I love Adam Ellis’ horror comics so much and I was so excited when I found out he was writing and illustrating a graphic novel. While I definitely like some comics in this book more than others, this was a excellent successor to all of the horror shows and movies from the ‘90s.

I really enjoyed this! As an avid reader of Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark (etc) when I was a kid this book was really nostalgic with an updated vibe. All 11 of these horror stories were good in different ways and really there wasn't one I didn't enjoy here. I'm not someone who is familiar with Adam Ellis in any way (I even googled to clarify) so I don't come in with any pre-bias or anything.

I don't even have much more to say besides book good, please enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the eARC in exchange for review!

I would actually give this 3.5 stars! I used to read Adam's comics online and was intrigued that he'd written a book, so I thought I'd check it out. The art style is different than many, but very much his style and I thought it was interesting he kept it the same since his online works were usually comedic, but it still worked. I did really like the use of color in the stories and the stories themselves weren't bad. I appreciated that he tried to put a spin on some classics and also created some of his own, but they all just kind of felt "meh" to me. They weren't the best I've heard, but not the worst either. It's a good way to pass time, but wouldn't be my first go-to, if that makes sense. I do hope he does another one though because I would give a second set a try.

I did get a free digital copy of this from NetGalley to review.

This was a pretty straightforward anthology of short horror stories. I really enjoy Adam’s storytelling and have been reading his comics online for a while, so I was happy to see him getting a book published. His art seems to have been improving a lot and I enjoy seeing that as well! A lot of these stories were pretty cliche but I still enjoyed the journey of them. The creepy level was also low so it’s good for a beginner horror fan!

I have followed Adam Ellis since his BuzzFeed days and found a love for his horror comics. Bad Dreams in the Night did not disappoint. He always mixes beautiful art with creepy, eerie stories that result in every millennial's favorite goosebumps. I loved the addition of the anecdotes following each of the comics, and it made me feel like a friend was sharing their work with me. I will definitely be purchasing the physical book as a trophy for my bookshelf and something to flip through on a spooky, rainy night.

Thank you to NetGalley, Adam Ellis, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After following Adam Ellis in the early days of his career, I was definitely looking forward to this book, and was not disappointed! There is something appealing about horror stories in his round, familiar art style; it just draws you in. The little explanations after each story added to the enjoyment as well. My favorite was definitely The Green Ribbon—a classic story with a new twist in Ellis’ style. I continue to be a fan of his work, and look forward to more from him soon!

I did not hesitate for one moment to read this collection. As soon as I saw Adam Ellis had new horror graphics available, I knew I had to read them. Immediately.

I’ve seen parts of some of these stories on his social media. There are creepy and twisted and I always want to read more.

Thank you for the early copy — I’m heading over to my local bookstore to preorder a hard copy.

This is such a fun comic book. I enjoyed all of the stories and I think I’ll want a physical copy of my own to enjoy on chilly nights when I want a taste of horror. I love the creativity of mixing just enough reality with the fantasy to make it feel creepy and real. These give the thought of maybe just maybe something like this could happen and it brings a bit of a chill to the bone.

Speaking of bones. My favorite comic in here was Milk Door. It was so creepy to think you move into a house and find a door and in that door bones keep appearing each day even as you seal it off from the outside. Then, to find out in the end Adam wrote it because he was pissed off at his best friend and wanted her to suffer was so funny and awesome. Using your art to enact a little petty revenge is so much fun to me.

I love that some comics are twists on old horror legends or the idea of a urban legend itself. Yet some others are completely original based on the authors life experience. It’s so cool! Adam’s mind is so creative and his horror is intriguing and inspired. I loved every moment of reading this.

Lots of good spooky chills in here. Some hard-hitters, and a few misses, but that’s the nature of most story collections. Recommended to all fans of the creepy, eerie, and horror-ish. One thing I especially loved about this book was the short paragraph after each story, explaining its inspiration. I wish more authors would do this - it’s always interesting to read about the origins of the story idea.

1: Me & Evangeline at the Farm: I loved this. Gave me chills. (So...does that mean his grandparents were the dark figures?? Eeeek!) One tiny nitpick, and I'm sorry but this sort of thing really irritates me - he describes the film as black & white in his internet post, but the images we see on the TV screen are of a color film. I wish somebody (i.e. the editor) had caught this discontinuity. It's jarring and would have been such an easy fix - just don't describe the film as B&W in the internet post.

2: Milk Door: good build-up but the pay-off is lacking. There are much creepier ways this could have ended up, IMHO. Felt like a bit of a cop-out.

3: Butter Corn Ramen: meh. This one falls squarely into the category of “body gross-out Japanese horror” - if you enjoy that sort of thing, then you’ll like this.

4: The Green Ribbon: similar to what the author mentions in his post-story note, I was also an ‘80s/‘90s child who was fascinated/horrified by this story. I love how he puts his own spin on it, with a dash of Bluebeard to make it extra-spicy.

5: Forest Fruit: a bit half-baked. The idea wasn't bad but the story would have benefited from being a bit longer and more fleshed out (see what I did there).

6: Bus Stop: ah, this one was so good, especially because it’s not the format of a typical horror story (the danger isn’t coming from where you expect). It’s almost a love story, in a weird way. If the universe loved a person and wanted to watch out for them. Just read it.

7: Hangnail: more gross-out body horror, but the author fully admits and embraces that fact, so I don’t mind. (Publisher of this book: if you’re reading this review, there’s an error on p.143 where an entire phrase is repeated twice. Hope you catch it in time to fix it!)

8: Better Kate Than Never: not the best in the book, but it hangs in there. Sure, sitcoms are easy fodder but that doesn't make them less creepy. The conceit is clever and I like that the heroine is too.

