly executed. Such a shame.

Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me the way I'd hoped it would. The promise of an 80s tinged short story collection of horror really spoke to me, but alas, the stories here didn't really work, for the most part. Mainly, they were TOO short. Half of the stories were dull enough or poorly written enough that I was okay with that, but others that seemed like there was something "more" to be told just stop abruptly...just as they were getting to that sweet spot. Upside: it's a ridiculously fast read, so I don't feel like I wasted my time. But I wish I had the chance to enjoy it the way I'd hoped I would.

I miss going to the movies amidst this never-ending pandemic, so I requested this book just to fill in the void just a bit. Clearly '80s nostalgia is in vogue these days thanks to Stranger Things, and this book delivers on all of those memories of big hair-sprayed bangs, acid wash denim, Walkman radios and Casey Kasem-approved playlists! Oh how I wish I could go back in time for just one day to roller-skate around the rink with my giggling friends to the beats of Tiffany and Janet Jackson...sigh.

That said, if 80s pulp horror movie nostalgia is what you're looking for, this book's for you. If you're solely in it for the scares and psychological horror, get ready to be disappointed. Most of these stories are very tongue-in-cheek, especially when it comes to over-the-top insect monsters. I'm not a big fan of the B-grade movie monsters myself, but I did enjoy the campy atmosphere. Quite a few of these stories have LGBTQ themes, adding a modern twist to the typical teenage prototypes from that bygone movie era devoid of diversity, aside from the token Black kid.

Most of these stories took place in run-down movie houses or seedy drive-ins, so far from the luxurious leather recliner auditorium seats we're so accustomed to these days. Alamo Drafthouse has ruined me, y'all! Never again can I see a movie at a place that won't bring me pitchers of beer and gourmet pizzas.

But I digress. Horror movie buffs, do yourself a favor and read this book. You will especially enjoy the one about the strange theater that only serves a special clientele with very refined palettes. It has a Lovecraftian theme and a not-so-happy ending!

Note: I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun collection! I very much enjoyed it, and I am also a sucker for 80s horror movies so it felt like it was made for me. Thanks Netgalley!

This was a fun 80's flashback, some stories were good & some were ok. I'm thankful I got the chance to read this. If you're into 80's and 50's scifi try this out.

3.5 Stars

IT CAME FROM THE MULTIPLEX—80s Midnight Chillers

’The stories in this anthology are a love letter to the 80s, the golden age of horror where blood and gore were faithfully rendered in 35mm Technicolor. It was a glorious time to experience film like RE-ANIMATOR, THE THING, HELLRAISER, THE LOST BOYS, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, CHILDREN OF THE CORN, and many, many more.’

My Favorites…

’The Cronenberg Concerto’ – by Keith Ferrell

’Creature Feature’ – by Gary Jonas

’Invisible’ – by Mario Acevedo

’Screen Haunt’ – by Orrin Grey

’The Devil’s Reel’ – by Sean Eads and Joshua Viola

’On The Rocks’ – by K. Nicole Davis

’Coming Attractions’ – by Stephen Graham Jones

’Late Sleepers’ – by Steve Rasnic Tem

’Special Makeup’ – by Kevin J. Anderson

Thank you, NetGalley and Hex Publishing, for loaning me an eGalley of IT CAME FROM THE MULTIPLEX in exchange for an honest review.

Tons of fun! I loved all these little stories. But I especially loved the stories by Stephen Graham Jones, Angie Hodapp, and K. Nicole Davis. If you like shorter horror stories, and love the 80's, this book is for you.

Ah, the fun 80s! I grew up in the 80s! Extreme fashion, VHS, walkman, Bon Jovi, Duran Duran, multiplexes and 80s horror movies! There is just something so nostalgic about the 80s. So when I see a book that says 80s Midnight Chillers, I knew I had to read it!

This is definitely one fun, spine-tingling, horror anthology! From bugs and aliens to ghosts, there are fourteen stories themed after 80s horror movies in this book. Just like any anthology, some stories stood out while others were just okay. Some stories were scarier with blood and gore while others were somewhat predictable and cheesy. It is like watching the Creepshow movie.

Overall, this is one entertaining read. I love the cover! So 80s and definitely gives me the Stranger Things vibes here.

