Folk Horror Short Stories

by Paul Kane (Editor), Marie O'Regan (editor), Neil Gaiman

From the award-winning anthologists, a beautiful new book of short stories, designed as a perfect gift for readers of the supernatural, and a lifetime of reading pleasure.

A new anthology of Folk Horror stories, covering a wide range of mythologies and dark corners from around the world, revealing tales from the shadows of isolation, creepy forests and horrors rising from the land itself. Award-winning anthologists Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan have commissioned an outstanding selection of stories with contributions from authors including Neil Gaiman, John Connolly, Adam L.G. Nevill, Alison Littlewood and Jen Williams.

The Flame Tree Beyond and Within short story collections bring together tales of myth and imagination by modern and contemporary writers, carefully selected by anthologists, and sometimes featuring short stories from a single author. Overall, the series presents a wide range of diverse and inclusive voices with myth, folkloric-inflected short fiction, and an emphasis on the supernatural, science fiction, the mysterious and the speculative. The books themselves are gorgeous, with foiled covers, printed edges and published only in hardcover editions, offering a lifetime of reading pleasure.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Gothic, Folklore

416 pages, Hardcover

Published August 27, 2024

About the author

Paul Kane has been writing professionally for almost fifteen years. His genre journalism has appeared in such magazines as Fangoria, SFX and Rue Morgue, and his non-fiction books are the critically acclaimed The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy and Voices in the Dark. His award-winning short fiction has appeared in magazines and anthologies on both sides of the Atlantic (as well as being broadcast on BBC Radio 2), and has been collected in Alone (In the Dark), Touching the Flame, FunnyBones, Peripheral Visions, Shadow Writer, The Butterfly Man and Other Stories, The Spaces Between and GHOSTS. His novella Signs of Life reached the shortlist of the British Fantasy Awards 2006, The Lazarus Condition was introduced by Mick Garris - creator of Masters of Horror - RED featured artwork from Dave (The Graveyard Book) McKean and Pain Cages was introduced by Stephen Volk (The Awakening).

As Special Publications Editor of the British Fantasy Society he worked with authors like Brian Aldiss, Ramsey Campbell, Muriel Gray and Robert Silverberg, he is the co-editor of Hellbound Hearts for Pocket Books (Simon and Schuster), an anthology of original stories inspired by Clive Barker's mythos - featuring contributions from the likes of Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola, Kelley Armstrong and Richard Christian Matheson - The Mammoth Book of Body Horror (Constable & Robinson) - featuring Stephen King, James Herbert and Robert Bloch - and the Poe-inspired Beyond Rue Morgue (for Titan).

In 2008 his zombie story 'Dead Time' was turned into an episode of the Lionsgate/NBC TV series Fear Itself, adapted by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) and directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (SAW II-IV). He also scripted The Opportunity which premiered at Cannes in 2009, The Weeping Woman - starring Fright Night's Stephen Jeffreys - and Wind Chimes (directed by Brad '7th Dimension' Watson. He is the author of the novels Of Darkness and Light, The Gemini Factor and the bestselling Arrowhead trilogy (Arrowhead, Broken Arrow and Arrowland), a post-apocalyptic reworking of the Robin Hood mythology gathered together as the sell-out Hooded Man omnibus. His latest novels are Lunar (which is set to be turned into a feature film) and the short Y.A. book The Rainbow Man (as P.B. Kane). He currently lives in Derbyshire, UK, with his wife - the author Marie O'Regan - his family, and a black cat called Mina. You can find out more at his website www.shadow-writer.co.uk which has featured Guest Writers such as Neil Gaiman, Charlaine Harris, Dean Koontz, John Connolly and Guillermo del Toro.

Reviews

[Margo Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Tell people this is what happens to evil men," I say. "That the ghost of the banana trees will come for them."
Pontianak: An Origin Story by Christina Sng, p.397

Several excellent short stories in this collection, favourites included 'Summer Bonus' by Lee Murray (which had a 1990s teen horror movie vibe), the beautifully written 'The Finest Creation of an Artful God' by B. Zenovich, and 'The Original Occupant' by Adam L.G. Nevill. Like the Achilles anthology from Flame Tree Publishing, this is a glitzy hardback, that feels designed as a gift book, with ribbons, gold foil, spredges & an eerie illustration of a skeleton as the frontispiece.

