Hunger on the Chisholm Trail by M. Ennenbach

Hunt’s “The Unconsumables” adds a unique wrinkle into the post- Walking Dead zombie apocalypse genre while Austin Shirey’s dystopian “Dottie” couldn’t help but conjure images of The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror episode where a sentient house with the voice of Pierce Brosnan tries to eliminate Homer so it can have Marge all to itself. The collection opens with the Bradburian “Tasty Treats,” (Tim Mendees) and revisits the dark carnival theme a half dozen tales later with David Green’s “An Invitation.”.And while I won’t SparkNotes all 24 stories for you, here’s an overview to give you some idea: There are enough unreliable narrators, deftly crafted plot twists, and homages both subtle and overt to all mediums of genre classics to engage veteran readers and neophytes alike. And while you may not find the vivid, layered imagery or the elevated, cinematic language that you’d get from current genre heavyweights like John Langan, Steven Graham Jones, and Laird Barron, the writing isn’t bland, either. None of the stories contained in this collection delve so far into selected subgenres as to make the stories inaccessible to casual readers. Midnight Shadows’ 24 vignette-length stories are perfect for readers who are just beginning to explore the vast world of horror fiction or more seasoned fans who are looking for some quick hitting scares that don’t require an excessive amount of unpacking. And that’s okay, because Blair Witch 2 is way underrated, and Pumpkinhead is fucking awesome. Midnight Shadows, an anthology released by Ontario’s Eerie River Press, is more Blair Witch 2 than The VVitch, more Pumpkinhead than Paimon. There’s a time and a place for all of it. And sometimes I just want to see Jason Vorhees beat a topless coed to death with the torso of another topless coed. Sometimes I enjoy a slow-burning, three-hour mindfuck that’s so permeated with dread that I’m physically uncomfortable for its entire duration. I also saw Jason X in the movie theater, and I loved that, too, but for very different reasons.

I saw Midsommar in the movie theater and I absolutely loved it.

Hunger on the Chisholm Trail by M. Ennenbach