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The Man in the Box
A short story by C J Tudor, originally released online at Dead Good:
What better way to celebrate Halloween than with an exclusive short story from our resident scream queen C J Tudor, bestselling author of The Chalk Man and The Taking of Annie Thorne?
If you’re hungry for horror, and can’t wait for The Other People to hit shelves in January, ‘The Man in The Box’ will satisfy your taste for terror, and send chills down your spine!
Read on, if you dare…
What better way to celebrate Halloween than with an exclusive short story from our resident scream queen C J Tudor, bestselling author of The Chalk Man and The Taking of Annie Thorne?
If you’re hungry for horror, and can’t wait for The Other People to hit shelves in January, ‘The Man in The Box’ will satisfy your taste for terror, and send chills down your spine!
Read on, if you dare…
ebook
First published October 31, 2019
1433 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Tudor
18 books8,520 followersC. J. Tudor was born in Salisbury and grew up in Nottingham, where she still lives with her partner and young daughter.
She left school at sixteen and has had a variety of jobs over the years, including trainee reporter, radio scriptwriter, shop assistant, ad agency copywriter and voiceover.
In the early nineties, she fell into a job as a television presenter for a show on Channel 4 called Moviewatch. Although a terrible presenter, she got to interview acting legends such as Sigourney Weaver, Michael Douglas, Emma Thompson and Robin Williams. She also annoyed Tim Robbins by asking a question about Susan Sarandon’s breasts and was extremely flattered when Robert Downey Junior showed her his chest.
While writing the Chalk Man she ran a dog-walking business, walking over twenty dogs a week as well as looking after her little girl.
She’s been writing since she was a child but only knuckled down to it properly in her thirties. Her English teacher once told her that if she ‘did not become Prime Minister or a best-selling author’ he would be ‘very disappointed.’
The Chalk Man was inspired by a tub of chalks a friend bought for her daughter’s second birthday. One afternoon they drew chalk figures all over the driveway. Later that night she opened the back door to be confronted by weird stick men everywhere. In the dark, they looked incredibly sinister. She called to her partner: ‘These chalk men look really creepy in the dark . . .’
She is never knowingly over-dressed. She has never owned a handbag and the last time she wore heels (twelve years ago) she broke a tooth.
She loves The Killers, Foo Fighters and Frank Turner. Her favourite venue is Rock City.
Her favourite films are Ghostbusters and The Lost Boys. Her favourite authors are Stephen King, Michael Marshall and Harlan Coben.
She is SO glad she was a teenager in the eighties.
She firmly believes that there are no finer meals than takeaway pizza and champagne, or chips with curry sauce after a night out.
Everyone calls her Caz.
She left school at sixteen and has had a variety of jobs over the years, including trainee reporter, radio scriptwriter, shop assistant, ad agency copywriter and voiceover.
In the early nineties, she fell into a job as a television presenter for a show on Channel 4 called Moviewatch. Although a terrible presenter, she got to interview acting legends such as Sigourney Weaver, Michael Douglas, Emma Thompson and Robin Williams. She also annoyed Tim Robbins by asking a question about Susan Sarandon’s breasts and was extremely flattered when Robert Downey Junior showed her his chest.
While writing the Chalk Man she ran a dog-walking business, walking over twenty dogs a week as well as looking after her little girl.
She’s been writing since she was a child but only knuckled down to it properly in her thirties. Her English teacher once told her that if she ‘did not become Prime Minister or a best-selling author’ he would be ‘very disappointed.’
The Chalk Man was inspired by a tub of chalks a friend bought for her daughter’s second birthday. One afternoon they drew chalk figures all over the driveway. Later that night she opened the back door to be confronted by weird stick men everywhere. In the dark, they looked incredibly sinister. She called to her partner: ‘These chalk men look really creepy in the dark . . .’
She is never knowingly over-dressed. She has never owned a handbag and the last time she wore heels (twelve years ago) she broke a tooth.
She loves The Killers, Foo Fighters and Frank Turner. Her favourite venue is Rock City.
Her favourite films are Ghostbusters and The Lost Boys. Her favourite authors are Stephen King, Michael Marshall and Harlan Coben.
She is SO glad she was a teenager in the eighties.
She firmly believes that there are no finer meals than takeaway pizza and champagne, or chips with curry sauce after a night out.
Everyone calls her Caz.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
November 1, 2019
Well look what turned up in my inbox on Halloween - a short and creepy story from the author of The Chalk Man. It’s very short but manages to hit the spot for creep factor. Wouldn’t like to meet the guy in the restaurant - that’s all I’m saying!
