What Kind of Horror Reader are You?
Winona Morris
Two Sides of the Horror Spectrum
Horror is one of those genres that people tend to have strong feelings about. Either they love it, or they’re convinced it’s not for them — usually because they imagine it’s all chainsaws, jump scares, and scenes that’ll haunt them for weeks. But here’s the thing: horror is actually one of the most versatile genres out there. It’s a whole spectrum, and two recent anthologies from The Butchered Writers illustrate that perfectly — sitting at nearly opposite ends of it.
The Gentle End: A Twinge of Terror
The stories here are the kind that stick with you not because they shocked you, but because they got into your head a little. There’s a haunted painting the family dog absolutely refuses to be in the same room as. A child’s imaginary friend that turns out to be just a bit too real. A mysterious knocking from the trees outside. These aren’t stories designed to overwhelm you, they’re designed to make you think hmm, that’s a little unsettling and maybe make you think twice about turning off the light.
What makes this collection particularly interesting is that it pulls in fresh voices. It’s The Butchered Writers’ first anthology sourced beyond their own group members, so there’s a nice variety of styles and approaches on display. Some stories lean whimsical, some lean classic gothic, but all of them walk that careful line between spooky and fun. Originally aimed at a young adult audience, it works just as well for any adult who wants horror that’s more about imagination than stomach-turning imagery.
Standout picks to look for: The February Pact, about a family curse and one woman’s determination to break it, and The Handprint, a genuinely clever story set in a world where humans and paranormal citizens coexist, but people keep turning up dead at a very politically inconvenient time.
The Deep End: Caught in the Web
This 15-story dark web anthology goes to some genuinely dark places. The Butchered Writers themselves flag it upfront: graphic horror, extreme violence, and sexual assault are all on the table here. This is splatterpunk territory, aimed squarely at readers who want horror that doesn’t flinch.
The concept is a strong one. The dark web, with its anonymity, its hidden markets, and its reputation as the internet’s most dangerous back alley, turns out to be a fantastic setting for modern horror. The stories tap into something very real and very contemporary: the fear of what people do when no one’s watching, and what might happen if you click somewhere you shouldn’t. Stories like Highest Bidder, where a night out ends with someone waking up strapped to a trolley in the middle of a bidding war, and Nightglass, where a stolen tablet with a single mysterious app turns out to be life-changing in the worst possible way, do a great job of grounding their horror in an uncomfortable plausibility.
The collection closes with Through Rustling Willows the Spider Man Comes, a bonus story that’s technically the odd one out — it draws on the myth of Anansi the trickster rather than the literal dark web — but it’s a fascinating inclusion that gives the anthology a slightly more literary final note.
Fair warning: this one earns every one of its content warnings. Go in knowing what you’re signing up for.
So, Where Do You Land?
Neither approach is wrong. They’re just different tools for the same job: that particular thrill of being unsettled in a safe space.
Whether you’re just dipping your toes in or you’re already swimming in the deep end, The Butchered Writers have something out there for you — and these two anthologies make that clearer than just about anything else they’ve put out.
Both anthologies are available from The Butchered Writers.
The Butchered Writers is a global writing collective with over thirty members who explore many different corners of the horror genre. When you open a volume from The Butchered Writers Presents (formerly Terror Monthly), you might encounter quiet psychological horror, creature features, paranormal stories, or splatterpunk. There’s a wide range of styles and themes, ensuring that each volume offers something different for horror fans.
Readers can also sample the group’s work through the free stories available on their Patreon.