***Thank you Hex Publishers and NetGalley for this gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review.***

this was a super fun read, it brought me back to a awesome 80's horror movie. The stories were great and I had a lot of fun reading this.

It came from the multiplex is the latest anthology from hex publishers, and what a joy this one is! The package on this particular book is high quality from the cover, to the introduction which sets the tone, right down to the flip art drawings on the pages.

The collection is an homage to the 80’s horror flicks you’d catch at a drive in, or a grimy, run down cinema. Monsters and invasions and creatures and hauntings, this has it all. The stories are generally well written, there are only a few that stand out as exceptional, but overall, it’s a solid package and there was nothing in here that really DIDNT work for me. I loved this book and when I was finished I wanted more!

Some of my favorite stories here were

Coming Attractions
Late Sleepers
Screen Haunt
Alien Parasites from Outer Space

If the run down 80’s cinema vibe gives you the feels, check this out, and if it doesn’t, maybe this will convert you.

I really enjoyed this throwback visit to the horror movies of the 80s. Some of the short stories were better than others, but taken as a whole, the collection was exactly what I was expecting. Whether you are afraid of bugs, spent your youth at the drive-in, or just enjoy a good scare, this is definitely a book to check out.

September is Halloween Eve and I am seriously enjoying all these horror anthologies. This collection of stories is themed on 80’s horror movies and catches that era well. Drive In movies and haunted houses, cursed movie theatres, werewolves, some Lovecraft, the devil, aliens, and a bit of psychological terror thrown in.

The first story is Alien Parasites from Outer Space and I was immediately excited just by the title. How much more 80’s can you get than that?! Even better though, the next story is titled Return of the Alien Parasites from Outer Space! It has gore, is disgusting, and overall just wonderful. A Cronenberg story with the main character chasing extreme horror movies so he can do his “ritual”. A fresh look on a serial killer. Creepy trick or treaters. An epic haunted movie theatre story from Stephen Graham Jones.

My favorite in this collection is Creature Feature. The Old Ones are continuously fed movies and “snacks” to keep them at bay and stop them from ending us. It’s been a really good year full of “stealth” Lovecraft movies so this one was an extra treat for me personally.

Pick up this book to get you in the mood for spooky season or if you just love horror things.

While some of these stories were not necessary what I would call scary they are filled with the classic 80s horror cliches. Would definitely recommend if you are a fan of 80s horror movies for that reason but don't expect to be chilled to the bone.

I had high-ish hopes for this collection, but I was sorely disappointed. Most of the stories were banal, and some were downright offensive (looking at you, Kevin J. Anderson's closing story "Special Makeup," which featured a "g**sy curse," adding a stupid stereotype to copious uses of the slur--sloppy and gross in 2020). I did enjoy "Creature Feature" by Gary Jonas--about a Lovecraftian audience--and Stephen Graham Jones's story was diverting enough, though it was still pretty slight. Everything read as throwback, but not in a good, fun, campy way--in a largely (though not exclusively) heteronormative, default-white-characters, cruelty and violence for its own sake kind-of way.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Hex Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Though admitting so might revoke my 'horror fan' badge, I must be honest and say that I've not seen many 80s horror films. I've seen a decent chunk of cheesy, almost comedy horror films though and this was absolutely the tone this anthology was going for. It was a whole lot of fun but I want to make this clear in case people are expecting more of a violent slasher/sexual horror vibe. This anthology is mild on those elements but is all the stronger for it in my opinion, instead serving up some good old cheesy horror fun. I agree with other reviews that it would benefit more from being compared to 60s or 70s horror films.

Number of stories: 14
Great stories: 3
Good stories: 7
Meh stories: 3
Stories using the slur 'gypsy': 1

ALIEN PARASITES FROM OUTER SPACE/RETURN OF THE ALIEN PARASITES FROM OUTER SPACE-I am combining these two stories together as they are essentially one story (a story and its 'sequel'). This was a fun story about a teen who goes to see a movie about alien parasites and realises that the movie may be more real than it appears. I wish the sequel had been included later on in the anthology as it was a little repetitive when it followed straight after the first one and I think I would have enjoyed a break later on. The first one was also by far the stronger story for me with the sequel not being as good. But both were fun romps with some neat details, and they were a good way to introduce the tone of the anthology.