October 23, 2020
Creepy and short little story. Good to read around Halloween!
October 22, 2020
The Man in the Box, a short story, by C.J. Tudor
For Halloween reading. Made me skip my lunch!
https://www.deadgoodbooks.co.uk/short...
For Halloween reading. Made me skip my lunch!
https://www.deadgoodbooks.co.uk/short...
October 24, 2020
Spine-tingling and eerie, a quick fright to boost your adrenaline!
October 22, 2020
2 ⭐️ Might be too generous for this short, short story.
October 22, 2020
A spooky little short story, perfect for Halloween!
August 28, 2022
Story 3.5 stars**
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator Richard Armitage
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator Richard Armitage
March 4, 2020
THE MAN IN THE BOX is a tale of ghoulish and downright bizarre deaths that won't take you but a minute to read. Do it!
C. J. Tudor - Well done short and creepy!
January 30, 2021
Whoopiee….🎉🎉🎉 One of the most anticipated releases of 2021 the BURNING GIRLS by none other than the author hailed as the resident scream queen, C J Tudor has just been published.
The review of Burning Girls will be posted in a couple of days as I am still playing catch up with my overloaded ARC pile, but this review is for all those readers out there who wanna give horror a try; but have no patience for the novel in its entirety or for a few others who have never tasted the spine-chilling thrillers by C J Tudor.
The Man in the Box is a short story that is utterly terrifying and nightmarish. A spooky thriller that has a Twilight Zone vibe and carries all the trademarks of a classic Tudor novel.
If you’re already a fan, I don’t have to tell u anything!
But if you are a first-time reader and want to experience goosebumps raising chills, go ahead and read it from the below given link:
https://www.deadgoodbooks.co.uk/short...
The review of Burning Girls will be posted in a couple of days as I am still playing catch up with my overloaded ARC pile, but this review is for all those readers out there who wanna give horror a try; but have no patience for the novel in its entirety or for a few others who have never tasted the spine-chilling thrillers by C J Tudor.
The Man in the Box is a short story that is utterly terrifying and nightmarish. A spooky thriller that has a Twilight Zone vibe and carries all the trademarks of a classic Tudor novel.
If you’re already a fan, I don’t have to tell u anything!
But if you are a first-time reader and want to experience goosebumps raising chills, go ahead and read it from the below given link:
https://www.deadgoodbooks.co.uk/short...
October 31, 2019
Perfect little creepy story for telling on Halloween. It reminded me of the sort of story you tell around a campfire on a school trip.
April 6, 2020
Three little gems were tacked on to the end of the audio version of C.J. Tudor's The Other. Each, respectively, epitomize what I think are the strongest characteristics of Tudor’s writing style: scary sick and twisted good storytelling, beautiful writing, and humor.
• The Lion at the Gate was so scary twisted and gruesome that it chilled me to the bone and was the most Tudor of the three (also the longest)
• The February House is a more subtle macabre but CJT's descriptive prose is otherworldly (out of context): “…that was when she noticed the gate, rusted iron, set back against the twisted branches of the hedge….her hair too, white and fine as mist, it made her teeth and nails look even more yellow….the air was alive with dust motes spinning in a gauze of light from the half-pulled curtains…the biscuit crumbled like damp dust in her mouth…..” - it is short and slides in under the radar towards the end both psycho and spooky
• THE MAN IN THE BOX was twisted in a funny 1960’s Rod-Serling-Twilight-Zonish kind of way (you have to smile as you watch the two dimensional characters behave exactly as expected).
I love short stories so I made a beeline straight for the stories. Now I have to brace myself to see if I have the constitution to read the book....my finger's are crossed.
(a version of this review is repeated in all three of the stories I reviewed)
• The Lion at the Gate was so scary twisted and gruesome that it chilled me to the bone and was the most Tudor of the three (also the longest)
• The February House is a more subtle macabre but CJT's descriptive prose is otherworldly (out of context): “…that was when she noticed the gate, rusted iron, set back against the twisted branches of the hedge….her hair too, white and fine as mist, it made her teeth and nails look even more yellow….the air was alive with dust motes spinning in a gauze of light from the half-pulled curtains…the biscuit crumbled like damp dust in her mouth…..” - it is short and slides in under the radar towards the end both psycho and spooky
• THE MAN IN THE BOX was twisted in a funny 1960’s Rod-Serling-Twilight-Zonish kind of way (you have to smile as you watch the two dimensional characters behave exactly as expected).
I love short stories so I made a beeline straight for the stories. Now I have to brace myself to see if I have the constitution to read the book....my finger's are crossed.
