This was an interesting anthology series and a great read for those who enjoy horror. However, with the variety, there were some stories that were great and some that were just alright. I enjoyed how all of the stories did not go together because it was easy to pick up and put down.

Overall a really good anthology, definitely would recommend to any horror lovers out there (screaming)

Reckless Eyeballing (NK Jemisin) (5) – A great start with just enough body horror to be fun, and an insanely unreliable narrator. Eyeball imagery my beloved and beloathed you never fail to make me want to vomit and therefore I can never stop reading it.
Eye and Tooth (Rebecca Roanhorse) (4.5) – A rocky start to the short story but once it starts, it’s amazing, because it’s Rebecca Roanhorse and how could it not be.
Wandering Devil (Cadwell Turnbull) (3) – Wasn’t really a horror story until the very end of it, a good story but not really for me, not as intense of horror as I like.
Invasion of the Baby Snatchers (Lesley Nneka Arimah)(5) – Gore, aliens, an unreliable narrator and justification of my very intense fear of the capabilities of the reproductive system– I absolutely loved this story.
The Other One (Violet Allen) (5)– a story about obsession that is equal parts messed up and weird and confusing and gory and I adored it.
Lasirèn (Erin E. Adams) (3) – more sad than scary but still really good. You know what’s going to happen to the characters a bit too much to really be fully invested though
The Rider (Tananarive Due) (4.5) – vehicular manslaughter with the aid of eldritch creatures
The Aesthete (Justin C. Key) (4) – one of the longer stories in the collection– lots and lots of worldbuilding, not a huge fan of the ending
Pressure (Ezra Claytan Daniels) (4.5) – I love second person horror so much it’s great
Dark Home (Nnedi Okorafor)(4) –fun but I do agree with the main characters dad, she does have way too many internet connected tools, I thought the story would have taken that route instead
Flicker (LD Lewis) (5) – really good, felt too short because I wanted to read more
The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World (Nalo Hopkinson) (4.5) – I did not expect any of this, it was strange and self-reflective and really interesting and also gross.
The Norwood Trouble (Maurice Broaddus) (4.5) — revenge stories and tight-knit communities
A Grief of the Dead (Rion Amilcar Scott) (4) – obsession, the real horror is gun violence and racism not the giant evil birds (they are kind of also the horror)
A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree (Nicole D. Sconiers)(4.5) –cryptids of the highway, from the POV of the cryptids. And also murder.
An American Fable (Chesya Burke)(4) – the real horror is white men, post wwi setting
Your Happy Place (Terence Taylor)(5) – prison experiments and how people will overlook atrocities as long as the people “deserve” it, legal loopholes, and a whole matrix thing. Messed up in so many degrees and I absolutely loved it.
Hide and Seek (P. Djèli Clark) (5) – I love the way this one plays with timelines and returns back in on itself
Origin Story (Tochi Onyebuchi) (5) – white boys being mad that they’re not the center of the world anymore, existentialism, fun play format

I loved this! Every story had me hooked, and I flew through this. I absolutely how well cultivated and crafted this was, and I cannot wait to buy a physical copy for my own library and the library I work for! If you're looking for easily accessible short form horror stories, this is for sure going to be perfect for you! I think a lot of people are going to love this.

I loved this. Every story was incredible and I was so immersed in each one. This one will definitely stay with me for a long time. An absolute must read for any horror lover.

When it comes to the horror genre, so many things can be considered horror. The subjective nature of what makes a piece of writing horror is exemplified in the anthology collection Out There Screaming. The short stories in this collection share the underlying theme of racism present in America, but with different vehicles to get there. There are stories about ghosts, aliens, a campfire story, and so much more. I loved that I got to enjoy stories from some of my favorite Black writers along with finding new authors that I'll be diving into their backlist and future works.

