Necro Files

Two Decades of Extreme Horror

By: Bentley Little, Edward Lee, Graham Masterton, Joe R. Lansdale, Wrath James White, Charlee Jacob, George R.R. Martin

Narrated by: Eric A. Shelman

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Spanning over 20 years, 20 masters and modern authors of hardcore horror share their most bad-ass stories in this special edition from Comet Press. Many hard to find and out of print, some that were banned, Necro Files covers every imaginable mode of mayhem including serial killers, necrophilia, cannibals, werewolves, zombies, sex fetishes, psychopaths, snuff, occult, and more stories that dial into the dark side of human nature.

Contains violence, gore, adult language, and sex.

Table of contents:

• George R. R. Martin - "Meathouse Man"
• Joe R. Lansdale - "Night They Missed the Horror Show"
• Ronald Kelly - "Diary"
• Elizabeth Massie - "Abed"
• Randy Chandler & t. Winter-Damon - "I Am He That Liveth and Was Dead..." & "Have the Keys of Hell & Death"
• Edward Lee – "Xipe"
• Ray Garton - "Bait"
• Gerard Houarner - "Painfreak"
• Wayne Allen Sallee - "Lover Doll"
• Charlee Jacob - "The Spirit Wolves"
• Brian Hodge - "Godflesh"
• John Everson - "Every Last Drop"
• Mehitobel Wilson - "Blind in the House of the Headsman"
• Monica J. O'Rourke - "An Experiment in Human Nature"
• Graham Masterton - "The Burgers of Calais"
• Nancy Kilpatrick - "Ecstasy"
• Bentley Little - "Pop Star in the Ugly Bar"
• Wrath James White - "The Sooner They Learn"
• J.F. Gonzalez - "Addict"

©2011 Comet Press (P)2015 Comet Press

Critic reviews

" Necro Files is practically perfect. Every story is an absolute hit...and why not? We're talking John Everson, Bentley Little, Edward Lee, Joe Lansdale and George R. R. Martin, to name a few. All of the stories are dark and disturbing in their own ways, and, well, extreme. This is one anthology that horror fans, not just of the extreme variety, should have in their collections. Highly recommended." ( Monster Librarian)

HE HATED HIMSELF FOR HATING

HE TOLD HER SHE WAS PRETTY, AND MAYBE SHE WAS BECAUSE OF THE TELLING
This was not what I thought I was getting. I bought this for the RR Martin story, Lansdale and I like horror. I had read Meathouse Man by Martin in John Joseph Adams' THE LIVING DEAD. Martin had been in a lot of emotional pain when he wrote this story and he poured all that pain into it. It is a great story and I was hoping the rest of the collect would be like Meathouse Man.

HE HAD THE KIND OF FACE THAT ATTRACTS FLIES
Out of the 19 stories, I found seven that I really liked. They are pretty much read in chronological order. The first story was written in 1976. Than comes Landsdale's story which will have you laughing your head off, until you start crying from fright. Diary is next and it was good and weird. ABED BY MASSIE is pretty gross and involves sex with a zombie and a grandma who does oral on her daughter in law. I actually liked the story and was proud of my self for being able to handle the grossness. THAN---

Splatter porn.
All the rest of the stories are splatter, erotica, gross, disgusting porn. The stories seem to get worse and worse and worse as far as what they do in each story. I like the Konrath kind of story which usually involves cannibalism, amputations, and mutants through inbreeding, but this has none of that, this is sticking knifes in every orifice, defecating and sex with rotting corpses. There were four stories in which I skipped to the end as they just seem to be a competition in grossness. Yet, even in splatter porn of which I am not a fan, I did find a good writer, can write an entertaining, intelligent story. Garton's story is sort of satirical, Everson's story was kind of clichéd, but I could not turn away. O'Rourke has a torture story that goes the limit. Masterton's story was a bit predictable, but I hope he wrote more stories involving the main character, who had much character. Gonzales writes a anti splatter porn, splatter porn, which does a great job covering addiction and what it could lead to.

The narrator was not consistent. Some stories he did very well, but in some, especially Meat Man, he just mailed it in.

A Friendly Warning

Any additional comments?

