Book Review | When Things Get Dark edited by Ellen Datlow

When Things Get Dark is a remarkable horror anthology inspired by Shirley Jackson!

What I love about Shirley Jackson’s writing is the darkness it leaves behind. From discontented women to dysfunctional families, dystopian nightmares to supernatural encounters. Her stories are haunting, often strange, sometimes heartbreaking, and always a pleasure to read. The enduring The Haunting of Hill House is one of my favourite horror books of all time, and a must-read for any self-confessed horror fan.

Edited by Ellen Datlow, this collection features eighteen new stories by some of the best horror authors today. Her influence is clear in these stories, yet you can also see the authors’ signature styles.

I was drowning, and when you’re drowning, you’ll do anything to keep from going under. You can’t blame a drowning victim for simply wanting to live.

A Trip To Paris (Richard Kadrey)

I love stories about women and their hidden lives, and this collection has plenty of them. In the fantastically dark A Trip To Paris (Richard Kadrey), a woman murders her family and plans a getaway. Pear of Anguish (Gemma Files) is a troubling tale of two teenage girls and dark magic that links them together. A Hundred Miles and A Mile (Carmen Maria Machado) is a stirring glimpse at memories and how women’s actions can have lingering effects. Sooner or Later, Your Wife Will Drive Home (Genevieve Valentine) features achingly realistic snippets of women driving, unknowingly heading into danger. Special Meal (Josh Malerman) shows a little girl who hides her knowledge of mathematics in a chilling tale reminiscent of The Lottery.

Other stories venture into the supernatural and the creepy unknown. In For Sale By Owner (Elizabeth Hand), three friends break into a mysterious house for a sleepover. Hag (Benjamin Percy) is a witchy horror where a journalist investigates a story on an island with terrifying folklore. Quiet Dead Things (Cassandra Khaw) is a claustrophobic account of a village that closes its borders after an incident and pays the ultimate price. Refinery Road (Stephen Graham Jones) is a mind-bending ghost story about three friends on a tragic night. The disturbing Money of the Dead (Karen Heuler) is about a group of neighbours who find spirit money and decide to use it with terrible consequences.

I did find a few of the stories too vague to my liking, and I couldn’t connect with them. But overall, this is a solidly entertaining collection. If you love horror stories but especially if you love Shirley Jackson’s work, When Things Get Dark is an absolute must-read.

CW: child abuse, animal death

I received a copy from the publisher and Netgalley for review purposes. When Things Get Dark is out in the UK on 21 September and in the US on 28 September.

About the editor: Ellen Datlow

Photo by Sean Witzke