Tuesday 29 January 2019

List of Folk Horror and Supernatural Literature Titles in Newfoundland and Labrador



I've been having a chat tonight with the October Witch about Newfoundland supernatural, dark folklore, and folk horror literature, and I've gone down a bit of an eerie rabbit hole. I've started to compile a list of all the published fictional work that I can think of with distinctly Newfoundland and Labrador paranormal/supernatural themes and motifs.

This is a work in progress, so if you can think of anything not here, leave a comment or email dale@dalejarvis.ca.  I'm specifically including fictional work, so no non-fiction collections of ghost stories (that rules out most of my own stuff!), and I'm excluding things like science fiction, speculative fiction, books written by NL writers but set elsewhere, or straight up horror. To get on this list, the piece should be: published; based in Newfoundland and Labrador; have characters/themes/motifs that are clearly linked to "traditional" local folklore in some way. I have made a short list at the bottom of this list of works that are set in the province but which deal with more contemporary paranormal themes (vampires, werewolves, etc). I'm not sure if all of the stage plays have been published, so let me know that too.

Stage plays

Barry, Frank. Wreckhouse.
Chafe, Robert. Butler’s Marsh.
Chafe, Robert. Isle of Demons.
Pinsent, Gordon. Corner Green.
Pittman, Al. West Moon.
Stapleton, Berni. The Double Axe Murders.
Sullivan, Joan. Wolf in the Fold.

Books

Barbeau, Melissa.  The Luminous Sea.
Butler Hallett, Michelle.  Deluded Your Sailors.
Butler Hallett, Michelle. Double-blind.
Collins, Gerard. Finton Moon.
Cotter, Charis. The Ferryland Visitor.
Crummy, Michael. Galore.
Dawe, Tom. The Loon in the Dark Tide: Old Newfoundland Ghost Stories.
Dawe, Tom. An Old Man's Winter Night: Ghostly Tales.
Dawe, Tom. Spirited Away: Fairy stories of old Newfoundland.
Harvey, Kenneth.  Town that Forgot How to Breathe.
Hynes, Joel Thomas. Say Nothing Saw Wood.
Kavanagh, Ed. The Confessions of Nipper Mooney.
Pilgrim, Earl. Curse of the Red Cross Ring.
Pilgrim, Earl. The Ghost of Ellen Dower.
Rowe, Bill. The Monster of Twenty Mile Pond.
Steffler, John. The Afterlife of George Cartwright.
Story, Kate. Blasted.
Tilley, Sara. Skin Room.

Poetry

Dalton, Mary. Merrybegot.
McGrath, Carmelita. Ghost Poems.
Rogers, Nico. The Fetch.

YA/Children’s Fiction 

Abbott, L. M. The Riddle.
Baird, Alison.  The Hidden World (The Tales of Annwn #1)
Baird, Alison.  The Wolves of Woden (The Tales of Annwn #2)
Cotter, Charis.  The Painting.
Cotter, Charis.  The Ghost Road.
Davis, Harold. The Starrigans of Little Brook Bottom.
Dinn, Philip; Jones, Andy.  Peg Bearskin.
Falcone, Lucy M. The Mysterious Mummer.
Jarvis, Dale.  The Golden Leg.
Jones, Andy. The Jack Series (Running the Goat Press).
Kennedy, Patti. The Fairies of Billy's Gully.
McNaughton, Janet. Brave Jack and the Unicorn.
McNaughton, Janet.  Catch Me Once Catch Me Twice
Obed, Ellen Bryan. Borrowed Black: A Labrador Fantasy.
Pierce, Nicola. Spirit of the Titanic.
Reed, Don C. The Kraken.
Story, Alice.  Beneath the Barrens: A novel
Wallace, Ian. Hansel and Gretel.

Newfoundland-based contemporary horror/paranormal fantasy

Dunne, Brad. After Dark Vapours.
Frost, Tanith. Immortal Soulless series.
Gosse, Douglas. The Celtic Cross.
Labonté, Amanda.  Call of the Sea series.
Meikle, William. The Green and the Black.
Meikle, William. Home From The Sea.
O’Keefe, Charles.  The Newfoundland Vampire series.
Osmond, Candace. The Dark Tides series.
Peddle, Geoff. The Atonement of Jack Fowler.
Ryan-Lush, Geraldine. Hannigan's hand: the ghost woman talks.
Sora, Kit. The Artobiography.
Sullivan, Shannon Patrick. The Dying Days.
Traverse, Tina. Destiny of a Vampire.
Traverse, Tina.  Scarlet Desire: Covet.

Anthologies/Short Stories/Songs

Chillers from the Rock (Engen Books)
Fantasy from the Rock (Engen Books)
Great Big Sea. “French Perfume” on Sea of No Cares
Nelson, Kou K. “Safe Upon the Shore” in Specter Spectacular: 13 Ghostly Tales. Edited by Eileen Wiedbrauk.
Power, Colleen. “Taken Away By The Fairies” on Lucky You Are
Zombies on the Rock (Engen Books)

Last updated 30 January 2019

(see also Engen Books for additional straight-up horror titles)

Got more for me? Let me know!

And because Bob Hallett suggested it, a song for you: