Occult

A year ago Sophie Wickham stumbled into the isolated Lancashire village of Withered Hill, naked, alone and with no memory of who she is.

In Herefordshire's hop-growing country, a converted kiln is the scene of a savage murder. When the local vicar refuses to help its new owners cope with the aftermath, Merrily Watkins is sent in by the Bishop of Hereford to defuse the situation....

Hosts starts with a bang when Jack has to stop a psychotic's shooting rampage on a subway car - but there are witnesses....

Everyone has had a nightmare at one point of their life. But what if that nightmare was crouched next to your bed watching you sleep? A figure so terrifyingly darker than the unlit surroundings of your room....

Benton Bertrand is a banshee, cursed with the ability to sense death. Every time he sleeps, he becomes a trapped passenger within a murderer’s skin: able to hear, see, and feel every part of their kill. No matter how hard he tries, it always ends the same way - with death....

This issue of Weird Tales presents a variety of stories, essays, and poems about cryptids and urban legends. Not to dispel, but to reveal.

When aging artist David Bittacy develops an increasingly intimate bond with the forest surrounding his home, his devotion to the trees becomes something deeper—mystical, unsettling, and profoundly transformative. His wife Sophia, rooted in conventional faith and fearful of the wild unknown, watches with growing dread as the woods seem to claim her husband in ways she cannot understand.

Clientes borrachos. Mapaches ladrones. Visitantes de otro mundo... Siendo el encargado del turno nocturno en la gasolinera de veinticuatro horas a las orillas del pueblo, Jack prácticamente ya lo ha visto todo. Eso es hasta que su mejor amigo le confiesa que tiene el cuerpo de un político local escondido en la cajuela de su coche, desatando una cadena de eventos con potencial apocalíptico.

Arthur Oakes è un avido lettore, sognatore e studente del Rackham College, nel Maine, luogo rinomato per i suoi inverni gelidi, l'eccezionale biblioteca e gli splendidi edifici. Ma il suo idillio - e la nascente storia d'amore con Gwen Underfoot - vanno in frantumi quando una spacciadora locale e il suo partner lo costringono a commettere uno dei peggiori crimini che possa immaginare: rubare libri rari dalla biblioteca del college. Finito in un angolo, Arthur si rivolge ai suoi cinque amici più cari in cerca di aiuto.

The Messenger is a chilling gothic tale by Robert W. Chambers, where reason and folklore collide in the shadow of history. As a rational American observer investigates a mysterious burial site, he uncovers the story of a long-executed traitor known as the Black Priest—a man branded in death, cursed in blood, and sworn to return if his remains are ever disturbed. What follows is a slow descent into unease: a skull that will not stay buried, a death’s-head moth appearing at windows and hearths, masked figures glimpsed in stormlight, and blood trails that defy explanation.

Hell has many doors… and Kevin J. Kennedy just tore them all open. Ten masterfully twisted minds each offer their own chilling vision of damnation, sin, and suffering. These aren’t just stories—they’re warnings. Tales so disturbing, you’ll be praying your soul is clean. So ask yourself: Have you lived a good life? Enter, if you’re brave enough… but don’t expect to come back the same. Contains stories by Edward Lee, Gord Rollo, Bryan W. Alaspa, Bill Davidson, Jeffrey Thomas, Viggy Parr Hampton, Thomas Smith, David-Jack Fletcher, Brian Moreland & Ryan Colley. Edited by Ann Keeran

There's something wrong with the carnival barker. Something creepy. And yet, his words pull young Terrence toward the funhouse. Toward the open door. Toward the dark... "Come one... come all..."

The Skin Show has existed all over the south for generations–hidden clubs offering their patrons a location to be whoever they desire, in a playground with free reign to do whatever they want without judgment or castigation. There is no cover charge, the drinks are free, and rules do not exist within the walls of The Skin Show. However, once you’ve entered, you’ll never leave, for what exists underneath each club is something of fairytales. Danny Raab was drawn into The Skin Show's inescapable clutch, and he never returned. Now, Andy Raab is in the midst of a desperate search for his brother.

When Parker and her mother move into Styre House, they immediately notice that something's not quite right. They have no key for the garage, and any time they try to get inside they end up distracted. A mysterious black cat patrols the property, seemingly waiting for something or someone. And strange noises at night hint at a hidden presence that lurks in the shadows.

Nevin has spent too much time on the internet researching the Paul Homolka murders that took place in the early 90's. Now he has convinced his boyfriend, Mike, to come with him on a surprise road trip to the pig farm where Paul Homolka killed four people, including his girlfriend and little sister, Mary-Ann. What Nevin doesn't know, is that the pig farm is harboring more than a few dark secrets. A deranged, pain worshiping cult has taken up arms on the property, and they are eagerly anticipating Nevin's arrival.

I lost everything. And I gained one thing... another chance. A new beginning presented before me. And now I am.

