• 201 •
CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE
at the eye’s periphery, until the time is right to show itself to the next generation of children.
• • •
Corpse Cold
Inspired by “The Dead Man’s Hand” from Alvin Schwartz’s
More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Although Roxi’s planned scare was initially meant to be
passive—a discovery much like “The Dead Man’s Hand”—
it quickly morphs into a killer-on-campus horror. Roxi
has likely heard some of those legends, which float around nearly every college and university—specifically, the true story of the spree murderer in the sorority house at Florida State University in the late 1970s.
• • •
Amityville Beach
Inspired by one of Brhel’s real-life childhood frights.
Parents know there are many things to be mindful of when
spending a day at the beach: drowning, rip currents, sharks, jellyfish, child abductors, terrible sunburns, belligerent drunks, etc. But the most frightening thing is often the
most unexpected.
• • •
A morning Fog
A less-than-subtle way of warning kids about the dangers
of drug and alcohol abuse has always been the sharing of
stories of the negative situations they might find themselves
• 202 •
NOTES
in while under the influence. Drug Abuse Resistance
Education (D.A.R.E.) in the 1980s and 90s focused on
storytelling, and roleplaying, to train kids how to react to situations in which they might be offered mind-altering
substances.
“A Morning Fog” is based on the legend, told by every
D.A.R.E officer, about the man they witnessed (or, less
commonly, heard about) who was so out of his mind on
phencyclidine, and so immune to pain, that he was only
stopped by his own self-injury.
• • •
Friendship: Dead and Buried
Largely based on accounts of in-coffin burial simulators
from amusement parks around the world. These machines
offer macabre thrill-seekers a realistic burial experience.
• • •
Autoplay ‘On’
An Internet-based creepypasta motif, where the action
occurs electronically up until the point where the contacted horror finally comes knocking. Most people do not
understand the Deep Web, nor Tor browsing, and therefore
it has been ripe (rightfully so—but also fantastically, and absurdly) for various dread-at-the-door scenarios to play
out in short-form fiction.
• • •
• 203 •
CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE
The Big ‘m’
Every few years there are news stories of workers dying
in cardboard and garbage compactors/balers. The victim
is usually clearing some sort of jam, placing themselves,
or enough of their body inside, that when they clear the
problem area, the machine then completes its task, horribly injuring or killing them.
Horror stories from the workplace usually include either
the mistreatment of labor by management, or mechanical
failure—but workplace legends most often involve both, as
the sense of comeuppance is a popular sentiment.
• • •
Dracula’s Bride
Based on long-deceased people and demolished
locations in the hills above Northside Park in Johnson
City, NY. However, the Ukrainian basis for the look
and feel of the chapel still stands on Carpathian Hill in
the village. The shock ending was inspired by elements
of “The Bride” from More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz.
• • •
moss Lake Island
Moss Lake Island is currently state-owned property on Moss Lake, though it was a place of conflict between Mohawk
Indians and the State of New York during the 1970s. The
story of a wealthy landowner buying up property around
a lake, fighting with a few holdouts, and of the conflict
turning violent, isn’t uncommon in Adirondack history.
• 204 •
NOTES
Echo Island, on nearby Big Moose Lake, was the inspiration for the Beasley’s island compound itself.
• • •
It That Decays
An homage to visceral, creepy-crawly horror stories, real
and imagined—specifically Alvin Schwartz’s “The Red
Spot.” The afflicted usually think nothing of the initial
signs of their infection—whether it’s a spider bite or a
toothache—and ignore treatment. Eventually, something
much worse comes about due to their inaction.
• • •
Two Visions, 1984
Variation on the vanishing hitchhiker legend, popular in
the 1940s. In the original, the hitchhiker wasn’t a ghost, but a vagabond who would predict that either Adolf Hitler
(or another famous person) would be assassinated that day, or that someone would pass away in the kindly driver’s car.
This tale takes place the same day that Ronald Reagan made a campaign stop in Endicott, N.Y., in 1984, not far from
the authors’ hometown.
• • •
Woman on the Campus Green
Geneseo State, near Rochester, N.Y., is a picturesque
college campus with more than a few ghost stories of its
own. It also has a larger percentage of female students than most college campuses. The protagonist of this story is a
• 205 •
CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE
socially stunted loner, who has experienced trauma in his
immediate family. His fears follow him nightly, and they
conflict with what he really wants—which is to connect with another person.
• • •
The Blue Hole
Based on real swimming spots and legends in the
Catskills, Hudson Valley, and Tompkins County of
New York. The Peekamoose Blue Hole is perhaps the
most well-known Blue Hole in the Catskills, however
there is a more fabled swimming hole in Minnewaska
State Park, in the Shawangunk Mountains—where one
is more likely to run into nude bathers, than into no
one at all.