[Rebecca Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful anthology of 15 folk horror short stories and two poems. I rationed out a story each day, enjoying a story with my morning cup of tea! Each story was around 20 pages, so the perfect length to read in that time. There was a good variety to stories and they were set all around the world. Including some well known authors such as Neil Gaiman, John Connolly and Adam Nevill. The book is beautifully presented with foil finished cover, matching stenciled edges and end papers, and ribbon bookmarks. My only criticism is that I would have liked more illustrations, I think an illustration for each story would have been lovely.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
As usual with a collection of short stories, some are more to my taste than others. This book has the whole range, from stories that I absolutely loved, some that were good, to others that were very meh.
Stand out stories were
Rabbitheart by Jen Williams 5⭐️
The Great White by Benjamin Spada 4.5⭐️

I'm going to go with a 3.5⭐️ rating overall as there were more OK and meh stories than great ones.
The cover is a definite 5⭐️ though.

[Jo_Scho_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exquisite collection of horror tales. Fifteen unique short stories & two poems, all set within the folk horror genre. Think creepy countrysides, abandoned churches, eerie islands and you’ll get the gist. Each stories is relatively short so it’s the perfect book to dip in and out of, because trust me, this is one to savour. I’ve kept it on my bedside table and treated myself to one or two a night.

There are some real crackers within these pages, my particular favourites were The Well, Summer Bonus and The Grim, but most of the rest were all pretty good too. The stories span continents; you’ll travel from Europe to Asia and back again.

As the evenings darken and the winds howl, this is just the accompaniment you need. I should add that the Flametree Press Beyond & Within series comes in the most stunning small hardback design, with embossed covers, beautiful sprayed edges and even ribbon bookmarks.

The perfect gift!

[Chris Foley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the short stories, loved the gay pig man and the rap battling horse, did find it weird when they fucked an aztec god and the physical embodiment of nature but all in all not bad

[Christopher Keiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some wonderful new short stories in this anthology, a nice spectrum of modern folk horror.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun collection of spooky stories mainly involving nature. Large collection of authors - some of which I do not wish to read more of while some I would love to read again.

[Ash D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my first dives into folk horror explicitly and it was fun!

A whirlwind review of the different tales.

The White Road, Neil Gaiman
I am a fan of Gaiman's work but I was not a fan of this. I think it's mostly because of the format, something between a short story and a poem. I found it difficult to parse and understand so I never really got invested.

The Well, John Connoly
This seemed to have promised but never really got past being a basic cursed archaeological site story.

Rabbitheart, Jen Williams
One of the best stories in the book. Such a simple setting being encroached on by a terrifying and strange otherness.

The Original Occupant, Adam L.G. Nevill
Man vs. wild in a remote Swedish forest. Spoiler, man loses.
The format of this story, a retelling from someone else, was interesting. It works well to build up a lot of hype but I don't know if we got a proper fulfilment of it. And being a retelling, we also have some inkling of how it ends (i.e. not good for the person the story is about, probably fine for the person telling the story).

Summer Bonus, Lee Murray
I did not see the twist in this coming. Not so much the request made of Kate, but how she chose to deal with it. It felt a little abrupt and unbelievable which lowers this story down in the ranking.

The Druid Stone, Katie Young
Along with Rabbitheart, another of my favourites.
I really like the characterisation of our protagonist. Someone with the kind of limited knowledge of the natural world that comes from interactions with it and a desire to better connect with it, without heavy, continuous exposure. You know just enough to be believable, relatable. And on top of that, the weariness with the 'artificial', 'civilized' world. I think that this is a pervasive feeling among many people today and many would have chosen to do exactly what the protagonist ends up doing.

Blessed Mary, Stephen Volk
Waiting for the A24 adaptation.

The Great White, Benjamin Spada
Wendigo, yay! I wish there was more of a horror, stalker element to this rather than "It's here! Shoot it till it dies!" but still a decent read, especially with the initial setup and history setting.

The Marsh Widow's Bargain, H. R. Laurence
Another weird setting, in a good way. We get a small glimpse into a world that I want to see more stories in. There are forces you don't want to mess with, and then there are forces you REALLY don't want to mess with.

Good Boy, Alison Littlewood
I'm sure that there's a deeper meaning to this story about loss or grief and how we cope with it but I'm happy to get good boy Gary. Wish I could give him some scritches and rubs.

The Finest Creation of an Artful God, B. Zelkovich
Theo got a good deal. If we could only all be so lucky to have an end so beautiful and sublime.

