The Books of Blood Volume 3

There are a lot of great stories filled with graphic sex, gore, and violence, as Clive Barker does so well, in this anthology but for me the standout story is the one of revenge titled, "Confessions of a (Pornographer's) Shroud". It was written as a black comedy and Barker does it well.

Ronnie is a fervent Catholic who is falsely accused by the Mafia of being the ringleader of a pornography cartel. After killing two mobsters in retribution, he is brutally tortured and murdered by the mob. Except, Ronnie manifests as a vengeful spirit and animates the shroud covering his… show more.

This one helped propel me into the world of writing horror. Besides King, I had been a consumer of the “quiet horror” anthologies of Charles L Grant. While I loved them and everything Grant did with the series, Barker came along and blew my young teen mind. The covers alone looked like something that should come in a paper wrapper. The stories have withstood the test of time and remain relevant today. For pure terror and scares at the time I would choose "Rawhead Rex" as the standout. This one scared the heck out of me, and I loved every… show more.