New Horror Reads That Riff on Classic Horror

I rave about this one a lot, so there was no way I could leave it off this list, even though it’s over six years old. LaValle loves retelling old myths. He tackled Lovecraft when he wrote The Ballad of Black Tom. He reinvigorated the changeling myth in The Changeling (which was eventually adapted into a series for Apple TV+). In this limited comic series, he tells the story of Frankenstein’s last descendant and the lengths she’ll go to in order to reconnect with the son she lost. This compelling, complex narrative takes a peek at humanity’s darkest impulses, all presented alongside visually stunning artwork.

Another Frankenstein retelling, Tsai’s novel follows a queer, biracial intern at an embryology lab, the queer, biracial scientist who is mentoring her, and the good doctor’s nonbinary creation. As Plum, the intern, grows closer to Dr. Frank, she becomes an unexpected part of the doctor’s experiments. Eventually, she questions whether her ambition has led her to cross a line—has, in fact, led both of them to cross lines they shouldn’t. Is it too late to turn back? Or, is the only way out to move forward?

I have consumed so many adaptations of The Haunting of Hill House, yet I never tire of seeing and reading more. In Hand’s latest queer reimagining, a playwright and her troupe of actors rent out a house in order to develop and rehearse a play. Unsurprisingly, the house has its own plans, and soon enough, each member of this group of back-biting thespians finds themselves preoccupied with a different, spooky aspect of the mansion. It’s not long before all of them are at each other’s throats, and, of course, none of them realizes soon enough that the house itself is to blame.

I recently wrote a post that questioned the ethics of posthumously published books, which was built around this specific book (out in September). But what I didn’t get the chance to talk about was how much I truly enjoyed it. In this reimagining of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”—a German legend in which a piper lures away children when the townsfolk neglect to pay him for his rat removal services—the piper is a supernatural entity seeking vengeance against the ancestors of the region’s slave traders.

This gothic novel is an update of Daphne de Maurier’s Rebecca, in which a young woman marries a wealthy widower, only to discover her new home is haunted by her husband’s late ex-wife. This version is nearly identical as far as the premise goes, except that it’s set against the backdrop of the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence. This book is also said to have echoes of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic, which is honestly a reimagining of every classic gothic tale ever.

Speaking of Moreno-Garcia, a couple years after Mexican Gothic, she released this reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau. The original is about a mad scientist and his eventual unraveling. In this sci-fi/horror update, we see through the eyes of his daughter, who lives in 19th-century Mexico, yet is removed from the Caste War of Yucatán thanks to her father’s isolated estate. With the arrival of her father’s patron, Carlota Moreau begins to question everything.

Like Pay the Piper, this title isn’t out until September, but I’m already looking forward to it. In this horror-tinged reimagining of Cinderella, readers see through the eyes of one of the stepsisters, who’s been tasked with caring for Cinderella for much of her life. But in this case, Cinderella isn’t a poor orphan relegated to the basement because of her stepfamily’s jealousy. In this version, she’s a monster with dark powers, and when she escapes the cellar to attend the prince’s ball, all hell breaks loose. This sounds like so much fun.

This last one came out earlier this month, and I can’t wait to read it (as I immediately read every book Kingfisher/Vernon writes). Just about everything from this author is a dark, feminist reimagining of an old fairy tale, and this one is no different. This one is a play on “The Goose Girl,” in which a princess is forced to switch roles with her resentful maidservant. In Kingfisher’s version, it is not the maidservant who is evil, but the protagonist’s own mother. When they move into the home of an unsuspecting Squire and his sister, Cordelia must choose whether to continue bowing to her mother’s will or stand up to her.