31 Days of Horror: Grandma Drinks Blood by Justin Boote

How well do you know your granny? This fun horror short will have you questioning everyone.

Chris has to stay with his grandmother while his mother is away, but it’s been a while since he’s seen her and old age hasn’t been kind.

Will Chris survive the discovery why Grandma drinks blood?

I enjoyed this fun horror short story, which is gross and creepy at the same time.

There is something so vulnerable about a child being looked after by a relative that suits horror to a tee. It’s easy to put yourself in the situation, remembering the days of childhood when you had no control and adults were often bizarre and scary. As an adult it also terrifies because you long to protect the vulnerable character in the narrative.

The title gave me a hint of what to expect, but I was excited to discover what kind of blood drinker Grandma was going to be. Unfortunately this expectation set me up for disappointment, as the story isn’t about monsters. Well, not paranormal monsters anyway. I think I would have enjoyed this story more if I hadn’t started it expecting a twist on a vampire story.

There is a dark reason for Grandma’s behavior however and, while I enjoined it’s reveal, I would have loved it to have been woven into the story from earlier in the tale.

There is one unfortunate aspect to this story that has nothing to do with what happens or the writing but has more to do with me. There is a plot point that reminded me of a horror movie made by a famous director. I won’t name the movie in case of spoiling the plot point, but I disliked the movie intensely because it relied upon old age to create fear and disgust in the viewer.

Now, Grandma Drinks Blood doesn’t trade on this same conceit, but because of the association I made between the two at the beginning of the story, it colored my perception.

I award Grandma Drinks Blood…

Grandma Drinks Blood is available for $0.99 ebook on Amazon.