An anthology of intelligent horror stories and psychological thrillers, arranged like a modern penny dreadful for adults.

This is the eagerly awaited third issue. The tales in this collection hang between the living and the dead. Stories that ask questions about 'mortality' and a surreptitious theme of the 'curse' runs its cloying thread throughout; explores thresholds, interior hauntings and relationships with the inanimate. This time of year sees the release of the 'darker things' we so enjoy reading and watching during winter. The time of year that brings shadows, short days and long nights. Calling the Dead explores the unfinished business of the 'recently departed', and is a cautionary tale for the living: do not play with the dead, else they will play with you. In The Woodchester Happening, an encounter with a seemingly mute boy leads to a strange and disturbing sequence of events. A Precious Possession is a peculiar tale of a box recently inherited, opened, when frankly, it was best left closed... In The Tower, a traveller finds himself amongst the ruins of an ancient and foreboding place in rural Eighteenth Century France, beware, reader, of the one who tells the tale... A film crew arrive in rural Spain to observe the rituals of a macabre festival at the site of a drowned village, unaware that they will become a little more than just spectators in The Village Below. Tight-Lipped is a chilling tale of what happens when a Ventriloquist dies and the grieving are faced with the, now detached, extended entity of the recently deceased. Having lost the extension which gave it life, character, a voice... Sacrilege then surely, to interfere with the ventriloquists' belief to treat the dummy as though it were, in fact, living... Moth tells the tale of a young homeless man, recently out of gaol, seeking safety and solitude in a city cemetery but finds himself in unsettling company: the company of a soul collector to be precise...

This issue is full of women. Women lost, disappeared, heroic, misguided, spurned, haunted, wicked, put-upon, neglected, misunderstood, bedraggled, ghostly and preoccupied. In Bryan Marshall’s ‘the Grin Thief’, grief plants a black seed into the mind of a woman who loses her family to a terrible accident and so begins a ‘frightful scheme’… Callum McAllister’s story ‘the Smog Geist’, a young girl loses her way home from school amidst a thick yellow fog, beware the stranger approaching… Parineeta Singh’s ‘Crocuses in Spring, 1958’ tells of a nanny employed to take care of a troubled little boy whose imaginings become unnerving… Enter the heady, strange Fairy Glen of Claire Savage’s story ‘the Flame Keepers’ where ghostly apparitions float in the woods at certain times of the year and people are spirited away, or are they taken? In Joao Morais ‘Corpse Candle’, a young girl is sent to fetch the doctor for her gravely ill father, but her mother has filled her head with tales and warnings of a witch that may obstruct her route through the woods, ‘whatever you do, don’t look back and don’t stop walking. Get out of the woods as fast as you can.’… Enter a Conjurer’s tupenny show where promises of raising the dead before the audience’s very eyes are made in Kristy Kerruish’s story, ‘the Conjurer’. In Mark Blayney’s peculiar tale, ‘Sexistential’: ever wondered what it is like to actually be a ghost, to live eternally as you died? This story explores the complex relationships of ghosts who, ‘cannot get physically ill – but problems of the mind are frequent…’ Renee Anderson’s ‘Medium Black’ tells the story of a tragic death of a Victorian Medium. Ectoplasm, conjurer of spirits, or mistress of invention? But what killed her? In Melanie Marshall’s sad story, ‘His Garden’, an academic mourns the end of a relationship, finds herself wandering the gardens of a large stately home, she meets an old woman and follows her along a dark path. A strange exile from her empty flat, her abandoned life, she wonders, is she ‘fated to be always out in the garden’… Jennie Owen’s ‘Alternative Therapy’ brings a new meaning to ‘carrying your demons’… Catrin Kean’s terrifying ghost story, ‘Blue’, a single mother, despairing, is offered a fresh start, a new home by the sea, when one day a stranger arrives, soaking wet, at her door…

This edition is a very special monster issue in celebration of the Bicentenary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In Nigel Jarrett's Spectres of Innocence a son and daughter help their grieving father start afresh after the death of their mother. He moves into an old rectory with a troubled history. Unsettling events begin to unravel: who is the woman keeping their father company? And what might be pushing the empty swing on a still summer's day? Ever walked into a building and felt the hairs on the back of your neck prick up? Two travellers rent an old apartment but one becomes convinced it harbours something - a grudge, a dislike, perhaps it wants her out? Or is it just the intense heat closing in around her in Mark Blayney's peculiar tale Straits Eclectic. Catrin Kean spins a yarn of an old woman who lives alone on the old family farm by the sea. She is visited by a couple who want to buy her home. She agrees, but a secret is buried that threatens to rise and spill out if she leaves in Birdcage. Jess Thomas' Don't Stop Playing tells a story of monsters guarding treasure in a cave and a girl whose flute playing seduces them to sleep. Think of the old saying, 'Finders keepers' - but will what you find keep you...? Charlotte Symons, mesmerising tale, The Man Who Gathered Sorrow, the seemingly good deed of a man becomes monstrous - he has no choice but to destroy the thing before it destroys him... In Ewan Hannah's story, The Creature, a notorious and fiendish whisky hunter returns from his journey to Antarctica with bounty - Magnus MacSorley's lost ninth bottle. But beware on opening, this contains more than the warming amber liquid... Kevin O'Connor's Inis Suil a party of teenagers head to an island in what is supposed to be a night of camping, catching up and having fun. But something lurks in the darkness... A grave is dug up and the body of a young girl is exhumed because a farm settlement in America is disturbed by a revenant - a restless corpse. Measures must be taken to rest her soul in Mat Troy's The Connecticut Tradition Tina Rath's The Banks of the Roses tells the story of two young lovers who meet at a quarry on a hot summer's day. There is a rumour a murder happened there and something called Jenny Greenteeth will pull you in and drown you if you get too near to the pool. Heed the warning, it is not always hearsay... In Chip Limeburner's story Along the Road set in the time of the Crusades a lone highwayman ambushes a team of horses and their cavalcade. He finds a casket of pristine bones but this is far from treasure - a very sinister loot...

