Double Barrel Horror: Beware the Whammy / Swallowed
Matthew Weber
Pint Bottle Press
Reviewed by Emily Weil
Double–Barrel Horror is the new eBook series from Pint Bottle Press where each author serves up two new tales for twice the terror and a dual dose of fun. Matthew Weber takes a stab at two twisted tales, and also happens to be the editor for Pint Bottle Press. You may know him from his horror fiction collection, A Dark & Winding Road; the non-fiction book The Quick & Easy Home DIY Manual; and the novel The Bull. His short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies and fiction publications, and he will soon be releasing a new horror collection with Sinister Grin Press.
Weber’s first story is a tasty little appetizer called “Beware the Whammy,” which left me feeling sorry for an old lady’s dog and even sorrier for the three unfortunates who accidentally kill it. Accidents do happen but when one of these guys shoots the dog in a misguided effort to be kind and put the poor beast out of its misery he seals all their fates. It just so happens that the old lady is a witch, and now she wants revenge – blood for blood and a life for a life, and all three will have to pay the price.
The second story is the aptly named main course “Swallowed.” It’s another tale all about revenge, a dish they say is best served cold but I would have to say is best served by watching the neighborhood bully get pulled through the grate on a storm drain by a tentacled monster. This story is my favorite because who has never prayed that help would come from somewhere when the bullies finally pounce?
While Double Barrel Horror is intentionally written to be disturbing, what I found is it is not so much disturbing as a little bit amusing and vastly entertaining. So go ahead and read this little gem and see for yourself just how amusing, entertaining, and satisfyingly filling it really can be. You won’t be sorry.
- Carnival of Darkness – Book Review - October 4, 2016
- ‘Submerged’ – Book Review - June 24, 2016
- Double Barrel Horror: Beware the Whammy / Swallowed – Book Review - February 22, 2016
