There’s just something about basements (and attics) that makes them feel inherently haunted. Maybe it’s the darkness, the damp and dusty corners, or the sense of being tucked beneath the world, closer to whatever might crawl up from below. Whatever the reason, they’re perfect settings for horror.

Dark and Dreary: A Basement Horror Anthology, edited by Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar, taps into that collective dread with 20 basement-centered tales. Each story is written by a different author with their own distinct voice, giving readers a wide range of reasons to fear what lurks beneath the floorboards.

My absolute favorite entry is “It Whispers From the Void” by Kathleen Palm. An exhausted wife and mother discovers a black spot on her basement floor that only she can see. It grows larger every day, and strange creatures, again visible only to her, crawl out and cling to her, draining what little energy she has left. The horror here is quietly devastating. Its depiction of burnout and depression is painfully real, making the supernatural elements hit even harder.

A few other standouts for me:

• “Your First Night in Hell’s Kitchen” by Besu Tadesse
  A young up-and-coming cook learns the disturbing truth behind the restaurant’s secret ingredient.
• “Every Piece Up and Up” by Caleb Jones
  A man watches his entire home, except the basement, vanish into the sky, leaving him alone with the dread of whatever will return for the rest.
• “Dust” by Elizabeth S. Devecchi
  A casual fling becomes dangerously interested in what a young woman keeps hidden in her basement, unearthing all of her family’s darkest secrets.
• “Make a Wish” by Kat Gutterman
  A family discovers a wishing well in their basement that grants their desires, at a price no one is prepared to pay.

It took me a little while to finish the anthology, but that’s on me, not the stories. I genuinely enjoyed every one of them. Five full stars from me.

Dark and Dreary: A Basement Horror Anthology is availabe on Amazon on kindle, including Kindle Unlimited, and in Paperback. And remember, you don’t have to have a kindle to read kindle books. The Kindle App is FREE and available for most devices.

And if reading this leaves you wondering whether your basement might be haunted, don’t miss How To Tell If Your Basement Is Haunted and Other Matters by Nora B. Peevy. It walks you through the steps of determining whether you’re experiencing something supernatural… or just battling your fear of dark and dreary places.