Publishers Weekly
★ 04/13/2020
Datlow (The Best Horror of the Year series, editor) has tapped some of horror’s top talents for this anthology’s 18 outstanding riffs on silver screen terrors, which draw inspiration from silent films, eerie webisodes, grindhouse gorefests, and snuff flicks. In “Das Gesicht,” Dale Bailey imagines the history of an early film so unsettling it was never released. Jeffrey Ford’s “From the Balcony of the Idawolf Arms” conjures a creepy camera obscura show secretly watched by a pair of latchkey kids, and Brian Hodge’s superb “Insanity Among the Penguins” describes a suppressed Herzogesque documentary on cannibalism. Nathan Ballingrud in “Scream Queen” and Gemma Files in “Cut Frame” both tell of Hollywood stars whose cinematic personas, a horror heroine and a femme fatale respectively, bleed into their lives off-camera. The impressive creative range and the authors’ willingness to push their ideas to the limit make this a memorable exploration of the intersection between horror literature and film. Genre enthusiasts should snap this up. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House. (June)
From the Publisher
"Outstanding riffs on silver screen terrors. . .The impressive creative range and the authors’ willingness to push their ideas to the limit make this a memorable exploration of the intersection between horror literature and film. Genre enthusiasts should snap this up." Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A spine-tingling collection. . .These chilling film trade tales are an emotional and impactful feast waiting to be devoured by horror fans." Booklist
"Eerie. . .Subtlety ties into the addiction we have for storytelling on screen. . . Ellen Datlow remains the ideal to strive for. . .Amazing." Writers, After Dark (podcast)
"Final Cuts feels like the very best horror omnibus films, with each story distinct from the last, yet threaded together by some ephemeral, ineffable string, an unidentifiable but palpable connectivity. Perhaps it’s Datlow herself. . .She’s the director, the auteur, and of course, the editor, presiding over and splicing together unique voices and narratives into beautiful, terrible continuity. . . Each tale in Final Cuts is a knockout. As far as 'Summer Reads' go, if you’re a fan of horror, the movies, and horror films, you’ll not find a more entertaining book." Lit Reactor
"[Datlow] returns with another excellent collection of short stories featuring some of today’s best horror writers. . .The unique themes and diverse array of stories make this anthology appealing to a variety of horror readers and is a great introduction to new readers looking for work by a range of authors." Library Journal
"For those of us that love to watch cinema and fiction mix, Final Cuts is a treat. It’s a timely work that truly brings something for everyone." High Fever Books
"This compilation arranged expertly by Ellen Datlow proves that there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy when it comes to editing an anthology. The diversity of tales present inside—whether this flexibility comes in the form of plotline, story structure or word count—makes Final Cuts one of the varied collections I have ever read." Literary Retreat
Library Journal
04/01/2020
Datlow, editor of numerous horror anthologies (The Best Horror of the Year, The Green Man, Lovecraft's Monsters) returns with another excellent collection of short stories featuring some of today's best horror writers, representing the full range of diversity within the genre. Eighteen authors pen tales of terror, each with a connection to film or TV. Popular and best-selling authors including Kelley Armstrong, Josh Malerman, and Richard Kadrey are joined by promising newcomers like Cassandra Khaw and A.C. Wise. Usman T. Malik explores our obsession with reality TV, presenting a serial killer who wants his execution live-streamed; Gemma Files uses interview transcripts and emails to tell a horrifying story about a cult horror actress; and John Langan contributes a novella that begins as an innocent email conversation between two writers about their possible collaboration on a vampire tale that slowly, and satisfyingly, unravels as something far more sinister. VERDICT The unique themes and diverse array of stories make this anthology appealing to a variety of horror readers and is a great introduction to new readers looking for work by a range of authors.