NEGATIVE CREEP-This had the really cool concept of kids being stalked by some kind of entity which behaved in uncertain ways. I really liked how films were incorporated into this story and I thought it was a lot more clever and original than some. It wasn't my favourite but it had strong moments and managed to stand out.

HELLULOID-This was the story where I realised just how strong the cinema/movie theme was. Honestly I don't really remember much about it, apart from that it used film reel in a kind of interesting way but the plot itself wasn't very gripping.

RISE, YE VERMIN!-Some neat lesbian representation here but not much else going for it sadly. It felt like it was a retread of previous stories with the bug and film reel motif, and it really struggled to stand out as unique to me. It was at this point I wondered if all the authors had been given the same specific brief for writing stories.

THE CRONENBERG CONCERTO-A man recounts his personal history of going to the cinema to watch horror films. For most of this story, I was kinda meh. Then something happened and I fell in love. This was deliciously dark and really caught me off guard, which made the ending all the better. I adored this story and I think it will stay in my mind a long time.

CREATURE FEATURE-A fun story about a teen who gets a new job at a very unusual movie theatre. This uses a type of horror I'm not a huge fan of but it really was a more lighthearted horror read and it deserves points for uniqueness. Ended a little abruptly but all in all, a good romp.

INVISIBLE-A chilling tale of a serial killer and how he selects his victims. This was another unique way to incorporate the cinema theme and I really enjoyed it. Parts are definitely hard to read but this didn't skew super graphic which I appreciated. The ending was really neat and dark in a good way.

SCREEN HAUNT-A woman afraid of everything creates a horror movie. This was a little hard to follow but had some great moments and imagery. I really liked parts of it, I just wish it had been told in a clearer style.

THE DEVIL'S REEL-A travelling man comes to a small town and opens up a cinema with a nefarious purpose. A lot happened in this story and I appreciated the pacing and plot elements. It went big scale and fit well into the movie theme for that reason.

ON THE ROCKS-Four teenagers go to see a werewolf film. This ended far too abruptly and was a little predictable, which was a shame because I dug the writing style.

COMING ATTRACTIONS-Four teenagers use a broken panel in a cinema to stay after dark. This story was amazing! I was completely gripped throughout and it actually properly scared me which rarely happens. A definite gem and my favourite of the collection.

LATE SLEEPERS-A student leaves his house in disarray after a family Thanksgiving meal and goes to the cinema. I really liked the main idea of this story and it did have a creeping sense of dread throughout. However, the ending was a little unclear (and not in a good way, just in a confusing way) which was a bit of a shame. Still a strong concept though!

SPECIAL MAKEUP-Okay, so this story has a great idea with the horror item but uh, repeatedly uses the g slur for traveler. And the whole plot is based around a 'gypsy curse'. I was actually pretty shocked to read this because I thought everyone had the memo now that it's not okay but apparently not. It was a shame as well since it was the last story so I was left feeling a bit sour about the whole thing.

Overall, this anthology is a very fun one with a strong theme and some truly great stories. Most of the stories kind of overlap a bit and so I think more variety could have been beneficial, but the second half is much more varied and so I found it more entertaining. Maybe a rejiggling of the order of the stories would have helped? Either way, this is perfect if you're looking for a quick campy read this Halloween and I'm very glad I picked it up.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars

It took this anthology a while, but the final tales really delivered!

As with any collection of stories, some hit the mark with me and some didn't. The ones that impacted me the most were:

CREATURE FEATURE by Gary Jonas. This one was imaginative, mysterious, fun and scary all at once.

INVISIBLE by Mario Acevedo. Serial killer at the drive-in. That's all I'm going to say. There were lots of twists with this one.

THE DEVIL'S REEL by Sean Eads and Joshua Viola. The church-going community gets all riled up over a new multiplex coming to town. Turns out they were right to be riled!

COMING ATTRACTIONS by Stephen Graham Jones. What's behind that panel in the men's room where the trough used to be, before they replaced it with urinals? What happens at the old Winchester theater, when it's all closed up in the middle of the night, but there are lights flickering inside? You'll have to read this and see.

LATE SLEEPERS by the legendary Steve Rasnic Tem. I'll admit it, I'm a HUGE fan of Tem's work and have been since I was in my early teens. This story is no exception. Welcome to Paradise Cinemas! This was my favorite story in the collection.

