Folk Horror

There is an art to the short story, and I can say from experience that Flame Tree Press have gotten it down. They have produced many excellent short story collections, and their new venture is the Beyond & Within series. In many ways these books are the same as their larger collections, handpicked, curated tales on a given subject. In this case Folk Horror is edited by Paul Kane and Marie O’Regan. However, the format is smaller, more succinct and I would argue easier to digest. As easy as Folk Horror can be to digest. 

As a subgenre Folk Horror is a tricky one to pin down, what makes a book Folk? A place separate from the norm. Tales of ancient evils or modern cults. All these are valid versions of Folk Horror, and the book covers them all. You have your Wicker Man stories about remote cults and their weird ways, but also stories of the Fae or evils that lurk in the woods. Kane and O’Regan have created a mix of stories that are fast paced, so if you are not a fan of one, it will not be long before the next. 

There are some big names in Folk Horror, but it is not always these that are the best. Neil Gaiman opens proceedings with a form of epic poem. The White Road will appeal to some readers, but I found it hard to get into and a bold choice for the first story. Things get much simpler later with some cracking stories; Rabbitheart by Jen Williams is a great mixture of Folk Horror and Fae magic. I am not the biggest fan of fairy magic as it can be too powerful, but this is a contained story that is creepy and enjoyable. 

There are a couple of punchy modern takes on Cult Horror; Summer Bonus by Lee Murray and The Lights Under Rachel by Kathryn Healy are quite different stories but are both about how you could still find yourself in the wrong place, even in the modern world. 

My favourite stories are not even Folk Horror as such, simply great little tales. Good Boy by Alison Littlewood is about a man who adopts the wrong dog. A dog that is large for its size and smells like Brimstone. The Third Curse by Helen Grant is another good Fae story, it has an old-fashioned fairytale feel to it, but the story spans centuries in mere pages. The Great White by Benjamin Spada reminded me of the X Files and the great opening sequences that that show used to have. 

What makes this collection interesting is that the authors have approached Folk Horror in different ways. I see the genre as traditionally have the same beats – stranger arrives at a remote place, things become a little creepy, things get extremely bad, stranger finds themselves alight in a Wicker Man. The short story format forces the authors to take a different spin as they do not have the time for the slow buildup of tension. These stories reflect elements of longer Folk Horror tales. Some authors focus on the start, others the end. Arguably, some of the authors do not focus on Folk Horror at all and have just written a good story. Grasping a genre that is already allusive proved a task for Kane and O’Regan. I won’t say that all, or even most, of these stories felt like Folk Horror as I think of it, but I will say that the hit rate for quality stories is there. 

A note on the formatting of the book. Not something that I would normally focus on in a review, but this Beyond & Within hardback is one of the most pleasant reads I have had. The book itself helps with the reading. It is a snug hardback with a beautiful cover and edge painting. There are two ribbons to keep track of interesting stories, and the print is large and clear. Short story collections can be cumbersome and overburdening, this series instead gives the reader a book they can read in one or two sittings. Leave them wanting more, and more you can have as there are several books in the series.