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4990+ Horror Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest . From hauntings and murderers to terrifying creatures from the deep, our collection of horror stories will have you breaking out in cold sweats. Take a look… if you dare.

🏆 Winning stories

“ the gingerbread cookies ” by aaron chin.

🏆 Winner of Contest #229

The Gingerbread Cookies Let’s go downstairs and bake some cookies, like mother used to make. The warm smell sits right at home in your nostrils, invading them like wild ax-murderers hacking and slashing their way through endless miles of human bodies that stand in the way of their inhumane, carnal desires. Shhh, shhh, but that’s too dark. It’s Christmas after all. So let’s go down...

“ Cerulean ” by AnneMarie Miles

🏆 Winner of Contest #223

The door is cerulean, a bright and vibrant blue, but really it is the color of my sudden uneasiness. The feeling creeps up me slowly, jumps out at me dauntingly, and I am frozen in it. If the door were a mirror – and how I wish it were as innocent as a mirror – I would see my face reflected back to me, and it would tell me to run.I’m not sure what’s more jarring: the fact that this door is a clashing contrast to the rest of the library décor, or the fact that I’ve never noticed the path we took to get here before. I supp...

“ Do Flamethrowers Belong In The Library? ” by Kenz Ross

🏆 Winner of Contest #211

We lose people all the time. It’s just the nature of the job. What can you expect from a place full of nooks and crannies people intentionally go to get lost in? I usually don’t worry when I don’t see someone for a while, but when it’s been days since someone’s checked out, it’s usually a sign that I need to step in. I’m not doing this alone, thankfully. No Librarian i...

⭐️ Recommended stories

“ the selfie of dorian gray ” by fox ferguson.

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #244

[Content note: substance misuse, suicide, transphobia]Picture this: Dorian Gray, 25, gorgeous bachelor of the Brighton gay scene #handsomeAF #queen #slay. Picture his blazing blue eyes set above aquiline nose and a rosebud pout of a mouth. Cheeks ready to blush under the lick of glitter from a make-up brush. Deep gold locks styled to perfection. Forehead wide and empty as a summer sky #beautynotbrains #imageiseverything #skindeep.Picture this: Dorian perched on the sleek leather and chrome of a barstool in the Poison Ivy, margarita in one ha...

“ Safe and Sound Safe and Sound ” by Katharine Widdows

Trigger warning - psychological abuse.7.15am - go downstairs. Phone fully charged, remove cable. Stare at phone wallpaper – not familiar – photo of huge oak in West Park at end of my street – where Rich proposed. Maybe took it yesterday – maybe not. Not sure. Stare more. Check for messages. Mum, Sarah, Rich. Rich? Not heard from him in ages. Is he ok? Oh, he’s replying to me. I didn’t message him. I must have, yes, look. Asked if he had a good weekend, sent 23.03 yesterday. Was in bed by 10. Must have got up - come downstairs - forgotten. Sl...

“ The Unbecoming of Belinda Blackwell ” by Giulietta Villalobos

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #241

There are few places Belinda Blackwell likes to lay down to rest more than upon her husband’s chest. He hadn’t been expecting her. Belinda hadn’t been expecting to be home so soon, either– what with the unpredictability of her father’s illness demanding open schedules from his children, someone on-call at all times lest the old man die without one of them there to hold his hand. When Oscar had come to join them a week early— something about a case closing timely and a stiffening in his shoulders when Belinda enquired about her sister-in...

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🏆 Featuring 12 prize-winning stories from our community. Download it now for FREE .

✍️ All stories

“ i think, therefore... ” by e.m. ansley.

Submitted to Contest #251

If he never saw another rock again, he’d be flipping thrilled.  “I found something strange on Google Maps and had to check it out!” Gray smiled at his phone and hoped he disguised how absolutely done he was with this trip. Someday soon, the footage would go out to his thousands of viewers, but right now he had no service, no Wi-Fi, and no feeling in his arm after hours recording his hike up the rugged mountain.   At least it wasn’t the jungle. The last time he did one of his ‘spontaneous discovery’ videos, it took him two week...

“ The Bestiarium of Shinsuke Manu ” by Geir Westrul

The Bear Inn, Oxford, Nazi-Occupied Britain, 1947SS-Sturmbannführer Ewald von Haupt walks into the pub.In one moment, a pleasant, warm cacophony — loud voices, clinking glasses, laughter, singing — in the next, a chilled sudden silence, heads turning and all eyes darting in the tall, blond man's direction, then eyes lowering, shoulders hunching, heads down, subdued conversations re-starting in lowered voices. A faint smile curls von Haupt’s lips as he goes to the bar and orders an ale. He scans the room with pale blue eyes. Spotting the...

“ The Abyss ” by Francis Groleau

Trigger warning: the following content contains references to physical violence and suicide. My moments of lucidity are increasingly scarce, so this might be the last coherent message I will ever write. And although this text contains elements of narrative writing, I assure you that it is as close to reality as I remember it to be. It may very well be regarded as the incoherent ramblings of a madman, but I believe that bringing clarity to the events that led to my institutionalization is of utmost importance.  As a professional courtesy...

“ On the Discovery of Birbour, Alaska, September 1st of 1948 ” by Jeffery Young

Taken from the journal of one David Birbour, expeditionist and American explorer, from the Birbour town archives that are housed by Iris Henness, post-woman, doctor, and archivist.Sheriff Boris Osipov, the only law this side of the Plyset Mountains, commandeered the Post Office’s solitary lounge chair to read. He was on duty, yes, but the morning had been blessedly slow. The property disputes, hunting mishaps, and drunken brawls that so plagued Birbour typically dipped between the hours of eleven AM and two o’clock and then peaked in the eve...

“ The Arcadian Society ” by Elena Sinclair

NOTE TO READER: This story contains themes of violence, gore, suicide and mental and physical abuse. It was exactly a year ago to this day that I received my invitation to join the Arcadian society, with little knowledge of the horrific events I was setting in motion, brought together by a disturbing synchronicity. My involvement in the secret book club had seemed at first to be a harmless coincidence, the invitation, actually, being from a college classmate who sat next to me in English literature, where our teacher had felt an urge to ta...

“ Her Words ” by Fredrich TheFrogdrick

Trigger warning: stalking and violence The words, her words… How can they be so beautiful? The curves of the letters, the sounds they make as I read them aloud, the way they come to life: It’s like nothing I’ve seen in my life.  I was her first fan. Back before there were so many people obsessed with her words, I was there reading her beautiful words. Each word is a sculpture, together they make clay-mation movie that I can watch as many times as I want while barely paying anything at all. From the beginning, I was the only one watching...

“ Expectant ” by Gustavo E

The book fell to the floor with a dark thud, its sound far too loud in Nando’s ears. That was the fifth time this week, in as many books. Yes, being autistic made him far more aware of patterns and connections. He was used to that. But this was too timely and too frequent to exist only in his head.  Nando picked up the book, his fingers hesitant as they wrapped around the hardcover novel. He reopened the book to where he had been startled.  We have been expecting you. It was absurd. There it was, clear as day. But why? The surrou...

“ The Crypt of Browerwood ” by Brandon Cox

Envy is a bewitching intoxicant. It invades the mind through fleeting thoughts of want and desire and gradually builds itself into an obsession. For those strong in will, envy may even manifest itself as ambition. In the end, however, envy always rots. The tethers tying you to your own reality will fall away, your sense of self-worth will crumble beneath you, and envy will almost certainly turn you to desperation. Under the darkness of night, a student was meeting the price for unchecked and incautious want. Clawing along the grubby stone fl...

