Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues (2010)

Edited by Loren Rhoads
Published by Simon and Schuster
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Reviewed by Ash Arceneaux

In this hefty volume of true stories of the macabre, you can find everything from stories about booger-eaters to paranormal experiences. Morbid Curiosity was an underground magazine that published first-person, true narratives of bizarre interests, odd trips, and supernatural experiences, among other strange and morbid things. The magazine was disbanded in 2006. In 2009, Editor Loren Rhoads compiled a book of all the best stories.

This a bizarre book. It’s not particularly interesting all the way through. In fact, the first half reads quite a bit like a freshman college composition class textbook. You don’t really want to read it, but you do, because you’re hoping something catches your attention. Some of the stories are interesting, and some make you wonder what was so morbid or curious or even applicable to the theme that got them in the magazine, much less the book. Then, to make it even more textbook, each story has a page or two of actual facts about whatever topic the story discussed—locations, historic references, medications, statistics, etc.

It takes about a hundred or so pages to get to the more interesting stories. A few are gruesome, like the raccoon skinning one, and some are hilarious yet cringe-inducing, like the one about the artist that managed to sever part of a finger, nearly give himself a lobotomy with a skewer, and almost shot himself with a bullet—minus the gun, all in the name of creating art. Although the read is more involving, it still has a textbook feel and format. The stories are hit-or-miss, and oddly, they all sound like the same person telling the stories. There isn’t much variation in the tones or style, as you would expect from roughly fifty different authors. Many of the stories started out like a set up for a scene on Scare Tactics, and when the story ended without Satan’s baby appearing or a crazed psycho taking hostages, I felt a little disappointed.

I understand horror isn’t all about guts and gore and jump scenes. It can be completely about the element of the unknown, which this book tries to embrace. Unfortunately, it falls a little flat in the execution. There was very little ‘morbid’ curiosity involved.

One of the great things about this book is the art featured. Some are photographs of the editor’s collection of the unusual. There are many great examples of work from some fantastic artists like Dorian Katz and Kimberlee Traub.

Morbid Curiosity, the magazine, had a cult following. I’m sure the book will appeal to a certain audience, and I wasn’t entirely disappointed by it. Borrow or check it out from the library, though, if you’re anything like me, because I just can’t find it in my heart to say it’s worth the $14.99 asking price.

Rating: (3.5 out of 5):