• • •
Jesup
Tales of alligators loom large in urban legend. In the
traditional tale, a tourist (usually from New York City)
buys a pet alligator from a souvenir shop in Florida. When the creature gets too large to care for, the owner flushes it down the toilet, and the creature ends up stalking the sewer, to the dread of city dwellers. Our tale was inspired by events that took place in Summer 2017 in the village of Whitney
Point, N.Y., just miles from the authors’ hometown. Two
alligators were caught by authorities, with reports of more sightings from local residents.
• • •
• 206 •
NOTES
model Citizens
Voodoo dolls come in all shapes and sizes; even in the form of a boy’s action figures. One might wonder what would
happen to the family dynamic if Jonah had asked his nanny
to craft him a doll in the spitting image of his own business-magnate father.
The baseball field where this story begins was home to the New York Yankees minor league team, the Johnson City
Triplets, for many years. It was torn down after the 1968
season to make way for New York Route 17, while the chateau where this story ends still sits on the hill overlooking the valley.
• • •
Last Train Home
“The Appointment” in Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories 3 tells of a man and teenage boy who go to great lengths to avoid
Death himself. “Last Train Home” is an adaption-in-
spirit of that Scary Stories 3 tale. The main difference is that in our story, Harold Wilkes is relieved to finally make his appointment. However, Wilkes nearly avoids his fate,
due to his fear and misidentification of the other man
in the subway station. The story was inspired by Brhel’s
experiences riding the SEPTA subway line while living in
Philadelphia.
• • •
A Casket for my mother
A story based on funding failures and successes on the
GoFundMe crowdfunding service. Many of the campaigns
• 207 •
CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE
which were unsuccessful earmarked funds for bizarre, if not inappropriate, measures — like extravagant vacations for
someone asking for help with medical bills, and incredibly ornate coffins for paupers’ funerals.
• • •
Echo’s Reflection
This story originally appeared in our book Marvelry’s Curiosity Shop. Dr. Marvelry is a retired magician who collected weird objects with strange histories throughout his touring career and sells them in his antique store. Many customers soon
discover that the objects they purchase are hexed, as Echo does with her extraordinarily revealing mirror.
• 208 •
ACkNOWLEDGEmENTS
This book wouldn’t have been possible without the following: Burt, our favorite intern, who made sure we didn’t
abuse the English language.
Our families, who support our fascination with the
macabre.
And Zinger, for all the meow-mories.
• • •
Special thanks to our backers on Kickstarter, specifically:
• A & J Bienert
• Amanda Klaman &
• A & O Saunders
Owen Spendlove
• Adam Alexander
• Andre Burks
• Adam Jordan
• Andrea Szegedy
• Adam, Marella &
• Andrew J. Pine
Sterling Alderman
• Andrew Storm
• Alex Beltramo
• Andy (Literal McSteve)
• Alex Merrill
Schopp
• Alison Kidd
• Andy Haigh
• Allison Gibson
• Angelo Benedetti
• Amanda Hazel Smith
• Anthony V. Goethe
• 209 •
CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE
• Artemis Harris
• Brian Slattery
• Assim Ally
• Brittney Cole
• Auriella Krehi
• Caleb Arthur Stone
• Barbara Ruhmann
• Carlos Vera Jr.
• Ben Walker
• Chad Stanke
• Benton Wilson
• Charles T Smith
• Bethany Guerra
• Chris Basler
• Bill Bailey
• Chris Stonnell
• Bill Buehler
• Christopher H Ziliotto
• Bobby Bonilla
• Christopher M. Lamela
• Brad & Justine Bergman
• CJ Royo
• Brad Fuhrman
• Claudia Castro Jr.
• Bradley Evans
• Claudia Priscilla Garcia
• Brandon J Taylor &
• Connor farrell
Logan Z Taylor
• Conrad Day Robertson
• Brandon “TheSabatouer”
• Crystal Taylor
• Daniel Huerta
• Breanna Bright
• Daniel Krysak
• Brett Illies
• Daniel Moore Hinton
• Brett Macaulay
• Daniel Smoak
• Brian “Poopy” Hernandez
• Danielle McKinney
• Brian Chen
• Darren Davis
• Brian James Clark
• Dave Kostyk
• 210 •
ACkNOWLEDGEmENTS
• Dave Minyard
• Gage Story
• David Cummings
• Garrett Pinder
• David Fefferman
• Garrett Rautio
• David Flynn
• George & Rae Pierce
• David Oblio McNiff
• George Colón
• David S. Robinson
• Gregory Smith
• Debora Heestand
• Guillermo Andazola
• Dee Bounyavout
Ruiz
• Derek Devereaux Smith
• Heather A. St.Clair
• Derek L Allen
• Heather Hurley Prescott
• Dr. David Haynes Jr.