“ Forsaken Library ” by Emily Pollan

"Ugh..." I coughed as I sat up into the dust cloud created by my impact on the dust covered splintered wood beneath me. I looked up, seeing a giant hole far above me, shining a dim light like a sad spotlight on me. "How did I even survive that fall?" I asked myself, feeling around my body for any pain from bruises or bumps, "I guess my bag cushioned the fall. Hah, I told Michael overpacking would be a good idea." I took off my bag and failed my attempt in standing. A shocking pain rang through my right ankle and up my whole body. I tripped f...

“ Salvage ” by Aeryn Goodspeed

“That shouldn’t be there…” Wren let the Stardrake cruise to a halt…well, as “halted” as anything could be in the shifting void of the universe. The impulse engine purred in its stasis, creating a soothing background noise as the old adventurer checked the readings on her screens and instruments. The sector she’d found herself in was devoid of any nearby celestial bodies, apart from asteroids that reminded her of driftwood in the ocean. Useful, sometimes, if collected from properly, and sometimes with bits of fishing line–in this case, thick,...

“ The Manuscript of Kashi ” by Denney Owen

There are places where the veil between the known and the unfathomable is perilously thin, and it is in such realms that truths are best left forgotten. Ancient Kashi, now Varanasi, conceals more than history in its name. With dusk settling, the city wraps itself in a twilight shroud. Smoke threads twist through the air, blending with murmured prayers, thickening the atmosphere with an almost tangible sense of mystery.The Ganges River reflects the glimmering lights of ceremonial fires along the ghats, where the sacred and the profane dance i...

“ Fascination ” by Amisha Connor

[ This story contains sensitive content]. Mental health. Dark thoughts.thrillerHello, My name is Killian Mathews, I'm a writer tucked away in the quiet suburbs of Boston. And I write this passage in the dimly lit corners of my room, the ink on the page leaking through. Though I would use the phrase, writer, loosely. For years, I have woven stories of ordinary lives, starting but not quite finishing. Each one was sewed with a gentle beauty that I thought would resonate with a small but loyal audience. Despite my modest success with my only no...

“ The Underground Library of The South New Order ” by Kay Valentine

The mission was simple: destroy. The savage men who stood, arm-in-arm, were locked, stone-faced and stoic, blocking the perimeter of the only standing hospital of the South New Order. Sweat beamed down their brown, marred foreheads, stinging the open wounds that marked their unreadable faces. They’re not men, they told us. Look at them! They aren’t human! I looked into one pair of eyes - golden, deep and mysertious, but vulnerably pleading with me, wordless. What could I do? These could be the men who butchered my brother. These could be the...

“ The Bookmarks ” by Liane Fazio

THE BOOKMARKSShe unpacked her bag and placed each item carefully on to the kitchen table. She had bought more than expected, but the estate sale's treasures were too good to pass up. Despite her tiny apartment, she always found room for them. Many items just needed a little TLC and a good home. That's how she viewed her weekend shopping sprees. Her mom once called her the ‘Indiana Jones of bargain hunting’ saying, "It's like you're always searching for that special artifact, and you won't stop until you find it.""Everything has a story, Mom,...

“ Good Sort Of People ” by James Seamone

I did odd jobs for Mrs. Maplewood. Mowed her lawn, raked her leaves, minor household maintenance and repairs. I have been doing these jobs for her for the past five years, started just before her husband died in that car accident.I was twelve years old and delivered papers at the time. Mr. Maplewood was sitting on the front steps waiting for me one morning. He asked me if I would like to do some odd jobs for them as they were getting older and could not keep up with it all. He offered to pay me so much more than I was getting delivering pape...

The Best Horror Short Stories

Horror stories. What is it that you think of first? Maybe it’s malevolent, otherworldly spirits. Or perhaps it’s psychopaths, serial killers, and struggling writers driven mad by a deserted hotel? Whatever it is, there’s one thing that unites you and every other horror lover out there — adrenaline. You know the feeling: your skin crawls, your heart pounds, a shiver runs down your spine. And, as all the best horror story writers will tell you, the cause of this feeling isn’t just the presence of a monster, but the creation of suspense. 

That’s where short stories come in. Think Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, H. P. Lovecraft: some of their best horrors take the form of a short story. Tales that climb steadily towards a dark and horrific denouement. The kind of thing that, if you’re brave enough, you’d tell your friends around a campfire — a torch casting spooky shadows on your face. 

Looking for some spine-chilling horror stories?

If you’re into creepy stories that keep you awake at night, then look no further than our collection of short horror stories, compiled from submissions to our weekly writing contest. Here we’ve gathered together all the scary stories that made us want to lock our laptops in a cupboard and hide under the blankets. And at the top of the page, is the cream of the crop: horror stories that have either won our competition or been shortlisted. 

Lots of promising new writers have emerged from this collection, deftly creating atmosphere and building that all-important suspense. So who knows? You might just discover the next Stephen King. And if you enjoy this collection of horror stories, then why not try your hand at writing your own? You could join this week’s short story contest , and walk away with the cash prize — and a shot at publication in Prompted , our new literary magazine!

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20 spooky short stories you can read for free online.

The leaves are amassing, the skeletons are out, and enormous bags of candy fill the grocery store aisles and threaten to spill their chocolates right into your mouth, through absolutely no fault of your own. Yep, it’s officially spooky season. But if you still need some help getting into the holiday spirit (or just want to kill some zombies time at work this week), Literary Hub is here to help, with a few of our staff’s very favorite spooky short stories—all of which are available courtesy of that lurking transient evil you know as the internet. Consider it a literary version of a scary movie marathon. Our choices range from horror to science fiction to realism, from straight-up frightening to the kind of unsettling that just sticks around the rest of the day like the smell of smoke. Spookiness, after all, is in the eye of the beholder .

So without any further ado, here are 20 spooky stories that you can read online for free this week, or anytime. (For even more short story recommendations from the Literary Hub staff, check out our One Great Short Story series .) And of course, this list is not meant to be definitive, so please feel free to add your own favorites in the comments—when it comes to scaring ourselves silly, more is always more.

Ray Bradbury, “ The Veldt ” ( Saturday Evening Post , 1950)

“George, I wish you’d look at the nursery.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, then.”

“I just want you to look at it, is all, or call a psychologist in to look at it.”

“What would a psychologist want with a nursery?”

“You know very well what he’d want.” His wife paused in the middle of the kitchen and watched the stove busy humming to itself, making supper for four.

“It’s just that the nursery is different now than it was.”

“All right, let’s have a look.”

Tananarive Due, “ The Wishing Pool ” ( Uncanny Magazine , 2021)

Joy nearly got lost on the root-knotted red dirt path off of Highway 99, losing sight of the gaps between the live oaks and Spanish moss that fanned across her hood and windows like fingertips. Driving back to her family’s cabin twenty years later reminded her that the woods had rarely been restful for her. Once, Dad had made her play outside instead of sitting on the couch with her Virginia Hamilton books, and she’d stepped in an anthill up to her shin. She howled so loudly from the vicious stinging that Dad and Mom heard her all the way from the lake, and when they reached her they expected to find her half dead. She’d never forgotten that wild, frightened look in their eyes. No, Joy did not like the woods.

Samanta Schweblin, tr. Megan McDowell, “ Headlights ” (2019)

When she reaches the road, Felicity understands her fate. He has not waited for her, and, as if the past were a tangible thing, she thinks she can still see the weak reddish glow of the car’s taillights fading on the horizon. In the flat darkness of the countryside, there is only disappointment, a wedding dress, and a bathroom she shouldn’t have taken so long in.