This collection is easily accessible to everyone because of the varying degrees of horror. No matter how much horror you like to consume, from slight scares to nightmare level scares, there is something for everyone in this collection.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

Putting a celebrity's name as the "curator" of a literary anthology often can come across as little more than a marketing ploy - a way to draw in readers into a collection of quite often iffy selections, with contributors hoping to make a buck off of the name on the cover. But Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror more than delivers on the promise of Jordan Peele's name on the cover, no matter how involved he may or may not have been in the selection of the stories here. With a murderer's row of talent, including N.K. Jemisin, P. Djèlí Clark, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, and so many more, the anthology delivers exactly what it promises: an astonishing collection of horror from Black voices, with one of the highest ratios of success I've found in a collection like this. As with any anthology, there are a few misses here and there; Terence Taylor's "Your Happy Place" is a long walk to an obvious and overly familiar twist, even if some of the specifics are interesting and nicely pointed; Ezra Claytan Daniels's "Pressure" feels like a great mood piece in search of a plot. But those are by far the exception, not the rule, and there are many, many knockouts here. Clark's "Hide and Seek" mixes magical realism with the bleakness of drug addiction, finding something wholly new and disturbing along the way; "Eve & Tooth," by Rebecca Roanhorse, feels like a pilot for what would be a gangbuster supernatural novel series; "The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World," by Nalo Hopkinson, mixes African myth and a feel of oral legends with body horror, and the result is a wild ride; Tananarive Due's "The Rider" uses the Civil Rights era as a background for a creature there to settle karmic scores...look, I could go on and on - I haven't even mentioned Jemisin's surreal body horror tale of police paranoia, or LD Lewis's unusual apocalyptic tale "Flicker," or Nicole D. Sconiers most unusual haunting tale "A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree"...you get the idea. And then it all culminates with Onyebuchi's "Origin Story," which defies every expectation and norm of the collection to deliver something that knocked me flat, and felt like the perfect capper for the anthology. Sure, any anthology of authors is uneven by definition, and sure, collections marketed with a "big celebrity editor" are often junk. But Out There Screaming is everything I hoped and then some, with tons of hits, only a few weak entries, no truly bad ones, and lots of inventive horror that feels like nothing else, all while giving a chance to expand beyond the usual white staples of the genre. It's a must for any serious horror fan - you won't be disappointed. Rating: *****

Just in time for fall (and October frights), “Out There Screaming” presents numerous horrifying stories. From speculative horror, to paranormal horror, to psychological horror, to cosmic horror, Jordan Peele’s curated collection is gorgeously well done; each author explores horror alongside prevalent contemporary and historical social issues.

As is the case with any anthology or short story collection, there were a select few of really strong stories. “Pressure” follows a narrator who goes home to visit their cousins and tensions.. and pressures are high. “Eye & Tooth” explores a town’s strange history when siblings Zelda and Atticus offer their services to an odd old woman. “A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree” addresses justice as two women return from the dead and revengefully murder those they deem worthy. “Your Happy Place” follows Martin, who seeks to uncover the truth behind The Process, where “brain-computer interface” meets prison reform.

This truly is a unique anthology and I recommend this collection to any readers who enjoy horror of any kind. There is something for every horror enjoyer in this collection. Jordan Peele, as his does with all his other works, knew what he was doing and was intentional about each story he selected for this horror-filled anthology.

Out There Screaming is the horror anthology for anyone who truly loves a good horror story. Set to the backdrop of dangerous deep creatures, uneasy bus rides, and sounds that actually bump in the night, you're thrown into these bite-size narratives that shouldn't be this frightening. Much of the authors have staked their claim elsewhere, so if you're familiar with them then their short stories will be more fodder for your affection. But for those who haven't consumed the current Black horror genre the way I have, this series introduces you to the what's new here - and you'll definitely know who you like, and what you like, by the end of this series.

As with any short story collection, OUT THERE SCREAMING provides its hits and its misses. But, what this anthology does SO WELL that many miss out on is providing a central thread of feeling and vibes that ties all the stories together. When each story is written by a completely different author, you obvious receive a variety of styles, themes, and genres. This book spans the many sub-genres of horror: witches and magic, hauntings, sci-fi and fantasy, demons and demon hunters. But what they all have in common is something very noticeable in all Jordan Peele movies and that is this underlying sense of disquiet, of unease, almost like a steady, low level beat if anxiety. I really, really loved this collection and cannot wait for the physical copy. I will revisit some of these stories again and again. And, the thing I love most about anthologies, this book has introduced me to authors I may have never heard of or read otherwise. But, thanks to Jordan Peele, I’ve now added works by a few of these authors to my shelves and will be adding more.

