Review | ProleSCARYet: Tales of Horror and Class Warfare

In this collection of nineteen stories, the horrors of capitalism clash with the mundanity of everyday living.

You’re angry because so many other people are in the same spot. Because it feels like the bad guys are winning again.

Talk about an appropriate time for this anthology! After the COVID-19 pandemic leads to the disruption to our working lives where job losses became the norm, the nightmare of capitalism has never been more clear. ProleSCARYet: Tales of Horror and Class Warfare attempts to tackle the various ways people deal with jobs that barely value them as workers, much less as human beings. I found these stories relatable and well-balanced in mixing scares with social commentary.

Vengeance plays a role in many of the stories. In Variables by Clark Boyd, a pizza delivery brings something extra to a houseful of people. It’s reminiscent of Poe’s The Masque of Red Death and feels relevant to the current pandemic. Suffer The Children by Laurel Hightower focuses on a CEO whose decisions come back to haunt him. I loved the disorienting, creepy elements. On Probation by Donald McCarthy looks at what happens when an employee takes desperate measures.

Another recurring theme is the characters having to make hard choices. Beelzebub (Gas Station 1) by Nathaniel Lee Greeks takes place at a gas station where a night shift worker gets a tempting offer. In Salen’s Found by Corey Farrenkopf, a couple considers the idea of joining a cult for economic reasons. Return Policy by Dustin Walker brings a science fiction vibe in a world where parents have the choice to keep their dead children alive, even if not everyone agrees. Empty by Noah Lemelson is a suspenseful, action-packed account of the extent retail workers have to go to please customers.

I also liked the otherworldly elements that appear here. Alabaster Cities by Joanna Michal Hoyt looks at the strange, claustrophobic changes taking place in a small town. Corpos! by M. Lopes da Silva takes the idea of a monstrous workplace and makes it literal. I enjoyed the cinematic writing and would love for further exploration of this world. While not all the stories landed for me, they are brilliantly written and bring up intriguing ideas about capitalism, poverty, revenge, and justice. Many of the characters in this collection are stuck between economic hardship and moral choices, and sometimes all they can do is just wake up and go to work. Even if it means losing their soul.

ProleSCARYet: Tales of Horror and Class Warfare is out now on digital and paperback. Profits from this collection will go to Labor Rights, a human rights organization that advances dignity and justice for workers in the global economy. More information on this website.

Thank you to Cursed Morsels Podcast for a review copy.