Joyce Carol Oates, “ Zombie ,” ( The New Yorker , 1994)

My name is Q.P., and I am twenty-nine years old, three months.

I see my probation officer, Mr. T., Thursdays, 10  a . m ., and my therapist, Dr. E., Mondays and Thursdays, 4:30  p . m .; my group-therapy session with Dr. B. is Tuesdays, 7-8:30  p . m .

I am a registered student at Dale County Business College, where I am enrolled in two three-credit courses for the spring semester: Introduction to Accounting and Computer Graphics.

My residence is 118 Church Street, Mount Vernon, Michigan. Which is close by the State University campus. Seven miles from Dale but no inconvenience for me, I have my van.

Mariana Enríquez, tr. Megan McDowell, “ Julie ,” Astra (2022)

She came from the United States straight to my house in Buenos Aires—they didn’t want her in some hotel while they looked for an apartment to rent. My gringa cousin, Julie: she’d been born in Argentina, but when she was two, her parents—my aunt and uncle—had migrated to the States. They settled in Vermont: my uncle worked at Boeing, and my aunt—my dad’s sister—birthed children, decorated the house, and secretly held spiritist meetings in her beautiful, spacious living room. Rich blond Latinos of German heritage: their neighbors didn’t really know how to place them, since they came from South America but their last name was Meyer. Even so, their firstborn’s features betrayed the infiltrated strain of Native blood that came from my Indigenous grandmother: Julie had the dark dead eyes of a rat, untamable hair always standing on end, skin the color of wet sand. I’m pretty sure my aunt even started telling people she was adopted. My dad got so mad when he heard that rumor that he stopped writing and calling his sister for at least a year.  

Nathaniel Hawthorne, “ Young Goodman Brown ” (1835)

Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset, into the street of Salem village, but put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife. And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap, while she called to Goodman Brown.

Nalo Hopkinson, “ Left Foot, Right ” (2014)

“Allyou have this in a size nine?” Jenna puts the shiny red patent shoe down on the counter. Well, it used to be shiny. She’s been wearing it everywhere, and now it’s dulled by dust. It’s the left side of a high-heeled pump, pointy-toed, with large shiny fake rhinestones decorating the toe box. Each stone is a different size and colour, in a different cheap plastic setting. The red veneer has stripped off the heel of the shoe. It curls up off the white plastic heel base in strips. Jenna’s heart clenches. It’s exactly the kind of tacky, blinged-out accessory that Zuleika loves—loved—to wear.

Robert Coover, “ The Babysitter ” (2014)

She arrives at 7:40, ten minutes late, but the children, Jimmy and Bitsy, are still eating supper, and their parents are not ready to go yet. From other rooms come the sounds of a baby screaming, water running, a television musical (no words: probably a dance number—patterns of gliding figures come to mind). Mrs Tucker sweeps into the kitchen, fussing with her hair, and snatches a baby bottle full of milk out of a pan of warm water, rushes out again. ‘Harry!’ she calls. ‘The babysitter’s here already!’

Kelly Link, “ The Specialist’s Hat ” ( Event Horizon , 1998)

“When you’re Dead,” Samantha says, “you don’t have to brush your teeth.”

“When you’re Dead,” Claire says, “you live in a box, and it’s always dark, but you’re not ever afraid.”

Claire and Samantha are identical twins. Their combined age is twenty years, four months, and six days. Claire is better at being Dead than Samantha.

Octavia Butler, “ Bloodchild ” (1995)

My last night of childhood began with a visit home. T’Gatoi’s sister had given us two sterile eggs. T’Gatoi gave one to my mother, brother, and sisters. She insisted that I eat the other one alone. It didn’t matter. There was still enough to leave everyone feeling good. Almost everyone. My mother wouldn’t take any. She sat, watching everyone drifting and dreaming without her. Most of the time she watched me.

Brian Evenson, “ Windeye ” (2009)

They lived, when he was growing up, in a simple house, an old bungalow with a converted attic and sides covered in cedar shake. In the back, where an oak thrust its branches over the roof, the shake was light brown, almost honey. In the front, where the sun struck it full, it had weathered to a pale gray, like a dirty bone. There, the shingles were brittle, thinned by sun and rain, and if you were careful you could slip your fingers up behind some of them. Or at least his sister could. He was older and his fingers were thicker, so he could not.

Carmen Maria Machado, “ The Husband Stitch ” ( Granta , 2014)

In the beginning, I know I want him before he does. This isn’t how things are done, but this is how I am going to do them. I am at a neighbour’s party with my parents, and I am seventeen. Though my father didn’t notice, I drank half a glass of white wine in the kitchen a few minutes ago, with the neighbour’s teenage daughter. Everything is soft, like a fresh oil painting.

Laird Barron, “ Shiva, Open Your Eye ” ( Nightmare Magazine , 2013)

The human condition can be summed up in a drop of blood. Show me a  teaspoon  of blood and I will reveal to thee the ineffable nature of the cosmos, naked and squirming. Squirming. Funny how the truth always seems to do that when you shine a light on it.

Shirley Jackson, “ The Daemon Lover ” (1949)

She had not slept well; from one-thirty, when Jamie left and she went lingeringly to bed, until seven, when she at last allowed herself to get up and make coffee, she had slept fitfully, stirring awake to open her eyes and look into the half-darkness, remembering over and over, slipping again into a feverish dream. She spent almost an hour over her coffee—they were to have a real breakfast on the way—and then, unless she wanted to dress early, had nothing to do. She washed her coffee cup and made the bed, looking carefully over the clothes she planned to wear, worried unnecessarily, at the window, over whether it would be a fine day. She sat down to read, thought that she might write a letter to her sister instead, and began, in her finest handwriting, “Dearest Anne, by the time you get this I will be married. Doesn’t it sound funny? I can hardly believe it myself, but when I tell you how it happened, you’ll see it’s even stranger than that…”

Harlan Ellison, “ I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream ” ( IF: Worlds of Science Fiction , 1967)

Limp, the body of Gorrister hung from the pink palette; unsupported—hanging high above us in the computer chamber; and it did not shiver in the chill, oily breeze that blew eternally through the main cavern. The body hung head down, attached to the underside of the palette by the sole of its right foot. It had been drained of blood through a precise incision made from ear to ear under the lantern jaw. There was no blood on the reflective surface of the metal floor.

Richard Matheson, “ Button, Button ” ( Playboy , 1970)

The package was lying by the front door—a cube-shaped carton sealed with tape, their name and address printed by hand: “Mr. and Mrs. Aurthur Lewis, 21 7 E. Thirty-seventh Street, New York, New York 10016.” Norma picked it up, unlocked the door, and went into the apartment. It was just getting dark.

John Langan,” Renfrew’s Course ” ( Lightspeed , 2012)

“So this is the wizard,” Neil said.

“Supposedly,” Jim said.

Six feet tall, the statue had been carved from wood that retained most of its whiteness, even though the date cut into its base read 2005, seven years ago. Jim thought the color might be due to its not having been finished—splinters stood out from the wood’s uneven surface—but didn’t know enough about carpentry to be certain.

“Looks kind of Gandalf,” Neil said.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia, “ Lacrimosa ” ( Nightmare Magazine , 2015)

The woman is a mound of dirt and rags pushing a squeaky shopping cart; a lump that moves steadily, slowly forward, as if dragged by an invisible tide. Her long, greasy hair hides her face but Ramon feels her staring at him.

He looks ahead. The best thing to do with the homeless mob littering Vancouver is to ignore it. Give them a buck and the beggars cling to you like barnacles.

“Have you seen my children?” the woman asks.

