Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Horror.
Spiral Review
When Hollywood catches lightning in a bottle they will fly that kite until it shatters and melted down to be recycled. That can be the case for the latest installment of the Saw franchise which can be considered a spinoff or completely new saga. Traditional the overall themes have been pretty consistent and straight forward. Usually there are a group of unethical individuals who awaken to a serial killer's (Jigsaw) game of traps. We know the drill, Jigsaw gives the victims the rundown of why he selected them to be players in his twisted games but ultimately he leaves it up to them to make the decisions necessary for them to stay alive of suffer a brutal death.
By Ace Howell5 years ago in Horror
Why I no longer take in packages for my neighbours
I’m lucky, I guess. I inherited my parents’ farmhouse in the British northern countryside after they decided life would be better spent in the south of France. It was bittersweet at the time, I was super excited to be living on my own, a full home all to myself with zero effort. Buuut I was 18, just out of sixth form, no job no real way to maintain the house. I knew it was going to be hard but the thought of getting an actual job straight out of school was still pretty crap. I was hoping id get a few years draining the parents dry before I had to be a big girl. That’s when I met Todd. Todd lived in the next house over from me, which was surprising as I hadn’t actually noticed anyone move in.
By Clelia l portsmouth5 years ago in Horror
3:14 AM
Days later, I will remember this was the night I first peered inside the SUV, the flashing blue lights. --- My sleep patterns are not nearly as satisfying as they once were. I used to adore my sleep. Now, it seems the fairy has grown stingy with her sand. I sleep only fitfully, sporadically. Usually, I wake in the middle of the night.
By Shawn Ingram5 years ago in Horror
Locked In The Heart
This city, my home, has become a silhouette full of worn relics and ashes that I can only observe mournfully. Eerily the roaming silence fills the city's spaces creating this atmospheric tranquility. In truth, the world had ended within the human psyche long before it rightfully ended; the police militia became its ominous archetype. In my youth, my mother was driven dumb and aggressive from a police militia drug raid. Their beatings only sealed her troubled fate. Her worsening behavior encouraged me to escape to the streets, as a child. To this day, I never really knew if the criminal allegations were true, or just speculation. The police militia survivors fled to the country where their fates remained unknown to me. I remained because this city, as harmful as it was, was my home and would always remain my home.
By Meredith Lawless5 years ago in Horror
Adelaide
In 2020, humanity was struck hard with a pandemic. A very contagious and deadly upper respiratory virus claimed the lives of 3.4 million people worldwide that year. We were not ready for something so devastating and what was worse, we had no idea how to fight this virus. Despite the number of bodies that continued to stack up each day, officials stuck with the promise that things were under control and that life before the virus would resume in time. Vaccines were being rapidly developed and distributed worldwide. As people complied with receiving the vaccines and following health guidelines, it seemed that the fatalities from the virus had stabilized. Simultaneously as the virus ravaged our world, riots between civilians and law enforcement over human rights were constantly erupting through the cities across the nation, taking a violent turn as buildings were set on fire in every city. Business fronts were destroyed, and cars were overturned. More people fighting in the streets resulted in even more deaths. What we were not told is that the bodies that sat in the hospitals, funeral homes and mass graves waiting to be returned to their families for proper goodbyes, began to rise once again. This was held from public knowledge by officials across the world until it was too late. Military units had been ordered to move to the streets to try to contain the uprising of the undead but were unsuccessful. Many brave civilians joined at the front lines to try to fight them off, while others scrambled to make attempts of loading up their cars and evacuating. With millions of people trying to escape and nowhere to escape to, families ended up abandoning their cars and belongings to try their luck on foot. Life as we knew it was for sure over and within a month of the dead beginning to rise, millions of people were torn apart and devoured by the hoards, leading us to damn near extinction. The metropolises that were once booming and full of life and determination, now left to ruins. Windows and doors of every building shattered and looted. Broken down and abandoned cars blocked the streets. Scavengers picked off the flesh of corpses that lay scattered on the roads. Hoards of the undead continue to roam in search of the next unlucky soul to run into them. For those that have survived to this point, day to day is all about scavenging for food and resources and fighting off the undead as they wander about. One valuable thing that us survivors have learned is that the most effective way at killing the undead is a direct head shot. Day to day I find myself constantly reminiscing about life before all this.
By Alexander Silva5 years ago in Horror
A Filmmaker's Review: "Saint Maud" (2019)
I have seen a lot of these folk horror films in my short time. One of my favourite films ever is the original version of “The Wicker Man” purely because it is such a fun movie. It is something different and the way in which this sub-genre offers this almost fairytale-like and old world horror to us is still frightening yes, but it also makes us feel slightly more frightened because of the belief systems and behaviours being so far removed from our own that we could not possibly imagine them existing in the modern day. Lexicons are filled with cultish dialogue, beliefs and hierarchies rule the character structures and even the way in which death is viewed is something that seems to lack reason and logic, but is believed by a mass of small people who are succumbing to something fairly unusual. Folk horror, we have to see, is making a massive comeback after the films of Ari Aster got so big from their amazing watchability. The film “Midsummer” especially, is a film I personally love to watch time and time again because of its sheer depth and analysis into the cultish behaviour of mass crowds. We can tell that when it comes to folk horror, as it is a reality we are removed from, a lot of research and work needs to go into making sure that it sends the correct message to the audience. “Saint Maud” is a film that does that - but only most of the time. I feel like there was so much more that could be done, especially regarding the fact that the film itself is only about an hour and a half long.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Horror
Dying Light
I rub my eyes to get the sleep out. The air is smokey around me and I can see tiny dust particles from the small stream of light coming through the crack in the wall. Everything is boarded up to keep them out. And that is how it will have to stay. Darkness has become my friend.
By The designer hippy 5 years ago in Horror
Scary Stories to Tell at Your Haunt
I am an educator in real life. For nearly a decade I've taught young people the fine art of finding their passion through career assessments and goal setting. Then I've taught them how to make it happen through job searching skills, networking and interviewing strategies.
By Jessica Conaway5 years ago in Horror
The Hallow Nightmare
The Henry family moved out of their upper class home in Houston to a cheaper one miles south because their dog had been hit by a car. Patriarch Leland heard his oldest daughter’s cries that he was finally happy until the day that he died when referencing the family pet. Several months later in their new home which was supposed to be a fresh start, his youngest daughter would wake up in a hospital screaming the same thing about them. We were finally happy.
By Tate Layne5 years ago in Horror
4 Ways to Write Kickass Horror
Anyone and everyone who knows me, knows I absolutely love horror. As a writer, one of my primary goals is to persuade others into pursuing their desire to write. The common misconception about writing is that you have to have a strong command of the English language. While this is true (and believe me, people, don't skimp on the grammar), writing a good story is just as important. One of the main things I am asked as an author is "how do you come up with your stories?"
By Cory DeAn Cowley5 years ago in Horror
