It Haunts the Mind

I actually preordered a paperback of this, but I’ve been too busy to get to it. The author very kindly sent me over an audible code, so I was able to fit it in sooner. Sadly there is a short story where you are not supposed to say the rhyme out loud so now I am unfortunately cursed. Alex Schiffer does a pretty solid job with narration though.

This collection features 15 short stories, some of which have been published elsewhere before, but were entirely new to me. One of the cool things about them being from other anthologies is that you are getting a slew of locales and types of horror in this single collection, nothing reads as one note.

My personally favorite was Percepto! not only in its shock value, but also for the classic Vincent Price. A close runner up was Sally Under the Bed, which to me felt almost like Hendrix’s Ankle Snatcher but from a younger perspective and somehow even creepier.

Naturally, I’m really here to talk about It Haunts the Mind. The collection’s namesake, but also a short story from the world of The Exorcist’s House (which I absolutely loved). I believe this fits somewhere within the opening of the novel and the family moving into the vacated house. Three teens plan to get drunk and look around. They’ve heard rumors, but they aren’t scared. Fans will see a familiar face, and be haunted by a familiar, foul-mouthed presence. With it being short it doesn’t quite hit the same level of creepy, but I enjoyed the extra layer in background.

Personally a 4.5/5*.