Angela Carter, “ The Bloody Chamber ” (1979)

I remember how, that night, I lay awake in the wagon-lit in a tender, delicious ecstasy of excitement, my burning cheek pressed against the impeccable linen of the pillow and the pounding of my heart mimicking that of the great pistons ceaselessly thrusting the train that bore me through the night, away from Paris, away from girlhood, away from the white, enclosed quietude of my mother’s apartment, into the unguessable country of marriage.

Karen Russell, “ The Prospectors ” ( The New Yorker , 2015)

The entire ride would take eleven minutes. That was what the boy had promised us, the boy who never showed.

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May 30, 2024.

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Anthologies & Short Stories

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• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,709
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,698

The first collection of stories Stephen King has published since Nightmares & Dreamscapes nine years ago....

• 2 out of 5 stars

This is a vehicle for listening. We don’t need music

• By J-me on 07-31-19

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

• Narrated by: Stephen King, Dylan Baker, Brooke Bloom, and others
• Length: 20 hrs and 11 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 10,851
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 9,776
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 9,765

A master storyteller at his best - the O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King delivers a generous collection of stories, several of them brand-new....

HE'S A CUP OF COFFEE

• By Jim "The Impatient" on 12-10-15

Hearts in Atlantis

• Narrated by: Stephen King, William Hurt
• Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,167
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,250
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,237

Each of these five interconnected, sequential narratives, set in the years from 1960 to 1999, are deeply rooted...

Touching, Funny - Amazingly well written and read.

• By Kindle Customer on 01-15-03

The Ultimate Horror Collection: 60+ Novels and Stories from H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, M.R. James, Bram Stoker, Henry James, Mary Shelley, and More

• Frankenstein; Dracula; Jekyll and Hyde; Carmilla; The Fall of the House of Usher; The Call of Cthulhu; The Turn of the Screw; The Mezzotint; and More
• By: H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, M. R. James, and others
• Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble, Peter Noble, Malk Williams, and others
• Length: 93 hrs and 12 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 23
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 19
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 19

The Ultimate Horror Collection is a fully-indexed collection of over 60 classic horror stories, read by four Audie-winning narrators....

The Best Horror Collection on Audible!

• By Anonymous User on 08-31-22

By: H. P. Lovecraft , and others

Just After Sunset

• Narrated by: Stephen King, Jill Eikenberry, Holter Graham, and others
• Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,555
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,623
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,623

Stephen King delivers an astonishing collection of short stories. Just After Sunset - call it dusk, call it twilight, it's a time when when nothing is quite as it appears....

King scores another coup

• By Jeff G. on 03-21-09

The Edgar Allan Poe Complete Works Collection - Stories, Poems, Novels, and Essays

By: Edgar Allan Poe

• Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble, Peter Noble
• Length: 59 hrs and 59 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 22
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 15
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 15

Edgar Allan Poe was a writer, poet, editor and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre, and is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and of American literature....

The Finest Poe Collection

• By Anonymous User on 02-13-22

Full Dark, No Stars

• Narrated by: Craig Wasson, Jessica Hecht
• Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 9,047
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 7,188
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 7,176

"I believe there is another man inside every man, a stranger...." writes Wilfred Leland James in the early pages of a riveting confession....

Eerie, honest, frightening!

• By 9S on 01-15-11

Necronomicon

By: H. P. Lovecraft

• Narrated by: Richard Powers, Bronson Pinchot, Stephen R. Thorne, and others
• Length: 21 hrs and 1 min
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 7,012
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 6,367
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 6,355

This tome brings together all of Lovecraft's harrowing stories, including the complete Cthulhu Mythos cycle, just the way they were when first released....

This has bugged me for a while...

• By mike on 06-23-16

Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Volume I

• Narrated by: Stephen King, Tim Curry, Rob Lowe, and others
• Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,120
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,739
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,732

A star-studded cast of readers present unabridged tales of horror and suspense from Stephen King's classic best-selling short story collection....

• 3 out of 5 stars

Great short stories!!

• By Walter on 04-12-09

Out There Screaming

• An Anthology of New Black Horror
• By: Jordan Peele – Intro / Editor, John Joseph Adams – Editor, N. K. Jemisin – Contributor, and others
• Narrated by: Jordan Peele, full cast
• Length: 14 hrs
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 116
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 102
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 101

A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them....

atmospheric, psychological horror

• By Jylene Livengood on 10-06-23

By: Jordan Peele – Intro / Editor , and others

Greatest Hits

• Herald Classics
• By: Harlan Ellison, J. Michael Straczynski - editor
• Narrated by: Harlan Ellison, Grover Gardner, Hillary Huber, and others
• Length: 17 hrs and 35 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 8
• Performance 3.5 out of 5 stars 8
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 8

Harlan Ellison’s work shaped the science-fiction, fantasy, and horror genres in the twentieth century, and this collection of his best-known and most-acclaimed stories is a perfect treasury for old Ellison fans as well as listeners discovering this zany, polyphonic writer for the first time....

Narrators Mostly Miss the Mark

• By Jeff G on 04-29-24

By: Harlan Ellison , and others

The King in Yellow

By: Robert W. Chambers

• Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle de Cuir
• Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 706
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 629
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 629

Originally published in 1895, Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow is a marvel of supernatural fiction that has influenced a number of writers in the genre....

Great Introduction to Robert Chambers

• By David S. Mathew on 11-23-16

The Books of Blood, Volume 1

By: Clive Barker

• Narrated by: Simon Vance, Dick Hill, Peter Berkrot, and others
• Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,206
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,089
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,089

Clive Barker provides the stuff of nightmares in packages too tantalizing to resist and breathes life into our deepest, darkest nightmares, creating visions that are at once terrifying, tender, and witty....

A BOOK OF BLOOD WRITTEN IN BLOOD

• By Jim "The Impatient" on 10-31-14

By: Chuck Palahniuk

• Narrated by: Scott Brick, Marc Cashman, Erik Davies, and others
• Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 1,804
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 1,287
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 1,292

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk is a novel made up of stories: 23 of them, to be precise. Twenty-three of the most horrifying, hilarious, mind-blowing, stomach-churning tales....

True Horror -- Not for the faint of heart, stomach

• By Dominique on 05-24-05

Creature Feature

• Spooky Tales to Keep You Up All Night
• By: Joe Hill, Grady Hendrix, Josh Malerman, and others
• Narrated by: Robert Petkoff, Michael Crouch, Lauren Ezzo, and others
• Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 122
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 115
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 115

Gather round as today’s most diabolically clever authors twist simple moments into otherworldly horrors....

Spooky Fun!

• By A.D. Walker on 09-29-23

By: Joe Hill , and others

Graveyard Shift

• and Other Stories from Night Shift
• Narrated by: John Glover
• Length: 3 hrs and 24 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,277
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,052
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,051

CConsummate master of his craft, Stephen King has kept millions awake past midnight shivering at tales that probe the shadows and reveal the dark side. Now listeners can chill to this second dramatic unabridged production of short stories from his best selling book, Night Shift ....

Where's the rest?

• By Amazon Customer on 05-27-20

Monsters at Midnight

• 29 Horror Stories

By: Nick Clausen

• Narrated by: Spencer Dillehay
• Length: 37 hrs and 10 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 21
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 20
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 20

Spanning everything from vampires and werewolves to ghosts and wendigos, this collection of supernatural horror stories brings you the finest thrills and chills....