Some personal faves from this collection: EYE & TOOTH, THE RIDER, DARK HOME (my favorite!), THE NORWOOD TROUBLE, A BIRD SINGS BY THE ETCHING TREE (this story brought the fall/Halloween season vibes! More than the rest.), and HIDE & SEEK. All stories delivered top notch writing. Some just lost me in their prose and I couldn’t follow. But, I will revisit them and try again when I get a physical copy of the book. Highly recommend!

Out There Screaming edited by Jordan Peele was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. What can be said about Jordann Peele? Some love him, some not so much, but I will keep my thoughts to myself. This group of short "horror" stories has its ups and downs also. The collection started out very good then started being not so good at times, as all anthologies tend to do. Other reviewers have given breakdowns of each story, and people who read my reviews know I will not do that. As such, if you like horror stories, or some even sci-fi type stories, with authors who have not been around for decades. In this almost Halloween season, give this book a read or purchase it for someone who enjoys horror stories.

3 Stars

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Various
𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭: Horror master Jordan Peele has compiled a book of stories by many different Black authors - many are well-known and popular authors, while others are more obscure. This is marketed as horror, but I would say most of the stories would not actually fall in that genre.
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 290? 400? Unsure
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Dark fantasy
𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: Sure
𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭: Yes
𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝: Various
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: ⭐⭐⭐ 1/4
This book has some great stories, but I think where it failed was in editing. Peele is an absolute genius when it comes to horror, which makes it somewhat surprising that he got so many of the stories from fantasy and scifi writers. I'm not saying a person can't write in more than one genre, but in this case the majority of the stories would either fall into a fantasy or dystopian category, rather than horror. The horror genre is certainly subjective, but I think after reading most people would see that the book isn't quite what it's marketed as.

That being said, I really did enjoy a few of the stories:
"Reckless Eyeballing" - NK Jemisin
"Eye & Tooth" - Rebecca Roanhorse
"The Rider" - Tananarive Due
"Dark Home" - Nnedi Okorafor

I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for this review. My copy had 290 pages, but the book is listed at 400, so I'm not sure if that is an error or if there are additional stories that weren't released early.

Absolutely masterful collection with both big names and unexpected gems.readers are privileged to have this anthology available to them not only as fantastic work in horror but as a window into the myriad ways traditionally marginalized writers flex the confines of the genre to crate something new and utterly terrifying.

This is such a strong collection! There is definitely a full spectrum of horror in here, and I think those who pick it up will definitely find multiple stories that fit that preferences. There's plenty to offer both in terms of theme and in the level of how unsettling you like your horror. I also really enjoyed getting to read from a mix of more established authors and some I hadn't heard of before.

ARC provided by Random House.
Release Date: October 3, 2023

Actual Rating: 3.5 ⭐

I'll be honest, I thought this was going to chill me or put me on the edge of my seat more than it actually did. I also think I went into this book expecting more fictional horror than realistic horror and I think that became my downfall for this anthology. If I had to choose my favorite stories from this anthology, they would have to be The Other One, Lasirèn, The Rider, Flicker, and Your Happy Place. Those stories just live in my brain rent free now especially Your Happy Place which is now going to be my nightmare fuel for the rest of the week because of how chilling it is. Overall, I rounded up my rating to 4 stars because for the majority of this book, I was having a great time reading this book. I think there will be many readers who enjoy this anthology and find some new favorite stories along the way!


👻 Reckless Eyeballing by N. K. Jemisin 3.5 ⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Talk of police brutality, mentions of drugs, brief sexism, assault recounted, alcohol, automotive accident recounted, very brief mentions of a heart attack, murder, blood

This was fine? I'm not a particular fan of reading stories about police officers or from a police officers perspective. It's just not my cup of tea. I did appreciate the themes of addressing police brutality and how eventually the wrong doings that come out of that eventually come to light. The ending, however, was really good and I enjoyed seeing how our main character just devolves.

👻 Eye & Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Smoking, gore, blood, murder, death, mentions loss of loved ones, very brief mentions of domestic abuse (in the past), fire, very brief mentions of needles, mentions poisoning

"And where there's light, there's also got to be some dark."