The Third Curse, Helen Grant
An interesting take on the more traditional 'fairy circle' type tale. Don't go in, you'll lose more than you think, time will pass you in strange and unexpected ways. But here we actually explore this lost time in a more pragmatic, and scarier fashion.

The Lights Under Rachel, Kathryn Healy
I think some of the setup was uninteresting to me and it didn't necessarily gel well with where this story ended up going. With that being said, I still really enjoyed this because I think it's one of the few stories I've come across that touches on cosmic bliss.

Pilgrimage of the Hummingbird, V. Castro
It's nice to get a a story outside of a Western context and the Aztec culture is one I don't know much about so it's always fun learning more. While most of the stories in this book focus on an older setting, or the present and its clashes with the past, I like the fresh take in here of going so far into the future where societal collapse forces a return to the old ways. If we can't find a modern solution to our modern problems, perhaps we will be forced into a darker age with darker forces to contend with.

The Grim, Cavan Scott
One of my least favourite stories in this collection. Too much family drama, Grim take them all.

Pontianak: An Origin Story, Christina Sng
Once again, speaking of non-Western contexts, we have another gem. This one was especially close to heart because of the Malaysian/Southeast-Asian heritage. Growing up in Malaysia, we had heard many tales of the pontianak but they were always painted in a bad light, without much of an explanation as to why they do what they do, just a force to be afraid of and avoid. I really enjoy the reclaiming Sng does in this story. Rooting for pontianaks moving forward.

Ghost Land of Giants, Linda D. Addison
Poetry style, not my cuppa.

So that's my impression of the different stories. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking to scratch a folk horror itch.
Oh! And it's a beautiful book as well.

[Carson Buckingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Jason Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pretty delightful anthology of folk, and folk adjacent, horror.an eclectic mix of authors, with tales leaning into “Midsommar” and “The Wicker Man” territory, others edging into the realm of Lovecraft, several focusing on pagan rituals, some set in the world of malicious faerie folk, and others in all manner of folklore, I found that I enjoyed the majority of these stories, which I often find isn’t true when it comes to anthologies. But, what I enjoyed the most, is that I found that in most of these stories the characterization was central to the story, with horror a close second. Christina Sng’s “Pontianak: An Origin Story” was especially haunting…and truly horrific.

[Ben Unsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Complete with beautiful cover, the anthology isn’t afraid to transplant you from the cosier realms of reality to its darker, untamed regions, and from the first moment you’ll wonder the kind of Pandora’s box you have opened…"

My full review can be found on the GNoH website, but suffice to say it's an excellent read and you'd be a fool to miss it: https://gnofhorror.com/folk-horror-sh...

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of some creepy folk tales. A few of them were outstanding, many others entertaining, and a few were not for me. Overall, I think it's worth a read if you like or are interested in the genre. The creep factor ranges from slight to fairly significant, depending on the story. In my opinion, none of them were extremely graphic, which is a nice change of pace from much of the modern horror genre.

[Jet · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read!
The stories the editors chose are incredibly good. I was gaping, gasping, giggling, sighing and enjoying all the time! The creatures presented are both beautifully and horrifically magical from the beginning to the end.
Really, an incredible reading if you like horror/suspense short stories.

[Preston Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories were amazing. As soon as it said the dog was black furred, huge, smelled of sulfur, and had red eyes, I thought "Oh. The story is about a hellhound." Overall, a great short story book full of intrigue and unique culture. Would recommend. Just don't be scared of what bumps in the night, much like the creatures in the book...

[Ian Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must for fans of folk horror. Some authors I know well and some are new to me but there isn't a single weak story in this collection. But I do have a favourite.... summer bonus by Lee Murray.

[Jake Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am biased, but I really love this dark investigation into forest lore and supernatural dread.

[Sara Tantlinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled a bit with this one. I love folk horror, but a lot of the stories were just a little dry and slow, so I had trouble getting into it -- I think the anthology is edited well, and it will likely resonate stronger with other readers, so it's worth checking out!

There are some real gems. Jen Williams' "Rabbitheart" was incredible, and it's earlier in the anthology, so it set the bar pretty high. It is strange, beautifully written, and so wonderfully unsettling. I thought about that story throughout the whole anthology, waiting for something to match its vibe. I also really enjoyed V. Castro's "Pilgrimage of the Hummingbird", Linda Addison's poem "Ghost Land of Giants", and "The Lights Under Rachel" by Kathryn Healy.