I am compelled to write a review on this audio book, well actually a bit of a warning. Before “reading” this book, be sure to read the synopsis carefully and take the warnings seriously.

I am an avid King, Koontz, Layman fan, and reading/listening to this one had me cringing a few times. Some things just can’t be un-read/heard.

Don’t get me wrong, the writing is in some cases brilliant and the audio performances are well above par, and I managed to get through the entire book telling myself it can’t get worse than the last story, but it did.

The violence and the depths of human depravity are often gratuitous, and in some cases even painful, if you have a vivid imagination like mine. If this is what you are expecting, you will not be disappointed, but if you are slightly naive as I was (I can’t help but feel I have forever lost some tiny innocence I had somewhere before reading/listening to this book) please be certain of what you are getting yourself into before cracking the seal on this Pandora’s box. You will be different once you have read this. A tiny blemish will linger on your soul with a little bit of disgust for the depths to which the human mind can descend in the name of entertainment, and the horrible realisation that some of these stories could chillingly be true.

Not so much horror as depraved erotica

I would have preferred to have seen more horror, less pedophilia, less bizarre fetish sex.
I went into this collection expecting the genuinely scary, instead the majority of what I got was poorly written, graphic erotica set against the tropes of horror. Even some of the marquee names in this collection disappoint,

There is little scary here, but plenty of graphic violence and sex.

Not for the easily offended

As a huge fan of all things extreme and willing to push boundaries I absolutely loved this
It was interesting to see how the art form evolved over twenty years
Well narrated with some of the best authors in horror
If you know what your getting into I highly recommend it
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

A wide variety of authors and stories! Some great!

What made the experience of listening to Necro Files the most enjoyable?

It's hard to describe the listening of this book as "enjoyable," but that's primarily due to the nature of the stories. Many are sexually depraved and seem to have been written purely for the shock value - but by the time you get through several of them, it may be impossible to be shocked. The narrator was versatile and did a very good job adding unique personalities to characters across many stories.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I'd say John from The Burgers of Calais was my favorite. It was a funny story, well written and told, and definitely kept my interest. George R.R. Martin's "Meathouse Man" was another of my personal favorites. It gets better with each listen. "Abed" by Elizabeth Massey was also very interesting, and "Godflesh" and "Addict" were also some pretty good tales.

What about Eric A. Shelman’s performance did you like?

Just an overall versatility as he worked his way through the different stories - it did not feel as though you were listening to the same narrator or the same story ... he changed it up so it was clear you were onto a new world, a new work with a new writer.

Who was the most memorable character of Necro Files and why?

Again, John from The Burgers of Calais. Just a funny guy who you like immediately.

Any additional comments?

No - just a very worthwhile listen - if you can take the depravity ... which is rampant throughout the book.

Maturity Needed

As much as I hate to pan anything, I must confess this volume consists of MEDIOCRE SPLATTER PUNK DRESSED IN A TUX STOLEN FROM THE "FIFTY SHADES OF GREY" CLOSET & is about as substantive as that woeful tome.

I tried to listen to this in its entirety, as a life-long horror fan, but maybe I'm getting too old or just too stuck in my ways. I am a true believer in 2nd, 3rd & 4th chances. I recognized some of the authors and like the works of at least two in their other projects, but was disappointed by the anaemic offerings here.

I found most of these tales, save 2 or 3, to be pedestrian at best. I knew the endings two minutes or less in on most stories & found the writing & constant references to coitus and/or genitalia better fit for naughty sweaty adolescent boys than an adult who reads books written for grown-ups. What could be mastered with sensuality & minimal imagination is often forfeited for shock value that actually lands with a very dull thud- - VERY DULL.

Some real good ones in here

Excellent narration. Some stories are not as much scary as they are horrifyingly depressing and dreary... But there are some real toe-curlers in this collection that will make your spine tingle and your stomach feel nauseous. Overall, a good purchase.

Psychotic... Nutty kinda crazy!!