Ah, I really enjoyed this story! This was giving Supernatural and Ghostbusters vibes even though it's more monster hunters. There were a few things that were predictable in this short story and I definitely think this could have stood on it's own as a novella. I think what hindered me the most about this story was details. I needed more details just due to plain curiosity. Overall, I really enjoyed this and Roanhorse's writing is always a fun time to read.

👻 Wandering Devil by Cadwell Turnbull 3.5 ⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Abandonment, brief mentions of divorce, mentions of a spider, blood

"But he wanted to be better than she was. Only the truly evil would build a life they knew they would abandon."


This was another okay story. I did enjoy it and it was a fast read. I thought it was well written and the premise was interesting. However, there was just a point where I didn't care about the characters, the story, and the ending didn't make a lot of sense either. I wish this would have been a full novella instead of a short story in an anthology because all the missing details could have been added and this could have felt more finished.

👻 Invasion of the Baby Snatchers by Lesley Nneka Arimah ⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Medical talk, pregnancy, detailed childbirth, cult themes, death, very brief mentions of kidnapping/abduction, depictions of panic attacks, implied drugging

This is definitely not the story for me. I try to avoid reading books/stories that have heavy themes of childbirth, pregnancy, etc... whether it's paranormal or not. It just touches a nerve with me every time. The fact that it's heavily detailed around pregnancy and alien childbirth, no thank you. I did appreciate that this story gives a lot of Men in Black vibes. I thought that was done really well and it gave me some nostalgia. Overall, this particular story just wasn't for me.

👻 The Other One by Violet Allen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Smoking, blood, gore, talk of mental health, talk of mental illness, mentions hospitalization (in the past), very brief mentions of attempted suicide (in the past), talk of autophobia (fear of abandonment/being isolated), alcohol, violence, knife use

"And it strikes me, if I have his heart, then he has to love me, right? No matter what."


This got me! Oh, did this get me and strangely made me think of Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. That aside, there were so many pieces of this I really appreciated like the discussions around mental health and how people tend to view you if you were hospitalized for mental health reasons. The overall storyline was very captivating and intriguing to see how everything would play out. I really enjoyed this one and I'm definitely excited to see what this author does next.

👻 Lasirèn by Erin E. Adams ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Abandonment, loss of a sibling, grief, blood

I really loved this and I think it's such a beautiful take on mermaids/sirens. I also really loved the way this story almost feels like it has a Grimm Fairy Tales vibe to it just from the way it reads. Like a dark fairy tale, almost. It was just eerie and the sibling bonds were everything for me. I really enjoyed this one!

👻 The Rider by Tananarive Due ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Trauma/PTSD, racism, implied anxiety & panic, scene of heart attack, brief mentions of blood, death/murder, violence recounted

"-it won't sleep again until it fulfills its purpose to protect innocents from harm."


Friends, I have goosebumps all over me, chills streaking down my back, and I can't tell if my anxiety or adrenaline has kicked into full force. Maybe both? Both, both is good. This was a wild story that revolves around the time of the 1961 Freedom Riders protests. The author did a fantastic job of taking history and horror, mixing it all together to create this story. This might be my favorite story of this anthology so far because I'm not okay, typical historic horror tends to be a miss for me yet this worked in all the right ways, and I'm very excited to see what this author does next.

👻 The Aesthete by Justin C. Key 2.5 ⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Loss of a loved one, very brief mentions of infertility, talk of cancer, blood, hallucinations, detailed medical talk, scene of drugging

Honestly, I didn't really care for this story. It felt like a fever dream and not in a good way, either. More like in the disorienting, confusing way. I feel like I have more questions than I do answers with this story and there were huge portions of this short story where I was skimming because I just had no reason to care about the characters or really anything happening. Mix that with the lack of clarification of who/what characters were, the world we're in (whether it's a futuristic world or just a world with robots), it just didn't work for me. I think there will be readers who like this story, but this was a big miss for me.

