Maine seems like a good place to write horror stories. Stephen King wrote some of his stories in this spooky house in Bangor, but there are scary storytellers all over the state. Shutterstock

Maine writers looking for ways to scare readers don’t have to look far for material.

“People are never more afraid than when they’re alone and powerless, and Maine is very good at portraying the idea of ​​isolation,” said Camden author Michael Koryta, who writes supernatural thrillers under the name Scott Carson. “Go down any road in Maine and you may find yourself in a town with an abandoned mill or an old house on the hill with a mysterious history. This is a good starting point for me.”

Maine writers say there are many ways the state inspires scary stories. Along with the isolation, there are endless long winters, small towns where everyone knows everyone else’s business, and a long history of shipwrecks and seaside ghost stories.

There’s also, of course, the 50-year career of Stephen King, one of Maine’s most famous tellers of scary tales. His latest collection of short stories, “You Love the Dark,” was released in May. He also released paperback editions of several of his classic horror novels this year: “Cujo,” “Pet Sematary” and “Christine.”

With Halloween just a few days away, we thought it would be a good time to highlight some local horror, some spooky or terrifying novels by Maine authors. Here are seven that emerged in the past year, along with some of the author’s thoughts on scary writing.

“Dead Folk” by Waldoboro author Katherine Silva came out in August. Photo courtesy of Katherine Silva

“Dead People” by Katherine Silva

The book, released in August, is a sequel to Silva’s “Immortal Folk,” an apocalyptic tale of a woman whose only companion is magic and an immortal fox revived by the spirit of her dead father. In this book, the woman loses her fox and tries to use magic to get revenge.

Silva, who lives in Waldoboro, says what he likes most about writing horror is that it’s actually about something much more positive.

“Horror is all about hope. “I write grief-horror, which deals with characters trying to overcome a period of great sadness in their lives, which sadness can manifest as a kind of darkness for many,” Silva said. “Writing grief-horror is a catharsis. It helps me deal with my own emotions and helps readers see that they are not alone.” “It helps.”

“Youthjuice” by EK Sathue (Erin Mayer)

In this horror satire set in the beauty industry (released in June), a young woman named Sophia searches for meaning in her new job at a trendy beauty and wellness company. She is asked to try a new anti-aging moisturizer that works great but has a terrifying secret ingredient. Sophia must decide how far she will go to be young and beautiful.

Mayer, who lives in Camden with her partner Benjamin Perry and a haunted doll called Persephone, said she was inspired by scary writers such as Shirley Jackson and Mona Awad and filmmakers David Lynch and Jordan Peele, who showed her how versatile horror can be. . He moved to Maine from New York City about five years ago and immediately realized why there were so many horror writers in Maine.

“I think one of the biggest factors is the sparsity of the population along with the vastness of the land. There’s a strong feeling here that someone can literally disappear without a trace,” Mayer said.

“When Night Falls” by Glenn Rolfe

Set in Old Orchard Beach in the 1990s, the story focuses on an ordinary man named Rocky, who years ago fell in love with a not-quite-human woman named November. Now years later, the town becomes the location for a documentary about a serial killer who brings more unnatural creatures into Rocky’s life. This book, released in June, is the sequel to Rolfe’s 2020 novel “Until Summer Comes.”

Rolfe, who lives in West Gardiner, said the story of both books was inspired by “The Lost Boys,” about vampires in a California beach town. He calls Old Orchard Beach “my happy place,” which makes the setting of a horror story somewhat ironic. But he says the town’s ability to change quickly and become nearly desolate in the winter makes it a good horror setting.

Author Michael Koryta, who lives part-time in Camden, writes supernatural thrillers under the pseudonym Scott Carson. Photo: Jonathan Mehring

“The Way of the Lost Man” by Scott Carson (Michael Koryta)

In this spooky coming-of-age story released in March, a young man in Bloomington, Indiana finds himself embroiled in a missing women’s investigation filled with all kinds of paranormal activity. First of all, he meets a non-existent cop, and the case goes on to reveal the town’s long-kept secrets. Koryta, who grew up in Bloomington and splits his time between here and Camden, based some of the details on his own time working for a private investigator.

Koryta, who also writes detective books under his own name, says that he feels that the scariest stories are those that take place in a world where details knock us down and almost drag us into the monotony of daily life. The story is set in 1999, when the world is preoccupied with the idea that the date change could cause massive computer shutdowns.

“First of all, it is scarier to know what the characters are like and what they feel. Writers can make the mistake of starting with the scary thing,” Koryta said.

“A Cursed Thing on the Hill” by Elizabeth Hand

A group of actors rent a dilapidated gothic mansion in a small New England town (Hill House) to work on a play. But since this is the same Hill House from Shirley Jackson’s 1959 classic “The Haunting of Hill House,” spooky things begin to happen and get on the actors’ nerves. Hand, who lives in Lincolnville and teaches creative arts at the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA Program, said the book, which came out last October, is a new story with new characters, set in Hill House and written in a style reminiscent of Jackson. he said. writing.

A few years ago, Jackson’s family approached Hand about creating a book set on Jackson’s literary world. He has written nearly 20 books and won the Shirley Jackson Award, given for achievements in horror, dark fantasy and thriller writing. While writing the book, he studied floor plans Jackson had created for the fictional Hill House to get the setting and feel of the place right.

“For me, it’s the setting and the atmosphere that really does the job of scaring people,” Hand said.

“May the Forest Bless Our Bodies” by EM Roy

In this strange coming-of-age story set in a small Maine town, a young woman named Leo Bates becomes the prime suspect when her partner goes missing. The search for the missing woman forces Leo to confront secrets about his family and the town he’s lived in all his life. Published last October, this is Roy’s first novel, and the town is loosely based on Gray, where he grew up.

Roy, who lives in South Portland and works as a communications coordinator for Out Maine, thinks fear is an easy genre for people who see themselves as outsiders in some way.

“Horror is this distant genre where strange things happen, so stories resonate with the marginalized. They are a tool to explore your fears,” Roy said.

Rebecca Turkewitz is the author of the horror story collection “Here in the Night.” Photo courtesy of Rebecca Turkewitz

“Here is the Night” by Rebecca Turkewitz

Released in July 2023, the 13 stories in this book cover all manner of disturbing events in a wide variety of locations, from a boarding school in Vermont to the rocky coast of Maine to suburban Massachusetts and rural South Carolina. One takes place in an elevator stuck between floors.

Turkewitz, who lives in Portland and teaches English at Casco Bay High School, said he became a fan of horror stories while reading the “Goosebumps” series as a child. She also writes literary fiction, but often finds herself wondering “what if I added a ghost?” he finds himself thinking.

“I love how horror allows for a certain kind of ambiguity and gives you the freedom to explore the edges of things. “Horror gives writers and readers permission to confront things that normally cannot be talked about or known, and does not require easy answers,” said Turkewitz. “I love spookiness, too. It’s a lot of fun to create a spooky environment or atmosphere.”

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