You might designate these stories as a kind of magical realism, weaving Gaelic tales of selkies into modern-day circumstances. Well-written and in some case profoundly disturbing, Dark Tales Told on a Cold Autumn Eve demonstrate Dalglish’s exceptional talent. And of course, it is well-timed for the Halloween season. Produced by Helltown Players, a roving theater troupe with the mission to produce as many plays by Cape Cod writers as possible, this piece immerses itself in Cape Cod lore, as well as diverse aspects of our contemporary life here, particularly on the Outer Cape. The local actors lend an authenticity to this ensemble work, each one bringing something unique to the table, although it must be said that Ian Ryan is a stand-out in his portrayal of a distraught father spending the summer in the Wellfleet woods alone with his son when his wife leaves them there.

The creepiness of the Dark Tales resides not in monsters or UFOs or ghosts walking through walls, but in everyday human relationships — parent and child, a friendly neighbor, a casual hookup gone horribly, horribly awry. Dalglish does admit that “I became a bit obsessed with Scottish selkie myths and had to include them.” (Selkies are mysterious seal-people.) And he reaches into Greek mythology for a Charon-like character, who reminds at least some of the tavern’s patrons that the ferry across the Styx is now boarding.