There are a LOT of scary books set in Maine. Loads. Horrors and thrillers, younger grownup and grownup—even center grade books! All set within the sinister state of pine and brine. In case you imagine every part you learn then Maine is principally a ready, open grave for the unwary. When most individuals consider horror and Maine, they in fact consider Stephen King. I actually consider Stephen King, as a result of possibly no different writer has so aligned himself with the spooky facet of Maine. However there are additionally many authors who usually are not King who’ve acknowledged and tapped into the one thing eerie and unusual that lurks between the timber, or below the grey-green waters of our three,478 miles of crenelated shoreline. (That is the purpose the place the Maine Tourism Board breaks down my door and tells me to cease scaring the out-of-towners.)
Be it serial killers, mythic monsters, feral cannibals, ghosts, or goblins, each scare you may put your finger on can—no less than in response to my studying—be discovered right here within the huge state of Maine. From the entrances to the Faerie in Holly Black’s The Merciless Prince or Carrie Jones’s Want to the terrifying stoop of Richard Matheson’s Hell Home. However why Maine?
So What Makes Maine So Spooky?
It’s not simply Stephen King. Or his ferocious, evil canine (I like Molly a lot). The very fact is, even King took his inspiration from the world round him for his tales; he drew from the geography and historical past of his house state. Bloody Disgusting printed an important piece final 12 months all of the real-life locations in Maine that impressed one in all King’s most scary novels, Salem’s Lot. The checklist contains the creepy Shiloh Chapel, as soon as house to a mysterious evangelical cult of Frank Sandford.
Sandford’s cult is simply one of many unusual, generally darkish, generally terribly tragic tales in Maine’s historical past. What can I say, there’s one thing about Maine. In actual fact, the query “What makes Maine so darn spooky?” is one which I’ve been engaged on for some time now. And by engaged on I undoubtedly imply “spending an inordinate period of time enthusiastic about with out truly producing a consequence.” I’m nonetheless unsure there may be one reply. Relatively it appears to be a complete checklist of components—geographical, cultural, and historic—that blend collectively to make one creepy, balsam scented state cake, large enough to suit all different New England states inside its borders.
(Rent me, Tourism Board.)
Giant, Distant, and Remoted
In the case of states which are method on the market, solely Alaska and Hawaii get the drop on Maine. We’re linked to the remainder of the U.S. by just one border, and that lone border with New Hampshire is simply a 3rd of the size (if that) of the one we share with Canada. In one other timeline we’d even have ended up as a part of Canada (oh what may have been, our maple-loving cousins). And I wasn’t joking earlier once I mentioned that each one the opposite New England states can match inside our borders. Maine has 35,385 sq. miles to its identify, numerous it jagged granite shoreline or dense forest interrupted by the occasional towering mountain peak. Of the some four,600 islands that make up a big a part of our shoreline, these which are inhabited may be reached solely by private boat or the occasional ferry—if the climate will get unhealthy sufficient and also you’re not on the mainland, you’re by yourself.
Class ID: 13095
The Fright Stuff E-newsletter
The newest and biggest from the world of horror
Thanks for signing up! Keep watch over your inbox.
By signing up you comply with our Phrases of Service
(It’s effective. Only a “energetic day”.)
What’s extra, simply two-thirds of this state, from islands to the north woods, is what you would possibly name “off the overwhelmed path.” The roads go there, certain (or the ferry), however not many roads (or ferries). And whenever you get there, don’t be stunned how few individuals you discover. Which brings me to my subsequent level.
Sparsely Populated (Very)
Welcome to Maine, the land of “if I can see my neighbors it’s time to maneuver farther out of city.” I child, however listed here are the information: Maine has a complete, statewide inhabitants roughly the identical measurement as that of Dallas, Texas. However in contrast to Dallas, the place that inhabitants is contained inside some 385 sq. miles, in Maine these roughly 1.three million persons are unfold out throughout the aforementioned 35,385 sq. miles. That’s about 41 individuals per sq. mile. If we have been unfold out evenly. However many of the inhabitants of Maine lives in additional southern elements of the state. Bangor, the state’s third largest metropolis—about 32.5 thousand individuals—can be its most northerly. However it’s a good distance from Bangor to the northernmost Canadian border. Plenty of Maine, numerous empty land, not lots of people.
You already know that Alien tagline “In house nobody can hear you scream”? Strive screaming the center of the woods in northern Piscataquis County.
