Drawn Up from Deep Places

Files (Experimental Film) brings dark fantasy to life in this inclusive collection of 10 tales. The works include a supernatural prologue to the fall of Pompeii (“Villa Locusta”), a hypothetical ending for one of history’s most infamous killers (“Jack-Knife”), and the uncomfortably erotic multi-story odyssey of an accursed bond between a dread pirate and a defiant prisoner that outlasts life itself (“Trap-Weed,” “Two Captains,” and more). Files displays the best and worst of humanity in stories of betrayed love that reaps unholy vengeance (“Sown from Salt” and “A Feast for Dust”), love so powerful it defies walking death (“Satan’s Jewel Crown”), and fear of loneliness so profound it nearly burns a teenage girl alive (“Hell Friend”). The descriptions and dialogue are sometimes puzzling (“His sort have no use for contradiction, let alone for metaphor”), but Files demonstrates immense skill at crafting believable worlds in relatively few words and drawing fascinating and diverse characters that anyone can root for, if not necessarily love. Fans of dark fantasy will treasure this collection, and newcomers to the subgenre will certainly want to come back for more. (Oct.)