"The visionary writer and director of Get Out, Us, and Nope, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions, curates this groundbreaking anthology of all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation.

A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds of Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele's anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and - like his spine-chilling films - its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world...and redefine what it means to be afraid.

Featuring stories by: Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L. D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull."

Perhaps what Jordan Peele should have done all along instead of The Twilight Zone reboot...

From top to bottom, this short story collection is excellent. The best voices in horror are included here, from Tanarive Due to N.K. Jemisin to Nnedi Okorafor. I particularly enjoyed Ezra Claytan Daniels' Pressure and Lesley Nneka Arimah's Invasion of the Baby Snatchers.

This is an incredibly strong collection of stories, and while they cover vastly different subjects and styles, nothing feels out of place. It's a book that you can easily dip into randomly or read from cover to cover. I was glad to read stories from authors I've read before, like P. Djeli Clark and Rebecca Roanhorse alongside authors who were new to me like L. D. Lewis. I really enjoyed this and look forward to seeking out more work from all of these authors.

A stacked anthology with a wide variety of stories across a number of horror sub-genres. Overall these were a mixed bag for me, with some more engaging to read than others. But would absolutely recommend for anyone looking to discover some talented voices in horror.

Thanks for the arc, NetGalley!

When I heard that Jordan Peele was releasing an anthology of Black horror from some of today’s most amazing and talented Black horror writers, “bursting with excitement” doesn’t begin to cover how I felt. Since “Get Out,” his involvement with other productions like “Lovecraft Country,” and the seminal role that Peele has had in putting Black horror on the map, it has been a far more interesting time with more opportunities for Black voices to be discovered and that yes, Black people not only like horror, and read it, and watch horror movies, but also Black people write some of the most amazing horror, period.

The authors included such as Tananarive Due, L.D. Lewis, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, Phenderson Djèlí Clark, and N.K. Jemisin are writers whose works I have been a huge fan of for many years.

My hope is that this anthology will do for the genre what the groundbreaking and amazing Sheree Renee Thomas did with both volumes of “Dark Matter” and what Brandon Massey did with the “Dark Dreams” series of anthologies that highlighted Tananarive Due, Wrath James White, and a number of other Black horror writers to a wider readership.

in ‘Reckless Eyeballing’ by N. K. Jemisin, readers will see a departure from imagined worlds of Jemisin’s science fiction novels and will start with a Black woman, midthirties, driving a 100,000-dollar expensive car. Dark-skinned. Though readers get this from the lens of the (probably) racist and (probably) white police officer who has stopped this Black woman, readers know that all too often, Driving While Black can become deadly and is one of the real horrors of day to day existence as a Black person in America in particular.

The thought process that this white officer goes through as he is speaking to the Black woman in the car is infuriating and sick. And although the encounter ends with the Black woman able to get out of it unharmed, there are definitely more dangerous forces at play. The police officer starts to encounter more cars that he thinks have special eyes, for lack of a better way to describe them. It’s definitely a horrifying story in more ways than one.

Next, Rebecca Roanhorse presents ‘Eye & Tooth,’ with a woman who is in an economy middle seat on an airplane, which is already nightmare-inducing enough. And you add to that the factor of the pandemic, and it’s just on a downhill spiral from there. Zelda and her brother have arrived somewhere they’ve been expected, and they’ve met a woman, Washington, who tells them that family members have told her about Zelda’s family, comprised of “root workers and hoodoo queens” and shares that her grandmother used to work with herbs, making tonics for the people in the parts where they live but not quite as big compared to the powers that Zelda’s family is reputed to have. It seems Washington has hired Zelda to help her with something. She’s found birds dead, and thought perhaps it could have been a barn cat, but it’s too big for a fox, and she insists there haven’t been cougars in this part of Texas for fifty years. It’s one of the most riveting stories of the anthology and will make readers glued to the pages to find out what happens next. This tale built up with amazingness that I don’t want to spoil. I loved it.

‘Wandering Devil’ by Cadwell Turnbull, one of my favourite writers, shares a story of Freddy whose family has a history with Pittsburgh. It soon shows ties to music in the horror aspects with Old Black Billy and his banjo, not unlike a Robert Johnson figure. It ends in a horrifying way.

‘Invasion of the Baby Snatchers’ by Lesley Nneka Arimah starts off with a narrator telling readers that one used to be able to tell an alien pregnancy from human just by looking, but then the aliens learned too much about how human bodies work to terrible results. People need genetic number codes to determine who a ‘real’ person is and not a clone, for lack of a better term. It’s a very unsettling sci-fi horror piece that readers won’t soon forget.

‘The Other One’ by Violet Allen uses text messages and people messing with one another to reveal the horrors here, not really sure who’s who, and a man, Oglethorpe, with the protagonist fighting for him, but the other voice insisting that he doesn’t love her. Everything comes with a price, even happiness.

