As a younger lad I can remember going to the Scholastic Book Fair to grab the latest copy of Goosebumps to see what fears R.L. Stine could instill in me. Thanks to Shortwave Publishing and each new Killer VHS book such as Killer VHS: Happy Hour by Gemma Amor we can get this feeling all over again. This time around it’s a bit darker and filled with 1990s atmospheric horror.
The eccentric owner of a ’90s underground London cocktail bar has a unique and disturbing way of keeping an eye on everything and everyone, then disappearing those who don’t behave. Famous politicians, glamorous actresses, and international stars are all dying to get in… and to get out.
There are books that can be placed in any setting, but then there are those fit into a location that makes the story what it is. This latest entry into the Killer VHS series is one that oozes horror out of the neon-soaked 1990s smoky underground club setting. An atmospheric horror setting that made the story even more terrifying, making you turn it each page quickly.
Each of the Killer VHS stories feature a unique plot and Happy Hour is no different. While older entries into the series relied a lot of the video screen, these newer ones expand into a more nostalgic overall feel that make us miss the 1990s-style horror even more. With a bar as the setting, one could easily rely on age-old tropes such as a haunted building or bar, but instead Amor leans into other horrors such as power, obsession, corruption, vengeance, and the consequences of bad behavior.
It’s not just the concept and plot that make Killer VHS: Happy Hour what it is, but it’s Amor’s writing itself. The author’s writing is almost poetic at times, while also diving into the visceral and horrifying. Split into two timelines of storytelling was a fantastic way to read this story and the way Amor ends each timeline’s section cutting off the line mid sentence was unique. At times can be a bit confusing, but works well with this shorter length story.
Amor balances the scales between with campy just enough to make it darkly humorous at times while also bloody. Yes, the visceral horror is preset, but Amor does much more with the story. Now, I have heard of people getting kicked out of bars for various reasons, but disappearing all together is a whole other thing. Killer VHS: Happy Hour takes bad behavior to another level and while doing so blends social commentary with campy horror in ways that surprised me.
Like other books in this series, Killer VHS: Happy Hour is a fast-paced horror that takes a unique concept and tells a fresh story that has you turning pages at breakneck speeds. While this book does need your attention throughout, as long as you are following along closely things fall right into place for a great reading experience.
Killer VHS: Happy Hour is yet another fantastic entry into the Killer VHS series. Gemma Amor delivers a stylish campy horror wrapped in an unforgettable and atmospheric setting. A cocktail blend of equal parts intoxicating and terrifying, Happy Hour stays with you long after last call.
Killer VHS: Happy Hour hits bookstores everywhere on October 20, 2026 from Shortwave Publishing.
