Andrew Cull

So the written word doesn't lend itself well to "found footage" which, by implication, takes place in a visual medium. For one thing, text has already appropriated the conceit of "this really happened, isn't it scary" through epistolaries, stories told through documents, and stories that the author heard from a friend of a friend, like The Time Machine or Heart of Darkness. Not that these ever made much sense (Jonathan Harker: "I just saw my client crawling down the side of the castle he show more owns, and then three hot vampire chicks were by my bed about to eat me. I totally need to escape, but first, I'll write a letter about it!")

Nonetheless, the selections in here do a good job at pulling it off. Some are in "document form" like I said before, because that's the equivalent of found footage for books. But some are just narrative, and they're surprisingly great. Some are scary, some are funny. Most are stories about the footage that was found, not a "you're really there" style. But they're all entertaining. It reminded me a lot of the V/H/S series. show less

Bloody hell. Not many books genuinely creep me out but this one did. The story comes in waves. Just as you think things have settled you get dunked again. Constant uncertainty as to what would happen next.

Review copy

I recently read and greatly enjoyed an anthology of Christmas themed horror written by members of the Australian Horror Writers Association. That book was Hell's Bells and one of the stories within was Old Man Christmas, written by filmmaker/writer Andrew Cull. When Andrew reached out to me with a request to read and review his new short story, Did You Forget About Me? I jumped at the opportunity.

Cam Miller is a struggling actor and at age thirty he has yet to make his mark. When show more his long estranged father dies and leaves Cam his childhood home he contacts his sister and makes plans to visit the property. The trip brings back unpleasant memories and more.

I don't want to get into he nitty-gritty here. After all, this is just a short story and it's secrets should be discovered by the reader. I will say I enjoyed the experience and that Cull makes effective use of his filmmaker's eye for detail.

"I pulled the curtain aside. I could feel the cold pressing against the glass outside, wanting in."

Although this is only a short story, Did You Forget About Me? had something that's been missing in a lot of books I've been reading recently and that's "atmosphere."

Recommended.

Self-Published and currently available only for the Kindle. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read it at no additional charge. Also, if you are an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE using the Kindle Owners Lending Library.

From the author's bio - Andrew Cull is both a writer and director. His first novel, Remains, is set for release in 2017. show less

As with any anthology there is a range of stories and everyone is going to have their own favorites and least favorites. As a whole it's a fun, unique collection of stories centered around found media.

I really enjoyed how, overall, the stories didn't hold your hand or lay too much out for you. They let your imagination do the work. I don't have the book in front of me to give specifics. I'll edit this if I remember.

BUT if you like funky little short stories, give this one a try!