👻 Pressure by Ezra Claytan Daniels 3.5 ⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Anxiety, brief mentions of racial slurs, very brief mentions of a stroke, very brief mentions of infidelity/adultery, brief mentions of phasmophobia (fear of ghosts)

This was another okay story. I really wish this story was more of a novella because it felt like there were a lot of details that were missing. Not to mention the ending was a little confusing and there was no real indication of how we got to that point. I did enjoy the cat and the way the cat, Scamper provides the main character with comfort when dealing with their anxiety.

👻 Dark Home by Nnedi Okorafor ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Loss of a parent, depictions of grief, parent death recounted, very brief mentions of an automotive accident (in the past), very brief mentions of dead animals, blood

Not me soft and mushy in all the places of my heart especially the timing of reading this story after getting bad news. What an emotional rollercoaster of a story. I think the way grief is portrayed and the depictions of grief are so powerful in this story. I think many readers are going to feel this story deeply, in many ways. Beautifully written!

👻 Flicker by L. D. Lewis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of automotive accidents, loss of a loved one, mentions gun use & gun fire, death, murder, blood, scene of emesis, grief

Matrix and glitch in the matrix lovers, this short story is for you! Also mix it with The Purge vibes and I think this will have readers invested. I know I was on the edge of my seat, just thinking, "This is a game of Sims gone wrong!" This was really good and the ending gave me chills!

👻 The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson 2.5 ⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Religion, loss of parents, grief, scene of drowning, brief mentions of a dead animals, very brief mentions of maggots, blood, gore, knife use, mentions of needles

The premise of this story was interesting, but it just didn't really work for me. I'm not sure if it was the writing or perhaps the setting, but this story was just a miss. There were a lot of parts I kept skimming because I didn't really few captivated by the story or connected to the main character. This just wasn't the story for me, friends.

👻 The Norwood Trouble by Maurice Broaddus 4.5 ⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Very brief mentions of slavery, brief mentions of war, religion, depictions of discrimination, scene of sexual misconduct, smoking, very brief mentions of lynching (hangings), death, graphic violence, gore

This was really good. I have goosebumps all over me from how this story concluded. I almost wish this was a full novella because I wanted to know so much more about Norwood and the orchard. This was fantastic though and I really enjoyed it!

👻 The Grief of the Dead by Rion Amilcar Scott 2.5 ⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Loss of a sibling recounted, suicidal ideation, grief, alcohol, gun use, mentions of slavery, blood, graphic death, heavy discussions of mass shootings, scene of strangulation

Honestly, there's not much I can say or even want to say on this story. I will say check your spoons and make sure you're in the right headspace because this story deals with a lot of suicidal ideation, it goes into heavy details of planning a mass shooting, and it may be a lot that may be triggering for readers. I think the theme of grief is very strong in this story and really emphasizes the different stages of grief. However, the writing style didn't really work for me and there were times where I struggled to stay captivated by the story. This story just wasn't the story for me, friends.

👻 A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Automotive accidents, graphic deaths, blood, gore, violence

This story gives me all the vibes of two characters being stuck in purgatory. It was interesting to see the way the story unfold and I found myself hoping our main character would somehow make their way home. There was just this immense sadness, but also so much hope for our main character. This was just really good and the little touch of the cryptid hunters was such a great scene. Overall, I enjoyed this story a lot!

👻 An American Fable by Chesya Burke ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Death, brief mentions of war, racism, violence, alcohol, smoking, blood, very brief mentions loss of a parent (in the past)

I really enjoyed this especially as it got closer to the end of the story. Something about the ending really had me hooked and sad when it was over. The brief touches of newspaper titles was also interesting. I feel like it added a little extra something to the story. I do wish we like a little peek into the future with our main character, but this was great. I was fully captivated, waiting to see what would happen next.

👻 Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of slavery, blood, discussions of incarceration, drugs, talk of drug addiction, very brief mentions of an overdose, children deaths recounted, loss of a loved one recounted, mentions of grief

Another story that makes me think of glitches in the matrix. This one was really unnerving and I think the reason why it unnerved me so much is due to how likely something like this could happen. When you think about prisons and the amount of power people in charge have in places, it really gets you thinking and wondering. So I chilled, very chilled to my core, but also sad. There were just some reveals that made my heart sink, but that's what makes this such a good story. Fantastically written and very much like it could be a Black Mirror episode.

