Joe Hill returns with a vengeance in Jackknife, the first story in The Shivers Collection an Amazon Original Series showcasing modern masters of horror. With only forty-six pages, Hill crafts a short, razor-sharp tale that grips from the first line and doesn’t let go until its haunting finale.
The story follows Dennis Lange, a disgraced academic trying to rebuild his life after a public scandal. Seeking isolation in an Airbnb in the woods of northern Maine, he discovers an ancient sycamore tree an unsettling figure with eyes hollowed into its trunk and a jackknife wedged beneath a warning carved into the bark: DON’T TOUCH. The blade bears the Latin phrase Vincit Qui Se Vincit (“He who overcomes himself wins”). Naturally, Dennis ignores the warning. The moment he pulls the knife free, something old and hungry awakens.
What follows is a chilling spiral of guilt, punishment, and supernatural revenge. Hill turns a simple act of curiosity into a horrifying reckoning, reminding readers that some things buried by time should never be unearthed. The tree’s slow, deliberate movements through the forest are the kind of nightmare imagery that lingers less a monster, more a force of nature reclaiming balance.
Dennis himself is a masterclass in loathsome characterization. Hill doesn’t ask us to sympathize with him; instead, he invites us to watch his downfall unfold with grim fascination. As one reviewer aptly noted, this story is “tree horror at its finest,” and Hill executes it with both literary flair and grotesque satisfaction.
Despite its brevity, Jackknife feels complete. Its pacing is tight, its atmosphere claustrophobic, and its ending perfectly timed a “drop-the-mic” conclusion that earns its shock. The references to Dunkin’ coffee and The Lord of the Rings add a familiar texture amid the dread, reminding us that Hill, much like his father Stephen King, has a gift for blending the ordinary with the horrifying.
If there’s one critique, it’s that the story could have benefited from a few more pages to deepen the lore of the cursed tree. Still, its concise structure gives it the punch of a campfire legend a bite-sized nightmare that sticks with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
Jackknife proves that Joe Hill doesn’t need sprawling novels to terrify his readers. He can do it in under an hour and leave you glancing twice at every tree you pass afterward.
Verdict: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
A brilliantly creepy, old-school horror story that’s both poetic and petrifying.
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