It's the most wonderful time of the year! To help all you spooky legends get into the Halloween spirit (see what I did there) here are five of the best creepy stories I've read this year ...
Teariest Horror
Linghun, Ai Jiang
"On my way back to bed, I sometimes see Dad asleep on the floor, his body slumped against the wall beside my brother's door. Sometimes his sleep apnea causes him to jolt awake, but he quickly settles back in. And sometimes, his hand creeps sub-consciously toward the small crack beneath the door, reaching for something that hasn't yet returned."
Wenqui ought to be grateful her bereaved family has secured one of the coveted houses in the small neighbourhood of HOME - with it comes the chance that the treasured bric-a-brac of her brother's life might lure him back from death. Only, seeing him again seems to be all her parents want, all that they are capable of wanting. While what Wenqui longs for is the life they have forced her to abandon.
We are starting you off with a real treat this year. Ai Jiang writes with tenderness for the terrible things that grief can twist people into doing, and the hollowness of the loss of love. But don't let that softness fool you into getting comfortable: this book packs a mean emotional punch.
Most Horrified Spittake
Jōren Falls, Laird Barron
In Not A Speck Of Light
“He inhaled and listened to the house. Those decades in the city had conditioned him to neon and fluorescent rays, the low rumble of endless traffic. Nighttime here stole in on black wings and a breathless hush. Yips of hungry coyotes broke that stillness, as did the chorusing frogs. The small noises of animals merely emphasized that humans were visitors, lingering tourists. He felt nature pressing against the sides of the house, felt her in the chill draft under the doors and window sills. A hunter searching for the weak point. An egg on the cusp of hatching?”
Larry and Vonda's retirement to a country farmhouse seems, at least on the surface, to be every bit as perfect as they had hoped. Except for an unintended souvenir lurking amidst the cobwebs and boxes of their attic.
Laird Barron pulls no punches with his much-anticipated return to shortform horror. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll only say that on reaching the ending of this story I did the most horrified spittake of my life and sprayed the cat with coffee.
Most Atmospheric Detective Horror
Silver Nitrate, Silvia Moreno-Garcia
“Light streamed through a frosted glass window, and the mirrors above the sinks reflected tiles, peeling walls, the bathroom stalls. The ordinary sights one would expect.
But on the mirror closest to the window, she saw a shadow that had the curious shape of a man. Just a shadow that gave the impression of someone in a trench coat, standing in profile. It could have been a trick of the light, an object reflected across the bathroom. Except then the shadow shifted, a silver spark rippling across the glass, reminiscent of a flash frame.”
Childhood friends sound editor Montserrat and actor Tristán's love of classic film lands them in hot water when they get caught up with a fascist cinematic curse that has been waiting decades to be fulfilled.
Sometimes all you want is the excitement and comfort of a good old fashioned horror mystery, with generous lashings of film history and the occult. Silver Nitrate unfolds at the perfect pace and delivers in spades.
Juiciest Sociopolitical Commentary Horror
The Meat Just Falls From The Bone, Michael Sellars
“I should stop calling it a thing, though, shouldn't I? Because there's that little scrap of pink fabric embedded in the still-smouldering flesh of its one remaining arm, just below the shoulder.”
Michael Sellars effortlessly turns a high class dinner party into a grotesquerie, with an unexpected guest at the table, that will remain burned into your brain the next time you try to compliment your host on their wine selection. And can we talk about that cover design? It's an accurate representation of how you will feel after reading this.
Most Fun Horror
Clown Shower, Caleb Bethea
In Found 2: More Stories of Found Footage Horror, ed. Gabino Iglesias and Andrew Cull
“Have you ever rinsed off in the clown shower?
Before I was saved, I used to go to the warehouse and hav ea little bit too much fun. We brought our drinks and our smokes and we'd party in the clown shower. It was foolish. I wouldn't do it again. The way those big plexiglass eyes watch you.”
Most Fun Horror is always my personal favourite category and Caleb Bethea has created the most amazing story around the simplest premise: a person going around their small town asking everyone that same question: Have you ever rinsed off in the clown shower? The menace of the clown shower [yes it is a literal clown shower] and the hold it has over the town is gradually unveiled through neat vignettes.
Those are my top five for this year! I hope I've convinced you to read some of them (or ALL of them) and Happy Halloween!
BP Gregory is the author of five very scary novels including Flora & Jim, about a father who will do terrible things to keep his daughter alive in a frozen apocalypse; and outback horror The Town, about a mysterious burning town and the people who vanish seeking it.
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