This Is Horror

News Round-up Week Ending 20 March 2020

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

Dead Trouble and Other Ghost Stories, a collection of ghostly tales, many based on true hauntings, by Aidan Chambers, available for pre-order now

Aidan Chambers has been collecting ghost stories for decades. For Dead Trouble & Other Ghost Stories the award-winning author and editor has selected some of his favourite supernatural tales of haunted houses and restless spirits. Inside these pages you will encounter ‘The Nameless Horror of Berkeley Square’, ‘The Ghostly Skulls of Calgarth Hall’, ‘The Mystery Ghost of Amherst, Nova Scotia’ and ‘The Grey Lady of Jarolen House’, to name only a few. But be warned—you may have trouble deciding between which of these tales are “true” and those that are purely fiction. This collection, edited by Stephen Jones and featuring a cover by Les Edwards and interior illustrations by Randy Broecker, is available in an unsigned edition for £25 and in a version signed by the author, editor and both artists, for £45 (limited to 100 copies). You can get much more information and pre-order yours, here.


The Outer Dark Symposium on the Greater Weird 2020 Postponed

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, The Outer Dark Symposium has been postponed to August 14-15, 2020 and will take place at the same locations, Silver Scream FX Lab and Hotel Indigo-College Park, in Atlanta, Georgia. The Indiegogo to raise funds for the fourth annual conference also is ongoing and has been extended to a 60-day campaign ending on Monday May 4, 2020. “Our top priority is keeping our Weird community safe,” says Anya Martin, co-host/co-producer with Scott Nicolay of The Outer Dark Podcast/Symposium. “Unlike bigger conferences, we are nimble and flexible, and our fantastic locations, Silver Scream FX Lab and Hotel Indigo-College Park, are supportive and compassionate. We will, of course, continue to monitor the public health situation and assess risks.” For updates on The Outer Dark Symposium 2020, visit www.theouterdark.org; follow @TheOuterDark on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and listen to The Outer Dark podcast on This Is Horror!


Starving Ghosts in Every Thread, the new novella by Eric LaRocca, coming 1 May

A somber mixture of dark fantasy and queer horror, Starving Ghosts in Every Thread follows a young girl named Teddy as she harbors a gruesome secret – her body literally unravels unless she feeds off the emotions of others. When she encounters another girl from town with an equally disturbing secret, it’s not long before Teddy’s insatiable hunger fueled by guilt begins to threaten her safety and violently touch all those who cross her path with disaster. With short fiction having appeared in a number of venues, including The Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Vol. 2, this is LaRocca’s debut long form release. Available 1 May in Kindle and Paperback formats, you can pre-order yours now, here.


KEV HARRISON