9: Little House in the Sea: beautiful and eerie. I could read a whole graphic novel in this art style. This one will stick with me for a long time. I especially love it when mysteries aren’t explained.

10: Murder Party: meta in the best ways, especially the ending. Let's be honest...true crime podcasts had this coming.

11: Viola Bloom: if “It Follows” hadn’t come out so recently, I’d say this was pitch-perfect. Ok, it’s still pitch-perfect, it’s just that people will inevitably draw comparisons with “It Follows”. But they can both be fantastic, can’t they? (And the ending is a great touch.)

P.S. I noticed a few repetitions of a logo design through the book that says “Oliver Joy” (p17, 148, 218, 219, 231 are the ones I saw, but I wasn’t poring over every drawing). Adam Ellis also wrote Oliver Joy in the art of a January 21 Facebook post, although not in this logo treatment. In the p231 image you can also see oliverjoy.com and I was excited to think there might be a cool meta thing going on here, but that site appears to be a holding page for a storefront. So…who knows. If it turns out to just be a cheap marketing ploy for Adam Ellis’s online storefront, that would be very lame. If it turns out to be something creepy and Ellis-ish, I’m here for it.

At first I didn't pay attention to the age range suggestion for this book. I saw the description of Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark and thought, cool, I can read this out loud to my 11 year olds....oops! Nope, age range is 18+ but that's only for the language in the first couple of stories. After that, it was a fun read to my kids. That last story has scared the pants off one of my boys!

I've followed Adam Ellis since he was at Buzzfeed and I've always loved his comics. This collection of horror stories has just made me more of a fan. I loved not just the spooky stories, but the personal touch after each story that explains the inspiration behind each one.

As a child of the 90s I grew up on Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps, later graduating to fun horror movies like Scream and Urban Legends. This comic collection reminded me so much of quintessential 90s horror. The stories are scary enough to stick in your mind, but have just enough camp to make you chuckle. I loved the twist Adam put on classic horror stories like the Green Ribbon and his originals are unsettling in the best way.

If you're a fan of Adam's previous work and of horror, this will be a great book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

**thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for a free arc of this book**

Honestly this was shockingly good and I read it in one day. The drawings are incredible and I loved all the different art styles for all the different stories. I also adored the explanation after each story about what made the author write those stories.

SO good and I love a graphic novel that doesn't have comic book style text.

This was a really fun graphic novel that i have read. and personally i am not a horror person but mixed with a graphic novel makes is more fun and enjoyble. I had a good time with it the drawings were so cool and amazing and the short stories were really good

I've been a fan of Ellis' work since his buzzfeed days and was pleasantly surprised to see this book available on NetGalley. I greatly enjoyed this set of horror comics (though some I had already read) and it was a very quick read. If you are a fan of Ellis you will enjoy this one.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I had a great time reading this collection of 11 horror stories. I loved the little explanation of how the author got the ideas for the stories, after each one.

As a big horror fan, I have read and watched a loooot of horror movies, series and books so of course some of the stories were predictable to me or didn’t feel very original but most of them did and some really blew me away!

I’m so grateful I go to read this arc, I read it in one go and I think I might have a new favorite author!

This graphic horror anthology was so fun to binge. Inspired by ‘Scary Stories to Read in the Dark’ it gave me nostalgic and campy vibes while also being thoroughly creepy. Each story had a unique art style that differentiated them from each other and kept the reading experience fresh.

I particularly enjoyed the story titled Bus Stop, it was so eerie! The last story titled Viola Bloom literally gave me a jump scare. I also enjoyed the explanations at the end of each story, it’s a nice insight into the authors mind.

I will be purchasing this graphic novel when it’s released! (April 16, 2024)
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved the art style and themes of this book. Adam Ellis' Bad Dreams In The Night is inspired by Scary Stories to tell in dark which only further proves why i loved this so dearly. I Also really appreciated Ellis' short explanations after each comic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for access to an E-arc

It isn't often that I read an anthology that every story is equally good. This book was perfect. The art fit the stories well, the stories themselves were creepy and fun. Pure perfection! I cannot wait to get a copy when this comes out, I have already called my local shop and preordered it.

As a child of the 70s, some of my favorite comics were in the horror genre.
Eerie, Creepy, and Weird Tales amoung the best of the lot.
Horror today is nothing like the comics I read then. They were gross and gruesome beyond words. Did their unapologetic best to scare you silly and usually resulted in a few nightmares.
Ahhhh, the good old days!

I haven't had that pleasure or thrill since then, at least until I read Adam Ellis' "Bad Dreams in the Night" graphic novel.
My tweenage self wants to give him such a big hug!
His storytelling is as wonderful as his artwork.
The stories are disturbing in some places and hilarious in others.

"Butter Corn Ramen" a very strange and disturbing idea of what you may be eating when you visit a foreign country and try something new.

"Green Ribbon" one of my favorites here. Why does the pretty young bride never remove the green Ribbon she wears around her neck?  Classic Creepy style story. Would not be the least surprised to find this in an old copy.

"Hangnail" Another straight from childhood.  How online viewers found this "too gross" is beyond me. It's exactly gross enough.

"Viola Bloom" the last story in the book and it is just a perfect ending. Ellis does one little trick that will make you look over your shoulder for a few days and never forget Viola.

Highly recommended whether you like horror stories or graphic novels. Buy this!
Thanks to@netgalley for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

In this house, we stan Adam Ellis. (Is that how the kids say this nowadays?). In all seriousness, I've been a social media follower of Ellis's for quite a long time now and really enjoy both his work and chaotically weird queer personality. I had read a couple of these stories before on his Instagram but most were new to me. I really appreciated the blurbs after each story about what inspired each story as they added a lot of flavor (and sometimes depth) beyond just good, creepy comics. Congrats on the new book, Adam!