No One Is Safe!

The 13 cross-genre horror shorts in this superb collection from Fracassi (Gothic) are tied together by their unabashedly pulp inspirations, resulting in an equally rollicking and upsetting reading experience. In “The Wish,” a six-year-old’s wish that his father will never again miss his birthday comes true—with horrific consequences. A bank robber discovers that his sack of ill-gotten dollars is a more dangerous acquisition than he could ever have anticipated in “Serial Numbers.” “The Last Haunted House Story,” narrated in second person by the building itself, follows a group of teenagers whose decision to break into a purportedly haunted house proves tragic when the house breaks into them right back, both physically and psychologically. In “The Rejects,” a group of NASA scientists and researchers discover something very old and dangerous buried deep inside Earth’s moon. Fracassi’s fast, punchy style is put to excellent use throughout, and there’s not a weak story in the bunch. By turns wildly entertaining and bone-deep unsettling, this love letter to pulp horror deserves a spot on any genre fan’s shelf. (Apr.)