Rebecca McNutt reviews Corpse Cold: New American Folklore

Dec. 22nd, 2017 03:36 pm
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They take place on desolate highways, in a dark and lonely wood, in ordinary neighborhoods just like your own. Tales of everyday people caught up in indomitable situations. Dread-inducing moments with an air of plausibility-while you hope to god they aren't actually true. Urban legends, modern folklore, or creepypasta. Whatever you call them, they represent shards of our deepest anxieties as individuals, as a society. CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE evokes the spirit of the campfire tales you heard as a kid. This 20-story anthology offers refreshing, mature reinterpretations of time-tested stories, and wholly original legends that explore the twisted labyrinth of modern myth. Each tale is brought to life and made all the more unsettling by the striking, grisly illustrations of artist Chad Wehrle.

Remember Goosebumps? Unfortunately I wasn't even born yet in the heyday of those middle-grade horror stories, but I grew up addicted to shows and books like Goosebumps ("Welcome to Dead House" TV special, how I love thee), Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Eerie Indiana and the ever-brilliant Tales from the Darkside. Of course, the older you get, the more you start to leave these stories behind, and for adults, most horror stories fall in the realm of Stephen King. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Stephen King fan, but there's something wonderfully nostalgic and charming about Corpse Cold, a collection of short stories that are based less in fantasy and more in those tried and true urban myths and modern oral folklore that we've all come to adopt, know and love. Of course, the author has made each story deeply original and personal, and the reader won't know what to expect next, all part of the charm that makes this book so much fun.
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