Candy Cain Kills (2) (Killer Vhs)

This was the perfect Christmas slasher for me – gripping, brilliantly crafted, plenty of the horror tropes I love presented with imagination and cleverly used, and a lot of heart beyond the gory details.I loved:• The gruesome, really imaginative deaths• Dark small-town religion vibes; a dark history and an isolated setting• The dastardly delusional sheriff• Engaging characters, especially Fiona: a sparky, gritty, determined teen protagonist (and hurrah for good disability representation)• The use of a video tape for telling the backstory• A killer who I should condemn for her vicious crimes but who I ended up rooting for to survive• The very visual, film-like storytelling. I can totally see this being adapted for film – a Candy franchise would be pretty awesome😊

Excellent slasher fun, definitely one to read at Christmas! Can’t wait for the second book.

I enjoyed the heck out of this book. It’s a novella, only about 145 pages give or take a few pages given that is in larger type and nearly double-spaced. It’s a short book and was a short read. I finished it in one setting. Given that, let’s not drag this review out too much because it’s hard not to spoil a book that’s so short. Am I right?Candy Cain Kills is a book about a dysfunctional family living in Southern California in the early 2000s. Dana and Greg are experiencing some marital problems probably stemming from financial and emotional strain. Their two children Austin, a sixteen year-old dealing with his teenage coming-of-age problems, and Fiona, a twelve year-old who walks with a cane because she is crippled from life’s burdens and expectancies. She also has Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. But, it honestly feels more like she’s carrying around the world’s bull schtick from how they see her as being disabled.For some odd, unthinking and desperate reason, Greg books a cottage in some small unknown town in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear. For those who live in Southern California, like me, it’s nice reading about some place other than Los Angeles. It’s also nice to see small town California represented because small town California can be as hick as any small town in the south. California is not exempt. Just ask people from Bakersfield and Oildale. It’s like stepping out of the blue and straight into the red, if you catch my drift. The areas are total opposites of each other, and the author does an amazing job showing those differences in this super short book. How he packs so much into such a small amount of story is unbelievable.I can’t say more without spoiling it, but this book is a true slasher. There is gore. There is a backstory, a little backstory. I honestly wish there was more backstory. There is also a lot of killing, seemingly superhuman strength, and near Final Destination creativity in the death scenes. There are also small town isolation vibes that are increased by a snowstorm and lack of cell service. There is also a small lack of emotion, but I guess that comes with slashers. Death before lasting relationships is just a part of the slasher genre in general.

Candy Cain Kills is the perfect book to get you in the Christmas spirit. The perfect urban legend, Christmas eve, appealing characters, and gore galore! This was my first time reading Brian McAuley and his imagination for the horror scenes is to be applauded.The queer rep and disability in main characters makes this book all the more exceptional.

Y’all, I’ve seen this book all over Instagram recently and for good reason. This was a fun, campy horror novella perfect for the holiday season! 🎄🔪🔨🔥Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. This book is full of bloody kills and action. It doesn’t skimp on the character development and we get to experience a little bit of every characters perspective. It also has some comedic elements to lighten up the ✨horror✨ of their Christmas Eve. Not to mention the plot twist at the end which I was absolutely not expecting. If you’re looking for a fast-paced Christmas/holiday themed horror, read this

I know it's March, and to be fair, I read this festive number in Feb... which is close to Dec, but I digress..If you're looking to bring back some wholly festive feels and immerse yourself in some Christmas cheer, this is absolutely not the book for you. However, if you're looking to get your fix of creative ☠️ and teenage attitude, look no further..A wholesome blend of 90s slasher and teenage angst, this book brings you on the Christmas holiday to end all holidays - but actually for real..Fave character: Fiona (excellent name, by the way), with Greg not far behind..🍿 scale: there are a chunky number of de@ths in this cheeky little book, with very thorough descriptions, thus my lamb chop rating. However, with an easy, casual rhythm to the writing, I found myself happily breezing through dismembered bodies and charred flesh with unnerving ease... make of that what you will..👻 scale: Candy Cain gives me the wiggins. The whole never-changed-clothes and long, never-seen-a-pair-of-scissors-before hair makes me very uncomfortable.

(4.5 star) I'm not gonna lie - A title like "Candy Cain Kills" and the fact that this is a horror novella had me a bit concerned that it would be a "meh" read. But I was pleasantly surprised! I finished this read in just a couple of hours and found myself having to slow down because I was skipping lines, being sucked into the suspense and drama!I enjoyed all the characters (even Candy Cain) and how the author tied their own personal lives into the overall storyline. I was invested in who would survive and was rooting for them all!I haven't read many novellas, but with the few I have, the writing can be a bit choppy and leaves the reader wanting something more. That was not the case for "Candy Cain Kills." I loved it! I enjoyed the pace; there are no holes in the story, and all the characters were developed enough.Honestly, I was anticipating this to be a 5-star read, but then that ending. I won't give it away, but I was happier with the implied ending, not the actual ending! Hahaha.