Back in 1971, British publisher Sphere Books issued New Writings in Horror & the Supernatural edited by David A. Sutton, one of many original paperback horror anthologies that were appearing in newsagents and bookshops up and down the country during that time. They followed it up the next year with another volume of new horror fiction before the series was abruptly terminated prior to the third volume appearing (it was subsequently published by another imprint under a different title). However, that first volume had a profound impact on a young horror fan who had recently left school, and helped shape his future ambitions in the genre.
Now, more than fifty years later, multiple award-winning editor Stephen Jones is reviving the title for PS Publishing, carrying on the numbering from those first two volumes (which themselves are available again as a trade paperback omnibus). Once again, New Writings in Horror & the Supernatural is showcasing some of the very best original stories by authors both relatively new to the field and those who are established names in the genre. It may be an old title, but horror has a new home . . .
Dark bleatings and Happy Spooky Season, my lovely tribe. Stephen Jones (the absolute legend) has revived this great anthology series from yester-year, and here it is in all its voluminous glory. Let’s get into the stories a little bit…
Ancient Remains – by David A. Sutton
Oh my god. The book opens with one of the more disturbing ideas I’ve read. Derek and Millicent, soulmates, take a trip – at least that’s what it initially seems this story is about. It’s more about a personal journey of Derek’s, and the ending gave me chills.
The Fish Platform – by Simon Kurt Unsworth
Gemi is having a rough time. He’s alone and in charge of guarding a fish platform, and it doesn’t take long before something seems extremely…amiss. Creepy, foggy, and atmospheric.
The Murders in the Bois Sombre – by Garry Kilworth
This feels like it’s set in Scott Smith’s ‘The Ruins’ universe, and was very enjoyable. A couple learn of some mysterious murders and get so curious they take it upon themselves to investigate, only to discover something very unexpected…
Fear, Inc. – by Mia Dalia
A couple that make their money by taking paying customers to scary locations get a bit more than they expected in their latest trip to an old, abandoned asylum. I don’t typically enjoy this setting but this was thick with atmosphere and pretty scary!
The Legacy – by C.C. Adams
A man is disturbed by birds when they show him something not only unexpected, but absolutely horrifying. I’m not normally creeped out by birds, but…
Crocodile Jam – by Reggie Oliver
This is an eerie story about a teacher that steps in for a faculty member that is mysteriously out. He receives weird notes that he suspects are coming from a particular student, and turns into a baffling case of the teacher being messed with for some reason. This is quiet on the horror front and well suited to people who relish the telling of the tale, not just the tale itself. I enjoyed it.
Dark-Adapted Eyes – by Caitlin R. Kiernan
A mysterious film called Dark Adapted Eyes aired on a show called Shudder Flicks, but all trace of it is gone and everyone denies being involved with it. This story gave me Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay vibes, and I only wish it was longer. I felt like I was just getting to the real meat of it when it ended…oh, the suspense!
The House of the Horse – by Tyler Jones
A real estate agent is booked to sell a very expensive house, which is rumoured to be haunted by murder and horses. He takes his affair partner there, where things take quite the unexpected turn for him. Needless to say, his plans go awry. Great atmosphere in this one.
Death Blows – by Scott Bradfield
A man is obsessed with an app that predicts everyone’s death, with some detail that’s enough to freak out about, but not enough to entirely prepare for. His wife is so fed up of his worry, death comes for us all after all, until she starts checking her own status on the same app…
What a great concept!
The Monster – by Keith Rosson
I really liked this one and it’s one of my favourites in the whole book, not least because Keith’s writing is very engaging. A man is separated from his wife and sleeping in his van in the garage, and their son is being punished for attacking a woman because he’s been radicalised as a white supremacist. Alan, the dad, doesn’t really know what to do with his son or his wife, but buys his son a reptilian monster as a present. What I loved, besides the excellently drawn human and family strife, was that no one in this world is at all surprised by the existence of monsters (a clear metaphor if I ever saw one, and the theme is brilliantly applied here).
Forgetting – by Lisa Morton
Jesus effing Christ, this one made me so anxious because it’s one of my worst nightmares. A couple take a little trip to relax, following the death of the lady’s mother, who had dementia for her last couple of years. The trip is not relaxing, however, because memory loss appears to be sweeping the nation, and everything becomes increasingly confusing. The author captured the very real horror of this kind of scenario so well that I feel uncomfortable even discussing this story, and her writing is fantastic. Beautiful use of metaphor with certain locations, and especially the presence of fog.
My Grandfather, the Grave Digger – by Graham Masterton and Karolina Mogielska
Heniek is a gravedigger, and sometimes a negligent one, which he regrets when he damages something pretty important, and then a mysterious woman turns up on his door in the middle of the night. She lures him out to the graveyard under the guise of needing his help, and the next thing he knows, he’s at the world’s weirdest party. This story uses folklore that I was completely unfamiliar with but am now very interested in. There are moral lessons aplenty, and warnings….lots of warnings…
Falling – by Steve Rasnic Tem
Well, if there’s one story in this book that truly freaked me out, it’s this one. An old man who has started experiencing spells of dizziness is disturbed one day when things start falling out of the sky. Everything around him seems to be falling, and the story telling makes his experience disorientating and unnerving. I’m not describing this in a way that does the story justice, I’m sure, but the writing was gripping.
Indenture – by David J. Schow
What is it about the back half of this book in particular that has me so unnerved? This is another story that gave me the most eerie of heebie jeebies, and I feel all unsettled after reading it. Our main character explores the repetitive, mundane cycle of life and the quest for personal betterment, a goal that doesn’t even seem real. You need to read this for yourself to know why I’m so disturbed by it.
Charlie Wordsworth and His Host of Fucking Daffodils – by Michael Marshall Smith
I loved this one and my only complaint is that I wanted more of it. It felt like a great, compact short story, or the prologue to something longer. Two crime-loving guys that grew up together end up working for the same guy, doing various illegal things. One of them becomes an issue that the other is tasked with solving. I had no idea where this was going to go and was very satisfied by the ending.
Nothing but Pictures – by Ramsey Campbell
It starts with pictures, evolves into Annette’s mother insisting she sees a man near her daughter quite frequently (though no one else seems aware of him), and turns into something even creepier. The ending, in particular, had me wanting to clutch a blanket. I don’t know how Ramsey always disturbs me so much but this story was no exception (though I’d say it’s exceptional!).
Ending in Ruin – by Sharon Gosling
Petra is on a trip (cycling and camping) and has not packed well. She hasn’t brought enough food for one thing, and one night when she decides to bed down in a graveyard, she finds an egg that seems to have been left quite deliberately in a particular place. She can’t stop thinking about eating it, and so she eventually does. Big mistake.
This delicious, scary folk horror is my favourite story in the whole book, and that’s saying something because I loved many of them. I’ve been obsessed with Sarah Langan since reading her for the first ever time last year (the story was called ‘I Miss You Too Much’), and now I’m obsessed with Sharon Gosling. Don’t you just love it when you discover a new author in an anthology and instantly know they’re going to be a favourite forever?
Overall, I’d say that this is one of my favourite anthologies of 2025, and I’m delighted to have read it. Stephen has done a wonderful job with this first book in reviving this anthology series, and I can’t wait for the next one if he continues with it!
If you’d like to check out the book or the editor, I’ve popped some links below for you:
NEW WRITINGS IN HORROR & THE SUPERNATURAL: VOLUME 3
Bleeeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
Leave a comment