Of The Flesh is a collection of 18 modern horror short stories that delve into themes such as eerie fairy-tale prayers, eating disorders, societal outcasts, immigration struggles, and even unsettling encounters with rats.
Standout Stories:
Sketch
Orla, a withdrawn bargirl, is grappling with her mother’s recent disappearance, which leaves her with a peculiar sketchbook. As her emotions take a darker turn, the sketches seem to come alive with an eerie force. Told in a striking comic strip format, this story adds a visual edge to the horror.
Fight, Flight, Freeze
Set in Malaysia, this tale follows Sara, who is entangled in an affair with a married man, Julien. After Julien’s wife dies, his behavior grows increasingly erratic. Sara begins receiving cryptic warnings that may be connected to the deceased wife, escalating tension and paranoia.
The Fruiting Body
Paul and his fiancée, Jen, buy a house with rotting walls, suspecting they’ve made a terrible mistake. As Paul struggles with unemployment and Jen navigates her pregnancy, hallucinations and nightmares begin to plague Jen, straining their relationship and unraveling their lives.
Daisies
Lucas is tasked with relocating his late mother’s remains to an urn. The twist? His mother’s body hasn’t decomposed—even after 30 years. This unsettling discovery leads to chilling revelations about the past.
The Broccoli Eel
Benny lives in a tense household where his parents argue frequently, and his mother enforces strict dietary rules. But after a tragic accident involving his mother, Benny’s life takes a disturbingly dark turn.
Apples
Recently divorced, Karen moves into a new home with an apple tree in the garden. After eating the apples, she begins experiencing strange and unexplainable phenomena that blur the lines between reality and nightmare.
Bob-a-Job
Richard works for a sinister requisitioning company, trapped until he pays off an overwhelming debt. His latest assignment seems straightforward: use his marketing position to gather personal information from a reclusive client to push a product. But as Richard delves deeper into the man's life, he uncovers a chilling conspiracy involving exploitation and manipulation that threatens to consume them both.
Overall, Of The Flesh offers a diverse blend of horror, ranging from chillingly atmospheric tales to stories that challenge genre norms. While some stories stand out as captivating reads, others stray from traditional horror, offering more subdued or unconventional takes on the genre.