Stuffed with Misplaced Issues
I truthfully suppose we’ve misplaced extra issues in Maine that we’ll ever bear in mind. These woods I hold speaking about, those that cowl an enormous swath of the state? One of many causes they creep my out a lot is that they eat issues. You go mountaineering within the North Woods, and who is aware of what you’ll see. Particularly should you’re off a path and going cross-country. Outdated constructing foundations crumbling again into nothing? Vehicles older than you might be simply sitting in the course of the wooden, as if somebody drove them there as soon as—however when, and the way, as a result of the roads don’t go there (in the event that they ever did)? My private favourite are the Ghost Trains up by Winslow.
Two large steam engine locomotives, deserted there sooner or later after the demise of the railway that used to cart wooden from the North Woods to Bangor mills again within the 1920s. Now they simply sit there, monoliths among the many timber. The remnants of a misplaced lifestyle that after formed a whole state. There are numerous outdated prepare tracks that wander deep into Northern Maine that haven’t been utilized in years. Simply grown over roads for the deer now. Or no matter else lives that deep within the woods.
And it’s not simply the woods of Maine which are stuffed with misplaced issues. The coast is studded with tales of shipwrecks and lighthouse ghosts. There’s even an deserted township on an island within the Kennebec River mouth, the place a couple of of the outdated (actually outdated) homes are nonetheless intact though nobody has lived there for the reason that 1940s.
And Issues That Ought to By no means Be Forgotten
After which in fact there’s Malaga Island. It’s empty now, apart from some gear generally saved on the shore by native fisherman, however as soon as the 41 acre island off the coast of Phippsburg was house to a blended race group of fishermen and their households; small, possibly not thriving, however managing. They even had a wonderful schoolhouse of their very own. It was additionally the sight of one of many darkest moments in Maine’s historical past, the place racism, classism, and plain, unadulterated human greed perpetrated a heinous crime for which no amends can ever actually be made.
In 1912 the Governor of Maine had the whole group evicted from their houses, desiring to repurpose the island to be used within the already booming vacationer commerce. Some left on their very own, others have been forcibly eliminated. Of these taken from the island, the whole Marks household—two grandparents, their 4 kids and one grandchild, have been forcibly dedicated to the College for the Feeble Minded; which can be the place the useless of the Malaga Island ended up when, in a remaining act of indignity, the state dug up the island cemetery and dumped 17 our bodies into 5 caskets and buried them within the cemetery on the College. What had the Marks—what had anybody on Malaga—completed to warrant such cruelty? They have been black or poor or each and, worse nonetheless within the eyes of their persecutors, they have been taking over invaluable house.
It didn’t appear proper to speak about what makes Maine the way in which it’s with out bearing on the true darkness within the state’s previous. The human evil, no supernatural entities wanted, that tainted the historical past of this place, and left reminiscences extra horrible than all of the ghosts tales we will devise.
For these desirous to study extra, there’s a analysis web page on Malaga Island hosted by Bowdoin Faculty, and Maine Expertise ran an episode on Malaga again in 2006 that you could watch on Maine Public.
Last Ideas
Maine could not appear to be a lot on a map; constellations of small cities held collectively by pale, cracked roads that stretch for miles by way of the empty countryside, plenty of timber, plenty of rocks. However in our geography, in our historical past, and even in our cussed, unbiased tradition, there’s a wealthy mine of inspiration for tales of issues that go bump within the night time. Reminiscences and ghosts alone hang-out this state, and although in another locations extra individuals have died than have ever lived in Maine, tons of of lives have left their marks on this place, within the issues they did or the issues they left behind.
All locations have historical past, and all locations have their very own ghost tales and concrete legends. In that method Maine is nothing particular. However there’s something right here, possibly one thing not totally definable. Perhaps one thing that outcomes from the mix of all of the components above, and attracts writers to Maine, inviting them to make use of us as their stage and inform us all their darkest, scariest tales. And I for one welcome ever new horror or thriller set in my beloved, scary Maine with open arms.
As I mentioned, the winters are lengthy, and darkish.
In case you’re eager about studying extra in regards to the legends and occasions which have, together with our horror-inviting geography, made Maine a horror setting of alternative, be sure to take a look at the Lore podcast episode “The Large Chill”, or decide up a duplicate of one in all College of Maine Machias college member Marcus LiBrizzi’s books in regards to the numerous ghost tales and hauntings of Maine.
And for extra fiendish E-book Riot content material, you should definitely go to our Stephen King and Horror Archives.
