“Creepypasta,” as it has come to be called, is its own version of Internet folklore. Propagated via wikis and messageboards, these horror stories masquerade as first-person accounts of terrifying events. Many of these stories have made their way off the Internet, becoming films, television shows, or published novels. But making that jump requires some work: editing, reformatting, and polishing to bring these snippets of stories to their full potential. When that is done, these scary forum stories can achieve new heights; if it is not done, the end result can often fall flat.
Sy S. Kanaan’s A WENDIGO INVITES US TO DINNER and I SPOKE TO THE GUARD OF HADES are, if not originally creepypasta from the Internet, then certainly written quite consciously in that style. Both stories adhere to the genre, in addition to mentioning it. This in itself is not a problem. Unfortunately, while the stories both have interesting hooks, the pacing and lack of editing make them feel a bit lacking overall.
The first story follows the narrator, his girlfriend, and two friends on a trip through the woods. When their car breaks down, a member of the group is attacked by a skull-headed monster—his remains left for the other three to find. The frightened travelers meet an older couple who tell them the story of the Wendigo, and the narrator soon discovers that their proximity to said being is much closer than any imagined. The hook of the story—that the Wendigo in fact has an offer for its assumed prey—is an interesting one, and it leads to a unique ending. However, the story continues long past what would be a powerful ending, with the second half feeling a bit like an unasked-for sequel. The power of the first half is effectively lost, especially as the narrator attempts to justify a first-person point of view that barely holds up.
I SPOKE TO THE GUARD OF HADES is shorter and overall better, following narrator Roy as he takes directions into the mouth of the underworld to see his late wife again. While this one also has an odd ending that seems to muddle everything that came before, it ends somewhat more quickly. However, this feels more rigidly adhered to creepypasta tropes, with much of it taking place in chat windows and the eleventh-hour arrival of men in black.
While the stories largely hold up before their respective latter parts, the prose itself doesn’t feel like it’s been edited. There are multiple common typos (“alot”), for instance.
This volume of stories isn’t bad. The stories themselves have promise, and there’s a great deal of both creative energy and visceral imagery to them. However, the strength of both stories is mired in pacing issues and a lack of cleaning up prior to publishing. It would be great to see these stories revisited, and more stories in this vein, after a pass from an editor.
While both stories in Sy S. Kanaan’s volume are generally interesting, both A WENDIGO INVITES US TO DINNER and I SPOKE TO THE GUARD OF HADES feel like rough drafts that have not yet achieved their full potential.
~ Kara Dennison for IndieReader