Rita is a college student studying secondary education. When not cramming for exams, she is an avid reader with a particular passion for gothic horror. Legendary Horrors is a collection of short horror stories from new authors and old masters. The book alternates between the new writers and the classic writers, providing an interesting comparison between where the genre began and how far it has come. Readers that love classic horror that relies on atmosphere, allusion, and subtly over bloodsplatter, graphic violence, and (as the editor put it) horror-slash-torture porn will fall in love with this book. These are the types of stories that attracted me to horror in the first place.
First, the classic stories. Consider the classic stories in this collection your official horror primer. Dr. Polidori’s The Vampyre, considered one of the first true vampire stories in the English language, and Guy De Maupassant’s The Wolf, one of the earliest werewolf stories, are both included in this collection. Bernard Capes and Theophile Gautier, both highly influential early masters of the horror genre that are often overlooked by modern readers, are represented in this collection as well.
Nestled between these old masters are some impressive stories by new writers. David Hart’s Mud Hollow Bridge is an equally heartbreaking and chilling story about a town’s local folklore involving an alleged troll that steals children. Hart’s narrator connects the reader to the setting, creating a strong atmosphere in the process. Tim Kane’s The Zombie Maker is the tale of a self-absorbed plantation owner obsessed with a virtuous woman he can’t have. Kane’s arrogant protagonist meets a thoroughly satisfying end in this well-crafted story. Richard Deal’s A Gypsy’s Gift to Lucas takes the traditional werewolf theme and goes for the emotional jugular. An elderly woman slowly comes to a horrifying realization after a bizarre animal attack almost kills, but then rejuvenates, her ailing husband.
Finally, Brian Pettera’s Night Tales Not Told is a slightly tongue in cheek narrative involving a TV host conducting an interview with The Boogeyman. Though the story is slightly campy compared to the others, it nonetheless also humorously delivers the overall message of the anthology. And that message is two-fold. One, real horror is all about building atmosphere, not generating a body count. And two, sometimes the best way to see where we are going is to take a look back at where we have been.
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