I won this audiobook in a contest I had entered daring the people to take the plunge only if they could handle it. I'm like shoot I'm a strong independent woman I'm on it.. This is a collection of short stories that are very disturbing, psychotic, and homicidal.
I was very surprised and disappointed when I had listened to the first on "Meat Man" as it is a George RR Martin story and I was expecting great disturbing things. Then I realized this is one of his earlier works and not everything he touches is gold. The two best stories that I list

Definitely Pushes the Envelope

As a horror hound I have never understood why extreme horror has to turn into graphic sex and torture. I like the gratuitous T&A a lot of horror stories and movies have, but I have felt that horror has strayed away from actually trying to scare people to just how far can we push the envelope with descriptive gory rape and mutilation. To me that isn’t really horror, just how much depravity can we throw at you before you flinch. I would say maybe half of these stories fall into this category. The other ones were good horror that were gruesome, but also had a decent story. I enjoyed those ones that didn’t center around sexual torture because they actually had a story to tell. Those ones didn’t really need to rely on over the top gruesomeness.

I really liked the mixture of authors, some notable ones to boot. Having a lot of different authors really helped vary the types of stories and the directions they went. Some of them definitely make me want to check out more of their work. Most horror collections in my opinion are 50/50 on quality and this one was no different. If you like graphic and gory tales, these will be right up your alley.

The narration was decent. I liked his voice and his change in tone for the characters. He definitely performed better on some stories than others.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

"Necro Files Extreme Horror Madness"

Necro Files is a Extreme Collection of Horror and a Look into the Dark Side of Human Nature and Grisly Stories and Madness. One will Incounter many Grim Experiences and Dark Places of the Mind and Imagination. Includes Stories By Edward Lee,Charlee Jacob,Graham Masterton,and many other Nightmares by Different Authors to enjoy in Ones Dark Place. "A Mustread."

Sex, gore and endless boredom

This has nothing to do with horror. It is al about how much gore one can squeeze into a story, because otherwise all that is left are some bored rednecks, hanging out together, a fore a on the search of true love (yes, seriously - it could be written by an emo teen), a family that can't cope with the death of a loved one and similar, endless, mundane tripe. Every female described immediately turns into a sex object and how the speaker would or wouldn't like to copulate with her. Most is endless monologues of people with more lebensschmerz than sense. If you've every read "The trials of the young W." which shot Goethe to stardom and which he would later do anything to make disappear - it is essentially that with more guts and brain smears and nakedness. If you now jump in proclaiming "But 'The trials of the young W' is one of the most whiney and pointless examples of ROMANTIC literature, not horror!!!" you have come upon the crux of the matter.

I should add that I have only managed to finish two short stories, both of which I almost immediately regretted, due to the utter pointlessness of it. The rest I've skipped through. None of scared me or even creeped me out. Unnecessary disgust might be the strongest emotion alongside mind numbing boredom I've experienced so far. Do yourself a favour and save your money.

Oh dear..

I gritted my teeth and completed the first story, despite being terribly bored. Second story? I've turned it off. Masters of Horror? I don't think so.... One of the most dull and boring 'horror' books I've ever encountered. I really don't recommend wasting your time or money on this.

The Varied World Of Extreme Horror

Having only read,what I would guess you'ed call traditional horror.In other words vampires, demons and ghosts etc.I decided to give the more modern Splatter Punk variety a try.So I downloaded "Necro Files:Two Decades Of Extreme Horror" and boy was it different ! Whilst it did include some of the more recognized horrors.It also introduced me to a world that the Marquis De Sade would have been well versed in.On the whole,I found the stories maybe a little too extreme for my taste,but having said that there are a number of stories that stick in the mind.So in closing,I would say that the stories might not be for everyone,but if you are adventurous in your reading,give these well read stories a try.

Three good stories - the rest very disappointing

I stupidly ignored the bad reviews of this - but the fact is that it's not really very good. It's not the amount of sexual content or distastefulness or anything like that - it's just dull. I kept hoping the next story would be better, but inevitably it wasn't.

Many more hits than misses!

If you could sum up Necro Files in three words, what would they be?

Depraved. Original. Shocking.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Necro Files?

'Madonna' in the Sex Club

What about Eric A. Shelman’s performance did you like?

Suitably sombre!

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Banned in 14 Countries!

Any additional comments?

A few stories struggle to compete with the very best in this collection, but overall one of the very best horror collections i've heard, and for the most part exceedingly original!