As we approach the halfway point to Halloween, we also cross over the first day of spring and Earth Day, holidays that mark our world entering a stage of blossoming and new life. But for lots of us, ecological dread is a persistent anxiety about climate change, natural disasters and unsustainability. This Half-o-ween, let’s explore eco-horror fiction and reflect on what makes environmental destruction just so unnerving.
As a toxic mold overtakes Toronto, a health inspector investigates this new fungal presence, a land developer struggles to keep his property from going belly up, and two teens find themselves in a sinkhole. The Marigold is an eerily damp glimpse at survival and community in systems of oppression, with a backdrop of a sentient, mycological threat.
After a pandemic eradicates all “edible” animals, the meat industry institutionalizes cannibalism - after all, where else would we get our protein? Human livestock, referred to as “heads," are bred, butchered and processed for consumption. When Marcos, a slaughterhouse worker, is gifted a “head," moral lines are gruesomely crossed. Tender Is the Flesh is a brutal, poignant look into our reliance on animal agriculture that could scare you into veganism.
In The Disaster Tourist, Yona works at a travel agency specializing in destinations devastated by disasters, such as tornadoes and earthquakes. After a senior employee sexually harasses her, the company sends Yona on an assignment to a budding luxury destination in their portfolio, in an attempt to prevent her resignation. There, Yona stumbles upon a sinister scheme, and things prove catastrophic in this sharp ecothriller.
An eco-horror classic inspired by the Deepwater Horizon disaster that follows four researchers in an expedition to a treacherous, isolated coastal location, from which no others have returned. Twisty and nightmarish, Annihilation has it all: unidentifiable species, a dreamlike environment that you can’t quite settle into and an infectious atmosphere making everyone second guess themselves.
Can’t wait for Halloween? Let us know your favorite eco-horror read in the comments.
Add a comment to: Eco-horror Stories for Half-o-ween