Review: Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles Edited by Ellen Datlow

Author: Edited by Ellen Datlow
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication Date:June 2020

Legendary genre editor Ellen Datlow brings together eighteen dark and terrifying original stories inspired by cinema and television. A BLUMHOUSE BOOKS HORROR ORIGINAL.

From the secret reels of a notoriously cursed cinematic masterpiece to the debauched livestreams of modern movie junkies who will do anything for clicks, Final Cuts brings together new and terrifying stories inspired by the many screens we can't peel our eyes away from. Inspired by the rich golden age of the film and television industries as well as the new media present, this new anthology reveals what evils hide behind the scenes and between the frames of our favorite medium. With original stories from a diverse list of some of the best-known names in horror, Final Cuts will haunt you long after the credits roll.

NEW STORIES FROM: Josh Malerman, Chris Golden, Stephen Graham Jones, Garth Nix, Laird Barron, Kelley Armstrong, John Langan, Richard Kadrey, Paul Cornell, Lisa Morton, AC Wise, Dale Bailey, Jeffrey Ford, Cassandra Khaw, Nathan Ballingrud, Gemma Files, Usman T. Malik, and Brian Hodge

Final Cuts is a new anthology with fresh stories from some great writers.  There is something for everyone in here.  Anthologies are always about middle of the road for me.  I never like all of the stories, but can usually find a few that stick with me.  The stories all revolve around films, movies and videos.

Of the set, one my favorite ones was Drunk Physics by Kelley Armstrong.   I also enjoyed From the Balcony of the Idawolf Arms by Jeffery Ford.   As well as Lords of the Matinee by Stephen Graham Jones.    There were a couple that I didn't get what was going on, like The One We Tell the Bad Children by Laird Barron and Das Gesicht by Dale Bailey.  I can also say that the one by Josh Malerman, A Ben Evans Film, confirmed for me that Bird Box is probably going to be the only book I will ever enjoy by him.  If you like horror anthologies, give this one a try. There is a wide variety of horror to be found in here.