Solid, straightforward storytelling

• By man's ruin on 05-21-24

Full Throttle

By: Joe Hill

• Narrated by: Zachary Quinto, Wil Wheaton, Kate Mulgrew, and others
• Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,161
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,896
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,889

In this masterful collection of short fiction, Joe Hill dissects timeless human struggles in 13 relentless tales of supernatural suspense, including “In The Tall Grass”, one of two stories cowritten with Stephen King, basis for the terrifying feature film from Netflix....

A Strong Collection

• By Celeste on 11-05-19

Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Volume II

• Narrated by: Stephen King, Kathy Bates, Matthew Broderick, and others
• Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,472
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,238
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,224

The audiobook that started it all...

• By Cage on 08-22-11

The Lawnmower Man and Other Stories From Night Shift

• Length: 3 hrs and 53 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 847
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 685
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 685

Playing upon our most primal fears, Stephen King draws us into his sinister world - a place where...

Many stories missing

• By Mathew Brooks on 09-30-18

Night Terrors Volumes 1 - 3

• Short Horror Stories Anthology

By: Scare Street

• Narrated by: Johnny Raven, Stephanie Shade
• Length: 21 hrs and 48 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 86
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 79
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 78

We’re all afraid of things that go bump in the night. Shadows in the graveyard, wind moaning through the trees, a creaking door in a sinister old house. There are things hiding in the darkness. And sometimes, what you can’t see can definitely hurt you....

I was enjoying this untill

• By Anthony on 09-13-22

Tripping Over Twilight

• A Collection of Short Horror and Supernatural Stories
• By: T.W. Grim, Velox Books
• Narrated by: Geoff Sturtevant
• Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 17
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 17
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 17

Horror favorite T.W. Grim invites you to pull up a chair and watch the sun slip past the horizon with this dark and macabre collection of short stories....

Great Verity of Short Horror Stories!

• By Matthew Mills on 02-15-24

By: T.W. Grim , and others

Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Volume III

• Narrated by: Stephen King, Gary Sinise, Joe Morton, and others
• Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,064
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 900
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 901

I played this at a painting party and...

• By Jeff Astin on 04-03-19

Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe

• By: Thomas Ligotti, Jeff VanderMeer - foreword
• Narrated by: Jon Padgett, Linda Jones
• Length: 21 hrs and 54 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 70
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 53
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 53

Thomas Ligotti’s debut collection, Songs of a Dead Dreamer , and his second, Grimscribe , permanently inscribed a new name in the pantheon of horror fiction....

Incredible!

• By Erik McHatton on 02-27-23

By: Thomas Ligotti , and others

20th Century Ghosts

• Narrated by: David LeDoux
• Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 1,848
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,485
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 1,488

A dazzlingly original, award-winning collection of visions and nightmares from the New York Times best-selling author of Heart-Shaped Box ....

Wonderful and recommended

• By Kasey on 02-12-09

The Bell Witch Series Books 1-3

• Scary Supernatural Horror with Monsters
• By: Sara Clancy, Scare Street
• Narrated by: John Pirhalla
• Length: 20 hrs and 58 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,078
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 967
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 959

In Black River, Tennessee, there is a legend hiding in the shadowy trees. The Bell Witch, a vile, vindictive spirit, is said to haunt the dark woods. Driven by rage, she stalks the descendants of four ancient families - cursed bloodlines, doomed to play out her sadistic game for eternity....

Very well written

• By Sara Jane on 02-21-20

By: Sara Clancy , and others

Edgar Allan Poe - The Complete Short Stories

• Narrated by: Bob Thomley
• Length: 16 hrs and 34 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 1,310
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 1,158
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,165

Here are all of Edgar Allan Poe’s great short stories in one 16-hour collection....

• By Jim "The Impatient" on 11-23-15

New releases

This Skin Was Once Mine

• And Other Disturbances

By: Eric LaRocca

• Narrated by: Natalie Naudus, André Santana, Michael Crouch, and others
• Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 1
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 1
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 1

A brand-new collection of four intense, claustrophobic and terrifying horror tales from the Bram Stoker Award®-nominated and Splatterpunk Award-winning author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke .

Disturbing in good way

• By Anonymous User on 05-29-24

The Blood in Their Veins

By: Christian Green

• Narrated by: Virtual Voice
• Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins
• Overall 0 out of 5 stars 0
• Performance 0 out of 5 stars 0
• Story 0 out of 5 stars 0

After learning of the death of their mother, the Foster triplets travel to New Orleans to pay their respects. While visiting the small town of Bordon Point, it becomes clear to the Fosters that there is more to the town than meets the eye. Faced with multiple threats and deception all around, Derek, Gavin and Simone must navigate through this mysterious community and uncover the truth regarding some of the town’s deadliest secrets.

The Old Park Road

By: Laurence Hatch

• Length: 1 hr and 1 min

All seems well in the affectionate and simple rural town until it's residents end up with odd illnesses and death. The usual causes turn up nothing. A wonderful array of characters share their lives in joy and suffering.

Madame Gray's Graveyard of Blood

• Madame Gray's
• By: Gerri R. Gray, Charles Robertson, Eddie Spohn, and others
• Narrated by: Jenna Green
• Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Madame Gray proudly presents twenty terrifying graveyard-themed tales that will make your flesh crawl. The 'plots' that await you in this morbid marble orchard of blood are guaranteed to chill your bones and keep you from resting in peace.

By: Gerri R. Gray , and others

What Lies in the Fog

By: Dy'on Lindsey

• Narrated by: Millicent
• Length: 38 mins

What happens when five strangers are trapped in a cabin, in the middle of an eerie violet fog? What Lies In The Fog is a small collection of short stories that come together to tell a grander truth about the nature of a horrid fog, and the people forced to live within its clutches.

Howls from the Scene of the Crime

• A Crime Horror Anthology
• By: Jessica Peter, Christopher Buehlman, Gwendolyn Kiste, and others
• Narrated by: Full Cast
• Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

A death row cell that recounts the dark stories of its inmates. An informant who consumes shards of crystallized skulls to see the past. A world where to speak of the dead is a violation of an unjust society's rules. Heists, drugs, cults, detectives, murder, monsters, revenge.

By: Jessica Peter , and others

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to digest.

• Narrated by: Stephen King, Will Patton

' You like it darker? Fine, so do I ', writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life - both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to listen to.

The Book of Drabbles

• Shacklebound Books Anthologies and Collections
• By: Eric Fomley, Addison Smith, CB Droege, and others
• Narrated by: Wayne Keller III
• Length: 1 hr and 24 mins

The Book of Drabbles is an anthology of stories that are exactly 100 words in length. Within this audiobook are stories of magic, science, and horror. Step inside and let these amazing authors from around the world wrench your heart, make you smile, or unsettle you to your core.

By: Eric Fomley , and others

Little Nightmares

By: David W. Adams

• Narrated by: Aaron Smith
• Length: 1 hr and 17 mins

Dare you tread the twisted paths of these tales where darkness reigns supreme and the mind is the ultimate battleground? Prepare to be haunted long after you’ve finished this book, for the horrors within are not easily forgotten.

Dead America - The Incident in Rosalia - Pt. 2

By: Derek Slaton

• Length: 1 hr and 52 mins

With the military hot on their heels, Tatum and the militia retreat to the town of Tekoa for a final showdown! The Northwest War is the newest story arc in the longest running zombie book series out there, Dead America!

The House of Strange Stories

By: Ruskin Bond

• Narrated by: Hitesh Bhojraj
• Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins

With The House of Strange Stories , celebrated writer Ruskin Bond brings forth a collection of some of the most blood-curdling tales ever written.

