Horror, dark fantasy and suspense specialty publisher Cemetery Dance will be stocking the shelves with a series of exciting new releases, many of them anthologies, beginning this month. If you think you don’t need any more collections, think again. These volumes assemble some of the best works of horror fiction or unique items unavailable elsewhere that Cemetery Dance has graciously compiled for horror-lit fans everywhere.

IN LAYMON’S TERMS (out this month) is an entertaining, heartwarming (and occasionally bloodcurdling) tribute anthology dedicated to late great horror and Splatterpunk writer Richard Laymon. There are dozens of remembrances, anecdotes and interviews from some of the most celebrated fear writers in the business, as well as Laymon’s biggest followers. IN LAYMON’S TERMS also includes a lengthy section collecting some of his most beloved short fiction, poems and rarities, some of which contain Laymon’s own handwritten annotations. His wife Anne personally selected a photo album that shows the author at what seems like his happiest moments—with his family and surrounded by other genre scribes. IN LAYMON’S TERMS was edited by his daughter, Kelly Laymon, Steve Gerlach and Cemetery Dance founder Richard Chizmar.

Also out this month is a gargantuan two-volume anthology, THE CENTURY’S BEST HORROR FICTION, which collects 100 stories, one for every year of the last century. Edited by author and horror historian John Pelan, it is a must-have for genre newbies and aficionados alike. Stories by Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, William Hope Hodgson, H.P. Lovecraft and Shirley Jackson cozy up alongside newer efforts from Joe R. Lansdale, David J. Schow, Thomas Ligotti, Jack Ketchum, Caitlín R. Kiernan and others. These weighty tomes would also make a formidable weapon against things that go bump in the night…

In addition, Cemetery Dance is releasing KIN, a novel from award-winning newcomer Kealan Patrick Burke (THE TURTLE BOY). This gruesome tale of carnage and revenge seems to have been inspired by survivalist horrors such as THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. KIN deals with the aftermath of the savage, cannibalistic Elkwood Massacre, of which the haunted Claire Lambert is the only survivor. Along with a handful of strangers whose lives were impacted by the assault, Claire hungers for revenge. KIN debuts in September.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to experience fright-film scenarios as their original authors intended? This September you’ll be able to with the oversized anthology SCREAMPLAYS, which collects—you guessed it—original scripts by the likes of Stephen King, Richard Matheson, Harlan Ellison, Lansdale and more. Compiled by Chizmar and celebrated editor Martin H. Greenberg and with an introduction by Dean Koontz, there are enough cinematic thrills and chills to make you forget about all the old scare pictures Netflix just put up on Instant Play. This oversized edition includes a cover painting by Les Edwards and beautiful artwork from Glenn Chadbourne.

While we’re on the subject of screenplays, also out this fall is SMOKE AND MIRRORS, another exciting, mammoth collection edited by Chizmar featuring screenplays, teleplays, stage plays and more from such genre notables as Frank Darabont, William Peter Blatty, Neil Gaiman, Ray Garton, Mick Garris and others. Some of these works are previously unpublished and all are deliciously rare, including a comic strip by Joe Hill. This diverse, interesting compilation is a treat for any genre enthusiast or cinephile. For instance, if you’ve ever wondered what an H.G. Wells story would look like filtered through Gaiman’s sensibilities, here’s your chance to find out.

The Horror Writer’s Association annually presents its Bram Stoker Awards to honor the year’s best authors, including trophies for novels, short and long fiction, anthologies and nonfiction. Since the late ’80s, the Stokers have been the most reliable way to find new horror fiction, primarily because the HWA puts an emphasis on fresh and/or neglected authors. With THE HORROR HALL OF FAME: THE STOKER WINNERS, Cemetery Dance has decided to present an omnibus of these much-praised tales, edited by seven-time winner (and multiple nominee) Lansdale. THE HORROR HALL OF FAME brings together 13 (natch!) tales of terror, primarily from the ’90s, including works by Robert Bloch, Ellison, George R.R. Martin, Ketchum and others.

For more info on all these books, go to Cemetery Dance’s official website. 

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