It Came from the Multiplex: 80s Midnight Chillers

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of It Came from the Multiplex: 80s Midnight Chillers.

I love anything horror so I was really excited when my request was approved.

This is a collection of short stories from a group of diverse writers in which the horror takes place or is centered around a movie theater.

There are bugs, ghosts, blood, gore and, yes, the devil.

Are the stories scary? Nah, but its not the fault of the authors. I'm just not that easy to scare.

Are the stories fun to read? YES.

The stories are short and sweet, and, for the most part, engaging, gross and kind of creepy. There were a few had such an interesting premise I wish they had been longer.

I love the 80s setting, the nostalgia, the vibe, music and movie posters, and the notable lack of social media and cell phones added to the old-timey atmosphere.

Last, but definitely not least, GREAT cover! Reminiscent of the old school horror movie posters of the 70s and 80s.

If you're looking for a quick taste of something scary, give It Came from the Multiplex: 80s Midnight Chillers a chance.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was everything I wanted from a Horror anthology!! YES YES YES! Must read. I loved it!

Some of these stories hit better than others for me, as is the way of the anthology. Personal favourites included Late Sleepers and Coming Attractions as these both featured wonderful twists at the end that packed a punch even in such a small time frame.

The variety of horror on show is vast, with some stories possessing a comedic edge, some just pure dark gore. The uniting theme of old, dilapidated cinemas offers such a great setting for horror that I’d never considered before as the mundane is turned into the mortifying.

Would recommend this to fans of horror, the 1980s, and nostalgia.

What a fun read! This books so reminded me of the horror books I read in my younger days. It hooked me from the beginning.
I recommend this!

Loved the 80s style to this book. I really liked all the stories and definitely want to add it to my collection.

First, I will say that while I enjoy certain types of horror, I am not a fan of gore or body horror. '80s horror/slasher cinema wasn't for me. That being said, I did enjoy the stories in this collection. The gore/body horror aspect was within acceptable limits (i.e. I didn't run screaming into the night!) What at first looks like a serial killer is anything but, cultists hide in plain sight (and some of them are jerks), and, whatever you do, don't be late! A nice mixed bag of writers, some familiar and some new, Good triumphs and Evil is vanquished!....Well, not always. For someone looking for short bites of horror, this book will fill the bill. You don't have to an '80s kid to enjoy this collection!

If you love and I do mean LOVE 80s horror movies like I do, get this book. Read this book and just let the nostalgia take you away like Calgon always promises to do. I could not have enjoyed a book more, I could not have devoured a book quicker. The homages to 80s horror movies in reference throughout this book just lit my little horror heart aflame. Anthologies can be hit or miss, book as well as movie, but It Came From The Multiplex is a complete hit in my opinion. "Invisible" had a great plot line, "Alien Parasites from Outer Space" gave me a Slither-like vibe, and "Special Makeup" made me laugh out loud in a good way. A little cheesy, a lot gory in places, and written with a ton of love to those that came before us in the horror industry.

I can not thank Netgalley, Hex Publishers and the authors enough for allowing me to read this book.

A collection of quick and enjoyable reads reminiscent of the 80's sci-fi and horror genres. An entertaining mash-up of X-Files meets Stranger Things.

As we get closer to Halloween, I’m always on the hunt for spooky stories and cheesy 80’s horror movies. This book was a fun combination of the two! I was looking forward to reading this and couldn’t put it down. This will continue to be in my re-read pile for many Halloween’s to come.

1980’s nostalgia in book form. This is the type of book you pick up to get in the mood for the Halloween season with a cup of apple cider on a dark and stormy night.

There were some stories that were a hit and some that were a miss. I feel that it happens a lot with anthologies as there are so many different voices contributing to the book.

This is definitely a book you will want to pick up when you want a good dose of short creepy stories to fill your nights.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

This is a creepy and enjoyable collection of stories with the theme of 80’s horror and movie theaters. It has stories with ghosts, monsters, aliens, werewolves and the like.

My favorite story has to be On the Rocks by K. Nicole Davis. It has a surprising and cool twist at the end.

