Thomas K. Wake

Nicholas J. Evans

E.C. Hanson

R.F. Blackstone

Tim Mendees

Bryson Richard

Scott Harper

A.P. Sessler

Jonathan Watts

Curated by Nicholas Gray & Candace Nola

Insanity has me by the throat. I wish it’d squeeze a little harder.

They call me crazy, but who are they to judge? I’m not crazy. They are. I’ve tried to reason with them, but they won’t listen. Yet. One day, they will hear me, and one day, they’ll be sorry.

This is no way to live, being locked up like an animal. And I’m surrounded by lunatics. The scary girl in the corner who hears voices, the burly bald guy who lashes out with violent tendencies, the quiet redhead who lights fires, or the Rob Zombie look-alike that is rumored to have murdered his entire family. Is this real or one sick and twisted nightmare I can’t wake up from?

Institutionalized is the latest anthology from the creators of The Better Off Dead series. This installment brings you stories of the mentally unbalanced, the damaged and disturbed, and the criminally insane. Some are locked up. Some are not. We recommend you sleep with one eye open.

With stories by Richard Chizmar, Ronald Kelly, R.E. Sargent, Steven Pajak, Rebecca Rowland, Mike Duke, Scott Harper, Jill Girardi, Richard Clive, Jeremy Megargee, Janine Pipe, LP Hernandez, Scotty Milder, Renee M.P.T. Kray, Brandon Scott, and David Rider.

Foreword written by Brian Asman.

• The Demon in the Doughnut Shop, by Bret McCormick

• A Kiss for the Mirrorman, by Adrian Cole

• Mukden, by Sean Patrick Hazlett

• In the Gallery, by J. Michael Major

• Excavation, by Franklyn Searight

• Bunnies of the Apocalypse, by Gregg Chamberlain

• Zhar’s Outré House, by Frederick J. Mayer

• The Devil Is Anonymous, by Frank Duffy

• Touched, by James D. Mabe

• The Singing Tree, by Lawrence Buentello

• Blood of God, by DJ Tyrer

• Bum Fights and Blood Feuds, by Scott Harper

• Beauty Treatment, by Liam Hogan

• Persephone, by Andre E. Harewood

• My Personal Dream, by James Ward Kirk

• Mischa in the Window, by Jason Rubis

• Thrill My Soul, by Greg Jenkins

• Trick, by Rish Outfield

Plus a selection of poetry by Steve Dilks, Ashley Dioses, Darrell Schweitzer, and Lucy A. Snyder.

Brutality doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Your existence is the epitome of normal…until it isn’t. In an instant, everything changes. The peaceful security you hold dear to your heart has been ripped away and you are left fighting for your life. But don’t think for a second you have a chance in hell of surviving. Your odds are never good when staring into the face of pure evil.

Join us for tales of savagery and slaughter, where the innocent, or not-so-innocent, find themselves in the most ferocious situations they have ever encountered.

The Better Off Dead series delves into the farthest corners of your mind, where your deepest, darkest fears lurk. These masters of horror will haunt your dreams and stalk your nightmares, taking you to the edge of sanity before pushing you to the brink of madness!

Contains stories by R.E. Sargent, Steven Pajak, David Anthony, Bryan Holm, Tamika Thompson, Aric Sundquist, Otto DeFay, Matthew R. Davis, Nick Roberts, Scott Harper, Richard Clive, Scotty Milder, and LP Hernandez.

Your worst nightmares come true.

Razor-sharp teeth. Vicious claws. The soul-piercing eyes that stare you down right before it pounces. What will you do when it’s you against a purveyor of pure evil? You think it’s just a dream? Think again. These nightmare creatures have transcended the pages of the books they were written into, they’ve ripped their way from the silver screen, and now they are coming for you. There is nowhere to hide—they will find you. But the question remains. Do you have what it takes to conquer the beast or will you let it destroy you?

The Better Off Dead series delves into the farthest corners of your mind, where your deepest, darkest fears lurk. These masters of horror will haunt your dreams and stalk your nightmares, taking you to the edge of sanity before pushing you to the brink of madness!

With stories by Scotty Milder, Elana Gomel, Hannah O'Doom, Scott Harper, Bridgett Nelson, Brian Asman, Sandra Stephens, Henry Herz, R.E. Sargent, Red Lagoe, Frank Beghin, Kevin M. Folliard, Steven Pajak, Matthew R. Davis. Foreword by Bram Stoker nominated author Jeff Strand.

Sometimes, the dead do come back.  Sometimes, they crave your flesh...and sometimes, they desire your very soul, but they aren’t the only thing you have to fear.

You don’t believe in what you can’t see, yet something is there, watching, waiting. You can feel its unholy intentions deep down in the marrow of your bones. You don’t know where it came from, but you know with every fiber of your being that it is not from this earth, and as you feel its gaze searing through your skin, you know the end just might be near.

