Category: Horrific Scribes
Five Sports Stories
by H.J. Dutton In 1989, St. Louis Blues member Steve Tuttle collided with rival team goaltender Clint Malarchuck. His skate slashed across Malarchuck’s jugular, severing his carotid artery. Widespread panic ensued among spectators. Despite the injury, Malarchuck survived (“Zednik’s Injury”). In 1993, tennis world champion Monica Seles was in a quarterfinal match in Hamburg, Germany.
Four Desert Stories
by H.J. Dutton Among the most inhospitable places on the planet is the desert. The desert’s unwelcoming attitude is something our pop culture depictions get (mostly) right. In T.E. Lawrence’s 1926 classic Seven Pillars of Wisdom (the basis for the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia), George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and Arizona-based author
Four Jungle Stories
by H.J. Dutton One of my favorite horror topics is underused settings. Like the jungle. Though not as rare as other neglected settings – zoos, prehistory, etc. – the jungle certainly isn’t a staple, either, which is odd, because by all means it should be. Anything could hide inside that mess of green, waiting to
Five Tales of Aquatic Creepy Crawlies
by H.J. Dutton This article builds on two previous articles, “Five Stories about Bugs and Creepy Crawlies” and “Four Stories Set Underwater.” Although reading those articles is not necessary for understanding this one, understandings of creep-factors and specific underwater frights are related… and you can also get similar thrills from those articles’ recommendations. So, like
Four Stories Set Underwater
by H.J. Dutton Thousands of years of experiences with unpredictable tides and unreliable ships have hammered in a deep fear of the world beneath the waves. Even if their plots don’t center around the sea, horror stories – especially those of the modern Gothic variety – often take place near the ocean. Less common, though,
Interview with Author Joseph Hirsch: Scribe of Mutating Histories, Humanities, and Other Horrors
About the Author Joseph Hirsch (he/him) is the author of several published novels and novellas and many short stories, articles, and essays. His new horror novel, Church of the Last Lamb, is available in print and eBook from Underground Voices. His nonfiction has appeared in Fight Hype and Film International. He holds an MA in German Studies from the University of
Horrific Scribes: End of the First Wave
Horrific Scribes reopened to submissions of provocative, scary, and strange short stories (and some poetry) May 19, 2025, and good stuff has been pouring in, becoming our second wave of contenders for inclusion in the archive. The first wave ended when we had to close March 31 to catch up on reading, and as of