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Little Evil Things: Vols 1-5    by Frank Macchia & Tracy London Amazon.com order for
Little Evil Things
by Frank Macchia
Order:  USA  Can
Little Evil Things, 2001 (1997)
Audio, CD
* *   Reviewed by Lance Victor Eaton

From the first story until the last, Little Evil Things delivers a strong dose of nostalgic campfire horror stories. Fat-eating monsters, possessed china dolls, satanic shopkeepers, and transforming werewolves are just some of the creatures of the weird that populate these fantastic tales. Though most are meant to haunt your dreams, the ironic twists and original takes of these stories may also amuse. Each volume has some four to seven short horrific tales of the supernatural. Though formulaic or merely repackaged classic horror stories, the quality of presentation manages to keep one's interest.

Each volume only reinforces Little Evil Things' value as a fine producer of audio entertainment. With a great musical score for each story, one is reminded of listening to Peter and the Wolf. The soundtrack haunts the backdrop of each story like classic horror movies with their intense musical themes - à la Jaws, Psycho, and Halloween. The music heightens the atmosphere for so many of the stories that without it, the quality would plummet. The choices for the voice talent cannot be underrated either. With each story, the narrator matches the age, sex and persona of the main character and displays all the proper emotions on cue. One voice in particular has a dark and gravelly tone akin to Christopher Walken's that fits the narrative perfectly.

The range of voice talent, combined with the implementation of sound effects and musical score, remind listeners of the true potential of audiobooks. The producers certainly know how to engage the listener. If your first journey into the world of audiobooks starts with Little Evil Things (provided you appreciate the horror genre), you will be immediately hooked.

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