The Mammoth Book of Folk Horror: Evil Lives on in the Land! edited by Stephen Jones

Skyhorse, 2021

ISBN-13: 9781510749863

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org  | Amazon.com)

Folk horror is finally getting the attention it deserves. Ancient traditions and practices, crumbling buildings surrounded by nature that has reclaimed the land, rituals that call down the gods, myths and legends coming to life. All of these and more can be found in the pages of The Mammoth Book of Folk Horror edited by Stephen Jones, acclaimed author and editor of horror and dark fantasy. While a relatively new term, folk horror has existed for much longer than this subgenre’s name.

This anthology contains many great tales of folk horror, old and new. The following are some of my favorites. “Jenny Greenteeth” by Alison Littlewood, set in the wartime English countryside, is the story of a young girl named Alice, an evacuee sent to live with a family that has two young daughters, Olivia and Betty. Olivia torments Alice with tales of Jenny Greenteeth until the stories seem to come true. In M. R. James’ “Wailing Well,” two members of a troop of scouts do not take the warning of a local shepherd seriously about avoiding the field containing the titular well, let alone using the water from it. Michael Marshall’s “The Offering,” set in Copenhagen, concerns a family on vacation staying in an Airbnb. When wife Lauren throws about a bowl of mysterious gray porridge in the refrigerator, Bill soon finds a sacrifice is made to the proper guardian of the house. Could it be the Nisse? “Gavin’s Field” by Steve Rasnic Tem tells of the titular character inheriting his father’s estate, but he discovers he should have done his homework on the property, and the town. “The Fourth Call” by the amazing Ramsey Campbell is my favorite story in the anthology. Mike returns to Leanbridge alone during Christmastime. He is drawn to the neighboring property, formerly owned by the Bundle family. When Mike tries to bring up the strange holiday tradition practiced in the village, longtime family friends, the Darlingtons, insist no such thing happened.

Other authors in this anthology include Algernon Blackwood, Christopher Fowler, Maura McHugh, Arthur Machen, Karl Edward Wagner, Simon Strantzas, Mike Chinn, David A. Sutton, H.P. Lovecraft, Kim Newman, Jan Edwards, Storm Constantine, Dennis Etchison, and Reggie Oliver. Included at the beginning of each entry is a write up of the author’s brief biography and works, as well as beautifully eerie black and white photography by Michael Marshall Smith.

The Mammoth Book of Folk Horror is a must-read for fans of folk horror, or new readers dipping their toes into the bog of the subgenre. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker