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REVIEW: Melon Head Mayhem (Killer VHS Series #1) by Alex Ebenstein

January 2, 2024 by Seanchalant Leave a Comment

Rating: 8.5/10

SYNOPSIS

Have you ever wanted to live inside your favorite horror film? Prove you have what it takes to fight Freddy? Destroy Jason? Mangle Michael?

Cousins Carson and Sophia are in town for their grandma’s funeral and are, unknowingly, about to live out the nightmare that is every horror fan’s dream.

After they find an old unfamiliar VHS tape tucked away in grandma’s house, they figure the worst that can happen is a few cringeworthy moments and 90 minutes wasted. Instead, the video summons the movie monsters-local urban legends called melon heads-into their very real lives!

The destruction caused by the blood thirsty melon heads has Carson and Sophia fighting to survive and sets them on a deadly path to the shores of Lake Michigan, home of the devilish beasts. They vow to destroy every last one of the melon heads and make sure these monsters never get a sequel.

Will they survive? Would you fare better?

It’s a creature feature. It’s a throwback. It’s… MELON HEAD MAYHEM!

REVIEW

Unmitigated camp and fun, this bloody monster mash is the ’80’s throwback of your best nightmares.

Melon Head Mayhem is the first of the Killer VHS Series, an anthology horror novella series published by Shortwave Publishing. A series that has been described as Goosebumps for adults and I wholeheartedly agree with that comparison. Alex Ebenstein sets the stage perfectly, delivering a fast-paced, nostalgic bit of horror fun, playing with a real life urban legend and making it his own.

When cousins Carson and Sophia unwittingly unleash the Melon Heads, pint-sized, bulbous headed monsters with razor sharp teeth and intelligence, after watching a cursed VHS tape, they must bridge the gap of years of separation and come together if they’re gonna survive the Melon Head Mayhem.

Ebenstein expertly employs nostalgia to draw you in, while telling an original story with great characters. The dynamic between the cousins drives the story and raises the stakes as their worst nightmare unfolds before them. But it’s not just nostalgia for media, it’s nostalgia for each other and what they had as children that will determine their fate. That’s what separates MHM from what some would call Nostalgia Bait. It isn’t just surface level, it’s in the meat and blood of this story.

Melon Head Mayhem is a fast-paced novella full of twists and turns, bloody mayhem, plenty of heart and a whole lot of fun. Alex Ebenstein manages a lot in just 120 too short pages that will leave you both satisfied and needing more.

Check out my review for book 2 in the Killer VHS Series, Candy Cain Kills by Brian McAuley! https://fanfiaddict.com/review-candy-cain-kills-killer-vhs-series-2-by-brian-mcauley-2/

For the best experience, consider purchasing Melon Head Mayhem from the source and get an awesome box that’ll take right back to the Blockbuster days of yore. Preview and link below!

Melon Head Mayhem: Killer VHS Series #1 (Paperback)

Filed Under: Anthology, Demons, Fear For All, Folk, Monsters, Reviews Tagged With: Alex Ebenstein, Horror, Horror Book, Killer VHS Series, Melon Head Mayhem, Monsters, Review, Shortwav, shortwave, Throwback

About Seanchalant

Sean Conley (not Connery) aka Seanchalant is an proud father of three little nerds, AnaMaurin Victoria, Landyn Lawrence, and Raylan Aviendha Mae. He is a stay at home dad while his hardworking and wonderful fiancée,
Gabriella Oropeza brings home the 🥓 and he always has a book on his person. On the autism spectrum, he has a tendency to become an encyclopedia on things he enjoys. Raised on horror films (The Evil Dead series is #1) and Stephen King, his love of fantasy was born from Army of Darkness and Tad Williams; cultivated by John Gwynne and Mark Lawrence. He enjoys everything from epic fantasy to urban fantasy, grimdark to high fantasy. His favorite bands are blink-182, The Beatles, and Wu-Tang Clan.

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