These Lonely Places: A Collection of Bad Dreams

• Whispers from the Abyss

By: R.k. Kombrinck

• Length: 16 hrs and 35 mins

R.k. Kombrinck, co-host of Night of the Living Podcast, delivers a collection of short stories to make you dread the empty house across the street; to make you wonder what lurks in the woods behind the park and question the smile of your kind, elderly neighbor. A new employee uncovers his workplace’s top-secret supernatural history. A little girl unknowingly invites a sinister creature into her family’s home through conversations with her “imaginary” friend. A hellish virus brings a cursed town’s populace back from the dead.

Hansel: The Killer's Story

• Gruesome Fairy Tales Book 2

By: Annalee Adams

• Narrated by: Michelle Araya
• Length: 1 hr and 22 mins

Hansel is a sweet young boy, innocent, until corrupted by the darkness of his mother's shadow. Trapped and fighting for his survival, he is forced to maim and torture; developing a thirst for the righteous and the holy. As a born again soldier of God, he believes his path is guided by the Lord's hand. But when he takes his first kill, everything changes.

Postcards from the Apocalypse

By: Allan Leverone

• Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins

A dying city, cut off from the rest of civilization. A midnight visit by three people to a deserted graveyard from which only two will return. A young woman who haunts the nightclubs of the city in an endless search to find the man who ruined her life... All these stories and many more tales of noir, crime and dark fiction are featured in this shocking collection from author Allan Leverone. ---------- Allan Leverone is the Amazon bestselling author of the thriller, THE LONELY MILE, and is a 2012 Derringer Award winner as well as a 2011 Pushcart Prize nominee. In addition to THE LONELY MILE,...

Strange Skies

• A Night of Unexplained Horror

By: Jeb Bohn

• Narrated by: Luis Morones
• Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

A typical summer day in Bisbee, Arizona, is rolling along. The weather is beautiful, providing a picturesque backdrop for hikers, tourists, and everyone else lucky enough to be around. As dusk falls and people settle into their evening routines, a large thunderstorm rolls in without warning. Unfortunately for the town’s residents, it’s bringing much more than just rain and lightning.

Tiny Shivers

By: Laura Nettles

• Narrated by: G M M Lorenz
• Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins

A collection of micro, flash and short horror stories by Laura Nettles. A few have been published in anthologies and magazines already, but many have never been seen by the public.

Candy Canes

• By EMarie on 05-26-24

Deceitful Lust

By: Carter Westgate

• Narrated by: Sonny Swinhart
• Length: 17 mins

Deceitful Lust is the story of protagonist Garmin Narzeal, living a bachelor's life in the late 1990's. Garmin is ready to pursue a young woman named Lydia. He feels she will be his ticket to becoming a man, and shedding the last retainer of his youth into a new identity. Sadly, for Garmin's sake, he finds that the fruit of the eyes is often times rotten at the core. Lydia plays right into Garmin's hand taking him on a night of terror that he will never forget. An innocent party soon becomes the site of a dastardly plan that will forever change his outlook on Good VS Evil.

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Interview highlights

Stephen king's new story took him 45 years to write.

Mary Louise Kelly

Courtney Dorning

Stephen King says finishing one of his stories decades after he started it felt like "calling into a canyon of time." Francois Mori/AP hide caption

Stephen King says finishing one of his stories decades after he started it felt like "calling into a canyon of time."

Stephen King is out with a new collection of short stories.

As you might expect from the reigning King of Horror, some are terrifying. Some are creepy. Others are laugh-out-loud funny. And one of them took him 45 years to write.

The book is a collection of 12 stories, called You Like it Darker .

Stephen King's legacy of horror

Over the course of his decades-long career as a writer, King has learned there's no taking a story too far.

"I found out – to sort of my delight and sort of my horror – that you can't really gross out the American public," King told NPR.

He spoke with All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly about the book, destiny and getting older.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Mary Louise Kelly: I want to start by asking you about the story, The Answer Man . You began it when you were 30. You finished it when you were 75. What the heck happened?

Stephen King: Well, I lost it. What happens with me is I will write stories and they don't always get done. And the ones that don't get done go in a drawer and I forget all about them. And about five years ago, these people started to collect all the stuff that was finished and all this stuff that was unfinished and put it in an archive. They were going through everything – desk drawers, wastebaskets underneath the desk, every place. I'm not exactly a very organized person. My nephew John Leonard found this particular story, which was written in the U.N. Plaza Hotel back in the '70s, I think. And he said, "You know, this is pretty good. You really ought to finish this." And I read it and I said, "You know, I think I know how to finish it now." So I did.

Kelly: Well give people a taste. The first six or so pages that you had written back in the hotel, it becomes a 50-page story. What was it that you decided was worth returning to?

King: Well, I like the concept: This young man is driving along, and he's trying to figure out whether or not he should join his parents' white shoe law firm in Boston, or whether he should strike out on his own. And he finds this man on the road who calls himself the Answer Man. And he says, "I will answer three of your questions for $25, and you have 5 minutes to ask these questions." So I thought to myself, I'm going to write this story in three acts. One while the questioner is young, and one when he's middle aged, and one when he's old. The question that I ask myself is: "Do you want to know what happens in the future or not?"

Kelly: This story, like many of your stories, is about destiny – whether some things are meant to happen no matter what we do, no matter what choices we make. Do you believe that's true?

King: The answer is I don't know. When I write stories, I write to find out what I really think. And I don't think there's any real answer to that question.

Books You Love

'carrie' turns 50 here are the best stephen king novels — chosen by you.

Kelly: You do describe in the afterword of the book that going back in your seventies to complete a story you had begun as a young man gave you, and I'll quote your words, "The oddest sense of calling into a canyon of time." Can you explain what that means?

King: Well, you listen for the echo to come back. When I was a young man, I had a young man's ideas about The Answer Man . But now, as a man who has reached, let us say, a certain age, I'm forced to write from experience and just an idea of what it might be like to be an old man. So yeah, it felt to me like yelling and then waiting for the echo to come back all these years later.

Kelly: Are there subjects you shy away from, where you think about it and think, "You know what, that might be one step too creepy, too weird?"

King: I had one novel called Pet Cemetery that I wrote and put in a drawer because I thought, "Nobody will want to read this. This is just too awful." I wanted to write it to see what would happen, but I didn't think I would publish it. And I got into a contractual bind, and I needed to do a book with my old company. And so I did. And I found out – sort of to my delight and sort of to my horror – that you can't really gross out the American public. You can't go too far.

Kelly: It was a huge bestseller, as I recall.

King: Yeah, it's a bestseller and it was a movie. And yeah, the same thing is true with It , about the killer clown who preys on children

Kelly: Who still haunts my nightmares, I have to tell you. You've written how many books at this point?

King: I don't know.

King: Really? In our recent coverage of you, we've said everything from 50 to 70.

King: I think it's probably around 70, but I don't keep any count. I remember thinking as a kid that it would be a really fine lifetime to be able to write 100 novels.

Kelly: Oh my gosh. Well you sound like you're still having a lot of fun, so I hope you have quite a few more novels for us to come.

King: That'd be good.

• Stephen King
• Short stories

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‘Butcher’ Tells the (Mostly) True Story of a Very Bad Gynecologist

Through the lens of a 19th-century doctor, Joyce Carol Oates explores gothic medical horror.

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Daphne Merkin’s most recent book is the novel “22 Minutes of Unconditional Love.” She is currently at work on a memoir about psychoanalysis.

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BUTCHER, by Joyce Carol Oates

There are many things one could note about Joyce Carol Oates’s long writing career — including, most strikingly, its legendary prolificness. Gifted with a protean talent, she has shifted with ease from one literary genre to another, be it novels, short stories, memoir, poetry, children’s books, essay collections, plays or librettos.