As soon as I saw the title ‘Lasirèn’ by Erin E. Adams, I became excited because I know that Lasirèn is a figure from Haitian Vodou, another mermaid-like spirit. In this story, she has two younger sister, Lovelie and Marie. They live on an island. She says she’s forgotten all of her first language, Haitian Kreyol, but remembers the songs. The songs used to help put her to sleep. Their father left when Lasirèn was younger. Their mother raised them as a single mom. She instructs the girls never to trust a woman alone in the water. If they’re not careful, these women can snatch them. A dangerous riddle parts them from Marie, and what ensues is the sisters trying to get everyone back together.

‘The Rider’ by Tananarive Due starts in May 1961 at a Tallahassee (Florida) Greyhond bus station with Patricia and Priscilla, walking toward benches in the Whites Only waiting area. They’re on their way to join the Freedom Riders in Montgomery. Readers who are familiar with the incredible story of Due’s parents who fought against injustices and violence in the Civil Rights Era will recognize that Patricia of this story is modeled on her, which makes the story even more vibrant. A janitor at the station seems to have heard of them and seems concerned for their safety. Things get twisted with the mysterious introduction of the Rider. Another of the memorable tales of this anthology.

‘Pressure’ by Ezra Claytan Daniels deals with a protagonist who also starts off on a plane, going back to their hometown and their aunt’s house. The protagonist is mixed race of African descent and has stayed in touch with their cousin, Katy, who is gay. Their other cousin, Andrew, called the protagonist the N-word years ago. Neither of them is looking forward to seeing Andrew again. Things head in an interesting direction with the horrors being more visceral and direct.

Nalo Hopkinson is one of my writing idols, whose work I have admired for so many years. I was very excited that she has a story in this anthology. It’s called ‘The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World,’ and I’ve read about the Jamaican traditions involved with Obeah and spiritualism. There’s an obeah man who has taught the protagonist, Yenderil, to make a fish devil die. The story is vivid, memorable, suspenseful, and fascinating. Everything has consequences, as the story shows, and new beginnings come in many forms.

CW for sexual assault: I’ve also loved and admired the works of Maurice Broaddus for a long time. Here, he presents his tale, ‘The Norwood Trouble,’ and it starts with a young child, Flora, being chided by her father for going to a more dangerous library branch in an area that’s not safe. Her father was enslaved before he became a soldier. His people came from Kentucky and fought in the Civil War. They joined the U.S. Colored Troops, as Flora recounts, and the survivors of the 28th Regiment founded Norwood, a free town within the city. She goes to school at Colored School Number 5, to Lovely Lane church, and plays with her neighbours. The town reverend speaks about the protection of their people, and that the enemy is coming. Flora’s dad is willing to risk his soul for his people. He carries on some hooodoo practices, like wearing a Mercury dime around his neck. They also have a group, the Elders of the Night, or Iyami Aje. They’re surrounded by Night Riders territory, which sounds reminiscent of the Klan, and as it turns out, the reverend’s family fled to Indianapolis in 1871 because of Klan activities.

This group seems to be preparing for something that the reader hopes will not result in the Rosewood Massacre or Tulsa, which all signs point to. I don’t want to spoil the story for readers so what I’ll end with is that it’s one of the most crucial and amazing stories in a stellar anthology.

CW for suicidality and violent death: ‘A Grief of the Dead’ by Rion Amilcar Scott starts off with a protagonist who has lost their twin brother to death. The story then goes in interesting jumps between past and present. It will break your heart.

Another of my favourite authors, Chesya Burke, has a story in here called ‘An American Fable,’ which starts with a news report of a Black man chained to a tree and burned outside of Charleston, and how the South is unable to put a stop to so many Black residents leaving. This is 1918. It’s a tale of one of the Great Migrations periods where Black people from predominantely Southern states migrated to the North, or in some cases out west to places like California. A number of these people went to New York and Chicago, as is the case here. The story is years before Emmett Till’s case in 1955, but the reader who has known anything about racialized violence against Black people both in the antebellum era and Reconstruction that followed the Civil War as well as the turn of the 20th century knows that violence and lynchings were far too common, that Jim Crow laws made for Colored sections and Whites Only sections, especially on transportation like trains. Our protagonist, Noble, also knows all of this and lives it every day. He notices a little Black girl sitting alone in this train car. Her eyes were blue, which is unusual, particularly as she is a dark-skinned Black child. This was January and she was not wearing a coat or hat. She is also wearing a blue dress.

Things get worse when the people on board the Colored train notice that white people outside are ‘starting up,’ and ready to start trouble. The conductor and a group of whites come to the train to tell everyone to leave. No one moved despite the order. The whites just tell them that the other cars are full and that they need this one so they’re forcing the Black people off. Someone hurls Noble off the train at which points several white men kick him and beat him up. He thinks he is going to die. But he does not. Something surprising happens. The ties to African mythological figures made this fascinating, a beautiful counterbalance to the real-life horrors of the white men gathered outside the house Noble goes to. Noble is told by the women in the cottage he is led to that he has to take specific actions that I won’t spoil. They involve bloodlines and gifts. The things that happen are amazing and I loved this story.

I’ve also been a huge fan of Phenderson Djèlí Clark for many years, and since ‘Ring Shout’ have longed to read more of his work. ‘Hide & Seek’ is a good story here that his fans will enjoy.

The final story, ‘Origin Story’ by Tochi Onyebuchi takes a departure from the short story narrative form and presents a screenplay and is also memorable.

Overall, I recommend the anthology in the strongest terms, and it’s not only going to be a great addition to the bookshelves of horror fans for Halloween timing but also in general as a testament to what Black horror can do.

There isn't much I can say about this collection that the editor and participants don't imply themselves. This was such a great collection of perfectly paced short horror. The Piece of Art one is going to stick with me for awhile, I can tell. Some stories lean specifically in to horror tied to their representation, be it racial, sexual, or gendered, and some are more like classic horror tropes but seen through new eyes. They felt like small Twilight Zone or Tales from the Darkside episodes and I can't suggest highly enough that if you can get your hands on this before spooky season, you should.

3 stars
This was a good average shot story collection. As always w these collections there are good and bad, hence the 3 star average rating.
Jordan Peele does have a good eye for horror though and I would go as far as to say this is a pretty solid collection of mixed horror, so there will be something for all horror fans here.

I could not wait to jump into this Black horror collection! It absolutely did not disappoint and made the perfect pre-Halloween read! Through and through, it was a rad horror anthology put together by one of the greats himself, Jordan Peele. There was a little bit of everything for everyone: supernatural, cosmic, psychological, body horror, sci-fi, etc. Besides conventional horror elements and themes, these narratives are deeply rooted in facets of the Black experience, introducing a fresh and profound dimension to each story.

The standouts for me were Lasirèn by Erin E. Adams, The Rider by Tananarive Due, The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson, and Eye and Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse. Most of these writers were new to me, and they took me on such an incredible journey. I look forward to reading more of their work.

I was sad that Jordan Peele’s introduction was missing from the ARC, but this is one I'll definitely be purchasing a hard copy of, so I look forward to reading it in the future. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5/5

Release Date: October 3, 2023

Easily the best anthology I’ve ever read! If you’re a fan of horror and/or Jordan Peele, this is a must-read for October.

Anthologies are difficult to rate, but almost every story in this collection was captivating, chilling, and had me wanting more. As with Peele’s movies, the type of horror varied with each story; some were more traditional, while others were more reminiscent of Black Mirror. All the stories are also written by Black authors and feature Black MCs, so there are a lot of social horror elements as well.

I am not usually one for short stories but this anthology piece curated by Jordan Peele was just what I needed to get out of a reading slump. These stories are smartly written with thought-provoking horror. I loved that all of these stories had a level of thrill and suspense while also giving the readers a deeper message to consider. One of my favorite reads so far this year!

If you've seen Peele's movies and enjoyed them you'll love these stories. They circle current social justice issues, especially those dealing with race, and they all have unique twists you never see coming. And, of course, there are some chilling scenes.

4.5 stars rounded up. This was a very highly anticipated read and did not disappoint. I’ve been extremely into anthologies and short stories recently, and this one is definitely up there in my favorites list.

There are so many incredible authors in this collections which unique writing styles and storytelling. You’re bound to love something, if not most, in this collection. The stories range in subgenres, but are largely suspense and horror. There’s also a lot of heavy topics covered, so check TW if needed. Amongst the variety, I do think there was a heavy focus on racism, trauma, and grief - so it’s not the lightest reading. The stories are also quite lengthy at times; you’re probably not going to breeze through this as it’s rather large for an anthology. But!! It is still definitely worth your time. I loved all of the stories; there wasn’t one that I wanted to skip or felt like it was dragging.

This is a fantastic collection that should definitely be on your radar for fall/spooky season this year!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC. Opinions are my own and freely given.

I enjoyed this! As soon as I saw Jordan Peele edited this I needed to read it asap! These short stories were all so different. Some were spooky. Some really made you think. I think my favorite story was Dark Home. Some of these I got creeped out while reading home alone 😂. It was perfect! I would love to see more of this.

Thank you to Random House Publishing, NetGalley, and the authors for this ARC!
Publication date: 10/03/23 ☺️

*will review via Tik Tok closer to publication date!

