Vile Things (2009)

I love reading and literature. Every night before I rest my weary head I have to read. I have a voracious appetite for the written word which is only rivaled by my appetite for film. I rarely review books however, mostly because I don’t read “new releases” very often. I always seem to be a few years behind the curve because I have so many books to read. When I read about Vile Things in Rue Morgue, however, I knew I had to seek it out asap.

Vile Things is an anthology of extreme horror. I know what you’re thinking, sure its extreme, but how extreme could it really be? Many anthologies have come before promising “extreme” horror but that promise usually goes unfulfilled. Vile Things delivers. Every story within is extreme in some fashion or another, many of which deal with body horror, a personal favorite of mine. One story in particular, Maggots by Tim Curran was so extreme it made me nauseous, and I read it after I watched gorefest Bone Sickness. Yeesh. I will be tracking down his novels soon.  Most of the authors here are on the rise or have been dealing depravity in the underground while most of us missed out, which is doubly awesome. I love discovering new authors. Its like a treasure hunt, and I found the mother load. Rat King by  Jeffery Thomas about a nazi death camp worker was particularly well written and nasty and The Devil Lives in Jersey by Z.F. Kilgore, a story about a big city cop in a small town haunted by a demon left me wanting much more from him.  Fungoid by Randy Chandler was hilarious and disgusting and Coquettrice by Angel Leigh McCoy about a demon that steals men to breed with, was unique and graphic. In fact horror mainstays Ramsey Campbell and Graham Masterton’s stories are the weakest of all which should tell you something. 15 stories in all, nicely published by Comet Press, a new publisher to keep your eyes on.

So, if you enjoy extreme horror, nausea, and pushing the literary envelope check out Vile Things, its the Splatterpunk of the new millennium.  It’s worth every penny.

7/10