\"Tobin Elliott\" Writes Horror That Gets Ugly Fast

Every once in a while you run into a horror writer who feels like they’d be fun to sit down with at a dive bar at two in the morning. The conversation would probably start with books and end somewhere around demons, bad decisions, and why the darkest stories tend to be the most honest ones.

That was the vibe I got digging into the work of horror author "Tobin Elliott".

Born in Oshawa, Ontario in 1962, Elliott bounced through a few careers before settling into writing. At one point he studied computer programming and realized it bored him to death. He later studied graphic design and discovered he loved the creative side but not the industry itself. Eventually he spent twenty-seven years teaching photography, drawing, and creative writing at Durham College and later Trent University’s Oshawa campus.

Somewhere along the way he made a New Year’s resolution in 1997 to start writing again.

Unlike most resolutions people make, that one stuck.

Fast forward a few decades and Elliott ended up building a full horror universe called "The Aphotic Cycle", a six-book series released between 2022 and 2023.

The premise is deliciously nasty.

At the center of the story sits an ancient, sentient Book that finds people who already have darkness inside them. The angry kid. The bitter adult. The person who has imagined doing terrible things but never acted on it.

The Book gives them the power to do it.

Of course, the Book forgets to mention the price.

Across the series readers wander through the town of New Hope, a place inspired by the small Ontario town where Elliott spent part of his childhood. Over the course of the books the town turns into a battleground full of demons, vampires, werewolves, and humans who are often just as dangerous as the monsters.

One story unleashes a demon inside a high school. Another digs into revenge between werewolves and the people hunting them. Later entries bring vampires trapped behind a supernatural boundary into the mess. By the time the series reaches the final book, characters from across the timeline collide as the real force behind the cursed Book finally comes into view.

It sounds chaotic.

That’s because it is.

And horror fans know that chaos is half the fun.

If the series explores Elliott’s bigger storytelling playground, the title of his short story collections tells you exactly where his sense of humor lives.

"Ugly Stories About Terrible People Doing Horrible Things."

No poetry there. Just a warning label.

The two volumes collect twenty-three stories written between 1997 and 2024. Some dive into supernatural horror, others focus on people making choices that spiral into absolute disaster. Families destroy themselves, strange powers awaken in the wrong hands, and sometimes the worst monsters in the room are still very human.

You’ll run into demons, hunters, strange creatures, and a few characters who probably deserved the horrible fate they walked into.

That mix of cruelty, dark humor, and supernatural chaos feels very old-school horror in the best possible way. The type of storytelling that reminds you why writers like Stephen King, Jack Ketchum, and H.P. Lovecraft built such loyal followings in the first place.

The monsters are fun.

But the people are where the real horror lives.

Elliott himself seems perfectly aware of what he’s writing. His website basically welcomes readers into what he calls his nightmares. No marketing buzzwords. No polite disclaimers.

Just ugly stories.

About terrible people.

Doing horrible things.

Honestly, if you’re a horror fan, that description alone should make you curious.

Just maybe leave the lights on while you read.