"Beware the Dark" is a horror magazine from Short, Scary Tales Productions and is edited by Paul Fry, whose editorial introduction in this inaugural gives little away about the approach, direction, aims and objectives of the magazine. His enthusiasm for both the genre and for the stories that appear in the first issue does, however, shine through. The first of these, "Potential" by Ramsey Campbell is a reprint of a tale first published in 1973 by Arkham House in the "Demons by Daylight" anthology. This is an interesting, if now dated, piece of typical Lovecraft pastiche. It has some good moments and reads well, but is not one of Campbell's better early efforts. "The Dying Season" by James B. Carter is a slightly pointless zombie tale, but one with a certain pulpy zip about it. It is marred by the most basic of typo errors – “passed" instead of past is used on a number of occasions and is the most infuriating of a number of such errors. "Si or No?" by Timothy McGivney seems to be a sex and zombies tale about people turning into monsters and going on a killing spree for no discernible reason. It is a pointless and rather dull effort. "To Turn a Blind Eye" by Jeremy Terry is a competent, well-told tale about the horrors of domestic violence, but nothing too special. The next story, "Twins" by Jack Ketchum is a reprint (from "Peaceable Kingdom, 2003) and the first really good story in the magazine. It tells the strange tale of June and Henry, a pair of twins who are close from birth and whose closeness turns into a sexual relationship as they grow older. Their story is told with a degree of warmth and sensitivity by Ketchum, which makes the impact of the final apocalyptic denouement even more horrific. "Asleep with the Black Goat" by Aaron J. French is a weird tale of gothic sex and Lovecraftian horror that is a touch obvious but enjoyable nevertheless. "Cross My Heart, Hope to Die" by Sheri White is a gross and fun story of an infected eyeball while "Pool Days" by Russell C. Connor sees Rick using a swimming pool water outflow as a sexual device – inevitably it doesn't end well for Rick or his dick. "Company at the Lavoisier" by Terry Erwin is a novelette that sees innocent brother and sister, Gary and Aubrey being lured to a lovely castle to participate in perverted sexual antics by a group of gothic decadents. It is a story of sex, death and ghosts that has a real trashy feel to it and although fun and engaging throughout, it failed to make the best of a decent scenario. Kealan Patrick Burke's novelette "Empathy" is the third reprint in the magazine (originally appearing in "Corpse Blossoms", 2005) and tells the story of a man who watches a video of an execution on the internet and finds himself haunted by the image; so much so that it begins to bleed into reality. This is a story with real resonance for our times and is well constructed and delivered. The final section of the magazine is devoted to columns, interviews and reviews. These include an interview with illustrator Vincent Chong (who provided the cover image) and with writer / musician Kasey Lansdale. Overall the first issue of "Beware the Dark" is a decent rather than spectacular effort. There are a number of excellent stories, but the majority are average to middling, with a couple of real stinkers in the mix. It is also a shame that the weaker stories led off the magazine. I'll probably check out issue two in due course, but it will have to be a stronger overall package to keep me interested in picking up the magazine on an on-going basis. ( )