‘John Carpenter’s Tales for a Halloweenight Volume 1’ Review

Written by: Matt Molgaard

The talent involved with this book is just about insane. John Carpenter spins a tale, Steve Niles lends his talents in Crypt Keeper kind of way, James Ninness spins a fine tale as does Sandy King (John Carpenter’s wife), who closes the book on a high note. Federico De Luca nails the artwork in Carpenter’s own tale, The Ghost Maker. Richard P. Clark’s illustrations are incredible and… look, there is so much talent involved with the project I could ramble on for hours celebrating the individual successes of the book. That would accomplish nothing outside of boring you to tears.

Here’s what is important: Tales for a Halloweenight is packed full of diverse tales, all of which hold the attention in a death grip. The book opens big with a riveting tale from Carpenter, and it comes to a fitting close with another stellar piece from King. These two stories bookend a series of engaging tales that feature sharp, intelligent writing and often gruesome artwork. It’s a strong book, to say the very least.

I’m wishing I’d gotten my hands on this one prior to Halloween, as it would have made for an excellent feature, but I’d prefer to have the book late as opposed to not having it at all. Carpenter’s been more involved with comic books in recent years and it’s a fine medium for the man. His work on page is every bit as terrifying as his work behind the camera.

You should do yourself a proper justice and pick up this eerie collection of stories. It’s going to keep you entertained for a solid half hour and there’re enough redeemable qualities in the book to ensure you’ll pick it up more than a single time. I read it twice before crafting this review. It’s just that good!

Order it here.

Rating: 4.5/5