• Hexyr
• Drawtensil
• Holly Hellcat
• Edgar Egg
• Howard Blakeslee
• Edgar Jaeden Vien
• Hudson Smith
• Efrin Scott Ramirez
• Iris Sainte Angelique
• Eli Phillips
• Israel Melchor-Garcia
• Elizabeth N.
• J & J Menezes
Christjansen
• Jacob Alexander Smith
• Ellie Danielle Lovasz
• Jacob W. St. John
• Elyse Preston
• Jacqueline Cristoforo
• Equijoshium
• Jaime Gonzalez Jr.
• Ethan Smith
• James P. Sehorne
• Faith A. Morrissey
• Jared Callaway Hagen
• 211 •
CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE
• Jared Morse
• Joanna
• Jasmin Aguilar
• Joel Milam
• Jason & Julie Luke
• John Killoren
• Jason & Veronica
• John McCormick
Cupelo
• Johnny Jiron
• Jason Ezra
• Jon Hurst
• Jason Froehlich
• Jon P Santana Jr.
• Jason Hoover
• Jonathan Mowers
• Jason Leach
• Jonathan O. Molina
• Jason Miller
• Jordan McKinney
• Jason R. Andreoni
• Joseph Del Toro
• Jeff Rosamond
• Joseph Jackson
• Jeffrey423
• Joseph Masterpol
• Jen O’C
• Joshua Cameron
• Jenna Henkel
• Joshua Edwin Stevens
• Jennifer B Vissepo
• Joshua R. Bascombe
• Jennifer B. Rollins
• Julia N. Zettl
• Jennifer Hicks
• Kaela Queen
• Jenny Rose Hippensteal
• Karla Standridge
Zinc
• Keith A. Kettmann
• Jeremy Wach
• Kelsey Mullen
• Jessica Ayers
• Jessica Leann Yeomans
• Kent Guindon
• 212 •
ACkNOWLEDGEmENTS
• Kevin A McGlinchey
• Lord Krantz
• Kevin J. Isaac
• Lorri St-Germain
• Kier
an Bugler
• Lyndall Warren
• Kim V
• Madalyn R Mekhail
• Kirsten Rasmussen
• Madeline Mia Eliasen
• Kris Egdell
• Marco Ochoa
• Kristen Mahoney
• Marcus Igarashi
• Kyle E. Koivisto
• Mark Fullbright
• Kyle Honzik
• Mark McKinley
• Lamont J Birmingham
• Mark Willis
• Lane Fox
• Matt Acosta
• Larry Determan
• Matt Fife
• Laura Carberry
• Matt Kohls
• Laura Martinez
• Matthew Jeffery
• Laurel Wyatt
• Matthew Wellens
• Lauren A. Malone
• Meagan M
• Lauren P Hiltebeitel
• Meaghan Trudeau
• Lauren Rae Nodal
• Megz Cantara
• Léandre Beaudin
• Mellzah
Woodward
• Michael Andrew Fagnano
• Lenora Riegel
• Mikala Martin
• Lisa Mancuso
• MonsterMesch
• Lisa Nunez
• Mr. Sean A. Morgan
• 213 •
CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE
• MrKerij
• Rachel AH Anfinson
• Mudrot
• Rami the Chihuahua
• Naedrax
• Ray DeVries
• Natacia “Tosh Tosh”
• Rayhne
Mueller
• Raymond Moyer
• Nathan Erickson
• Raymond Ortiz, II
• Neil “Screamz” Middleton
• Rebecca Taylor
• Nicholas G Sharrar
• Rhonda Rankin
• Nicholas Hanson
• Rich Hennessy
• Nicholas Pinkham
• Rick Oquendo
• Nicolas Cloward
• Rife Family
• Nicole V. Coates
• Rita Anselma Wolosz
• Novmember
• Roxxanne Elizabeth
• Olivia Phommarath
Gasaway
• Pablo Pérez Gómez
• Ryan Baker
• Paul Dulski
• Ryan Glass
• Paul J Rehorst
• Ryan Reagor
• Paul Noffsinger
• Samuel Francis Miller
• Paul y cod asyn Jarman
• Samuel Ricci
• Per-Bjoernar
• Sara Gantle
Torassonn Nymotun
• Sara Krebs
• Pete Donahue
• Sarah Marie Brooks
• R.C. Kotwa
• Sarai Marroquin
• 214 •
ACkNOWLEDGEmENTS
• Sasria
• Terrick & Lisha
• Sean T. Redd
• The Piehler Family