Book Review | Ghost Camera

Ghost Camera

By Darcy Coates

Black Owl Books  |  2014  |  320 pages

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ghost Camera is a collection of short horror stories from Darcy Coates. Its titular story focuses on Jenine who finds an abandoned polaroid camera and she snaps a photo without a second thought. 

But there’s something wrong with the image: a ghostly figure stands in the background, watching her.

Fixated on her.

Moving one step closer with every picture she takes.

Desperate, Jenine shares her secret with her best friend, Bree. Together they realize the camera captures unsettling impressions of the dead. But now the ghosts seem to be following the two friends. And with each new photo taken, a terrible danger grows ever clearer.

This book confused me initially if only because I was convinced it was a fully plotted book, rather than several short stories. It was only as I started on the short story after Ghost Camera that I realized. When there was absolutely no mention of said ghost camera in it and the rest of the tales, I understood haha! 

The first story was good; it was creepy and the premise of ghosts chasing you and becoming attached, drawing closer each time you take a photo… oof! That kind of concept is the kind that hooks me quick. One of my favourite horror films is a Japanese horror called Shutter which follows a very similar story and the idea that something you can’t see is latched to you everywhere you go is spine tingling.

I won’t talk about all of the tales in the book because some are a little more forgettable than others, I won’t lie. Although the book was really good and I am very excited to pick up another Darcy Coates book soon, some of the stories were stronger than others in my opinion. 

My favourite stories of all of them were definitely A Box Of Tapes & Untamed Things. Of all 8 stories, they were my top two, followed by The Run to Broken Ridge Lighthouse and Cathedral.

Untamed Things takes top spot as my favourite one but only just. The premise was a plane crashing in some snowy remote mountains; in the middle of the woods with almost no survivors. That is my niche in a nutshell. I love winter horror; I don’t know why but it gave me similar vibes to The Drift by C.J. Tudor. I love the snow type of setting for horror so much; I think it is because of the concept of being totally alone and in the middle of nowhere and the lack of civilisation that comes with it and then when something threatens that eerie quiet, it causes fear. 

The Untamed Things story was great in giving you that unsettled feeling like something was at the character’s back the whole time and I think the twist at the end was also one I didn’t see coming but I really loved it and it just left me with goosebumps.

My second favourite was A Box of Tapes. It was a bit longer than any of the others but it did a brilliant job at world building and giving a backstory and history of the town and certain characters too. 

The story starts off with a woman finding a box of 6 tapes in her daughter’s wardrobe after moving in. There is a note inside that says, “Don’t watch. You’ll regret it.” But she watches anyway and the videos are strange, disturbing clips of a series of tragic events with a grinning woman present in all of them.

It is such a chilling story and does such a good job at getting you to visualise the woman in the tapes as well as the events going on. It had me on edge, especially right at the end where I legitimately could not put it down. It was so creepy and I really liked it. If not for the fact I love winter based horror, this would be favourite out of all 8 stories.

The Run to Broken Ridge Lighthouse is short and sweet but I did enjoy it as it was thrilling more than scary; there was suspense and it was action led. Again, Cathedral was short and simple but I loved it for the setting and description of an old cornfield, dirt road church sitting in a quiet rural area of old America. It gave me Jeepers Creepers vibes and if you read the book, you’ll see why.

I really loved this book; I don’t usually gravitate towards short story collections but I gave this a go because I had heard good things. I am now super excited to read more from Darcy Coates.

I gave it a 4 stars because as previously mentioned, there were only a few I really loved and some of the stories just did not hold my attention that well. But still, a solid 4 stars for the imagery that Darcy Coates instills and the range of concepts and premises in each story was varied and each were entertaining in their own specific way.

Have you read Ghost Camera? What did you think of it?