👻 Hide & Seek by P. Djèlí Clark ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Blood, child neglect & abuse, drug dealing & drug addiction, mentions loss of a loved one (in the past), gun use, gore, loss of a parent recounted, smoking

If you've ever had a loved one who's battled addiction, I think this story is going to hit like a ton of bricks. This was so well-written and it feels like this was written from a place of knowing. It also gave me a little bit of nostalgia for the movie Hide and Seek. Both this story and that movie give off similar vibes and I was living for it. The only thing that didn't sit right with me was the jab about how Native/Indigenous people can't have blonde hair and blue eyes when that's not true. It's possible and does happen. This whole comment rubbed me the wrong way as a Native reader because it adds to the stereotypes of Native/Indigenous people looking all the same or looking the way Native/Indigenous people are constantly portray and fetishize in media. So that's why I rated this a four star instead of a five star.

👻 Origin Story by Tocji Onyebuchi 3.5 ⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Fire, brief talk of colonization, racism

It hurts me to say this, but I just didn't care about this story and with the way it's written, it just wasn't it for me. I did appreciate the themes of what one's purpose in life is and how our choices can impact the future. However, that all I could really appreciate about this story. I think many readers will like this one, but it missed the mark for me.


The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

All thoughts, feelings, experiences, and opinions are honest and my own.

Out There Screaming is a collection of stories that I knew was going to be incredible as soon as I learned about it. Pulling together some of the biggest powerhouses in literature today and edited by the incomparable Jordan Peele, this horror collection balances some scary themes with a mixture of realistic terror as well.

What follows are some of my real time thoughts after finishing each story.

Reckless Eyeballing
N K Jemisin
- What an incredible and I do mean incredible start to this collection. Right out of the gate, we have a story that mixes some fun and paranoia inducing horror with a corrupt system.
- Also the twist ending has me grinning from sheer terror!

Eye & Tooth
Rebecca Roanhorse
- Children of the Corn has never been more fun with this Supernatural-esque twist. Mixing the perfectly short amount of suspense, mystery, and gore. I'd love to read more about this world and this mythology!

Wandering Devil
Caldwell Turnbull
- Deals with the Devil will truly take you to some dark places and this story is a fun adventure into that trope! Fresh take and I really enjoyed it!

Invasion of the Baby Snatchers
Lesley Nneka Arimah
- I would like to petition Webster's to add hoofeses to the dictionary (just basic humorous commentary)
- Experimentation is a bit of a terrifying field when you really think about it. Especially if you sit down and really think about the cost of experimentation and failure in particular. Throw in human trials and this story might just tap into some underlying fears and you won't realize until it's too late.
The Other One
Violet Allen
- What's a little cosmic horror among friends? This was truly a fun and slightly humorous story (with some fun elements of horror strewn throughout)
- I really enjoyed the texts back and forth in this story - it told the story in a unique way!

Lasiren
Erin E. Adams
- This was great folk horror full of a terrifying mythology. I honestly would love a feature length novel in this world and think it would be wildly loved.

The Rider
Tananarive Due
- Literally probably going to be my favorite story in this entire collection. Set in 1961, this story is just amazing! Reminded me of Lovecraft Country in some ways! Check this out immediately!

The Aesthete
Justin C. Key
- This story follows a unique relationship between Art and those who create it. This was a science fiction jaunt that took me truly by surprise. Where this story starts does not give any idea as to where it will end. This was great!

Pressure
Ezra Clayton Daniels
- Call me a little cliche, but a switch from first or third person into second person always has a dramatic effect on me. It causes me to dive that much deeper into a story and that's exactly what happened with Pressure. Because if this switch, this story became claustrophobic. I felt trapped and unable to move as this story unfolded and came to its rather shocking conclusion.

Dark Home
Nnedi Okorafor
- Grief is one of my favorite themes sometimes in horror. It just translates such a deep connection to the story and I think Nnedi absolutely pulled me within the depths of the grief experienced by the character in this story.
- Also the imagery in this story deserves all the hype because it truly put this story on an entirely different level!
Flicker
LD Lewis
- This story is wildly creative and perhaps it's my upcoming optometry appointment, but this tapped into something very real and terrifying for me. Great story.
The Most Strongest Obeah Woman
Nalo Hopkinson
- This was really different, but such a strong entry in this collection. Not only is Nalo's writing voice so unique and strong, but their storytelling is just incredible. It's creative, it's different, it pulled on a lot of different inspirations and it's just great.

