A fascinating and frightening collection of folk tale monsters, ghosts, and other scary things that dwell in the dark.

Our world is a strange place. This hauntingly illustrated book peers into the dark spaces that lie somewhere between belief and imagination, and into the weird stories we tell to make sense of where and who we are. Here are tales of vengeful ghosts, bloodthirsty monsters, internet-conjured nightmares, lost souls, cryptid curiosities, demons, aliens, the undead, and the inexplicable, including:

• Enfield Poltergeist
  
• Jersey Devil
  
• Mothman
  
• Krampus
  
• El Silbón
  
• Betty and Barney Hill Abduction
  
• Headless Horseman
  
• Skunk Ape
  
• Onryō
  
• Loab
  
• Isla de las Muñecas
  
• Slender Man
  
• La Llorona
  
• Loch Ness Monster
  
• And many more... 

Acclaimed artist Ricardo Diseño brings a lifelong fascination with eerie folklore to electrify the artwork depicting each spooky subject, accompanied by evocative descriptions and history and a flash-fiction story in which readers encounter the dark presences themselves.

FEARFUL WONDERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD:  Stalking these pages are Brazilian sleep paralysis ghouls, Japanese spider-women, a shape-shifting Slavic forest guardian, and creepy North American cryptids. Pay a visit to Madagascar’s human-eating tree, the Mexican island of haunted dolls, a ghost-cursed California mansion, and the spooky darkness of the tombs beneath the streets of Paris.

FAVORITES OLD AND NEW: Including the first reported alien abduction (and the folklore root of the alien “greys”) as well as the first phantom believed to be conjured by AI, this collection brings horror, occult, and classic campfire story vibes in equal measure. Entries end with a shock-fiction encounter with the monster itself or a tale told from its perspective.

GORGEOUSLY ILLUSTRATED BOOK: Ricardo Diseño’s signature style brings each of the more than 30 entries to frightening life with a knockout full-page image, hand-illustrated border design elements, and a vivid spot illustration.

TURN OUT THE LIGHTS: The cover art glows in the dark.

Author: Ricardo Diseño
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Page Count: 144pp
Size: 8.25 x 10.25 x 1
Notes: hardcover, color, glow-in-the-dark cover
Release Date: September 24, 2024
ISBN: 978-1797229393