Like many a youth of the ’80s, my introduction to H.P. Lovecraft and most things weird was through a late-night Skinemax viewing of that unheralded classic FROM BEYOND. I beat a path to the library to find more, only to be completely disappointed. Where was the S&M? The twisted body morphing? And where was the horny and sexually depraved Barbara Crampton character?  It took me a couple of years to come back to the fold and gain my appreciation. 

Elder Signs Press’ HORRORS BEYOND 2, edited by William Jones, reminded me a lot of that early experience.  The best encapsulated description I can come up with for this anthology of stories is the use of uncanny technologies beyond the control of humanity.
 

Yeah. WTF? All I know is that it passes what I look for in most comic books and porn: The cover looks good. It’s got like floating brain stems and amoeba-looking monsters, much like FROM BEYOND. The stories run the gamut.
 
Let’s start with the best, which is chilling for the foothold that it has in both reality and in the dark supernatural that is the mind of Tim Curran. Ordinary existence gets thrown on its head.  His story “Wormwood” provides a unique spin on the whole Chernobyl experience. Whatever you do, don’t look up any eerily facts on the said nuclear accident. It’ll just give you more nightmares. 

The coolest three-page story is a dark gem by Greg Beatty. Without spoiling it, “The Manuscript in the Drawer” pays homage to the Necronomicon in a sitting that can be read in the bathroom or between commercials.
 
Another standout is Jay Caselberg’s “Magic Fingers,” which would probably be the best one to start with. It concerns the alienating effect of any new technology – not just the strange kind.  Caselberg’s tale, thematically, is the heart of the book. Maybe that’s why it’s closer to the middle. Stephen Rainey’s “Ghost Lens” carries through a looking glass, darkly warning to those who use the aforementioned lens.
 
Other than having a stilted title, HORRORS BEYOND 2 sure isn’t awful, but maybe it could have used some more Barbara Crampton. Either way, I’ll probably wind up searching the stacks for the first installment – provided it has something as cool as floating brain stems on the cover. –Matt Adder

Buy it at Amazon.

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS:
• DEAD SEA by Tim Curran