Chromophobia: A Strangehouse Anthology by Women in Horror

by Sara Tantlinger (Editor), Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito (Contributor), Jo Kaplan (Contributor)

“Extraordinary tales of terror that are as grim as they are delightful.” — Kirkus Reviews

“… clever, unsettling stories … push the boundaries of conventional horror.” — BookLife Reviews

The follow-up anthology to Strangehouse Books' Stoker-nominated NOT ALL MONSTERS, edited by Stoker Award-winning author and poet, Sara Tantlinger. CHROMOPHOBIA brings together the talents of twenty-five authors, newcomer and veteran writers alike, who explore the role of color in horror and deliver stories that use color in creative, unconventional, and unnerving ways. Featuring stories by: Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito; Jo Kaplan; Sonora Taylor; Ali Seay; Chelsea Pumpkins; Pippa Bailey; Jess Koch; G.G. Silverman; EV Knight; Kathryn E. McGee; Bindia Persaud; Jaye Wells; Lauren C. Teffeau; Geneve Flynn; Red Lagoe; KC Grifant; Christa Wojciechowski; Christine Makepeace; K.P. Kulski; Jacqueline West; Lillah Lawson; Tiffany Morris; J.B. Lamping; Jeanne E. Bush; Nu Yang.

Genres: Horror, Anthologies, Short Stories

267 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Sara Tantlinger is the author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning The Devil’s Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes, and the Stoker-nominated works To Be Devoured, Cradleland of Parasites, and Not All Monsters. Along with being a mentor for the HWA Mentorship Program, she is also a co-organizer for the HWA Pittsburgh Chapter. She embraces all things macabre and can be found lurking in graveyards, at saratantlinger.com and on Instagram @inkychaotics

Reviews

[Suz Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore the colorful theme of this anthology and the vibrant variety of the stories. My favorites include:

“Eat Your Colors” by Sonora Taylor: A woman’s new diet regimen yields colorful results.

“Nesting” by Ali Seay: A widow’s grief consumes her.

“Achromatica” by Pippa Bailey: An infectious creature leeches color from the world. I adored the garden gnome and wished it played a larger role in the story.

“The Copper Lady” by Jaye Wells: A surreal fairytale told via five frightening rules.

“Double Happiness” by Geneve Flynn: In order to inherit his father’s fortune, a man seeks a matchmaker’s help to find a bride.

“Tangerine Sky” by Red Lagoe: A cop is haunted by the need to punish human traffickers like the ones she suspects took her sister.

“The Color of Friendship” by KC Grifant: A weekend getaway reveals the flaws in decades old friendships.

“The Oasis” by Christa Wojciechowski: In an attempt to “live the dream,” a couple’s life takes a nightmarish turn.

“From These Cold Murky Depths” by K.P. Kulski: A macabre tale of an all-consuming love.

“Elegy” by Nu Yang: Death considers the colors of souls.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although Chromophobia is billed as a color-themed collection, it functions quite nicely as a icosikaipentagon of horror’s darkest corners illuminated by some of today’s brightest scribes. Each of dark fiction’s subgenres are represented within its array of twenty-five stories, so there is certainly a tale to please every horror lover, and the caliber of writing is consistently stellar.

In Jo Kaplan’s sinisterly psychedelic “Stygian Blue,” a... Read the full review on Ginger Nuts of Horror!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chromophobia is a horror anthology written entirely by women with a central theme of color. The talent in these authors is so vibrantly displayed and beautifully crafted that the horror within them is so enticing you don't see the dangers. There are so many different sub-genres within this book that there is something for every lover of horror.

Some of my favorites are:

- Eat Your Colors by Sonora Taylor- A story on the horrors of fad dieting and social media influencers.
- Gray Rock Method by Lauren C. Teffeau- A story on the dangers of detachment and taking on the traumas of others.
- Bluettes by Jacqueline West- A story of a woman returning to her childhood home to see her mother only to find the things you remember from the past are not always true.
- Five Stars by J.B. Lamping- A story about a foodie looking for the perfect dessert.
- Elegy by Nu Yang- A story of Death, being reborn, and revenge.

Rated up. My Rating is 4.5/5. There were two stories I skipped mainly based on the writing style.

