Teenage Grave is a quartet of short stories of edgy, dare I say artisan horror, that are heavy on the gore without being overly saturated with it. On first glance, the four stories seem to have nothing in common, but upon closer inspection, Grave is a contemporary collection of morality tales, each addressing a venial (perhaps even mortal) sin: vengeance, obsessive love, betrayal, lust, cowardice, and masochism. As one story so eloquently points out, “Nevertheless, he had no other choice. Such was the nature of his punishment.” The horror develops as each of the stories’ protagonists become trapped in their own acts of contrition.


In “Stale Air” by Jo Quenell, Jason visits his estranged father after the loss of his mother. “Dad’s house reeked of rotten fish,” and the décor is straight out of bachelor pad central casting. The son wants an answer to why his parent abandoned the family, but what he learns is much more bizarre in this well-paced romp into magical realism. “I Know Not the Name of the Gods to Whom I Pray” by Sam Richard is a surrealist painting of a man’s inability to live without his lover and the agreement he forges to rectify his loss. The Orpheus myth has nothing on this tale, a painfully sad and gruesome embodiment of the phrase “hell is repetition.”


Keeping with the theme of mythology, in the Greek tradition, Apate was the spirit of deceit. My favorite story of the foursome, “Apate’s Children” by Brandon Vidito, is an allegorical tale of the emotional turmoil a betrayer endures after he confesses to his transgression. The story is one you’ll reread just to gleefully collect the meticulously crafted details. Finally, if you thought Chuck Palahniuk’s underground fight clubs were bloody, check out the secret men’s organization in “Start Today” by Justin Lutz. Miles is a pushover, a rapidly regressing “spineless worm” whose girlfriend leaves him after tiring of using him as her personal verbal punching bag. Miles discovers the print ad for the group Start Today, which promises, “Find your inner alpha, harness your confidence.” All it will cost him is a few flayings of his flesh.


Editor Ira Rat proves himself to be a shrewd curator of captivating, sometimes transgressive, always unusual tales. This is the second publication I have read from indie house Filthy Loot, and I am blown away by the press’ ability to fold such an abundance of talent into a small package: Grave is a mere 70 pages from start to finish. Loot’s publications are thoughtfully constructed to be able to be read satisfactorily in one sitting: perfect for plane rides (they are coming back slowly but surely, CoVid!) and bedtime reading (if you dare!), and I will be checking out the rest of their catalog, and their arsenal of talented authors, for certain.


Purchase link: http://www.filthyloot.com/product/teenage-grave/

Featuring: Jo Quenell, Sam Richard, Brendan Vidito & Justin Lutz
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Teenage Grave brings together four of the most brutally frank and intricately surreal fictions from the modern horror underground. Combining elements of splatterpunk, body horror, and transgressive fiction. Teenage Grave will lay you bare before severing your nerves. Smiling a little too much while doing it.

Purchase link: 
http://www.filthyloot.com/product/teenage-grave/