This Is Horror

News Round-up Week Ending 16 February 2024

Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week …

Coming 1 March from author Steve Stred and Black Void Publishing, The Stone Door

There once was a town with a secret. Things were great there, and life was splendid. That was, until the day a grandfather broke the rules and shared that secret with his grandson.

That secret — that window in the ground — hidden on the outskirts, had remained sealed for a reason. And once the window was open, the secret could no longer be contained.

But what if there was a way to stop what threatened to escape? What if there was more to that secret?

For up a strange path, beyond a clearing and through the trees, exists a mysterious door. And through this door lies everything … and more. Available for pre-order now in eBook, with physical editions to follow, you can guarantee your copy here.


Available now from writer Catherine Cavendish and Flame Tree Press, Those Who Dwell in Mordenhyrst Hall

Evil runs deep at Mordenhyrst Hall…
When Grace first sets eyes on the imposing Gothic Mordenhyrst Hall, she is struck with an overwhelming sense that something doesn’t want her there. Her fiancé’s sister heads a coterie of Bright Young Things whose frivolous lives hide a sinister intent. Simon, Grace’s fiancé, is not the man she fell in love with, and the local villagers eye her with suspicion that borders on malevolence.
Her friend, Coralie, possesses the ability to communicate with powerful spirits. She convinces Grace of her own paranormal gifts – gifts Grace will need to draw deeply on as the secrets of Mordenhyrst Hall begin to unravel. Available now in eBook and paperback, you can grab your copy here.


Arriving 5 March from author Sonora Taylor and Cemetery Gates Media, Recreational Panic: Stories

Fear is so much a part of our lives that instead of running away from it, we’re finding ways to relax with it. Could it be through a true crime obsession that leads to stalking, or a camp song sung with murderous intent? Maybe it’s better suited in an unwieldy email chain, or making crafts with materials dug from the grave. It could even be as simple as petting a kitten—whether it’s truly a kitten remains far from simple.
Recreational Panic features twenty-one short stories, poems, and a guided meditation from Sonora Taylor. Sit back, relax, and feel your heartbeat quicken—it’s time to panic! Available for pre-order now in eBook, with physical editions to follow, you can guarantee your copy here.


Available 23 February from authors Ronald Kelly, Laurel Hightower and Red Lagoe, and Crystal Lake Publishing’s Dark Tide series, The Devil’s Backbone: Appalachian Horror

Join three of horror’s finest storytellers on a journey through three novellas set in the dark heart of Appalachia … In ‘Afoot in the Netherwild’ by Ronald Kelly, follow Bowden Ayres as he journeys into a place called the Netherwild in search of his missing children.  In Laurel Hightower’s ‘Spirit Coven,’ a coven of witches who have lived peacefully alongside the citizens of Arnett find their way of life under threat when too many townsfolk end up missing or dead. In ‘The Gatherer’ by Red Lagoe, after Martin’s brother leaves for Vietnam, he watches on as more of the Gray Hollow’s population are summoned in by the dark waters of The Devil’s Bathtub. Available for pre-order now in eBook, with a paperback edition to follow, you can guarantee your copy here.


KEV HARRISON