I’m always excited to receive my contributor copies when a new issue of Nightmare Abbey Magazine becomes available, but this time editor/publisher Tom English has really outdone himself. Just check out that Table of Contents! All the names are big time, heavy hitters. I’ve been a fan of Gary McMahon for ages and whenever I see Steve Rasnic Tem or Steve Duffy’s name beside a story, it gets priority. I’ve more recently discovered Sean Hogan but have been really impressed by his work. I’ve read a bunch of stories by Gary Fry, Simon Bestwick and Helen Grant over the years and have never once been disappointed by them. Michael Kelly and Johnny Mains are new to me so I’m looking forward to diving in and checking them out.
I was especially thrilled to see Stephen Volk and Jo Kaplan making their first appearance in Nightmare Abbey. Stephen is a legend of the genre, both with his fiction writing and his screen contributions (BBC’s Ghostwatch in particular), and I’ve been a big proponent of Jo Kaplan going all the way back to her days publishing under her maiden name, Joanna Parypinski. If you haven’t encountered her work yet, you’re in for a treat. She’s a master at crafting spine-chilling horror stories.
John Llewellyn Probert’s Cinema Crypt column returns to examine the classic Hammer Horror film The Devil Rides Out, and John M. Navroth’s in-depth exploration of the history of American horror comics continues with part 4 of his Fear In Four Colors series. This one is entitled Ghoulunitics!
My Matt Cowan’s Horror Delve column returns again as well. This one will be of particular interest to fans of my annual Christmas Horror Story Suggested Reading Lists I’ve done for the past 12 years here at horrordelve.com . I’ve scoured through all of them to assemble my top 13 Scariest Christmas-themed Horror Stories of All Time. These are the best of the best! Each story is both terrifying as well as being rich in Christmas spirit. The publishing dates on them span between 1895 to 2020. I’m very happy with the list and think you will be as well (You’ll also want to check out Allen Koszowski original artwork throughout. It’s truly awesome!).
Order your copy at one of these links:
More of Allen’s art for my column.
Horror Delve 