March is here, and spring is just within reach. What better time to pick up a fresh new read? And if you really want a breath of fresh air, we at The Lineup know that the best, most unique horror reads you can find come from indie horror.
Looking for the place where body horror meets humor? Maybe you're on the prowl for some queer art? Some new favorites are on the way for you this month. Here are four of our most anticipated horror books from indie and small presses this March!
Headless
There's been some weird weather around the city—a heat wave, constant rainstorms, translucent worms dropping from the sky like hail. Perhaps the weirdest thing of all, though, is that people are quite literally losing their heads. But it doesn't keep them down.
Now people's headless bodies are ambling around town attacking people. As the strange violence spreads across the city, Linzy, Carter, and Joanna forge a quick bond and attempt to flee the chaos.
This book is available now from Grindhouse Press!
In Excess of Dark
You've surely heard of manifesting, but that's typically for positive, hopeful thoughts. Karina, wracked with grief and despair, has started turning her darkest, most nightmarish thoughts into reality. This new and unexpected ability sends her down a terrible spiral of guilt—and the depression that comes with it isn't helping anything.
As a mysterious shadow figure haunts her and visions of her dead family plague her, her sanity is on the line as she tries to find a way to get one good thing out of her new power: a reunion with her family.
This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on March 15th by Darklit Press!
Mouth
When a stranger gives a drifter named Rusty a remote property, it's not all it's cracked up to be. After all, now he's the caretaker of a bizarre hole in the ground—one with teeth, looking a lot like a mouth. And the mouth is hungry…
When wannabe filmmaker Abigail accidentally uncovers this bizarre secret, she and Rusty are determined not only to figure out where Mouth came from, but the mysterious history of its previous owner. Unfortunately, their curiosity sets forth a chain reaction that could be catastrophic for everyone.
This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on March 15th by Tenebrous Press!
Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror
In the media, queer love is often portrayed in a tragic light as a lazy, dismissive plot device. In response, a plethora of creators have responded by spreading stories of queer joy—an important slice of representation. But what about the tragic queer stories that are done well and serve a vital point?
Reclaiming heartache and horror for the queer community, the Bury Your Gays anthology turns the age-old trope into a beautiful reflection on suffering. In one story, a young lovers are trapped in an ever-expanding labyrinth. Parasites desperate to be together forever chase each other across time and space. A violent graduate student finds connection with what appears to be a walking corpse.
All this and more from 16 incredible stories, from authors like Cassandra Khaw, Gretchen Felker-Martin, Joe Koch, and beyond!
This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on March 19th by Ghoulish Books!
Want more indie horror? Check these books out:
A Year of Terror: Take a Look Back at the Best Indie Horror Books of 2023
4 Terrifying New Releases from Indie and Small Presses This January
4 Terrifying New Releases from Indie and Small Presses in February
Feature image: Bangsal Nam/Unsplash