[Genesee Rickel]

"Rainbow of the Macabre" Editors Introduction (Sara Tantlinger)
A moving, disturbing, and visceral collection of short stories that personify colors.
Quotes from the intro:
- "And isn't color such a clever way to deceive After all, despite the splendor found in nature, it hold terror, too.?"
- "How do we translate those specific tints onto the page? At tornightfire.com, Chelsea Davis has a few excellent articles focusing on color in horror storytelling, particularly on how written mediums have successfully incorporated the very visual aspects of color. Davis poses the question "What color is horror?" and mentions the often well-received "pulse-quickening reds of blood and demons, the sickly greens of alien beings and rotting flesh, the hostile whites of winter landscapes" along with great analysis of Gothic fiction and more. Her question got me thinking about how the authors within Chromophobia have answered it in their own ways..."
- "Sharing the experience of color will always be a little different person to person, but the wondrous and weird ways we can attempt to share an experience may inspire us along the way, for better or for worse, for beauty or for terror. That's exactly what the stories within Chromophobia accomplished for me as the editor."

8. "The Gray" by G. G. Silverman, 4 stars (local author) (bumped from 3 to 4 stars after still thinking about this stories days after reading it)
A small, remote, coastal town is plagued by eldritch mist every summer. It creeps in, capturing the bodies and souls of those left outside. Sometimes the bodies are returned, but everything that made them them is absent. Sadie, a young woman in this village, is alone caring for her father after he returned from the mist, her mother died, and her brother was taken. She debates if marriage and bringing children into this world is worth it. But are her choices really her own?

[Jesse Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short story collections can be tough to rate, especially when they feature a diverse author list rather than a single authors style. Some stories I loved, some stories were ok but didn’t connect with me, and then others were not for me at all. As such, there were more misses than hits in this collection for me. So I give this two stars. Some good stories in here by talented authors, but as a whole, not quite as spectacular as I’d hoped

[Dannon Caviness · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite stories were Burn the Witch (Red), 5 Stars, and Elegy.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stellar anthology. Absolutely brilliant.

So many favorites, but these really stood out:

Tangerine Sky by Red Lagoe - A cop paints to relieve the trauma resulting from her sister's childhood kidnapping. She's just taken down a human trafficking ring, and she processing everything in a very bloody way.

Elegy by Nu Yang - I liked this story about the angel of death and a murdered girl a lot better than I thought I would. There's some good bad guys getting comeuppance in this one.

Five Stars by J. B. Lamping - A predatory woman seeks men at different bars, luring them home for her wonderfully nefarious purposes and leaving online reviews for the "desserts" she gets at the different establishments.

Greetings from Sunny Daytona Beach by Christine Makepeace - Gooey body horror. A cheating girl friend is abandoned on a beach in Florida where she finds a strange idol in the sand. Gross in a good way.

Red Light/Green Light by E.V. Knight - A little girl becomes obsessed with astronomy and metereology after seeing giant sky spiders descending to earth during a lightning strike. And they're coming closer each time she sees them.

From These Cold Murky Deaths by K.P. Kulski - A mermaid invades a man's mind as she consumes him. Reminded me of the djinn episode of Supernatural. Bleak little twist at the end.

Bluettes by Jacqueline West - A young woman goes back to her mother's house for the first time since her abusive stepdad disappeared. She reminisces about a childhood friend she used to hide in the woods with. Happy ending.

The Color of Friendship by KC Grifant - Brianna's BFFs are backstabbing bitches, but Brianna herself is unpleasant and unhinged. Love reading stories of bad people being bad to each other.

The Oasis by Christa Wojciechowski - Speaking of unhinged women...

Golden our by Kathryn E. McGee - Liv's husband is dead. She and her best friend go to a selfie museum that promises a unique experience to each guest. More satisfying comeuppances.

Stygian Blue by Jo Kaplan - Trippy story of a teenage girl who dives into the river behind her house only to find that the river is a portal between a seemingly endless number of worlds. The existential fear here, the fear of never getting home, is scary to me in a way that ghosts, killer clowns, etc. aren't.

Sara Tantlinger has done a stellar job collecting these stories, and I had a wild, fun time with this anthology. All the recommendations!