I picked up the Canadian Dreadful horror anthology the last time I was at a convention (remember those gatherings we used to have in the pre-pandemic ‘before days’?). I always like to have a few non Stephen King short stories around and having and reading Canadian centric ones seemed perfect for these non-personal interaction times.
If the title and the awesome ‘skullified’ fall maple leaf were in any way unclear, this is strictly Canadian horror by Canadian authors. While all the stories are set somewhere in Canada and the many nooks and crannies in between, or A Mari usque ad Mare (that’s “From sea to sea” for those of you who failed both Canadian history and Latin classes). These locale connections are tenuous at best, not more than a mention in the stories, and not especially significant or essential to any story plot. Still a nice touch to ground them somewhat.
I can truthfully say that I enjoyed them all without even one klunker in the bunch. Most do fall more in the realm of ‘dread’ rather than true ‘horror’ making the title particularly apropos.
Here are my very brief, one liner descriptions/reviews to give but a taste of what to expect.
Aranzazu Banks (Robin Rowland)
A part-Cthulian terror grips a man and his cat in a boat off the coast of Prince Rupert. Beware the beauty of bioluminescence.
Centre Ice (Caitlin Marceau)
What if Shirley Jackson were a Hockey Night in Canada fan? The fate of a small town hockey team’s winning streak depends on who is running the arena concession stand. Probably the most Canadian in content as few others can understand the importance and social influence of minor hockey teams for small towns.
His Cold Coffin (Tyner Gillies)
Just a hint of a ghostly appearance in this tale of friendship between a recently fallen man and his best friends. Not dreadful in the sense of horror but rather in the sense of friendships lost and found.
Memories of Miss Mindy Tulane (Jen Frankel)
In this second nautical oriented tale a woman who sees ghosts is drawn to an antique shopkeeper with the answer to many of her questions. Draws upon both the Titanic and Halifax disasters.
Nowhere Time (Pat Flewwelling)
A lost young woman’s ethereal wandering intersects with memories of loved ones long gone. Both haunting and touching.
Rebecca Raven (David Tocher)
A young man on a trip remembering his lost love reluctantly picks up a hitchhiker gets drawn into the reverie of First Nations legend and dark truths.
Relentless (Repo Kempt)
A ghostly tale of two best Inuit friends and a hunting trip gone tragically wrong. Chilling in temperature and tone, a friendship can only go so far.
Sins of the Father (Colleen Anderson)
Finding out your father was a serial killer is bad enough, but what do you do when you find that your desire to make it up for it to mankind manifests as an irresistible supernatural power? Distinctly different in tones, the great start but goes a bit astray at the end.
Snow Angel (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Simple yet chilling story of a woman’s survival in the remote northern wilderness after being stranded in a snowbound camper when tragedy compounds the situation. Canadian horror veteran Kilpatrick delivers an icy cold reality.
The Delivery Boy (Judith Baron)
Even a simple pizza delivery can turn into a nightmare when the destination is a ghostly derelict house with a witchy customer intent on satisfying her mandrake daughter’s desires. Decidedly a lighter side of horror with nice comedic touch.
The Mansion (Karen Dales)
Things go bump into the night as the restaurant manager of a former Victorian mansion tries to get some last minute work done. Or should I say last minutes?
Two Trees (Vanessa C. Hawkins)
Extreme poverty, murder and Merfolk at the foot of the Bay of Fundy. Chilling but not at the hands of the mystical creatures as you would expect.
Stag and Storm (Sara C. Walker)
More fantasy than horror, a tale of literal broken hearts, a lost soul and the true ruler of a remote forest and its critters.
The Sound of Passing Traffic (Joe Powers)
An ill advised shortcut leaves a driver stranded to face the elements and wildlife which happens to include a Sasquatch-like creature. My only problem with this story is the misconception of how GPS systems work and their non-reliance on cell networks.