THE GIFT
Short Stories Hal Hefner Short Stories Hal Hefner

THE GIFT

Emily’s phone buzzed—Jill. Her cousin’s name glowed on the screen like a ghost from the past. They hadn’t spoken in five years. The message was simple: I’ve been thinking about you. I miss you so much. I’m back in New York. Join me this weekend in Woodstock. It will change your life.

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Wetlands, Witch Girls, and Whispered Revenge: Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens Is a Haunting Folk-Horror Masterpiece

Wetlands, Witch Girls, and Whispered Revenge: Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens Is a Haunting Folk-Horror Masterpiece

If you’ve ever walked into a swamp and felt like something was watching you—really watching you—Lynn Hutchinson Lee’s Origins of Desire in Orchid Fens will reach into your chest and squeeze. Published by the reliably radical Stelliform Press, this novella is a gut-punch of atmospheric folk horror, dripping with grief, beauty, and the heavy scent of rot.

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CHAMP 2.0
Horror Story, Horror Art, Short Stories Hal Hefner Horror Story, Horror Art, Short Stories Hal Hefner

CHAMP 2.0

Billy Walsh was a shitty, mad scientist whose anger caused a lot of issues in his life. With an emphasis on mad—he was also an arrogant, grudge holding asshole with mommy issues, whose rich parents footed the bill for his life. The people of Ticonderoga, NY, had shunned him after The Incident (which involved a genetically mutated squirrel, a taser, and an unfortunate explosion at the Stewart’s gas station). But tonight, revenge would be his.

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MARIO’S SPECIAL PIZZA
Horror Story, Horror Art, Short Stories Hal Hefner Horror Story, Horror Art, Short Stories Hal Hefner

MARIO’S SPECIAL PIZZA

Mario, the lab’s most promising chimpanzee, had always been curious. His handlers, marveled at his growing intellect as they pumped him full of experimental pharmaceuticals. The VR headset, designed to boost his cognitive abilities, was his gateway to a new world. The only thing Mario loved more than the pizza he was given for doing a good job in VR by his favorite scientist, Dr. Kim, was the world itself. He excelled at navigating through it unlike the other chimps—those vibrant landscapes, the endless possibilities were a respite from the real world and cruelness at the hands of Dr. Keller. But today, something was different.

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RABBIT MEAT
Horror Story, Horror Art, Short Stories Hal Hefner Horror Story, Horror Art, Short Stories Hal Hefner

RABBIT MEAT

Ben awoke violently to the sound of a large thud. The smell of damp earth and rot filled his nose as he opened his eyes. His wrists burned from the ropes binding him to the cold, wooden floor of the dilapidated house. He turned, realizing now, that the noise that brought him back to consciousness was his best friend, Jake. His lifeless body leaked a pool of blood onto the floor. A grotesque, half-rabbit figure stood over him menacingly. Ben looked into its eyes, glowing with malevolent hunger. The cultists, draped in filthy, ragged rabbit masks, left the room. Ben could see them through the open door in the hallway as they circled the altar, chanting in a language that made his skin crawl.

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WAKE UP AND OPEN YOUR EYES
Hal Hefner Hal Hefner

WAKE UP AND OPEN YOUR EYES

WAKE UP AND OPEN YOUR EYES! WITH PAUL TAMMANY
An animated video for Nerd Horror inspired by the new novel, Wake up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman.

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Taylor Time and the Rise of Niche Social Media
Horror, Nerd Horror, Social Media JANK . Horror, Nerd Horror, Social Media JANK .

Taylor Time and the Rise of Niche Social Media

Taylor Time represents something potentially more significant: the emergence of highly specialized social media platforms designed for specific communities. As public trust in mega-platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (or X, depending on whom you ask) continues to erode, niche platforms like Taylor Time may hold the key to a more authentic, user-centric future.

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Don’t Miss Scream Tv’s 12 Slays of Christmas
JANK . JANK .

Don’t Miss Scream Tv’s 12 Slays of Christmas

This December, horror fans have a chilling treat in store as NYX UK and SCREAM TV present the "12 Slays of Christmas." This curated selection of old holiday-themed horror films airing nightly at 9 PM from December 14th through Christmas Day.

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The Fleshy Frontier: Body Horror’s Morbid Influence on Star Trek’s Utopian Vision

The Fleshy Frontier: Body Horror’s Morbid Influence on Star Trek’s Utopian Vision

Body horror in Star Trek serves as a thematic counterbalance to its utopian vision. While Star Trek often portrays a hopeful representation of humanity’s potential, body horror highlights the precariousness of the human condition. By showcasing characters’ bodies transformed against their will, these episodes interrogate themes of bodily autonomy, personal identity, and existential vulnerability.

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The Ugly Stepsister Gives Cinderella a Feminist Twist

The Ugly Stepsister Gives Cinderella a Feminist Twist

The Ugly Stepsister, the feature debut of Norwegian director Emilie Blichfeldt, offers a daring and unexpected take on the classic Cinderella tale. Combining elements of comedy and body horror, the film reimagines the story through the eyes of Elvira, one of Cinderella's stepsisters, and is set in a fairy-tale kingdom where beauty is a brutal business.

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