Body horror has been a staple of the horror genre starting as far back as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The fear of damage to one’s body and the transformation or destruction of one’s wholeness or identity are features of this subgenre, where the focus is the violation of the human body. It can range from beautiful and haunting to an absolute gore fest. Many contemporary titles incorporate aspects of body horror so readily that sometimes it is taken for granted, but these selections put those elements of the storytelling front and center.

For a stunning sampler of the genre, try Body Shocks: Extreme Tales of Body Horror, edited by Ellen Datlow (Tachyon. Oct. 2021. ISBN 9781616963606). This collection includes some of the biggest names in horror fiction; it will be the perfect primer for newcomers to the subgenre, and a special delight for aficionados. Datlow’s selections and pacing shine in this collection of weird and wonderful short stories that will blow readers’ minds as they shiver and squirm. READ-ALIKE: Try the short story collection Trigger Warning: Body Horror, edited by Desiree Baltisberger, for a deeper look into the subgenre with some lesser-known authors.

The Rust Maidens, by Gwendolyn Kiste (Trepidatio. 2018. ISBN 9781947654440), is an example of beautiful and haunting body horror. Set in Cleveland and jumping between the summer of 1980 and the present day, the novel follows Phoebe Shaw as she deals with the closing of local factories and the transformation of her friends into…something else. The girls in her neighborhood are slowly turning into metal, dripping water and rust. In this excellently written and completely engrossing work, Kiste keeps readers on the edge of their seats and perfectly portrays the crumbling of institutions and our own bodies. READ-ALIKE: For another coming-of-age book where the characters face an uncertain future, suggest the graphic novel Black Hole, by Charles Burns.

Scoutmaster Tim Riggs is not prepared for the horror that awaits him as he leads his disaffected scouts into the Canadian wilderness in The Troop, by Nick Cutter a.k.a. Craig Davidson (Gallery. 2016. ISBN 9781501144820). It’s classic Cronenberg-style stomach-wrenching goodness, as the troop faces an unimaginable parasite that hideously transforms them physically and mentally. From start to finish readers will be enthralled by the exploits of the young scouts as they try to find a way to escape and survive this nightmare. The scouts eventually become pitted against each other as the parasite begins to take them over. The Troop perfectly manages to balance expert storytelling with gut-wrenching descriptions of the parasite’s effects on everyone it contaminates. Not to be read while noshing. READ-ALIKE: Scott Sigler’s Infected (which is happily part of a trilogy) is another great book with gruesome descriptions of bodily desecration by a foreign parasite

One thing about body horror is that it can tackle not just creepy parasites or inexplicable transformations but also body and gender dysphoria. Transmuted, by Eve Harms (Unnerving. July 2021. ISBN 9781989206775), does this perfectly. Isa, a trans woman and video game streamer, is desperate to become more feminine. Her devoted online followers donate money for her feminization surgery, but Isa ultimately gives the funds to her transphobic father in a futile attempt to save him from terminal cancer. She then volunteers for a particularly questionable free surgical procedure. But does she know exactly what she has signed up for? Harms takes readers from ultrarealistic to cosmic horror at light speed and keeps the main character’s body transforming in horrifying ways the entire time. READ-ALIKE: The Kelping, by Jan Stinchcomb, makes a nice pairing.

Aron Beauregard’s The Slob (self-published. 2020. ISBN 9798566153230) might be the vilest novel some readers have ever encountered. They might love it but will likely need to put the book down a few times and take some deep breaths. It crosses over into splatterpunk (and was nominated for the 2021 Splatterpunk Awards) but the sheer bodily degradation and deep-rooted visceral terror that pregnant door-to-door vacuum saleswoman Vera faces in this book roots it firmly in extreme body horror. Vera grew up in a particularly filthy home and is determined to make her life clean and spotless. She has built a sparkling clean life with her disabled husband and a child on the way, until she meets…THE SLOB. Beauregard’s book is not for the faint of heart, and even fans of the subgenre and readers versed in extreme horror are likely to wince and gasp at some of the scenes. READ-ALIKE: Eddie Generous’s Tales from the Meat Wagon is a similar gross-out book.

The Green Kangaroos, by Jessica McHugh (Perpetual Motion Machine. 2019. ISBN 9781943720422), is another excellent addition to body horror collections. This terrifying novel is focused on addiction and the degradation that addicted people can inflict on their own bodies to get the high they seek. McHugh’s characters literally sell their flesh to get a fictional, incredibly addictive drug. Filled with wonderfully grotesque descriptions of the divots and sores that this cycle creates, the book takes readers on a trip that will definitely blow their minds. READ-ALIKE: Another work that focuses on addiction and the horror it can wreak on the body is the short story collection Lullabies for Suffering: Tales of Addiction Horror, edited by Mark Matthews with stories by Gabino Iglesias, Caroline Kepnes, Kealan Patrick Burke, John FD Raff, and Mercedes Yardley.

This column was contributed by Jeremiah Paddock, Library Assistant I, St. Petersburg Public Library, Florida.