Horror Double Feature: "Crossroads at Midnight" and "Ever After"

“Crossroads at Midnight,” by Abby Howard

First, let’s start with the publisher’s blurb: “A masterful collection of tales from the faded border between our day-to-day world and the horrifying unknown on the other side of midnight.” To that end, the work includes five different tales. They all seem to be set around the modern day, though technology does not play an explicit role in any of the stories. What are my thoughts on this work? Read on to find out.

What Worked For Me:

The art is well-executed, and I was easily able to follow what the author was trying to convey. One story in particular (Used Mattress) had especially unnerving visuals.
The work includes a variety of protagonists, from a (presumably) LGBTQ+ teen to an older woman. I appreciated this representation, and was more invested in the stories as a result.
The work tends to trade more in subtlety and psychological horror; with some notable exceptions, the worst of the carnage is left to the viewer’s imagination.
For better or worse, it is possible to finish this work in a single sitting. If you need a horror novel to complete in an afternoon (or an evening), this work is probably a good choice.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

Though the artwork is well-executed, it didn’t stick with me in the same way that Through The Woods by Emily Carroll did. Carroll’s work, with its occasional pops of color, was better at establishing a vibe compared to this work’s black and white renders. (Also, her take on body horror just creeped me out more.)
Perhaps it is unfair to expect this, but it felt like the work didn’t have a clear through-line. A response to this could be: “it’s an anthology; what did you expect?” Plus, it’s not like the work has no underlying themes: loneliness and belonging come immediately to mind in that regard. I was still a tad disappointed, however.
I want my horror stories to do at least one of three things. 1) Get me to care about the characters in the story. If I’m not invested in their safety (or rooting for their downfall), it’s hard to muster much enthusiasm for the rest of the work. 2) Have something to say (e.g. race relations in Peele’s “Get Out” or critique of economic policy in “They Live”). Failing both of those, I want 3) to see something or experience something gnarly. The work is most successful in the first category, but only hints at the second and third. I understand that this is more a matter of taste, but I just don’t think this work is going to haunt me, making it harder to recommend as a horror anthology.
I know the plot isn’t necessarily the point of a horror story, and nit-picking the moment-to-moment happenings can lead to missing the bigger picture. With that being said, a few things still bothered me. In Used Mattress, why didn’t she just get rid of the mattress? Yikes. In The Boy From The Sea, did no one else notice the way Gregory was manipulating water? There are scenes where he does this in broad daylight.

Conclusion:

The publisher’s blurb describes this work as, “slice-of-life horror,” and I think that’s an apt turn of phrase. The work’s conflicts are small in scale, weaving intimate tales of terror. While the work may not be as effective at establishing an atmosphere as other works I’ve read in the genre (e.g. Through The Woods), it will likely please those looking for a (generally) subtler brand or horror.

Check it out here.

“Ever After,” by Olivia Vieweg

The story, which is set in a post-apocalyptic Germany, follows the adventures of two women (Vivi and Eva) as they try to survive their pasts and shared present. What did I think of the work? Read on to find out.

What Worked For Me:

I appreciate that this is a slightly different take on zombies. Though it is never explicitly stated in the book, they seem to derive more from plants than the usual zombie trope of medical disaster (e.g. viruses, cannibalism, etc).
I thought it was neat that the work was set in Germany. With that being said, I’m not sure that there was anything in the story that made the setting feel uniquely German other than the town names and the presence of high-speed rail.
The work has some interesting lines in it, like Vivi’s poem and the idea that “mother earth is a landlord, and humanity’s rent is long overdue.”

What Didn’t Work For Me:

The work doesn’t explain how the “zombification” works. This wouldn’t be a problem, if not for the fact that the main characters also don’t seem interested in learning. This is in spite of the fact that they run into people who may have some kind of explanation. For example, Vivi encounters a person who is half-zombie and clearly sentient. She doesn’t ask about how that’s possible, much less consider how it might be beneficial for her and the rest of humanity to understand how it happened.
I didn’t love the ending. Vivi makes it to Jena after escaping Weimar, but decides not to enter because she has been reunited with a (non-violent? and zombified) Eva. I guess this is supposed to show that Vivi is both more confident and comfortable in her own skin (plus she has a new scar), but that doesn’t mean she now has all the skills to be a survivalist in a world that’s portrayed as having limited resources.
I occasionally felt that the limited detail present in the artwork made it difficult to tell what was going on in a given scene. This wasn’t a problem through most of the book, but it happened often enough that I bring it up here.

Conclusion:

I had an OK time with this work. I appreciate that it wasn’t afraid to go some dark places, but the characters and their choices kept me from really investing. Also, I can’t help but feel an even more interesting story implied at the end of this work. A badass survivalist and her half(?)-zombie friend take on the zombie apocalypse sounds much more interesting than what was on offer. Still, if the premise sounds interesting to you, this one is at least worth a look.

Check it out here.