Easing her back against a tree trunk, she sat and listened, watching for that strange face, fearing it might abruptly burst through the limbs and brush, grinning its horrible teeth, or worse, that he might come up behind her, reach around the tree trunk with his knife and finish her in a bloody instant.
“Incident On and Off a Mountain Road†is one of Joe Lansdale’s most popular and terrifying short stories. Adapted for television, it appeared as an episode of Showtime’s Masters of Horror series. Incident On and Off a Mountain Road
If this isn't the perfect strong woman fights off deranged psychopath story then I don't know what is. Even as I read it I checked off all the standard plot devices (which I won't list because that will ruin the story) but I enjoyed it anyway just because Lansdale is that good. And then he still surprised me with a perfect ending. If you haven't read Lansdale you are really missing out and this story would be a great place to start. Incident On and Off a Mountain Road I've had a bad run of books I can't get into lately, so I've been reading short stories. This is the latest one.
The night Ellen is driving too fast down a mountain road, she hits a car. When she gets out to make sure the other driver is okay, she finds the car empty. But she's not alone, because a maniac with a knife soon appears...
I really enjoyed this one!
Not only is Ellen crafty and not willing to give up--constantly remembering some of the survivalist bullshit her ex talked about--but she's brave af. She might get caught in a cat-and-mouse situation with a hideous killer and discovers some pretty gruesome shit, but she keeps a level head throughout.
Yep, I really liked Ellen.
And if I didn't like her already, I would've cheered for her (oh, hold on, I did!) as soon as that twist hits. Just that is worth everything.
Great fast-paced story. Just what I needed right now. :) I’m reading quite a bit of horror at the moment, I’ve just realised.. it must be the time of year.
Lansdale’s venture into the genre though is a welcome one, and horror just as it should be, short and sharp, with vivid and nightmarish images. It’s an hour of my life very well spent.
Masters of Horror, season 1, episode 1.
There were 26 episodes of the powerful Showtime series which aired between 2005 to 2007. All of them were based on short stories/ novellas by some of the most influential writers of the genre field. I have made it my mission to hunt these stories down and read them. There are only 26, I mean how hard can it be?!?!
The first story in the series was Incident On and Off a Mountain Road. Short, but with brutal intensity, this 30 page story gripes the reader in the absolute horror of a midnight chase through a dark and sinister woods.
This was an excellent start to this series of short stories. English I enjoyed this, it had a very 1970s horror feel to it, by that I mean claustrophobic and intense. Lots of action and some definite creepy and disturbing moments and a nice little twist at the end which I liked. English
Excellent, violent, horror story
This story is quite violent and graphic so is not for everyone, but the strong female lead was exceptionally well written and the story was fast and intense. Highly recommended for horror fans who are okay with graphic descriptions of death and violence. Gere Donovan Press and Amazon are currently offering four short stories by Joe R. Lansdale to Kindle readers for free. The four tales are The Steel Machine, Bullets and Steel, Tight Little Stitches on a Dead Man's Back and this one, Incident On and Off a Mountain Road. Incident is one of Lansdale's earlier tales and one of his more famous short pieces mainly due to the Don Coscarelli directed episode of the TV series Masters of Horror. It is also one of Lansdale's most harrowing, evoking disturbing memories of all those psycho in the woods horror films. But there's a nice twist at the end that is pure Lansdale. Highly recommended. Incident On and Off a Mountain Road
I had forgotten that I had already read this as part of a short story collection but it was well worth a re-read. This has all the elements of a great horror short story. No-stop spine tingling action, extremely gruesome details, and a nice finishing twist. If you like horror, ya gotta read this one. Incident On and Off a Mountain Road Holy Moly! What a fantastic story. I am between reading novels and wanted to read something quick for a change. I borrowed this story from my husband's Kindle library because I have read Joe R. Lansdale's novels and really enjoyed them. Well, all I can say is that this short story is definitely worth the late night read. It is only 33 pages but yet it tells a great tale. If you liked (or remember) Rod Sterling of 'The Twilight Zone' fame, this story would have been one of the top selections. A moonlit night, a psycho with a moon face and a yearning to add to his gruesome family are more than plenty to carry this short tale of horror. The ending was a bonus. The more I read of Lansdale, the better I like him. Incident On and Off a Mountain Road
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