A Curse Upon Us All! SPLIT SCREAM: CURSED PLACES is out now
Apr 21, 2026 1:31 pm
Hey Ho, Tenebrous Cult, it's SPLIT SCREAM DAY!
"My favorite installment of the series so far...and that's saying something, considering how good every single one has been"
- Drew Broussard, Bookstore Manager, Rough Draft Bar & Books, Kingston, New York
Bold words, Drew; but the time for WORDS is over and the time for CURSES is here!
...that sounded good in my head, I swear. Sounded powerful. Oh well. Moving on.
About SPLIT SCREAM: CURSED PLACES
This is not a place of honor. This place is Cursed. These New Weird Horror novelettes are a danger to the Body, and to the Mind, and they can Kill.
First up, from two-time Ladies of Horror Award Winner and BRAVE NEW WEIRD recipient Sonora Taylor comes the politically charged "Passing Glance":
Washington, D.C.’s sprawling and storied Moore Mansion is built upon intrigue and secrecy, playing host to both political elites and the merely curious alike. Its labyrinthine rooms and passageways, festooned in eclectic art and mysterious mirrors, captivate all who explore them.
Dylan arrives at the mansion for her friend’s 30th birthday party at a crossroads of her own: adrift, eager to reunite with old friends, and seeking to rekindle a long-held lust for one of the group. But tonight she will discover the true terrifying secrets of Moore Mansion: a house built to be a city, and one which unfolds like a trap.
“A gorgeously unsettling treat”
- Michael Boulerice, FEEDING THE WHEEL, INHALATION
“Takes you to wrong places where the very ground under your feet
threatens to betray you and there is really, truly, nowhere to run”
- M.Shaw, Wonderland Award Winner,
ONE HAND TO HOLD, ONE HAND TO CARVE
Then, Matthew Pritt takes you to a grim Weird second-world fantasy where environmental collapse has taken on a new horrific form, in "Lash Egg":
The people of the Doe’s country walk in the Balance, attuned to the land and guided by their benevolent nature spirit. For Ben, a refugee who narrowly escaped the madness-infested Bear’s country to the south, the Doe remains a mystery. Ben has never heard the Doe speak, and marvels at his neighbors’ firsthand experiences with his new home’s Protector. Fortunately his ten-year-old daughter, Lydia, doesn’t share his struggles, and adapts to life in the Doe with ease.
But when a mysterious wasting plague attacks the local wildlife, Ben suspects he is the cause of it. As the plague spreads and threatens to collapse the Doe’s entire ecosystem, Ben must discover how he has offended the Doe, or risk losing the only safe place he and his daughter have ever known.
"A brilliant reinvention of the haunted house tale, and a
post-apocalyptic eco-horror fever dream…Simply haunting."
- Pedro Iniguez, FEVER DREAMS OF A PARASITE
“Propulsive, delightfully entertaining, and deeply disturbing”
- Chris Panatier, THE REDEMPTION OF MORGAN BRIGHT
cover art by Evangeline Gallagher; interior illustrations by Echo Echo
Sonora has a message to share with you:
I hope you all enjoy "Passing Glance"! It was inspired by a real museum in Washington, D.C. called The O Street Mansion, though the haunting in the story is entirely from my own imagination. It's easily my weirdest story yet, and I had a lot of fun going wild with Dylan's journey through the Moore Mansion's haunted halls—especially its mirrors. Congrats also to fellow SPLIT SCREAM author Matthew Pritt, and many thanks to Tenebrous Press for taking a chance on this tale.
As for Matthew? Well don't forget, last week he wrote you a song:
In addition to the release of CURSED PLACES, SPLIT SCREAM DAY also means that ALL PREVIOUS SPLIT SCREAM eBooks are 60% OFF!
It's a great time to stock up on any New Weird Horrors that you're missing.
We'll be back next week with an overstuffed newsletter: a signing announcement, some brand new cover art, maybe another preorder, who the hell knows?! Stay Weird y'all.
Hail Indie Publishing.
Hail New Weird Horror (+ More!)
Hail the Tenebrous Cult.
Hail SPLIT SCREAM.
Matt + Alex + Alex E. + Sonora + Matthew
