At this point, fairytale retellings are themselves a tale as old as time. Carter’s forays into feminist horror are enchanting and ever-relevant. While each chapter in The Bloody Chamber is brilliant, the titular story is a personal favorite, as it riffs off my beloved Bluebeard legend. Rather than punish our heroine with some disturbing fate to make the story more “adult” or “modern,” Carter gives her a happy ending, although she does bear the mark of her past trauma (quite literally). (For another, more recent spin on Bluebeard, check out Bluebeard’s Castle by Anna Biller, director of The Love Witch.)
Published in The Bloody Chamber, Gollancz, 1979
A Personal Anthology 