I like the cool 80’s vibes and the scary stories. It’s a fantastic mix. Some stories I liked more than others but all in all, they were mostly entertaining.

Would recommend this for people wanting to relive some 80’s nostalgia and read some spooky stories.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of the book, in exchange for an honest review.

This a lovely collection of short scary stories created by talented writers from all walks of life, I will explain that the stories didn’t scare me but they certainly were fun as hell to read and binge through. The book focuses on tropes and plots that have both a mixture of 80s vibe and modern day society jams, including the added element of bugs, demons, witches, and thriller/slasher galore. I did have a good laugh with a few short stories, and some others I really was surprised with on how the ending turned out.

Overall the stories that lay within the novel are fantastic and would be the equivalent of the adult version of ‘Fear Street’ and ‘Goosebumps,’ and I mean that in a good way. While the book didn’t have immediate jumps scares or suspenseful moments, it did have some sinister trope remakes within its pages. If you’re looking for a binge-worthy horror book to casually read while it’s raining outside and you’re alone in the house, this should be the book you pick up read for the night to the monster under your bed.

4.5/5 Stars ★★★★☆

I looked the feel of this book. The intro to the book explains so much. 80's vibes are all over this book. I love it. The stories are short and fun and gross just like you would find in young adult scary books and shows at the time. I loved the 80's like illustrations and the cover was fantastic. I had a blast reading through the gross stories like ones with parasites. A fun book with a flashback feel.

This. Book. Was. AMAZING!!!!!!!!

I grew up in the 80's, and boy oh boy, did these stories bring back the memories. They don't make them like this anymore. Sit down, Get comfortable. And sink your teeth in. You will be glad you did.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and every single author that contributed to this short story anthology.
You all mad

Thank you to NetGalley and Hex Publishers for an e-arc of the book in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 stars.

It Came from the Multiplex: 80s Midnight Chillers is a blast from the past and more than I could have asked for as a fan of 80’s horror cinema. If, like me, you’re a fan of the old school “B” Horror movies, drive-ins, and slasher films this is definitely the book for you! The book contains an amazing collection of short stories about serial killers, ghosts, and all kinds of other ghouls waiting to come for you in the night (or while you’re watching your next horror flick). Every story is fun to read and full to twists that will keep you wanting more.

"It Came from the Multiplex: 80s Midnight Chillers" is an excellent example of a themed anthology. Each short work in the collection was unique and written with a distinct voice such that none of the stories became muddled. There were some truly standout works as well. Most impressive was how closely each short piece adhered to the theme, sense of time and slight sense of camp which was a hallmark of 80's horror.

While there was a broad spectrum of topic and focus, each work was of high quality writing. No tropes or overdone cliches except as actual meta components of the work itself. Of course, in every anthology there will be some works which stand out; in this case the final four or five tales were truly noteworthy and remarkable - the authors of each are well established in the field of speculative fiction.

If you're a fan of horror, in general, and grew up on the horror fare of 70s and 80's this is a collection you won't want to miss.

I wasn't sure what to think when I started reading this anthology but was pleasantly surprised after the first few stories. This the perfect spooky read for this fall! It Came From the Multiplex is my first anthology and some stories were definitely a hit and some were definitely a miss. Some of my favorites were: Helluloid, Rise, Ye Vermin!, Creature Feature, and Screen Haunt. I also really love that some of these stories take place in Colorado! I live right near Red Rocks, so of course I really enjoyed On The Rocks
If you'reour looking for stories.witj ghosts, serial killers, ghouls, aliens, and a creep factor I highly recommend this!
Thank you Netgalley for this eARC and to all the authors who put this together!

If you took every wonderfully bad horror flick of the 1980s, shoved them all into a blender and poured the resulting mess into an inkpot with which to write some short stories, this is what you'd get. These stories are full of blood and gore and cheesy special effects and over the top kitschy campy goodness. Each of the fourteen stories centers around that staple of 80's culture: the movie theatre. Old ones, new ones, drive-ins, they're all here and filled with ghosts and ghouls and werewolves and oh...a giant moth creature and a couple of seriously screwed up humans. Oh, and the Elder Gods. They're hanging out there, too.