(a version of this review is repeated in all three of the stories I reviewed)
November 2, 2019
As short stories go this is - well - short! It's also brilliant, a beginning, a middle and a spooky ending in so few words!
January 9, 2023
A very short creepy story which punches above its weight from the author of The Chalk Man and The Burning Girls.
'The man was right. That’s just what he did as a child. Made himself as small as possible and pulled the duvet up over his head. Sometimes it got so stuffy he could barely breathe but he still stayed hidden… or the monsters might pounce.'
'The man was right. That’s just what he did as a child. Made himself as small as possible and pulled the duvet up over his head. Sometimes it got so stuffy he could barely breathe but he still stayed hidden… or the monsters might pounce.'
February 22, 2020
That last line really hits you in the gut.
Another reason not to talk to people in restaurants....or anywhere! (Hey, my fellow introverts, you know and understand....am I right...? .....Yes, I am!)
I really liked this too short horror story.
It sure would have made a "killer" full length horror novel. (⬆️⬆️⬆️ Ha, see what I did there...?)
September 20, 2021
“Did you hear about the man in the box?
Locked himself in a cellar, shut himself in a box the size of a coffin, latched it shut and lay there till he died.”
- Mike
Locked himself in a cellar, shut himself in a box the size of a coffin, latched it shut and lay there till he died.”
- Mike
February 3, 2021
Excellent and creepy short story.
November 13, 2019
This is just a fun little short story written by C.J. Tudor, which I read for free via Dead Good Books as a spooky treat for Halloween!
I can't even tell you the story here because it's so short I would be giving away the whole thing! It only took me about 5 minutes to read. It was a really good little diversion. It was spooky and creepy, short and sweet.
I can't even tell you the story here because it's so short I would be giving away the whole thing! It only took me about 5 minutes to read. It was a really good little diversion. It was spooky and creepy, short and sweet.
May 15, 2020
The Man in the Box by C.J. Tudor
3.5 stars
Whimsical Writing Scale: 4
Plotastic Scale: 3
3.5 stars
This has promise. It could've been really good. I think this may be one that I have to reread to appreciate a little bit more. It definitely feels reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, but it wasn't a very strong short story.
Whimsical Writing Scale: 4
Plotastic Scale: 3
October 31, 2019
Nice and creepy just in time for Halloween!
March 5, 2020
This book will give you the shivers!
Just a few minutes before you're spooked.
https://medium.com/@Eleuthan/the-man-...
Just a few minutes before you're spooked.
https://medium.com/@Eleuthan/the-man-...
Read
August 10, 2021Dù là truyện ngắn, nó cũng khó hiểu và kinh dị. Mình cảm thấy câu chuyện này có phần đáng sợ, nhưng ngắn quá thấy không đủ.⚰
October 23, 2020
4☆
short and spooky.
**thank you, Marilyn, for the link. :)**
short and spooky.
**thank you, Marilyn, for the link. :)**
July 2, 2020
Bonus stories included in the audio of The Other People which was such a pleasant surprise! C.J. Tudor should win an award for packing such a twisty punch into so few pages. And personally, I love when short stories are somewhat open to interpretation.
My ranking of the stories:
The Man in the Box: ★★★★★
The Lion at the Gate: ★★★★
The February House: ★★★
My ranking of the stories:
The Man in the Box: ★★★★★
The Lion at the Gate: ★★★★
The February House: ★★★
October 31, 2019
I was sent this by the publisher just in time for Halloween! It was a great short story and one that I think could definitely be expanded into something more..intriguing!
January 31, 2020
A very short ghost story.
January 27, 2020
Very clever and very very short
January 29, 2020
Creepy
February 16, 2020
So, so short, but it tells a creepy little story brilliantly.
October 23, 2020
Little treat at the end of “ The other people”
March 3, 2020
This is a very short and very well written story (and free, to boot - see the link in the details). My only problem is that it’s another one that ascribes essentially supernatural abilities to the hypnotist. I liked that I realized after finishing it that probably the antagonist was responsible for the first death too and that possibly what he gets off on is hearing people talk about his “work” at the same time he’s setting up his next murder.
Ms. Tudor might be able to make a novel out of this premise if she had an (undoubtedly flawed) hero/heroine with some sort of counteracting ability.
(By the way, this review/comment took WAY longer to write than the story did to read so that’s probably a good thing 😉👍.)
Ms. Tudor might be able to make a novel out of this premise if she had an (undoubtedly flawed) hero/heroine with some sort of counteracting ability.
(By the way, this review/comment took WAY longer to write than the story did to read so that’s probably a good thing 😉👍.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews