The Tickle Monster by David Washburn

There is comfort in the wholesomeness of family. Pure joy to be cherished in the innocence of a child. …But what happens when a looming sense of dread has a death-grip on a child’s mind? Teddy is ‘only a boy’ but there is a rebellious fire in his belly that urges him to forge his own path as a man. With much to learn, his father does his best to teach him about being a man and respecting family traditions while appreciating the mundane. After Teddy’s father tells him not to go into the woods, in what was meant to be a teachable moment, Teddy is soon faced with a choice that sees him in the very place where he shouldn’t be. Teddy encounters something that he cannot make sense of that will haunt him in the coming days. This tale of colonial era horror proves that a child’s imagination isn’t always a safe place.

Adult • Horror/Supernatural and Occult • Horror

Content Warning: Violence, blood, murder

Reviewed by CJDaley writer on 2024-05-02T00:53:17Z:

I really love horrors that take childhood fears/monsters and turn them into real, flesh and blood nightmares. My main gripe with this one (while small) is that it didn’t actually do that, not entirely.

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