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This outré horror novella from Schattel (Shadowdays) follows the entirely unlikable Hetta Salter, a disgruntled film studies professor working at a private college in Appalachia. Hetta boils with resentment after being reprimanded by department chair Dr. Hensley for refusing to coddle her privileged student and allowing an impoverished, unenrolled local, Tanner, to audit her classes. Tanner is equally wrathful after being barred from campus and sends Hetta a link to a dark web portal with instructions on murder techniques and demonic rituals. They’ve both had the same thought: if Hansley were gone, they could do what they pleased. As consummate film buffs, the ritual that most appeals is one that summons a demon into a VHS tape, dooming anyone who watches to hell. So they set about making a horror short, What We Talk About When We Talk About Hemoglobin, a project that turns out just as badly as one might expect from that doozy of a title even before the demon enters the picture. The ritual goes awry as well, leading to supernatural chills, gory body horror, and, for Hetta, the most terrifying thing of all: the harsh truth that she may not be a very good filmmaker. It’s not sleep-with-the-lights-on horror, but this wry, wicked send-up of artistic and academic frustration has a bizarre charm. (Mar.)