Hiding Under The Leaves edited by Donna Scott

I would like to thank The Slab Press for an advance copy of this collection in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher - The Slab Press

Published - 5/11

Price - £18.99 paperback £5.99 ebook

Hiding Under the Leaves is an anthology of original folk horror short fiction, seeking beyond the boundaries of this fascinating sub-genre. From lonesome moors to dark woods, and the mysterious ocean depths, these stories explore the ghostly and the savage; the monstrous faerie and the beast within; the ritual and the obsession. New stories of unsettlingly old things. Tales of the eerie and uncanny. Dare you discover what is hiding under the leaves…?

Folk horror is very much having a resurgence. In times like these perhaps horror is something r want to understand and as with any folk tale if you look into it it will always have something to say about being human. Donna Scott has assembled a creative collection of authors for the new horror anthology Hiding Under The Leaves which has a great selection of folk horror tales with a range of style to entrap you in more ways than one

Among the stories I enjoyed were

Rumours Overheard in the School Playground Relating to Miss Angeline Holst by Tim Major - a one sided group of school yard chats where a parent discusses their changing opinions on a new teacher. It starts very disarmingly but how people can take a dislike to someone takes a whole new darker level here. A fantastic opening

Tumulus by Frazer Lee - another stating tale where a grief stricken man returns to his boyfriend’s favourite place to scatter his ashes. A lot of good character work here unpicks the relationship and we get to see the finale just before our main character does. Love is hard.

No One Knows The Old Ways Anymore And It Will Be The End of Everything by LJ McMenemy - I really liked how this story has a woman so keen to find herself she goes for the hardest forest living option and as you’d expect things do not do to plan. The move from the mundane to something much bigger and creepier is well handled and really helped the story close memorably.

Mister Persimmon by Rachel Henderson - a fascinating puzzle as our main character dreams of meeting the title character and getting his hearts desire. The build up is dramatic but the unexpected outcome really does both surprise you and finally make the whole tale make sense.

The Forgiveness Tree by Paul Crosby - our traveller wants to see a strange tree but not quite sure why. As slowly building set of tension as to why is this tree so important to our main character really comes out well. It’s important to remember the details.

The Tiddy Mun by Kev Rooney - this is a fascinating 17th century tale as we follow some men in pursuit of men who defied them. The feel of the place is very strange the build up of local legends sets the scene and then things get bad very fast for our cast. Impressively dark storytelling

Things that Look like Ribbons, Things that Sound Like Bells Or: Mayday by Emma Levin - a very inventive story told in the form of a long set of questionnaire answers - well worth a read as a reminder how a tale can work in unexpected ways

The Crow Who Burned by Ivor K. Hill - I really liked this story as a woman relates why she is about to be burnt at the stake. Hill throws in a much bigger reveal and it’s a clever take that starts small but goes very epic. Really well delivered.

When the River Flows Three Times by Gary Couzens - a new mother in a small village finally makes a friend. Things do not seem to be going well for her and then things get even stranger. An unusual unsettling tale.

Fens Sutton by Emma Coleman - a morose man still annoyed by his aunt’s death is persuaded to take a holiday. Slowly all the pieces of this tale align and there is a much more bigger legend to unravel but there is a very satisfying set of endings

In the Forest There are Doors by Pete W Sutton - a friend goes missing and three friends follow her footsteps. A trip to the dark Welsh countryside goes horribly wrong. Let’s leave it at that and I’ll let you get creeped out!

Many more tales await you in this anthology but I really enjoyed the range of voices and ideas being explored here. If you now post Halloween need some more chills this is highly recommended!