Most anthologies have some good and some not-so-great stories but this collection is one hit after another. Most stories are a perfect blend of horror and humor, with a couple being just flat out disturbing horror (interestingly, those are the ones about humans doing terrible things). All horror fans will find plenty to like here, and those of us old enough to actually remember the golden age that was the 80's will like it even more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hex Publishing for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

This was a FUN read! It's made up of short horror stories that all center around movies. The stories weren't necessarily super scary, but neither are cheesy 80's horror movies. This was the perfect book to ease into spooky season with! If you're a horror buff, I would definitely recommend this!

My personal favorites were:
Creature Feature
Invisible
Screen Haunt
The Devil's Reel
Coming Attractions

This anthology is out a week from today on Sept. 15th! Would definitely recommend.

Scheduled to post 9/8/20.

IT CAME FROM THE MULTIPLEX was a super fun book that had my nostalgia feelings all a tingle. I couldn't help but be immediately sucked in by that cover. Look at it. Isn't it fantastic? While I was never super into the B-movie level creature features that were just dripping in gouda, I appreciated the level of fun that some of these stories wished to recreate here because, let's face it: they just don't make movies like these anymore.

I also liked how everything centered around the super grimy movie theater of years past. As an adult now I pretty much won't go to anything other than an Alamo Drafthouse, although I certainly remember those discount theaters where you were thankful the lights weren't fully up because you just didn't want to know what could potentially be all over your seat. And what the hell did you just step in? Anyone else's LA Gears get spot-welded to the floor if you kept them in place for too long? No? Just me? So yeah. I totally get it.

On of my favorites was The Devil's Reel, simply because I'm a sucker for Christianity vs the devil type stories and how those whacky plots can go so terribly wrong. I also liked the one about keeping the Old Ones in check in an old movie theater. I think that one was Creature Feature. Special Makeup was a good one too. I thought it was really unique and I liked how it was set in 1950s (I think) Hollywood.

I was totally in the mood for something like IT CAME FROM THE MULTIPLEX and I was not disappointed. It has that certain level of kitsch that pokes the nostalgia button while at the same time still being a little on the creepy side too. I liked it. I liked it a lot.

4.5

Thank you Netgalley and anyone who had a hand in making this gem of a book possible!!! I could not have loved a book more!!! I mean that sincerely! This book brought back so many memories of growing up in the 80’s. I can not wait to hand out a few copies of this to my fellow 80’s brethren. Anyone that loves 80’s And horror will absolutely LOVE this book!!! A MUST HAVE BOOK!!

Who remembers making that exciting trip to your local cinema on behalf of
those great horror movies of the 1980's. Maybe a trip to the huge Multiplex for a showing of Sleepaway Camp. Or how about a midnight showing of Killer Klowns From Outer Space at your local Rialto. Perhaps a drive-in double feature, The Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2. It Came From The Multiplex: 80’s Midnight Chillers is a horror anthology based on these scenarios brought to you by Hex Publishers.
From a homicidal psychopathic serial killer that preys on drive-in movie goers, alien parasites from outer space attempting to reign over the human race and a haunted theater where an admit one ticket may allow you to enter, but never leave. This collection of authors assembled by Joshua Viola give a nod to the experience of viewing these third-rate B-Movies of the silver screen. With the likes of authors Stephen Graham Jones, Kevin J Anderson and Betty Rocksteady, this throwback to the 80's has plenty of authentic horror, blood and gore to excite the most enthusiastic ritualist. Written with extreme creativity and quick wit, the reader will appreciate the authors flow of darkness from story to story.
For these reasons you should purchase a ticket, popcorn, candy, coke and this book. Grab a seat and wait for that familiar clickety-clack of the film projector as it lights up the silver screen. However, keep in mind this particular motion-picture screen is the window to many monstrous souls waiting to reveal each short story. Hex Publishers have released an enjoyable nostalgic anthology that readers will no doubt appreciate. 5 stars.

This is a collection of stories that perfectly captures the feel of 80's horror movies/books! If you are a fan of that time this is a must read.