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

I have heard so many people talking about this book and anticipating its release. It’s definitely a unique collection. Many of the stories had commentary on social issues. But it wasn’t the kind of horror I was really expecting. It’s difficult to rate a collection of short stories because I liked some more than others. I would settle at a solid three stars though for my overall enjoyment with it. Sometimes short stories just don’t feel fleshed out enough to really be engaging. And some of them did drag a little for me. If this is something you’ve had your eye on to read I do recommend giving it a try. I’m not totally blown away. It was all a little underwhelming and not as exciting as I wanted. I did like that there was a very wide variety of types and tropes. There’s something for everyone.

“Out There Screaming: An anthology of New Black Horror”
Edited and introduction by Jordan Peele

Publication date: October 3, 2023

Disclaimer: this is a short story collection by black authors about black horror and I am not an own voices reviewer.

First and Foremost I want to thank NetGalley and Random House for sending me an ARC for this book to read and review.

TBH I can’t recall many short story collections I’ve read in the past… I have read essay collections but short stories…. this may be my first.

This collection was edited by Jordan Peele - a master of horror and the supernatural if you didn’t already know. There were
authors in this collection I was familiar with which greatly intrigued me to read this book (Such as Tananarive Due and P. Djèlí Clark) but also I was pleased to be introduced to authors I was not familiar with but will 100% be catching up on their other works very soon. Some of my favorite stories that I rated 4-5 stars were “Eye & Tooth” by Rebecca Roanhorse, “The other one” Violet Adams, “Lasirén”Erin E. Adams, “The Rider” Tananarive Due AKA the QUEEN, “Dark Home” by Nnedi Okorofor (omg almost made me cry and I wanted MORE), “Flicker” by L.D. Lewis, “The Norwood Trouble” by Maurice Broaddus, and “A Bird Sings By the Etching Tree” by Nicole D. Sconiers.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book- and a majority of the time I felt like I just wanted more, more, more(!!!!) from these authors, stories, and characters.
A few stories did go right over my head ( I’m not a big sci-if reader so the ones that leaned more that way left me more - for lack of a better word - confused but not necessarily lacking enjoyment)
The story that has stayed with me the most was “Dark Home” and I will 100% be checking out more of Nnedi Okorofor’s work!

I’m a HUGE FAN of Jordan Peele’s “Twilight Zone” (another reason I was eager to get my hands on this) and this story collection felt like that in the sense of each story stood on its own- nothing was too similar to another. Each one presented a specific theme and had a different vibe. And I could SEE the stories played out as if they were film or television. I think this collection had a very “Twilight Zone” feel without putting it in the twilight zone box and that is how I would sell it to myself- and maybe that will do the same for you!

Black horror is fantastic. Of course, anyone can enjoy this book. I enjoy Peele's movies, & Horror Noire on Shudder which is a documentary about black people in horror movies. Some of my favorite horror books lately are written by black authors, including some that are in this anthology. There's a nice variety of sub-genres in here. I didn't love every story but such is the nature of an anthology.

I'm extremely happy to report that after much anticipation, Out There Screaming was one of the most refreshing collection of (horror) stories I've ever read. This touches on everything, from historical fiction, sci fi, thrillers, you name it and it has it. What was interesting about this book is that none of the stories were your typical horror story with cheap thrills or cliché dynamics or plot points. This is horror for the thinking man (or woman); if you're interested in stories that have meaning, purpose, and is flavored in horror than look no further.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an early review copy.

Brought to by horror powerhouse Jordan Peele, Out There Screaming, is a horror anthology that raises up black voices in the horror community. I didn’t know what to expect going into this, but found thought-provoking short horror stories that spanned the the entire horror genre from Science fiction based horror to that of the supernatural kind. Many of these stories have undertones of social commentary about a variety of different topics such as feminism and racism, but I didn’t find them over powering from the horror aspect. These aren’t commentaries that are spelled in black or white. These are stories made for you to sit on and think about about about the undertones, they aren’t just given to you .I truly believe not one story in this anthology is a “Dud” you can hear each authors individual voice while reading, but the anthology still stays cohesive. All in all this was a beautiful read that I think all horror loves will enjoy whether they typically enjoy short stories or not

Thank you, Net Galley and Random House, for for early of "Out is Screams," a book of spooky stories written by black authors. I'm enjoying it, and every chapter has been my favorite. I'm looking forward to getting the release copy to add it to my bookshelf. I highly recommend checking it out when it's released on October 3rd.
#OutThereScreaming #NetGalley #RandomHouse.

Thank you netgalley for this novel i was really hyped up for this novel so when i saw it was posted i requested and so glad i got it. I felt this novel had a story for anyone to love it had such good ones and i loved alot of them.. I liked the horror elements and interesting concepts the authors came up with. One thing i love about short stories is you can pick it up and read a short story whenever you want instead of reading it all in one sitting. This novel had so many stories! We need more novels like this. All the authors in this novel should be so proud of the work they shared in this novel i really loved it and i feel like alot of short story fans/horror fans will like these stories.