I came across The Pram by Joe Hill while browsing Goodreads for short stories. I had just finished my Goodreads Reading Challenge for the year and needed some lighter fare to keep me occupied before I picked up the next full length novel.
Joe Hill, like his dad, is great at contemporary horror. “The Pram” excels in its atmospheric horror. The setting—a farmhouse in Maine—serves as the perfect backdrop for this chilling narrative, it’s a world thick with a sense of foreboding. The story unfolds in a way that you can almost feel the situation spiraling towards darkness. The anticipation of dread is palpable, keeping you on edge, waiting for the inevitable descent into chaos.
As a seasoned reader of horror, I approached “The Pram” with a certain expectation: the absence of a happy ending. Hill, living up to his reputation, delivers just that. The story’s progression felt like a slow, relentless march towards a predestined conclusion. This predictability, however, did not diminish the story’s impact. Even though the inevitable is coming, you continue with morbid fascination.
I’d give this a 3/5. For those new to Hill or fans of atmospheric horror, this story is a worthwhile read.