by Vince Stadon “There's no need to be alone, you know. Poor little girl. All by herself. All shaking like a little frightened animal.” – Landlord When that doorbell rings, Carol curls up into a ball, retreating into her internal space. The doorbell is the sound of intrusion into
by Greg Clumpner Art by Arnold T. Blumberg To Mr. Joshua Harrington or current resident, You pre-qualify for our program and the Spirited Credit Union (SCU) is pleased to offer you a Reverse Soul Mortgage™. With a Reverse Soul Mortgage™, SCU will take ownership of your soul for a limited
by Vince Stadon “Oh, no. Capricorn's ruled by Saturn.” – Pam I always thought ‘chainsaw’ was one word, and that all the chainsaws came from Texas. I don’t think I ever witnessed one in the wilds of England till I watched a guy from the Forestry Commission cut
by Meredith Kinrys Art by Arnold T. Blumberg The only blessings of drifting aimlessly through space, far from any planet to call home, are visits from mysterious spirits we call mermaids. The origin of the ominous spectres that swim past our windows is a mystery, but their long bodies of
by Vince Stadon “Just one more day...” - Reiko Asakawa If you watch the disturbing, unlabelled video tape, your phone will ring… and when you answer, an evil ghost woman will tell you that you are going to die. Within a week you’re dead—terrified to such a degree
by Cody Schell
by Jetse de Vries Art by Arnold T. Blumberg Subliminal: A sublime liminality of intent, a di- chotomy of trial and error turned into the survival of the fittest The prokaryote swims in the primordial soup. It arises from a mix of chiral chemistry: right-handed chirality for nucleotides and sugars,
by Vince Stadon “I see why you like this video camera so much… It’s not quite reality. It’s like a totally filtered reality… it’s like you can pretend everything’s not quite the way it is.” – Josh If made today, The Blair Witch Project would end with
by Demakatso May Art by Arnold T. Blumberg When the first echo bloom appeared in Clara’s garden, she mistook it for a weed. Its stem was knotted and gray, and its petals were translucent like moth wings. She nearly uprooted it, but something—a flicker of movement in the
by Vince Stadon “You see, everybody in this room is part of my dream. Everybody.” – Walter Craig Walter wakes up. Dr Van Straaten breaks his spectacles. July 1969: The Beatles are working on their final album. Paul McCartney is sat at a piano in Abbey Road Studio 2 picking out
by Michael M. Jones Art by Arnold T. Blumberg “First day on the job, huh?” the elder kobold growled, looking down his crooked green nose at the visibly nervous rookie standing before him. “Yes, sir,” came the reply. “Chim the Extremely Lesser, of Clan Coaleater.” “Another Chim. I swear, every
by Vince Stadon “I'd rather see you dead than meddling with Black Magic!” – Duc de Richleau It’s England in 1929. George V sits on the throne. Stern-jawed, stiff-upper-lip Englishmen are racing fast cars—and single-handedly flying light aircraft—around the leafy, sun-kissed countryside, speeding from one impressive
Sam Logan
by Sam Logan Art by Arnold T. Blumberg You have started a conversation. Chatbot: Hi! I’m your employer-provided mental health coach. How are you feeling today? Employee: Well, I’m NOT thrilled to discuss my mental state with an artificial intelligence chatbot. This is a mandated session after I
A Personal History of Horror Films in 101 Quirky Objects
by Vince Stadon I read The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson back-to-back with The Shining by Stephen King. I was fourteen. In both cases, I wondered how filmmakers had made Hill House and the Overlook Hotel as scary and unnerving and as alive as they are depicted so
ART of the Solar System
By Cody Schell
Jack Morton
By Jack Morton Art by Arnold T. Blumberg Gran shuffles over from the stove, a thick, home-knit cloth protecting her hand from the black iron handle of the kettle. She pours over the dried brown leaves, and a thick, musty, homey smell rises with the steam. It smells like a
A Personal History of Horror Films in 101 Quirky Objects
by Vince Stadon “Have you never wanted to do anything that was dangerous?” – Henry Frankenstein Henry Frankenstein is an asshole. He’s not the worst asshole in Frankenstein, a film populated by assholes, but he’s up there near the top. Before we look at this gallery of jerks, I’
Malda Marlys
by Malda Marlys Artwork by Doan Trang My daughter haunts me. Her shadow lingers in doorways that are empty when I look. The cat, older than dirt, wakes only to yowl for her attention. Books tumble, sensible books she bought me for Christmas that I never read. They fall from
A Personal History of Horror Films in 101 Quirky Objects
by Vince Stadon “Remember, I'll be watching for you on the big screen.” – Irene I don’t know what Mulholland Dr. is about. I’ve watched it dozens of times—always thrilled by it, always seduced by it, always perplexed by it. Sometimes I wonder if the next
Chris Doty
by Chris Doty-Dunn Art by Arnold T. Blumberg 187 Begonia Avenue was depressed. The house had been happy once. As a starter home, a suburban oasis, a hospice. But since its last occupant had died, only raccoons and mice and a few splotches of mold lived under 187’s sagging
Vince Stadon
by Vince Stadon “Suzy, do you know anything about... witches?” – Sara Simms I’ve always found it a bit odd that, given it’s a medium of moving images, cinema—particularly Western cinema—favours storytelling above all else. Weird films with little regard to narrative are the preserve of the
Dan Peacock
by Dan Peacock Scott, I know this isn’t a good time for you, with the mysterious ultradimensional entities occupying most of downtown. But it’s not a good time for anyone. It’s taken me a long time to pluck up the courage to write this letter, but here
Vince Stadon
by Vince Stadon “What else am I good for?” – Håkan It’s 1982 and Oskar is a weedy, lonely, twelve-year-old blond boy who is being relentlessly bullied at school. His dad is an alcoholic who would rather drink with friends he brings home than be with his boy. Each day,
Lorraine Schein
by Lorraine Schein Art by Arnold T. Blumberg She has heard a whisper say, A curse is on her if she stay To look down to Camelot. She knows not what the curse may be, And so she weaveth steadily, And little other care hath she, The Lady of Shalott.