Tag: horror

  • Gyo by Junji Ito

    This one goes from kind of hilarious to utterly bizarre and horrifying, in a way that’s strange even by Ito’s standards. I loved it. Also loved this:

  • Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi

    An orphanage in the early 1900’s in Pennsylvania. It’s a pretty good twist on the standard demonic possession story. I couldn’t put it down.  It’s fun and fast. Will I remember it in a month? Probably not well, but that’s not the point. It was moody, effective, and full of dread. Fracassi does a great…

  • Soichi by Junji Ito

    Not great! I’m not big on the character of Soichi, and the big ideas in this book aren’t that interesting. The last story is pretty good. My kid liked this one a whole lot more than I did though, so maybe I’m being a wet blanket. Also I’m definitely not the target audience for most…

  • Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito

    I rely on my teenager to hand me weird manga. This is a good one. Not only did the stories feel fresh and fun, but the afterword adds interesting context. He took four years away from horror manga before this collection, after a couple of personal tragedies. And he talks a little about his own…

  • Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez

    “Ghosts are real. And the ones who come aren’t always the one you’ve called.” This book is like nothing else I’ve ever read. A family drama that spans 3 generations, but also the family is a bunch of literal monsters. Enriquez’s writing (and Megan McDowell’s translation) is so straightforward and matter-of-fact that it amplifies the…

  • Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

    This seems like the book that Stephen King has been trying to write for 50 years. It’s a short book, but it packs heat. And the ending is super satisfying. The writing is so beautiful I read most of the book out loud to myself. Will’s dad’s speech in the library is one of those…