It’s perhaps one of the earliest forms of horror fiction: the local legends of monsters, dark magic, or cursed places that are told in whispers, passed down from one generation to the next in every society. But, as with most things in the Gothic, everything old is new again. With the success of films like The Witch and Midsommar, folk horror is definitely having a moment, and here to ride that wave is The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror, edited by Tori Bovalino, which came out in September.
So, what exactly is folk horror? Understood broadly, it’s any horror tale that draws on regional folklore. Folk horror often, although not necessarily, has a more rural setting and focuses on communities that have a collective belief around some legendary being, place, or curse. The Gathering Dark contains ten tales that fit these parameters, written by celebrated YA authors such as Hannah Whitten, Chloe Gong, and Aden Polydoros. The authors draw on existing folklore and urban legends as well as invent their own, which nonetheless have the well-worn feel of stories retold countless times over campfires or at sleepovers. The protagonists of each story are teens on the brink of adulthood, torn between childhood fears and the rational adult world, forced to confront the darkness both within themselves and in the world around them. I enjoyed each story in this collection, and taken all together they present a cohesive, yet varied, picture of the genre.
My favorite stories in this anthology were the ones that center on teens who invoke a monster or curse of local legend—either intentionally or through disbelieving bravado—and ultimately triumph over it or twist it to their own advantage. The most unsettling of these was “One-Lane Bridge” by Hannah Whitten, in which a group of bored teens prick their fingers and make wishes on the town’s legendary bridge, inadvertently summoning the local forest spirit that haunts it. In Aden Polydoros’s “It Stays With You,” four teens laughingly call upon the classic figure of Bloody Mary and then find themselves haunted by visions related to a past or present trauma. In an emotionally moving climax, the teens confront their specters in the funhouse mirrors of an abandoned amusement park. Lastly, in “Truth or Dare” by Alex Brown, a young woman deliberately uses the disappearing tunnels of local legend to help her leave behind a will-we-wont-we situationship that has left her pining and frustrated for years.
The Gathering Dark also plays with that most classic piece of folklore: the ghost story. Yet, each haunting in the collection is different, showcasing the sheer variety of spirits you’ll find in folklore. “Stay” by Erica Waters is a cautionary tale about allowing the dead too much power over you. While the ghosts in this story may not be genuinely malicious, their needs and expectations prevent Melissa from moving on and living her own life. We do meet a malicious ghost—or perhaps some other creature wearing the guise of a ghost—in “Ghost on the Shore” by Allison Saft, in which a grieving teen visits a lake known to give up its dead every night, looking for closure. In a slightly different vein, “Third Burn” by Courtney Gould features a vengeful ghost determined to recruit other outcasts into her plan to destroy the town that burned her as a witch. Then there’s “Loved by All, Save One” by Tori Bovalino, in which a tragic spirit is called upon to rescue others from enduring a similar fate to her own.
The Gathering Dark is the perfect collection for anyone who grew up on Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark or any other terrifying bits of folklore. You can find it in stores now at your favorite local retailer, or buy it online and support The Gothic Library in the process using this Bookshop.org affiliate link. If you’ve read it, let me know which story was your favorite in the comments!