Welcome to issue #159 of Nightmare Magazine!
December is a time where folklore and mythology hold a larger presence in our day-to-day life. From your local Krampus market to the Santas at the mall, otherworldly beings are front and center at this time of year. Maybe it’s the long dark nights stirring up the imagination, or maybe it’s the strange light you get when sunshine glints off the snow: We might be out of spooky season, but December is the time when our thoughts are often in communication with legends and lore.
In that spirit, I’ve selected an array of work exploring the intersection of media and folklore. Our first piece of short fiction is “The Short History of a Long-Forgotten, Ill-Fated Telenovela” by Dante Luiz—the story of a cursed television show and the people who worked on it. Is the curse the real or is it imagined? You’ll have to decide once you’ve read it.
Leyla Hamedi’s story “Shahmeran” draws on the myth of the beautiful, serpentine shahmeran to explore the difficult relationship of two sisters. Our flash story is Lyndsie Manusos’s experimental “Review: When the Baby Sleeps,” a fictional movie review about a cursed film. Every time I read it, I forget it’s fiction and wish I could watch the film! Our poem this month is the delicious “Blacula” by PC Verrone. I think you can guess which legendary character it’s discussing.
Over at the H Word, Kristina Ten writes about the strange shared mythology that kids somehow manage to spread across summer camps and homerooms. If you’re trying to decide what to read or watch, Adam-Troy Castro has a book and movie pairing in his latest review column. And of course, our author spotlight interview team has interrogated interviewed our writers for more insights into their writing.
It’s the darkest time of the year. Why not curl up in the light with some dark fiction? In fact, consider that moment a gift to yourself.
Wishing all of you very happy holidays and a healthy new year!
