Review: Latinx Screams edited by V. Castro and Cina Pelayo

Latinx Screams is a collection of stories from diverse up-and-coming Latinx horror talent, compiled and edited by the talented duo of V. Castro and Cynthia Pelayo under the Burial Day Press banner. Each of the twelve stories feels fresh and unique; there is no one theme set for the collection, but something for every taste: witchcraft, body horror, demons, curses, cosmic horror, sci-fi horror, Krampus and more.  We are getting stories from different areas and backgrounds, possibly some variations on regional folklore, but fully owned by their storytellers. Stories in this collection include:

Sangre Derramada by Hector Acosta-Workplace ethics meets bloody body horror when illegal immigrants are working in deplorable conditions in a chicken processing plant and a health inspector shows up to investigate a severed finger found in a package of chicken.

Black Sheep by Sarah Davis- A biracial reporter seeks a vigilante in her crime-filled city.

Morning of the Teeth by Rios De La Luz- Exorcism, witchcraft and forest spirits

Frijoles by Laura Diaz De Arce- Generational curse that plague the descendants of a Cuban soldier

Come, Play by Sergio Gomez- friends sneak out of their houses to catch frogs, get more than they bargained for.

The Organometallic God by Arasibo Campeche: body and disease horror when science meets the practice of Santeria

Galán by Richie Narvaez-Sci-fi horror when a family’s robotic domestic helper becomes fixated on the family’s matriarch.

The Devil with Me by Baillie Puckett-Demonic possession story

The Throats of Neptune by Monique Quintana-mermaid horror where the imprisoned mermaids seek freedom

Behind the Mountain by E. Reyes- Hands down, my favorite story in the collection. It felt very much like a Latinx variation on Pet Semetery where instead of resurrecting your pet, you bury your loved ones.

Imperial Slaughterhouse by A. E. Santana- Very atmospheric, felt like I was in the desert heat as the protagonist searches and tells the story of a haunted slaughterhouse and makes a deal with demons.

Pancho Claus v. Krampus by V. Castro- Pancho Claus’s first day of retirement doesn’t go as planned when he runs into Krampus on vacation in Iceland.

I have had the pleasure of reading stories written by V. Castro and Laura Diaz De Arce in other publications. I look forward to reading work by the other writers and hope that there are more anthologies like this in the future.

 

5/5 Stars

Thank you to the editors for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.