This short story made me feel like a kid again. Growing up, I was a huge fan of AMAZING STORIES, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE, and THE TWILIGHT ZONE (both the old one and the updated version, as well as the movie).

McCammon's MAKEUP is a child's dream come true, even though it doesn't feature any children. Imagine coming across an old makeup bag that was once owned by an actor who was famous for his monster makeup, like Lon Chaney and so forth. Well, what if the makeup gave you the powers of those same monsters? Wanna be a vamp? Slather on some greasepaint. Wanna play Jack the Ripper? Paint yourself up for a night on the town. Wanna run around as the wolfman? Somebody get me a mirror! This story is just uber cool, and my only criticism is that it's way too short. I don't say this often, but I wish I'd thought of this. Man, I'm jealous!

My dumbass already owns this story though, as it's part of McCammon's collection BLUE WORLD (thanks for bringing that to my attention, Char), and I have that one on ebook. Just haven't read it yet. I think I bought it when all his books were $1.99 for a limited time... but I can't be sure. Anyway, even though I have this one, I'm not returning it. That's how much I liked it.

In summation: So, so, so much fun. Brought back some awesome memories of falling in love with Universal Monsters and my adoration for films like MONSTER SQUAD. Highest possible recommendation. ( )