After a betrayal shatters her life, Celeste retreats to northern Michigan to start over. But a letter to her Dear Celeste advice column pulls her straight into someone else’s nightmare. Andi, a woman haunted by her childhood, believes the farmhouse she now lives in is cursed. Sixteen years ago, her best friend died after a childhood prank—and she’s convinced the woman who lived in the house had something to do with it.

Someone is killing young girls in New York. Horrific murders where the bodies are being mutilated and parts harvested for unknown reasons. Detective Jake Chandler has a mystery on his hands, and even though there seems to be a connection to the Russian artist Avgustin Juniper, Juniper himself seems innocent and as confused as everyone else as to what is happening.

Grunge band, Slasher, is headlining a sold-out Bermuda cruise to celebrate the turn of the millennium. The guest list is stacked with rich and famous partygoers from all walks of life eagerly waiting for the clock to strike midnight. Will the New Year arrive, or will the Y2K computer glitch stop the clocks and leave the ship dead in the water? What the passengers don’t know is that a greater threat lurks aboard the ship, one that stalks the unwary and moves in the darkness. A secret has been following Slasher from venue to venue, leaving a trail of mysterious fatalities in its wake.

A brutal tale of madness, murder, and the occult — from Wrath James White, master of extreme horror and splatterpunk fiction.

Fear — arguably humanity’s strongest emotion - is both a blessing and a curse. It hinders some, while it fuels others, but without it, our species would not have survived hundreds of thousands of years. However it might affect you, you've felt fear. We all have. Within this book, you'll come face to face with new fears as you open your imagination and experience the incredible lives of original characters in eight vastly different short stories that span many unique and gripping genres, including thriller, tragic romance, crime, science fiction, retelling, and more.

My name is Layla, and lately, things have gotten... complicated. It all started when I dragged Sam, my self-proclaimed “best boyfriend ever” (he tries), to explore an abandoned asylum. Creepy? Obviously. Smart? Not even a little. The real mistake was finding a stash of old audio tapes and, like a true genius, hitting play. Now nothing feels right. Time’s weird. I’m weird. Sam thinks I’m losing it. Honestly? Fair assessment. But normal is boring.

Jake zieht mit seinen Eltern in die scheinbar idyllische Kleinstadt Maplewood Hills – doch die Bewohner beobachten ihn und seine Eltern, hinterlassen rätselhafte Botschaften auf der Türschwelle und scheinen Geheimnisse zu kennen, die er niemals erfahren soll. In einer anderen Kleinstadt Anfang der 90er Jahre soll sich im alten Gemischtwarenladen von Mr. Miller eine Treppe verbergen, die in die unendliche Finsternis führt – und drei Jugendliche wagen den Abstieg, ohne zu wissen, ob sie jemals zurückkehren werden.

Step into Burrington, a town where time twists, shadows linger, and Halloween never truly ends. In The Hollowed Hours: Five Mind-Bending Tales of Horror and Suspense from Burrington, five chilling short stories plunge you into a night unlike any other. October 31, 1826, when children vanish, restless spirits roam, and the dead reclaim the streets they once called home.

Based on the main characters found in the James Hansone Ghost Mysteries, this is a collection of short stories of ghostly, supernatural and mysterious events recounted by some of the regular characters. Set in James and Sally's cottage as they see in the New Year by inviting some of their friends to a New Year's Eve buffet but with the condition some of them tell a short story to amuse everyone. Story's include: 'Hungry Bark', 'A Fluttery tale', 'Out of the Blue… The haunting of Hyperliner One', 'Tales from the diaries…

Somewhere on the coast of England, Neverbury is a little quaint seaside town with the kind of problems that a lot of quaint little English seaside towns have these days... magicians, lawyers, creeping horrors, changelings, folk music purists, portals to hell, idle gods, ghosts, militant amateur cycling clubs, and a serious problem with something called "Big Chicken".

When his local church is destroyed by supernatural means, NYPD Lt Tommy Nolan finds himself besieged by old enemies hellbent on revenge. This time, Hell will see Nolan dead, whatever the cost, and destroy his city with him. What will Nolan risk to stop the coming onslaught?

In the mist-covered village of Darnhollow, old secrets sleep beneath cobblestone streets and crumbling attic boxes. For decades, the lanterns lining the main road have remained steady—until one winter night, they flicker violently, just as a long-missing resident returns with no memory… and a bloodstained coat. As strange occurrences ripple through the town—disappearances, dreams that seem real, pages missing from the town archive—librarian Mara Ellison and retired detective Caleb Thorne uncover a forgotten pact, sealed in silence decades ago.

Alex Deville is stuck in a rut. She's a paranormal journalist from New York City who doesn't believe in the paranormal. This gig was meant to be a stepping stone to real, hard-hitting investigative journalism, but it is looking like a dead end. To make matters worse, her boyfriend is cheating on her.

Renovations at Grasceby Rectory. A dark, menacing ghost. The original Grasceby chapel. A lost soul to save… The fate of a runaway…James is down in Devon to speak at the Devon History Society but something more is afoot at his B&B. The ghost of an old lady in a rocking chair, along with a mischievous ghost taunting him, leads him to make a horrifying discovery.