SPECIAL MAKEUP by Kevin J. Anderson. What happens when the special effects makeup person is tired of an egomaniac of an actor and finally has had enough of his BS? Read this and find out.

All of the authors in this collection have writing chops, as evidenced by quite the impressive list of accomplishments credited to each one of them in the CAST & CREW section. There is no doubt that all of these authors are qualified, it's just that their work didn't tickle me in the way I liked to be tickled. Your mileage may vary.

There is also a section about the SPECIAL EFFECTS TEAM, crediting the illustrators whose work is featured in this volume. I enjoyed the graphics they provided.

I wish NIGHT AT THE MULTIPLEX had more of a balance to it, which would have made the reading go a bit quicker for me, but overall it's a decent collection, one with a few final stories that blew me away before this appeared on the screen:

<img src="https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/sites/sbs.com.au.film/files/styles/full/public/fin.jpg?itok=ZWDPPcWg&mtime=1471303137"/>

*Thanks to the publisher, the authors and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

This collection is rooted in the bright, gory world that nurtured my love of horror. Referencing just about every movie or genre you could want, these stories touch on one cultural milestone after another, leaving the reader thoroughly immersed in a neon-lit nightmare world. Not every story is great ( although some are fantastic), but if you're a fan of the 80s aesthetic and the films that created the horror genre as we know it, this is a must-read. Illustrations add an extra thrill to the widely varying stories. Highlights for me were "Special Makeup" by Kevin Anderson, in which a makeup artist is tasked with handling a high-maintenance horror movie actor appropriately named Lance Chandler; and "Creature Feature" by Gary Jonas, in which a beleaguered theater owner tries desperately to entertain monstrous guests.

It Came from the Multiplex: 80's Midnight Chillers is an anthology of horror all set in the 1980's. The stories all revolve around the movie theater and the silly, campy, and. or plain out gory horror films that were very popular in the 1980's. In other words, it is a celebration of some of my favorite movies as a child growing up in the 1980's! The movie titles that are sprinkled throughout the book are some of my favorite movies! So, of course I was absolutely excited to have the chance to preview this Advanced Reader Copy courtesy of NetGalley.

The stories range from mediocre to above average. Most of the stories earn a solid 3/5 stars with a few earning 2/5 stars. The notable stories were Helluloid by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore, Creature Feature by Gary Jonas, and Invisible by Mario Acevedo. These were the most entertaining tales out of the 14 stories which were presented. Overall, it was a fast light read and perfect for the spooky season . . . especially for someone who is looking for light horror. I rate this collection 3/5 stars.

Here we have a gathering of horror short stories that are set in and around cinemas, multiplexes, and drive-in theaters! Creature features are a large, along with big 80's horror movie energy.

Unfortunately, in its entirety this collection just wasn't for me! I love a good 80's horror vibe, I love some corny creature horrors and creepy haunted cinemas! But a lot of the stories weren't my thing and I didn't find myself enjoying most of them!

What I enjoyed:
My favorite of the bunch is SGJ's, Coming Attractions, about a group of kids who sneak into a theater after dark to test the well-told myth they have heard that ghosts fill the seats every night to watch movies. It has such an eerie ending!! The concept is so much fun and feels like the kind of thing that every small town cinema has as a horror story that kids tell one another. I love the way the story turns from that to more sinister, and leaves you with a haunting feeling.

I didn't enjoy the story titled The Croneberg Concerto by Keith Ferrell, but I can't say it's because it was poorly written, but rather it is TERRIFYING and I was LOSING it. Sometimes horror is so gory that I can acknowledge it's a fine story but it was so skin-crawling horrifying and gross! And genuinely freaked me OUT!

What I didn't love as much:
A few stories felt so fun in concept, but I didn't love the execution! Some of the storytelling felt very rushed in transitions. And there were a couple that I just felt left an icky feeling behind for me. The last story, Special Makeup by Kevin J. Anderson is about an actor who gets "cursed" by a "g*psy" and I was like?? What on earth?? Why am I reading about a "g*psy curse" with all of the stereotypical toppings in the year 2020! Why am I reading that!

Thank you so much to Hex Publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this!
My review will be posted along with my September wrap-up of books read on my blog at the end of the month!