To the envy, admiration and annoyance of less fluent authors, Oates has clearly never suffered from writers’ block. When she is not writing in longhand, she is busy on X and Substack, airing her opinions on Donald Trump and the events of the day. For a time she also wrote suspense under two different pseudonyms.

Indeed, there is something almost compulsive, verging on the hypergraphic, about her need to write. It seems to come to her as readily as breathing, and leaves one wondering whether she ever stops long enough to brew a cup of tea. (One of her few diversions is running.) Now 85, Oates shows no sign of slowing down: “Butcher” is, by most accounts, her 63rd novel, and the book has the feverish energy, narrative propulsion and descriptive amplitude — sometimes to excess — of much of her earlier work.

Even when Oates isn’t writing in an explicitly Gothic mode, as she did in “Bellefleur” (1980) or “My Heart Laid Bare” (1998), she has always been interested in intimations of the sinister, the way it suddenly hoves into view on an ordinary summer day. “At the periphery of many of my poems and works of fiction, as in the corner of an eye,” she once observed in an essay, “there is often an element of the grotesque or surreal.”

The title of “Butcher,” the very starkness of it, gives a clue to the lurid, bloody tale Oates has in store. Like several previous works (her seminal 1966 short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” and the 1992 Chappaquiddick reimagining “Black Water,” for example), it is inspired in part by real figures who committed real crimes — including, in this case, an undertrained doctor named J. Marion Sims, who in the 1840s began performing experimental surgeries on women recovering from difficult childbirths.

Here, the “Butcher” of the title is now called Silas Aloysius Weir, who for 35 years oversees the New Jersey State Asylum for Female Lunatics, where conditions range from abysmal to horrifying. His medical instruction is minimal, consisting of only four months of training at an inferior school, though he is happy to tell everyone that he comes from a distinguished family (one of his uncles is a renowned astronomer at Harvard, from which two brothers have also graduated; Weir seems to be the bad egg).

Silas becomes heralded and then ultimately detested as a pioneer in the field of gyno-psychiatry, through which misogynistic scrim he views the vagina as “a veritable hell-hole of filth & corruption” and the female genitals as “loathsome in design, function & aesthetics.”

It is a time when the seat of hysteria is thought to be the uterus, and pesky clitorises — “the offensive little organ at the mouth of the vagina … like a miniature male organ, with an obscene fire lit from within” — are held accountable for obstreperous behavior in young women and snipped without a second thought. Various ailments are treated, without aid of anesthetic, by scalpel and sometimes a shoemaker’s awl, and the most frequent cure-all is phlebotomy, or bloodletting (“ When in doubt, bleed ”), even if in many cases it causes death. The arsenal of drugs includes laudanum, foxglove, mercury, belladonna, “small quantities of arsenic” and cocaine drops.

“Butcher” is told by different narrators, all of whom cast alternating lights on Weir and his God-given (or so he believes) commitment to the patients in his care. From the start, we are given a sense of his unease and unattractiveness: “His head was overlarge on his stooped & spindly shoulders; his stiff-tufted hair of no discernible hue … his eyes rather deep-set in their sockets, like a rodent’s eyes, damp & quick-shifting.” (Reading, I wondered whether a rodent’s eyes are, in fact, deep-set; from the little I have spotted of them, their eyes seemed flat against their heads. But that is a quibble.)

When his use of a pair of pliers to reposition a 5-month-old’s cranial plates results in the infant’s death — even though he relieves his guilt by noting her “very poor stock, virtually subhuman” — Weir is forced to leave his community. Shortly thereafter, he is called to the asylum, where, relying on the assistance of an experienced midwife, he delivers a baby for an orphaned albino Irish servant named Brigit, who is also purportedly deaf and mute. (The child, naturally, is immediately taken from her.)

Eventually, Brigit becomes his assistant, and Weir becomes obsessed with her otherworldly beauty — “Those staring eyes! The faintest blue, uncanny” — believing that there is a special unspoken communion between them. One of those men whose ignorance is matched by his arrogance, he hopes to achieve worldwide fame by finding a way to cure madness by literally cutting it out of the body, and as the novel proceeds, his approach becomes only more brazen. He uses a tarnished tablespoon for intimate examinations as well as heated forceps, confident in his knowledge that “the interior of the vagina is known to be insensitive to sensation, like the birth canal. There are no nerve endings in these organs.”

His ambitions seem limited only by what he can achieve in a series of increasingly depraved experiments, conducted in his private laboratory. Finally, though, the inmates revolt, in a scene that Oates delineates with grotesque specificity. “Butcher” is undoubtedly one of her most surreal and gruesome works, sparing no repulsive detail or nefarious impulse.

In the end, though, the purview of the novel is larger than one might think, becoming an empathic and discerning commentary on women’s rights, the abuses of patriarchy and the servitude of the poor and disenfranchised. Oates, as is her wont, succeeds in creating a world that is apart from our own yet familiar, making it impossible to dismiss her observations about twisted natures and random acts of violence.

My prevailing question about Oates is where her imaginative fantasies derive from, which has always seemed a mystery to me. We don’t get a sense of who she is behind her writing the way we do with, say, John Updike, John Cheever or Alice Munro . But this unyielding impersonality may be the way that she wants it: In the same essay collection I quoted from earlier, she offers, “Elsewhere I’ve stated that JCO is not a person, not even a personality, but a process that has resulted in a series of texts.”

We have become so used to the notion of the recognizable auteur blazing through the artifice of fiction and calling attention to his or her self that Oates’s approach — not dissimilar from the novelist Gustave Flaubert’s insistence that “an author in his book must be like God in the universe, present everywhere and visible nowhere” — feels like a singularly uncommon one. Long may she run.

BUTCHER | Joyce Carol Oates | Knopf | 352 pp. | $30

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A New Stephen King Book Released Today, And You Can Save Big At Amazon

You Like It Darker is a short story collection featuring 12 tales by the modern master of horror.

By Steven Petite and Jon Bitner on May 21, 2024 at 4:35PM PDT

You Like It Darker, a new collection of short stories by Stephen King, released today (May 21). Published by King's longtime publisher Scribner, You Like It Darker joins King's wildly impressive bibliography that already includes over 10 story collections--not to mention the 60-plus novels. If you're a King fan, you can save big on the new book in hardcover format. You Like It Darker is discounted to $18.90 (was $30) at Amazon , which represents a savings of 37%. The Kindle version is available for $15 , and Audible Premium Plus members can use their monthly credit for the audiobook edition.

You Like It Darker: Stories

$19 (was $30).

You Like It Darker: Stories is a hardcover collection of 12 new tales by King. Clocking in at over 500 pages, the massive volume will "delve into the darker part of life--both metaphorical and literal." Included in the collection you'll find Two Talented Bastids, Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream, Rattlesnakes (a sequel to Cujo), The Dreamers, The Answer Man, and more.

If you'd rather enjoy the collection as an audiobook, consider checking out Audible. New members are eligible for one month of Premium Plus for free , and it comes with a bonus credit right now. This means you'll get two Audible credits that can be used to redeem audiobooks from the Premium Plus catalog. Those audiobooks will be yours to keep, even if your subscription lapses.

If you're a current or lapsed Audible member, you can buy three credits for $38. Not concerned about other audiobooks? The You Like It Darker: Stories audiobook is available for $18 (down from $26).

If you enjoy You Like It Darker and decide to check out King's other short story collections, here's a list of King story collections available on Amazon. Or, if you want the complete opposite Stephen King experience, check out The Dark Tower eight-book box set for $77 (list price is $161) . The Dark Tower series is King's longest work, and these eight dark fantasy novels are stellar reads, even if you don't like King's traditional horror.

