Folk Horror
Paul Kane & Marie O’Regan, eds.
Flame Tree Publishing (August 27, 2024), 401 pgs.
Reviewed by Carson Buckingham
Folk Horror is a marvelous anthology based around, you guessed it, folklore. The main contributors are our friends across the pond, and due to that, much of the folklore was unfamiliar to me…which was great. I just love learning about horrifying new (to me) legends.
Here’s what you get:
“The White Road” by Neil Gaiman. A horrific event is disguised and recounted as a dream, with an appalling ending.
“The Well” by John Connolly. The story of an archaeological dig to unearth relics of the Familists—an old sect that worshipped the Green Man. The area townspeople were so opposed to the disturbance of the site that the archaeologists were refused accommodations in town and so were forced to camp at the site, at which they unearthed an ancient, covered well…along with something else. Well, the townspeople did try to warn them…
“Rabbitheart” by Jen Williams. A poor young farm girl goes out to check her rabbit snare, and there’s something in it…something other masquerading and something familiar, but very, very dangerous.
“The Original Occupant” by Adam L. G. Nevill. One of three friends decides to spend a year in sub-arctic Sweden to get away from everything to get in touch with himself. But when autumn rolls around, he discovers that there is a compelling reason why everyone else in the area leaves before September arrives.
“Summer Bonus” by Lee Murray. Katie, a dilettante young woman, travels to New Zealand with another girl to work for three months on a farm there. Her friend was supposed to go, but couldn’t, so she asked Katie to step in, which she was only too glad to do—a new adventure—why not? She meets another girl on the plane, traveling to the same place for the same reason. When they arrive, everything initially seems idyllic. Only ½ day of work is expected from them, and a great beach to hang out at in their downtime. Only as the days go on, things become darker and center around a blowhole in a nearby rock outcropping. It seems that there were several things her friend neglected to tell her about this summer job.
“The Druid Stone” by Katie Young. A young woman revisits a forest of her youth and discovers that you really can go home again…but at quite a cost.
“Blessed Mary” by Stephen Volk. A pregnant couple inherits a house in a Welsh town after the wife’s mother dies. Local legend has it that a Grey Mare was forced out of the stable to make room for Jesus, and so wandered and finally had its foal all alone in the desert. And that Grey Mare has a very long memory when it comes to pregnant Christians…
“The Great White” by Benjamin Spada. There is something in the woods that kills every 10 years, and has been doing so since 1847. Two friends go in search. A fast-paced, wild ride of a story, and it features one of my favorite legends.
“The Marsh Widow’s Bargain” by H. R. Laurence. A widow takes on a Corpse-Witch and the Leopard of the Water to protect the body of her dead son.
“Good Boy” by Alison Littlewood. This story deals with the Black Dog or Padfoot legend and the man who adopts it as a pet.
“The Finest Creation of an Artful God” by B. Zelkovich. A forest spirit visits a lonely rancher for one unforgettable night.
“The Third Curse” by Helen Grant. The MacNeill family men have interactions with the wee folk with horrible results.
“The Lights Under Rachel” by Kathryn Healy. An odd wedding on an even odder island. Members of a cult marry off one of their own to something in the water.
“Pilgrimage of the Hummingbird” by V. Castro. A dystopian story of a peaceful settlement, a blue hummingbird god, and an unorthodox Solstice feast with outsiders.
“The Grim” by Cavan Scott. A newly dry alcoholic, his two children, and his sister get rained out of a camping trip and seek shelter in an old church. When ‘The Watchman’ shows up, they wish they were still lost in the woods.
“Pontianak: An Origin Story” by Christine Sng. Here we have a Malay/Indonesian piece of folklore that has become a new favorite of mine. A whole new take on a very old trope—you’ll love it. A story of a wealthy old man who created the Pontianak through his cruelty, and paid the price.
“Ghost Land of Giants” by Linda D. Addison. A poem that put me in mind of the Morlocks and the Eloi from H. G. Wells’ Time Machine.
My favorites were “Summer Bonus”, “Blessed Mary”, “The Great White”, The Finest Creation of an Artful God”, “The Grim”, and “Pontianak: An Origin Story.” I also liked “Good Boy”, “Rabbitheart”, and “The Original Occupant”.
In short, this was an excellent anthology filled with wonders and horrors that you will enjoy reading. The book is gorgeous, with a foil cover and fore-edge painting to match. A classy Christmas gift that you should buy for those folklore aficionados on your list—and for yourself, too!
5 out of 5 stars!
