Book Review: Blame It On The Pumpkin (Anthology) - Edited by Tara Moeller

 Title: Blame It On The Pumpkin

Author: Various; Edited by Tara Moeller
Genre: Horror - Anthology
Publisher: DreamPunk Press - Copyright 2022
Publication Date: December 8, 2022
Read: December 8-10, 2022
Disclaimer: I received a digital advanced reader copy from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Publisher: What's the best-and worst-part of Halloween? The pumpkins, of course. 

Enjoy these 8 scary stories centered on a Halloween event-a pumpkin patch festival, a pumpkin-growing contest, a séance... Just beware of those rotting jack-o-lanterns. 

Includes stories by Pamela K. Kinney, Jennifer Kyrnin, Greg Partick, S. P. Mount, and more. Deja Vu edition

Review: Horror fiction is my jam. I love fantasy and science fiction, but horror has always been the genre I love the most. Combine it with my favorite holiday, Halloween, and my little black heart swells like a bloated vampire in an empty blood bank.

If only this anthology could have given me that...

Consisting of eight short stories, one nonfiction piece, and a single flash fiction entry, Blame It On The Pumpkin tries--bless its heart--to be spooky but fails across the board. Plagued with typos, spelling and grammar issues, lackluster plots, flat characters, and a complete lack of atmosphere, the short stories are universally, for a lack of better words, bland. Given the fundamental problems in this anthology, I question whether there was any editing performed or if submissions were simply accepted "as-is" and a cover slapped on the collection along with a price tag.

Here's a breakdown of each selection along with my grade in stars:

1. From pumpkin to Jack-o'-lantern (nonfiction) by Marjory Leposky: A brief "essay" outlining how a pumpkin is grown, transported to market, and then turned into the quintessential Halloween accessory, the jack o'lantern.  (3 stars)

2. Moonlit Hunt (flash fiction) by J.M. Silverleaf: Paragraph. Visual. (3 stars)

3. Pumpkin Hollow (short story) by Pamela Kinney: Five friends venture to an unknown haunt in a rural Virginia town. (1star -- typos, flat characters, absence of atmosphere)

4. Vampire Gourd (short story) by Jennifer Kyrnin: A man takes growing the biggest blue ribbon vegetable to an extreme. (4 stars -- probably the most fleshed-out character and plot as well as a unique twist on the vampire trope)

5. Nasty Old B!tch (short story) by S.P. Mount: Myrtle Soppingbottom makes plans to go out with a bang on Halloween. (2 stars -- had so much potential but the overuse of slang and multiple typos killed it...no pun intended)

6. Flock of Badb (short story) by S.P. Mount: Is Winnie caught in an Alfred Hitchcock film or is she the latest victim of a long-standing family curse? (2 stars -- again, had so much potential but the overuse of slang and a rushed ending were this story's downfalls)

7. Alone on Halloween (short story) by Michael Gore: A tragedy the year before finds a teen alone and in a new town on Halloween. (4 stars -- lots of atmosphere, good character development, and a twisted plot makes this story the best in the bunch as well as my favorite)

8. Dance of Masks and Fire: The Witchfinder's Shadow (short story) by Greg Patrick: Salem, Massachusetts is the backdrop for this Halloween night showdown between old enemies. (2 stars -- typos, a convoluted plot, disorienting character points-of-view, rushed and confusing action...could've been so much better)

9. Trick or Treat: Once Upon a Hunter's Moon (short story) by Greg Patrick: One man's Halloween night goes horrible awry after moving into a rumored "witch house." (3 stars -- the typos are few and the plot is more fleshed out than in the previous offering from this author, however, the overall story feels familiar)

10. The Halloween Séances (short story) by E.W. Farnsworth: Four widows gather on Halloween for their annual séance. (2 starts -- as with most of the stories offered here, this one had potential but failed thanks largely to a lack of atmosphere, non-existent plot, flat characters, and and overall lack of editing)

Overall, Blame It On The Pumpkin largely fails because of a disconnect between the stories and the horror genre. Horror requires atmosphere, dynamic characters, twisted plots, and above all, the steadily creeping sense of impending doom. Even novels can struggle with these elements, but short stories must deliver on these quickly and with bigger stakes. I can see the potential in these stories and if given a greater word count/page number, perhaps most of them would be able to reach and even surpass that potential. Unfortunately, Blame It On The Pumpkin is largely a disappointment.