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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Horror/supernatural short story collection edited by Jordan Peele. Most of these stories feel very much like they're out of a Jordan Peele movie, or at least one of his Twilight Zone episodes. I'd be surprised if some of these stories don't end up adapted in some sort of Jordan Peele's Night Gallery type anthology. “Your Happy Place” by Terence Taylor is more like a Black Mirror episode. Has some big names such as Nnedi Okorafor, Tananarive Due, and N.K. Jemisin, but most of the other writers have a much lower profile. It's hard to pick out favorites out of these 19 stories, but I'd say the top four are “Eye & Tooth” by Rebecca Roanhorse, “Wandering Devil” by Cadwell Turnbull, “Dark Home” by Nnedi Okorafor, and “A Grief of the Dead” by Rion Amilcar Scott. “Grief of the Dead” and “Hide and Seek” by P. Djeli Clark are probably the most emotionally intense ones of the collection. “Grief of the Dead” combines the undead, mass shooters, the Roc, and toxic online spaces, with slavery and its aftermath. I like how “Dark Home” shows the ways the old country and the new country meet in the minds of Nigerian immigrants. No clunkers in this collection.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was really excited for this because I am a Jordan Peele fan but to put it lightly its clear these are stories edited by Jordan Peele and not written by him. Although a lot of the stories have a lot of the same themes as Jordan Peele's films none of them really hit the same level. There were a lot of individual stories that I really liked such as Eye and Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse, The Other One by Violet Allen, A Grief of the Dead by Rion Amilcar Scott, A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers, An American Fable by Chesya Burke, and Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor. So about 31% of the stories were very good in my opinion and the rest weren't horrible but a lot of them suffer from what a lot of short horror stories suffer from in my opinion, a great idea that goes nowhere. For example, one of the stories introduces the idea of a world where we know aliens have been invading and impersonating humans going to talk about the details of the governments reactions to this and is overall a great concept with a pretty good plot twist but then it just ends. We don't get to see where it goes. Sometimes that can be great for horror, the ideas that you make in your head are so much scarier to you personally than what the writer could ever write in a lot of cases. Other stories in this collection actually manage to do this really well like The Other One or Your Happy Place, a solid beginning, middle, and end with an overall message. Most of the other stories that try this abrupt ending haven't done much else but introduce the concept/world that this story takes place in. It feels very campfire story where it ends with "and he might still be in these very woods...." which doesn't really work for me personally without giving me a reason to care. Overall, you might be better off just trying to find the stories mentioned above from the original creators if they have them published/posted in other places in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, War
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
This is the second short story collection that absolutely blows my mind this month and I’m just loving it! Every story I read I kept telling myself that it was my favourite but then I’d read the next one and fall in love with that one. So basically I just loved them all and they’re all my favourite! Some were seriously so fucking spooky, they had chills running down my back and had me looking over my shoulder. I could go on and on but honestly, just read this one yourself!
absolutely incredible stories, i added multiple authors new to me to my TBR
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I initially planned on listing my favorite short stories in this review, but that list would look nearly identical to the contents page of this anthology. Each story dazzles in its own way. I look forward to rereading this collection in the near future.
Overall, I give the collection a 4 to 4.5 stars BUT ‘Invasion of the Baby Snatchers’ is a 5 star story all on its own.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The stories span a wide range of horror subgenres—supernatural, psychological, Afrofuturist, cosmic, and body horror—while exploring deeply rooted themes of racism, trauma, identity, justice, and survival from Black perspectives. Each tale carries its own eerie tone, yet together they paint a portrait of horror that is both uniquely personal and socially resonant.
•••••
Standout stories include:
• “The Other One” by Tochi Onyebuchi, a surreal and powerful meditation on police violence and resurrection.
• “Dark Home” by N.K. Jemisin, which uses haunting to explore generational trauma and ancestral reckoning.
• “The Norwood Trouble” by Maurice Broaddus, a Southern Gothic tale with eerie church rituals and haunting legacies.
• “Reckless Eyeballing” by Nnedi Okorafor, blending body horror and satire in a dystopian future shaped by oppressive surveillance.
•••••
Screaming contains an exceptional collection of creepy and sometimes deeply unsettling stories. The way a cultural statement could still be made through the power of horror exposing realities of systemic oppression, inherited pain, and existential dread was amazing!
What made this anthology stand out to me was its range—both in terms of voice and approach to horror. Each author brings their own tone and style, resulting in a rich and diverse palette of storytelling. Despite the variety, there’s a unifying sense of urgency and emotional weight behind the stories. These are not just meant to scare—they’re meant to disturb in the best possible way.
Topics you will see are racism, cultural erasure, exploitation, and the complexities of being Black in America.