Review: Freaky Folklore thrills with global cryptids, if sometimes light on depth

If there’s one thing I’ve often beefed about in North American paranormal books, it’s the lack of representation from around the world.

Yes, I get it. Geographically, we all want to know about Canada or the United States.

But what about what scares us from outside North America? We live in a global environment where paranormal boundaries aren’t governed by geopolitics. The best way to explore what we fear is to learn about what scares the rest of the world.

There is freaky folklore in every pocket of the globe. It develops from what we can’t see and from what we don’t know.

Often, these creatures, entities and fantastical harbingers are cultural ways of dealing with the unknown. Whether it’s the chupacabra, wendigo or bunyip, our fears manifest into these malfeasances.

Eerie Cast podcasters Darkness Prevails and Carman Carrion pull together a vivid cornucopia of worldly horrors in their book Freaky Folklore: Terrifying Tales of the World’s Most Elusive Monsters and Enigmatic Cryptids.

Quarto Publishing does an impressive job packaging books on the uncanny with sharp cover designs, art and layout. Credit goes to cover artist Scott Richardson and interior illustrations by Gunship Revolution’s Jen Santos, Marcus Reyno, Timothy Terrenal and Mara Miranda-Escota.

Prevails and Carrion do a bang-up job presenting the background of each critter, breaking down origins by continent, starting with the Americas and ending with Asia. From the Skinwalker to the Djinn, no dark recess goes unexplored.

Each chapter introduces a cryptid or entity, followed by a short story that shares the trials and tribulations of those who come across these beasties that go bump in the night.

By the end of the book, though, the short stories start to drag as they become admittedly derivative. As a journalist, I would’ve loved a deeper dive into the anecdotes shared by each culture and more exploration of why creatures like the Jiangshi of China or El Sombrerón of Latin America reflect cultural fears.

I know that’s a tall order, especially since people are often protective and reserved when it comes to folklore, the paranormal and other inexplicable experiences.

Still, the book comes together in a slick package, touching on familiar critters of lore and shedding light on some lesser-known ones. I appreciated revisiting old favourites like the Kelpie, Baba Yaga, bunyip and mananangal while being introduced to Nuckelavee, Bultingin, Kuchisake-onna and El Sombrerón.

And Canada gets its due with Bigfoot, Waheela, Kushtaka and the wendigo. Although I would’ve loved more on the little people from around the world (lutin, duende and redcaps), the giants that didn’t get a mention (yeren and hibagon) and missing sea cryptids like the mermaid and ningen.

Then again, if you want more from these two, check out their Freaky Folklore podcast, which dips into Pukwudgie, Tiyanak, Pele and Kitsune.

And that just means there’s room for a second book, right, Eerie Cast team? Folklore is a link to our past and how we saw the world with deep imagination before we became more analytical and critical.