Dark Stars

The 12 horror shorts in Taff’s latest anthology (after Diabolica Americana: A Dark States Horror Compendium) meld the modern and the mythic, but most never quite rise from the realm of creepy to be truly terrifying. Among the best are “Papa Eye” by Priya Sharma, in which a remote island holds its residents enthralled for hundreds of years; “Trinity River’s Blues” by Chesya Burke, about a young woman whose longing for talent leads her to inadvertently invite a malicious spirit to possess her body; and “The Sanguintalist” by Gemma Files, centered on a “forensic necromancer” who seeks justice using blood to astral project into the past. Taff’s own “Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream” presents an unconventional joint custody agreement as a mother’s fierce love defies death itself. Less successful pieces, like “Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate” by John Langan, overly rely on telling over showing, resulting in very few scares. Horror fans will be pleased with the all-star lineup—which also includes Stephen Graham Jones and Josh Malerman—but shouldn’t expect anything too hair-raising. (Mar.)