By Gabby Aspiotis
Edited by Emilee Saigh
November is Indigenous People’s Month, and I’ve been on a horror kick since the summer, so I thought I would compile a list of Indigenous horror recommendations! From cannibalism to the struggles of motherhood, there’s something for everyone to sink their teeth into.
It Looks Like You in the Dark by Mathilda Zeller
Recent high school graduate, Tapeesa, has dealt with people in her village assuming she isn’t bright all her life and her mother telling her she has bad blood. The Kobuk River Valley has always drawn white men time and time again, but now, they’re here for the long haul: to mine close to the village. When Tapeesa’s sister goes missing, she decides to track down the kidnapper, finally leaving her village. What she finds waiting for her may be worse than anything she could imagine.
Manmade Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers, illustrated by Jeff Edwards
Manmade Monsters is an illustrated horror collection that follows one extended Cherokee family across centuries, from 1830s Georgia to WWI and beyond. From vampires and sea creatures to intimate partner violence and displacement, the horrors of colonization are woven through each story. The illustrations that are attached to every story all incorporate Cherokee syllabary, making this collection truly unforgettable.
Carnalis by Tiffany Morris
Lauren, a wealthy party girl, volunteers at a food co-op and hungers for human flesh. Alex, her girlfriend, is recovering from an injury and doesn’t realize that she is trapped in a potentially dangerous relationship. When Lauren kills her supplier of human flesh and panics, she insists she and Alex hide on a remote First Nations reserve with Alex’s cousin. But Lauren’s desires prove hard to satiate.
And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliot
Even though Alice has everything she’s wanted—a beautiful baby girl, a supportive husband, and a new home—she still feels disconnected from her life. She isn’t bonding with her daughter Dawn, she expends a lot of her energy hiding from her nosy white neighbours, and she has drifted from her goal of writing a retelling of the Haudenosaunee creation story. When strange occurrences start happening, her husband convinces her it’s all in her head. But Alice isn’t so sure. She’s convinced something is dangerously wrong and might be connected with her ancestry.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
A diary, written by a Lutheran pastor in 1912, is unearthed 100 years later. Within its passages, a massacre is uncovered, and it all started with 217 Blackfeet deaths. Expressed through transcribed interviews by Good Stab, a Blackfeet, this revenge story has a paranormal twist.
Bad Medicine by Christopher Twin
Five Cree teens gather by a river near their homes to share horror stories. As they go around, the teens begin trying to outdo each other with their stories. Sometimes, when you walk along the river, you might see a fire, or hear a laugh or scream. And very rarely, you might be transported to a new, terrifying world all together.
The Sleeping Sisters by Jennifer Givhan
Fortuna Miércoles is desperate to protect her family, outrun the curse that has infiltrated her bloodline, and bury her ancestors' violent legacy (and her own secret). Twenty years ago, a mysterious massacre occurred. Girls and women vanished, only to be found as bones later on, and no one knows who the killer was. Now, the killings have started again. Jeanette Palacio, detective, has longed to avenge her murdered cousins. The two women are pulled into a treacherous scheme when a body is found in Fortuna’s backyard.
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline
Almost a year ago, Joan’s husband, Victor, went missing after an argument. One morning, she finds herself drawn to a tent where local Metis gather to listen to a preacher. When she gets there, she hears Victor's voice. But he insists he’s Reverend Eugene Wolff, not Victor, and doesn’t recognize her. Joan decides to try to remind him of his true identity, if he actually is Victor, and get her husband back.
I hope some of these books sound appealing to you, and maybe you’ll even find a new favourite! Happy readin’ :)
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