There’s so much to anticipate about this anthology that I just found myself practically tap dancing when it arrived in my inbox. It’s the first anthology from Grindhouse and editor Samantha Kolesnik. Not to mention it’s got a great lineup and a killer, pun very much intended, theme - vacation horror. Kolesnik pulled out all the stops for this one, including an introduction written by Mother Horror herself, Sadie Hartmann. I’m completely onboard with Sadie’s take about going new places, although maybe for different reasons than the ones the stories here touch on. It’s a nice meaningful touch that got the horror community’s attention right away.

No matter how hyped up I get about an anthology, I’m always cautious heading in. After all, short fiction can be so hit or miss. However, the first two stories “You’ve Been Saved” by S.E. Howard and “Summers with Annie” by Greg Sisco alleviated a lot of doubts.  I’m hard pressed to think of another collection where the first two stories both strike me as hard as these two did, particularly Sisco’s story, which is an easy contender for top three in the collection, combining creep factor and nostalgia in an extremely successful manner.

“Unkindly Girls” by Hailey Piper and “The Cucuy of Cancun” by V. Castro were probably my most anticipated stories in Worst Laid Plans. Piper’s story hits hard and highlights subtle abuses that build and build to become larger and more pervasive. Like everything she writes, it was a pleasure to read. Castro’s story is quick, nasty and gruesome. It also serves to flip the trope on its head a bit, having the monster go on vacation.

“Deep in the Heart” by Waylon Jordan is another story of note that caught my attention for its’ use of sensory deprivation and isolation. The monsters contained within are described beautifully (maybe not the right word) and uniquely. While I don’t want to synopsize every story in the book, there are several others I really enjoyed. Asher Ellis’ provides some non-shark aquatic horror in “Expertise”. “Peelings” by Kenzie Jennings hits us with humane villain wrapped up in body horror. “In the Water” by Mark Wheaton dips its toes into an area of life/horror that makes my skin crawl. Telling you what it is would provide spoilers, so I’m afraid you’ll just have to read and find out.

As in any anthology, there were a few stories that were not for me. Unfortunately, it felt like many of the ones I didn’t care for resided in one portion of the book. The stories that didn’t resonate for me were not an affront by any means. Rather, the first six stories built a momentum in my mind that wasn’t entirely sustainable and the back half of the journey had a bit of start and stop feel to it.

With some really fantastic anthologies released already in 2020 and some more to come, I believe Worst Laid Plans earns the right to be mentioned alongside the year’s best. If Samantha Kolesnik opts to curate another anthology in the near future, I will be picking it up.


I received a digital copy from the publisher for review consideration.