I’m a big fan of Ellen Datlow’s anthologies and Shirley Jackson’s writing, so I was very excited for this anthology of literary horror stories inspired by Jackson. I loved When Things Get Dark. Absolutely one of the best anthology of horror shorts I’ve read in a long time.

There’s a wonderful variety of writing styles, topics, and themes, and the quality of the writing is some of the best I’ve seen in an anthology. The wide ranging protagonists stood out for me, and I was particularly charmed by the stories involving older women, who I don’t see as horror story protagonists often enough.

My favourite stories were:

For Sale by Owner by Elizabeth Hand. This was a favourite, a quiet, creepy, warm story about a house in the middle of nowhere, and three female friends in their 60s.

A Hundred Miles and a Mile by Carmen Maria Machado. I hadn’t encountered Machado before — wow, this was a mesmerizing story, short and sharp and gorgeous.

The Party by Paul Trembley. Tremblay writes tension so well. This story of an end of the world themed party creeped me out in a wonderful way.

Pear of Anguish by Gemma Files. This is one I thought I hated in the first few pages, but by the end it had utterly won me over. Love Files’ way with language and her full embrace of the depth and darkness of preteen girls.

Special Meal by Josh Malerman. I love math and this story was unexpected and terrifying

Tiptoe by Laird Barron. The creepiest story in the bunch for me. Many of the stories in this anthology had wonderful dread, but Tiptoe is the one that I wish I hadn’t read in the dark at midnight.

Other favourites were tales by Stephen Graham Jones, Joyce Carol Oates, Karen Heuler, and Benjamin Percy. And even the stories that didn't resonate as much with me thematically were a pleasure to read. I'll be thinking about this anthology for a long time.