It took its last breath, you watched the dirt being shoveled onto its coffin, yet there it is, standing before you, staring you down like you’re its next meal. It’s vicious and it’s evil and even though you know—you’re absolutely positive—that the abomination before you should be dead, somehow it’s not, and its ungodly eyes are focused on you.

The Otherworldly and Undead are out there and they are coming for you. When you run—and oh, will you run—you don’t need to be the fastest…you only need to be faster than the person beside you—at least until there is no one else left. Join us for the most terrifying stories of Otherworldly and Undead beings as they stalk and torment the living, feeding off their souls and their flesh before recruiting them to eternal damnation.

The Better Off Dead series delves into the farthest corners of your mind, where your deepest, darkest fears lurk. These masters of horror will haunt your dreams and stalk your nightmares, taking you to the edge of sanity before pushing you to the brink of madness!

Contains stories by Renee M.P.T. Kray, Jeremy Megargee, Scotty Milder, Steven Pajak, Barry Charman, Red Lagoe, Richard Clive, David A. Anthony, Kristal Stittle, Scott Harper, R.E. Sargent, LP Hernandez, and Bridgett Nelson.

Foreword by New York Times Bestselling Author Richard Chizmar.

• HARLOT ROAD, by Michael Bracken

• WITH A POET’S EYES, by John C. Hocking

• THE WISHING WELL, by Robert Graves

• O KING OF PAIN AND SPLENDOR!, by Darrell Schweitzer

• YOU’D DO IT FOR DIAMONDS, by Adrian Cole

• DREADFUL APPETITE, by Franklyn Searight

• THE HANDMAID OF THE KEY, by R.C. Mulhare

• BLUE MOON, by Allen Mark Price

• SHE WHO GIVES LIFE, by C. I. Kemp

• AN IMPLEMENT OF ICE, by W. H. Pugmire

• NIGHT OF THE CIRCUS, by Sharon Cullars

• WOLVERS HILL, by Tim Jeffreys

• RAFTS, by Lorenzo Crescentini

• CLEAN SWEEP, by Edward Ahern

• LEAVING MALAGA, by Cynthia Ward

• CATTLE CALL, by Gregg Chamberlain

• ABOMINATION IS HER NAME, by J.N. Cameron

• KACHINA, by Kenneth Bykerk

• FLAT IS FLAT AND THAT IS THAT, by David J. Gibbs

• DEATH IS NOT MY MASTER, by Scott Harper

Poetry:

• THE OLD ROCK, by Russ Parkhurst

• SLEEPING WITH MAD SHADOWS, by Frederick J. Mayer

• THE LIQUID PROFESSOR, by Jeff Barnes

• THE TOAD STOOL PEOPLE, by Chad Hensley

• THE PROMISE OF A POLIDORI SORE THROAT, by Clay F. Johnson

• THIS HUNGRY EARTH, by S. L. Edwards

Get ready for a vacation straight out of your nightmares…

★Nominated for Best Anthology for the 2021 Splatterpunk awards★

Go ahead, run. Hide, even. No matter. There’s no place you can go that she won’t find you.

A woman scorned. The sanctity of her sanctuary threatened. The betrayal of trust…even loyalty. Don’t ever tell her not to take it personally, because that’s exactly what it is. Personal. Your first blunder was mistaking her kindness for weakness. Your second was betraying her. The third? Underestimating her. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Take the plunge into these tales of deadly women who will stop at nothing until vengeance is theirs.

The Better Off Dead series delves into the farthest corners of your mind, where your deepest, darkest fears lurk. These masters of horror will haunt your dreams and stalk your nightmares, taking you to the edge of sanity before pushing you to the brink of madness!

With stories by Steven Pajak, Cara Fox, Chris Contreras Bahnsen, Scotty Milder, J.H. Moncrieff, Scott Harper, Bridgett Nelson, Spencer Richard, Mark Young, Claire Brown, Nikkolas James, Lee Rozelle, Natalie Sierra, R.E. Sargent, Red Lagoe and Renee M.P.T. Kray.

Foreword by award winning author J.H. Moncrieff.

Don’t go in the water. It’s dark. It’s deep. It’s scary as hell.

There is no better keeper of secrets than the menacing, murky depths of the ocean. Unfathomable creatures, mysterious disappearances, abandoned ships, deadly pirates. Even experienced seamen are susceptible to the horrors that lay hidden far below the surface. It’s all a game of chance. Be in the wrong place at the wrong time and you’ll become something’s meal. The dark deep is ominous and unforgiving and it has no conscience. Do you dare tempt fate?

The Better Off Dead series delves into the farthest corners of your mind, where your deepest, darkest fears lurk. These masters of horror will haunt your dreams and stalk your nightmares, taking you to the edge of sanity before pushing you to the brink of madness!

Contains stories by John S. Aissis, Marco Etheridge, Scott Harper, Andrew Hughes, Constantine E. Kiousis, Scotty Milder, S.R. Miller, G. Nicholas Miranda, Bridgett Nelson, David Rider, Steven Streeter, and Mike Sullivan.

Foreword by Splatterpunk Award Winning Author, Ronald Kelly.