Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week …
Arriving 21 June from Grey Matter Press and writer Matthew R. Davis, The Dark Matter of Natasha
Natasha stalks the quiet streets of dead-end Lunar Bay like doom in a denim jacket. She’s a grim reminder that some teenagers can never escape the ever-tightening noose of their lives. Burned out and benumbed by a traumatic past, dogged by scurrilous small-town gossip, she finds solace in drugs, sex and Slayer. What horrors have her flat eyes witnessed? And how far will she go in pursuit of the one tiny spark of hope that still flickers in her haunted heart? When a naïve transplant crosses her path, he’s drawn into shadow and doubt. With his girlfriend ghosting him, Natasha’s fresh introduction to her half-lit world is darkly appealing. Now faced with confusing quandaries—connection or convenience, relationship or exploitation—can he help any of the women in his life? Or is he just helping himself? The untold tragedies of Natasha’s lonely life may be more than he can handle. And in a town whose history is littered with dead girls, there may be no happy ending for anyone. A tar-black coming of age story, this gritty psychological thriller from Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author Matthew R. Davis, eloquently chronicles the crushing gravity of small-town hopelessness, the double-edged catharsis of sex, drugs, and heavy metal, and the brutal weight of youth’s first lessons in accountability. Available at a 30% discount for pre-orders on the Grey Matter Press store, you can guarantee your copy here.
In the follow-up to his acclaimed England’s Screaming, Sean Hogan acts as your guide through the liminal spaces of North American horror, down Nightmare Alleys and across High Plains, following the Lost Highway all the way to the Bates Motel. At once fiction and criticism, Twilight’s Last Screaming masterfully examines how our experience of cinema takes on an imaginative life of its own. It deconstructs and reassembles genre film into unfamiliar but recognisable shapes, mapping the history of the American horror movie and, ultimately, the dark heart of America itself. To guarantee your copy now in hardback format, check out the Black Shuck Books pre-order page, here.
Child psychiatrist Hannah Cohen thought she could handle difficult cases. But medical school never prepared her for Elena. Nor the demon that’s possessing her. Hannah finds a way to rid Elena of her demon, but not without a price. Years later, Hannah has grown comfortable exorcising the demons of her patients. Until she meets Lucas. Whatever is inside of Lucas is far more powerful than anything she has faced. The denizens of Hell are angry with Hannah. And they sent one of their leaders to destroy her. Available now in paperback and eBook formats, you can guarantee your copy here.
Lonely and bullied at school, all twelve-year-old Daniel wants is a girlfriend. The mysterious girl at his local park seems like the perfect candidate. But when a jogger goes missing, Daniel discovers Gabriella’s secret: she’s a killer. One with a very unusual diet. Lovestruck with a girl who can help him finally stand up to his bullies, Daniel has everything he’s always wanted. Can he really give it all up and turn Gabriella in? And does she love him enough to let him? The Devil’s Gift is the thrilling debut novella by London-based horror writer Joshua Robinson. Available for pre-order in paperback and eBook formats, you can guarantee your copy here.
KEV HARRISON