Horrific Scribes
an online archive of the provocative, scary, and strange
L. Andrew Cooper, editor
Horrific Scribes is an expanding online archive of dark short fiction (and some poetry) by authors who share the Horrific Scribblings imprintโs dedication to the provocative, scary, and strange. It collects dark, transgressive fiction, mostly horror (all subgenres, bloodless to extreme, nothing off limits) and โhorror-adjacentโ work in areas such as dark fantasy, dark sci-fi, the surreal, and the experimental.
Works in the archive are intended for mature readers and often contain graphic violence, explicit sexuality, profanity, and other material that some readers may find triggering or offensive. By continuing, you acknowledge that you read at your own risk.
Support Extremely Weird Splatter!
Because gloriously countercultural splatterpunk fiction tends toward grounded, all-too-possible types of horror, while the more fantastic category of “weird” fiction has become far too respectable, we feel a need for EXTREMELY WEIRD SPLATTER, a pro-paying anthology of stories that highlight the awesome potential released when extreme aesthetics and splatter savvy fuse with the way-out weird that leaves โgroundedโ behind. To pay for the high quality the project deserves, we need your help with our IndieGoGo campaign. And, of course, we offer lots of perks!
NEW EXHIBIT!
“‘That corpse you planted last year in your garden, / Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year?'” Springtime! New life everywhere, and with it lies the rot that makes it possible. That’s our seasonal mood for Horrific Scribes, Exhibit Six: Springtime Rot (The Art of Decay). Enjoy a small collection of tales designed to give you diverse perspectives on the horrifying ways things fall apart.
Best, "Dead or Alive"
Brunell, "We Have Not Died Yet"
Dutton, "Darcy's Docks"
Ford, "Why I'm Running the Spookshow Now"
Leonard, "Squatters"
McMeekan, "This Sickness Will Not End in Death"
Patrick, "How May I Help You"
Horrific Scribes does not have โissuesโ like a magazine. However, it does have โExhibits,โ selections of stories and poems collected because of commonalities (themes, subgenres, images, etc.) and united by an introduction and cover art. Selections appear in a sequence that highlights meaningful connections.
Reading an Exhibit is like reading an anthology. Past Exhibits remain available:
ARCHIVED FEATURES
After time in the feature spotlight (below), Scribes and their Scribbles (or Scribblings) remain in the archives according to the months when their works first appeared. Browse the archival depths! For a specific author, try the “Authors” link above. For something else, try the “Search” option at the bottom of the screen.
FEATURED SCRIBES AND SCRIBBLES
(SCROLL DOWN FOR THE LATEST)
Nenad Mitroviฤ
Second Scribbling, Apr. 9, 2026
Born and raised in the eastern part of Serbia, a region marked by rugged landscapes, fading industrial towns, and a rich substratum of folklore, Mitroviฤโs prose often draws from local myths, oral traditions, and deeply personal memory.
Read more.
“The Teeth Remember“
Thirteen jaws. No bodies. Each tooth carries a message. Not from the killerโbut from the dead.
Read “The Teeth Remember” (~3600 words)
Author Keywords: literary horror, weird horror, gothic horror,
psychological horror, body horror, Serbian, Slavic folklore, Balkan
mythology, rural folklore horror, pagan motifs
Author Trigger Warnings (if any): graphic injury, bite wounds, physical harm, psychological distress, paranoia, supernatural horror elements
Horrific Scribes Extremity Rating:
Fendy S. Tulodo
Fourth Scribbling, Apr. 29, 2026
He writes about the body turning against itself.
Read more.
“The Black Gut Laugh“
Is it still inside us, or are we inside it?
Read “The Black Gut Laugh” (~1500 words)
Author Keywords: grotesque transformation, psychological dread, surreal horror, invasive memory
Author Trigger Warnings (if any): gore, pregnancy-related horror, loss of bodily autonomy
Horrific Scribes Extremity Rating:
“What the Hollow Keeps“
Some things donโt stay buried.
Read “What the Hollow Keeps” (~1500 words)
Author Keywords: Horror, Psychological Horror, Dark Fiction, Suspense, Supernatural, Atmospheric, Mystery
Author Trigger Warnings (if any): Psychological distress, dark themes
Horrific Scribes Extremity Rating:
