Horror Book Review: The Hand Behind the Door by R.C. Hill

Author R.C. Hill makes his debut with a short story collection aimed at a younger audience. Titled THE HAND BEHIND THE DOOR, this collection of spooky tales will remind you of the Goosebumps books you read as a kid.

 

Published in August 2024, this book is already on the bestsellers list in Children’s Scary Stories category, and for good reason. The book is a clever collection of spooky tales that doesn’t always have a happy ending.

The author provided me with an ARC so I may provide an honest review.

Quick Book Review of THE HAND BEHIND THE DOOR by R.C. Hill

The book has eleven stories, all featuring kids who experience something terrifying.

 The first story is The Hand Behind the Door and it will make all your childhood nightmares come to life. Remember when you thought there was someone behind the door or under your bed? In this tale, Miranda realizes that there is a hand creeping up from behind the closet door. Of course, her parents don’t believe her and she must face this all on her own.

 The second story, They Come At Night, will remind you of IT. Brothers Luis and Antonio find out that monsters can live in pools.

The third story Ladybugs, will make you fear the gentle insects because while you may admire them, you certainly do not want to turn into one, do you? In the story, Jacey realizes that she should have never backed into a ladybug infested bush.

 In The Voice, Riley visits her Aunt and Uncle in the mountains but soon realizes that having a campfire after dark can make you a target for the Voice.

 In the True Horror: Battlefield Ghosts, the author claims the story is based on true events as told by one of his friends. The narrator ventures into a battlefield and has an unexplained encounter.

Next up is One Last Look where Luna is having a boring day and while walking the dog, passes by a home where she senses the inhabitants are in trouble. Luna ends up being followed by the inhabitants into her own house.

 The next story will make you careful about the things you doodle. Leilani is in school and is conscious about her short stature. In class, while she is pondering on how she may not be able to join the WNBA, she is admonished by her teacher. Leilani vents her frustrations with the only way she knows how: my putting pencil to paper. Except, everything she draws, turns into reality.

 Facemelt will instill a new fear in you about using new face creams on your skin. It’s every person’s nightmare to have your skin melt away when you use a new product that is supposed to actually benefit you. No doubt, this story is bound to give you nightmares.

 In Alfie’s Toy, the narrator ends up with a dead cat’s toy as a prank. But Alfie the cat decides he wants his toy back.

 Freeze Frame will make your TV viewing experience a creepy one. A kid is watching a horror movie with their Dad when a pounding is heard on the window. The father and kid go to investigate but are shocked to find that sometimes things from movies can enter real life.

 The last story in the book, wraps up this book well and leaves you with shivers running down your spine. We’ve all heard tales associated with theater plays. Now imagine meeting a ghost of a girl that died during one of the plays.

 The Hand Behind the Door is an entertaining book for kids but it can also be enjoyed by adults who are nostalgic for scary tales they read as kids. For kids, this book serves as an excellent introduction to the horror genre. It’s not too graphic and gory, neither is it overly scary that it will give kids nightmares.

 It’s the perfect book to read on a weekend and maybe even right before you go to sleep.

The author, R.C. Hill, clearly has made the right step in the horror genre with this book. 

 

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