It’s Hallowe’en and it’s time to get spooky! We love dark and unsettling stories here at Apparition Lit. Horror doesn’t need to be jump-scares and gore. It can be the build of anticipation…only for nothing to appear, a cold touch on the back of your neck, or loved one turned strange and distant.
We combed through our memory banks to find some great recommendations. Pour yourself a pumpkin beer, eat some candy corn, and tuck into these great stories:
How to Get Back to the Forest by Sofia Samatar (Published by Lightspeed)
Tacoma: This story has many layers, but at it’s core it’s a haunting camp tale. Words whispered from one group of kids to another. It’ll crawl under your skin and wait for it’s moment.
Don’t Look Now by Daphne DuMaurier
Clarke: Don’t Look Now isn’t straight up horror. It’s definitely dark/weird. It’s slow burn spooky. I love it.
Sing Me Your Scars by Damien Angelica Walters (Published by Apex)
Rebecca: It’s a dark Frankenstein-inspired story about how people lose themselves, little pieces at a time, in abusive relationships.
Favorite Ghosts by Bryce Emley (Published by Devilfish Review)
Amy: This is one of those slow creepers that pulls you in and turns some tables toward the end. This story has stuck me since I read it a couple of years back, because the characters and relationships are so strong and grounded, then they throw a ghost at you, along with some IRL terror.
Is there a novel or short story that made you leave the light on? Let us know!
Featured image by Tejas Prajapati