The Norwood Trouble
Maurice Broaddus
- The loss of culture and history over time is always such an interesting concept. This story plays on this in a dark fearful way. But this story was so interesting!

A Grief of the Dead
Rion Amilcar Scott
- Remember what I said about grief? Yeah it applies here and this MIGHT just be my favorite story of the collection.

A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree
Nicole D Sconiers
- AHHH WHY ARE THESE STORIES JUST SO GOOD! This story read in part like a classic Supernatural Episode. It's dark, but it's still fun in an exploratory ghost type of way.

An American Fable
Chesya Burke
- Dark, gory, and fun. This story will take your breath away! I can't say more without giving away what shook me to my core!

Your Happy Place
Terrence Taylor
- Black Mirror fans are going to love this story. It's so dark and it's so beyond messed up. (I also loved every second of it!!)

Hide & Seek
P. Djeli Clark
- The perfect (and I do mean PERFECT) blend of realistic horror with a dash of fantastical elements!

Origin Story
Tochi Onyebuchi
- Okay I'm a sucker for a differently told story and this is exactly that! This story is told like a play and these stage directions made visualizing this story that much richer! This has a strange ending but it was definitely a great concluding story!


These stories are hard hitting, fun, horrific, and honestly some of the greatest stories that I have read this year. (This is no surprise considering the star studded lineup that Peele has assembled with this collection). I found myself so enthralled within this collection that I jumped seamlessly from world to world and it felt natural. I think that speaks to the underlying themes that connected each story.

Run don't walk to grab your copy of this book. It's a guaranteed hit!

I'm not a big short stories person, but I was so excited to get this book and read it. It was really hard for me to get into and some of the stories I didn't fully understand. Some of the stories I read so quickly but others I really struggled with.

This is an artful horror anthology by black authors. The haunting stories will fill you with dread, terror, loathing and also make you think. My favorite stories were the Rider trust Tananarive Due to have characters jumping off the page. Flicker by L. D. Lewis was the existential horror I will think about for a long time. A grief of the dead by Rion Amilcar Scott was so dark I raced to the end to see what would happen. A Bird sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers had the paranormal "I support women's wrongs" in the best way possible. Your happy place by Terence Taylor was so good I ran to Goodreads to see what else they had written so I could binge their backlog immediately. Overall so many different kinds of stories and different kinds of horror I had a great time reading this and would highly recommend it to others. Thank you Netgalley and Random House for this

Incredible read! I was extremely excited when I heard about this collection of short stories edited by Jordan Peele, and it did not disappoint. Every story brought a new type of horror and how it related to race, socio status, etc. Some more chilling than others, I think if you are a horror fan you are definitely going to enjoy this collection!

I'm so glad I read this, even though anthologies (especially horror) are way outside of my comfort zone. I've loved Jordan Peele's movies and was excited to see what he could do with a short story collection. I enjoyed his forward and the overall theme linking the stories together. Overall my enjoyment of the stories varied (some were 1 and 2 stars, many were 4 stars, one was 5 stars) but together they were thought-provoking, unsettling, and I'm interested in reading more from most of these authors. My favorites were Hide & Seek by P. Djeli Clark (5 stars), A Grief of the Dead by Rion Amilcar Scott (4 stars), Flicker by L.D. Lewis (4 stars), Pressure by Ezra Claytan Daniels (4 stars), and The Rider by Tananarive Due (4 stars). I'm excited for this to get into the hands of horror fans and readers more interested/experienced with anthologies! Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

Jordan Peele has brought together a twisty, frightening, and thought-provoking collection of horror stories in Out There Screaming. There are stories in this book that are genuinely creepy, stories that have the gory ick-factor that horror fans will enjoy, and stories that give major Black Mirror vibes. As with any short story collection, some of the stories are more engaging than others. Fans of Peele’s horror movies will likely enjoy this batch of short stories, too.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!