Step Right Up And Get Your Tickets at Christopher Long’s TERMINUS, a decrepit old bus station that you’ll do well to leave. Our first act is a musical one, a catchy little number that you may have heard before. But isn’t midnight a little late for buskers? And why does everyone else at the station seem to be whistling the same tune? Family Fun is found in Damien B. Raphael’s story RUPERT’S LITTLE BROTHER. The Wynfords are stupefied by grief following a recent family tragedy, but one nanny won’t let the rumours ruin her chances of working at Weston Manor. Eleanor’s heard the talk about Weston, but she won’t be going anywhere – especially not because of any silly old ghost stories. And she’s already passed the first test of her nerves, having met the strange barefoot boy on the gravel path. See Wild Animals beneath the waves in Dan Mitchell’s DRIFT. Under the surface of the water everything changes. Dive down and leave the sounds, stresses and worries of the world above behind. Just watch out for those ghost nets still searching for their catch! Supernatural Illusions abound in Chip Limeburner’s A FORK IN THE WOODS, where a ride home through the trees is halted by an otherworldly intervention. Others might shrink from the prospect of riding the road through the woods alone at night, but not Sir Jonathan. It’s a path he’s often travelled after enjoying Sir Walter’s hospitality, and truth be told he relishes the ride through the cool night air. That is, until he is confronted by a portrait of terror, and something glinting among the leaves. For One Night Only see DILYS finally take centre stage. Josie Turner’s wardrobe mistress is more comfortable amongst the shadows of the workshops beneath the boards, but this evening she’ll threaten to steal the show – much to the distress of an aging actress who isn’t used to supporting roles. Stand Spellbound by the mould stain with no odour in Annie Greene’s WATER DAMAGE. A feature that’s baffled for years – it never gets bigger! What Is It? To find out the truth, you’ll need to spend some time alone with this freakish blemish. Just make sure you lock the door… Feel The Magic Up Close in ON THE MOUNTAIN, as Nia Morais takes us on a journey across the arctic-like Ben Macdui, the second highest peak on the island of Great Britain. Taller than Braeriach, wilder than Ben Nevis – the summit of Ben Macdui is said to be haunted by the wraith-like Old Grey Man. But don’t let that stop you from following us up there! Hot and Cold Refreshments! Ice cream. Cotton candy. Hotdogs. Popcorn. Or perhaps you’ll fancy a spoonful of something sinister from THE PICKLING JAR. Gaynor’s been working hard on perfecting her culinary creation in Lucie McKnight Hardy’s tale, testing out different recipes and tweaking the ingredients each time. Now it’s finally ready to be judged, but do you dare take a taste?

In Ann Wuehler’s ‘The Little Visitors’ a house on Garwood avenue is visited by trick-or-treaters, nothing out of the ordinary there, right? But look closer, something is very, very wrong. In Christopher Long’s story ‘The Cleanest Cut’ number 10, Chapel Close is unnervingly noisy with rattles and floorboard creaks, but it’s the garden you should be wary of. In Ellen Davies’ ‘Woman Downstairs’ a woman longing for a baby experiences a time-slip – or is it? In Carrie Hardman’s ‘The Missing List’ a community is afflicted by the disappearance of their youngest children. Nobody knows why or who is taking them. Annie Greene’s chill-to-the-bone story, ‘Monster in a Box’ tells of a single woman sending off for a mail-order monster that can be moulded into whatever form she desires. Her creation fulfils more than she could dream of. Dan Coxon’s ‘Ones and Zeros’ tells of a troubled programmer’s arrival at her new home – is the house really moving? Or is it just her imagination? Who are the ten little boys that watch Dafydd outside his window in Alys Hobbs’ ‘Cross the Beck’. Something happened to Amy Shelling and she has returned after ten years away. But how has she changed? Make sure you look at her photograph very carefully, in David Hartley’s story, ‘The Incorcist’. In Verity Holloway’s tale ‘Florabelle’ a photograph stolen from the pocket of a dead girl’s father unfolds a series of unnerving events in this wonderfully atmospheric Christmas ghost story. Catrin Kean’s ‘Sirens’ is a chilling story that tracks the journey of a girl running away from something dreadful. She finds herself at the edge of the sea in a strange hamlet of abandoned and dilapidated houses. But she is not alone.

The Ghastling’s eleventh issue, released during the COVID-19 lockdown in April 2020, features eight tales designed to transport readers to other nightmarish places and imagined horrors. Includes stories from Timothy Granville, Carrie Hardman, Tim Jeffreys, Christopher Long, Drew Nicks, Hailey Piper, Steven Sheil and Mat Troy.

The Ghastling’s ‘Strange Signs // Ritual Protection Marks’ issue features eight timely stories suffused with signs, symbols, talismans, totems and macabre folkloric traditions. Includes stories from Lucy Ashe, Barry Charman, Victoria Day, K. M. Hazel, Tom Johnstone, Kristy Kerruish, Bess Lovejoy and Damien B. Raphael.