Zone Rouge

Closing Zone Rouge felt like waking up from a fever dream you weren't entirely sure was just a dream. Alphonse Schaller doesn’t just scare you; he introduces these things – creatures with lamprey teeth, parasitic vampires (yep, you read that right), folks losing their minds and memories stuck in suffocating darkness – that feel profoundly off, like reality sprung a leak somewhere and something truly bizarre slithered through. It’s not always loud horror; often it’s this quiet, creeping dread, the kind you get reading about occult principles like NORTH that hint at forces we absolutely should not mess with, or realizing someone's heart could literally be held hostage outside their body (that Amy story? Let's just say it gave me the heebie-jeebies). These tales burrow under your skin, leaving you feeling a bit shaky and maybe side-eyeing shadows, questioning the edges of what's real. If you enjoy horror that unsettles you on a fundamental level, plays with cosmic dread, and isn't afraid to get visceral in ways that linger long after the last page, this collection is definitely for you.

this book is the type of anthology that sticks with you—less for the beasts, but more for the raw, unsettling way each story is delivered. The voices sound real, like people trying to make sense of something that they never should have understood. It's eerie, tight, and sometimes very human. If horror leans closer to psychological than to flash, this one's worth your time.

Zone Rouge is a masterfully crafted anthology that drags you into the shadows and doesn’t let go. Each story delivers a fresh dose of dread, blending psychological horror, supernatural fear, and raw human darkness. A must-read for horror fans who crave spine-tingling, unforgettable tales.

The best short stories are an art form unto themselves. They set the scene, follow a narrative arc and end with a sting in the tail. Alphonse Schaller writes well. Alphonse Schaller writes very well. What elevated him above the crowd is his fertile imagination. The short stories in Zone Rouge are as different as pork and pie, but all have an undeniable smack of Edgar Allen Poe, to whom Schaller pays homage in his sleeve notes. I loved this book. There was not a damp squib among these eighteen stories. I will read most or all again, maybe on a train, a plane, a beach or in bed. Highly recommended.

Zone Rouge is like ordering the horror sampler platter—and most of the bites will mess you up in the best way. Schaller serves up 18 short stories, and while a few left me blinking like, “wait, that’s it?”—the majority? Chef’s kiss of doom.

These stories don’t hold your hand. They drop you straight into the uncanny, slam the door, and flick the light switch off. Some tales gave me that slow, delicious dread that creeps up your spine and whispers, you are not safe. Others felt more like a quick jab—fast, sharp, disturbing.

It’s not all perfect. A couple stories fizzled just as the fear was building. But even those had something. And honestly? When a book makes you hesitate before turning off the hallway light… it’s doing its job.

If you like horror that’s eerie, gutsy, and bites back, Zone Rouge is worth the nightmares. Just maybe don’t read it alone. Or near a mirror. Or at 3:33 a.m. You’ve been warned.