Stephen King Short Story Collections

• The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
• Different Seasons: Four Novellas
• Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales
• Four Past Midnight
• Full Dark, No Stars
• Hearts in Atlantis
• If It Bleeds
• Just After Sunset
• Night Shift
• Nightmares and Dreamscapes
• Skeleton Crew
• Stephen King Goes To The Movies

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11 most anticipated horror & thriller books coming out in june 2024.

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11 Most Anticipated Thriller Books Coming Out The Rest Of 2024

10 cursed movies (& the truth behind them), 17-year-old doctor who episode explains why ruby couldn't enter the tardis in "73 yards".

• Of the highly anticipated horror and thriller books coming in June 2024, there are 11 particular standouts.
• This includes new works from popular authors including Paul Tremblay, Riley Sager, and Akwaeke Emezi.
• Also coming in June 2024 is the new book in the Housemaid series by Freida McFadden.

There are quite a few highly anticipated horror and thriller books set to premiere throughout June 2024. The year has already been good to the horror genre especially, both on the page and on the screen, as 2024 horror books have accompanied a wave of well-reviewed movies including Immaculate , Late Night with the Devil , and I Saw the TV Glow . Even though the month may be better known for beach reads, given the fact that it's the time when summer officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere, there are still plenty of chilling and thrilling titles scheduled every week throughout June.

June has quite big shoes to fill after many well-reviewed May 2024 books hit shelves. These include Ruth Ware's One Perfect Couple , Stephen King's You Like It Darker , Lindsay King-Miller's The Z Word , Anna-Marie McLemore's Flawless Girls , and Christina Henry's The House that Horror Built . However, with the upcoming schedule including quite a few prominent authors returning to the genre, a continuation of a popular series, and several other intriguing titles, the new month seems up to the challenge .

There are plenty of exciting thriller books coming out during the remainder of 2024, and the most highly anticipated have fun and twisty premises.

11 youthjuice by E.K. Sathue

Release date: june 4, 2024.

youthjuice has been described as a cross between two different books with famous movie adaptations, namely Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho and Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada . It follows a 29-year-old who gets a coveted job at a monolithic New York wellness brand called HEBE. However, as she becomes obsessed with a new moisturizer called "youthjuice" that she has been asked to test, she learns that there may be a terrible secret behind the company and its new product .

[The story] hearkens back to classic tales including the rumors surrounding real-life alleged serial killer Elizabeth Báthory.

2024 seems to be the perfect time for E.K. Sathue, who previously wrote the 2021 thriller Fan Club as Erin Mayer, to craft a new take on the subject matter covered by those iconic classics. Although the story's horror undertone covering the predatory nature of seeking to restore youth hearkens back to classic tales including the rumors surrounding real-life alleged serial killer Elizabeth Báthory, it is given new satirical bite thanks to the recent popularization of beauty and wellness brands like goop .

10 The Housemaid Is Watching by Freida McFadden

Release date: june 11, 2024.

Although Freida McFadden has written other standalone thriller novels, one of her most well-known is 2022's The Housemaid , a New York Times bestseller that has already spawned an ongoing series . The books are narrated in first-person by a housemaid with a dark past and possibly sinister motives who finds herself in a new location each time.

The Housemaid Is Watching follows the continued adventures of the title character. Now living with her husband and children in an idyllic suburban home of her own, she will quickly come to realize that not all is right in her sleepy neighborhood . With an atmosphere reminiscent of thriller follow-ups including You season 3 , the book proves that even though the housemaid's life has turned around, the secrets people keep behind closed doors can still haunt her more than ever.

9 Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

Paul Tremblay has become a major force in the horror genre thanks to his previous publications including A Head Full of Ghosts , The Last Conversation , and Survivor Song . He also scored a crossover hit when his 2018 novel The Cabin at the End of the World was adapted by writer-director M. Night Shyamalan into the 2023 movie Knock at the Cabin .

Tremblay's new novel, Horror Movie , looks to continue his run of chilling tales, bringing the film industry directly onto the page in this tale of a "cursed movie" along the lines of titles such as Poltergeist and The Exorcist . It follows a man who played “The Thin Kid” in a 1993 cult feature titled Horror Movie , whose attempts to remake the original project (which has a dark, deadly past and from which only three surviving scenes have been released) draw him back into the darkness that haunted the set decades ago.

Some of Hollywood’s most iconic movies are rumored to be cursed, but here’s the truth behind ten cursed films and the tragedies behind them.

8 Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

Release date: june 18, 2024.

Riley Sager has become a major fixture of the thriller genre since the release of his wildly well-received 2017 novel Final Girls . He followed that release with other prominent titles including 2021's Survive the Night , 2022's The House Across the Lake , and 2023's The Only One Left . Like clockwork, his new thriller, Middle of the Night , is due smack dab in the middle of 2024.

Just like The Housemaid is Watching , this novel will explore the skeletons in the closet of modern-day suburbia . It follows a man who returns to his hometown, where his best friend was kidnapped thirty years before. As strange happenings begin to haunt him, pointing toward any number of possible explanations including the belated return of his ill-fated friend, his past threatens to poison his present and alter it beyond recognition.

7 The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

Lucy Foley is another titan of the thriller genre returning with a new offering this June. In addition to her historical fiction, she has made a name for herself penning books that blend classic murder mysteries with modern thrillers including The Paris Apartment , The Guest List , and The Hunting Party .

Lucy Foley's historical fiction novels include Last Letter from Istanbul and The Book of Lost and Found .

Her newest book, The Midnight Feast , seems set to be her twistiest thriller yet . It follows a dark day and a half on the grounds of The Manor, a luxurious home surrounded by a dark forest. As tensions rise between the residents and the population of the nearby town, violence erupts, resulting in a mysterious fire and a dead body. This could all be the result of very human motives, or possibly an unknown force whispered about in local legend and is known as the Night Birds.

6 We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

Marcus Kliewer's debut novel began its life as a short story thread on Reddit that won the NoSleep forum's award for the Scariest Story of 2021 before blossoming into a full-length book. An LGBTQ+ horror story arriving in the middle of Pride Month, it follows couple Charlie and Eve during a dark time in their lives after they buy a house they intend to flip. The arrival of a family who claims to be the former residents of the house sends them on a terrifying journey that will make them doubt everything, including their own memories.

The novel sounds like a cross between the 2023 Netflix thriller Leave the World Behind (based on the novel by Rumaan Alam), and the 2022 Danish movie Speak No Evil , which has a remake starring James McAvoy set to premiere this year. Perhaps because of this cinematic pedigree, it was announced in 2021 that the story has been picked up to be adapted into a Netflix movie starring Blake Lively.

5 Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi

Akwaeke Emezi is an author with nearly unprecedented versatility. Although their novels typically center LGBTQ+ characters and themes, their early works have otherwise been almost entirely different from one another, proving their ability to write for a wide variety of audiences and genres . Their novels range from their magical realist debut Freshwater to the contemplative drama The Death of Vivek Oji , the romance You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty , and the lyrical young adult fantasy Pet .

Emezi wrote a prequel to Pet titled Bitter , which marks their first direct follow-up to a previous novel.

The upcoming Little Rot is their first novel with a more thriller-forward premise, though if it takes after their previous books, it is sure to blend the storyline with various other genres. Set in Nigeria, the novel explores multiple characters experiencing the fallout from a sex party gone wrong that throws them straight into the center of the local criminal underworld .

4 Our Little Secret by Lisa Jackson

Release date: june 25, 2024.

Lisa Jackson is a breathlessly prolific novelist who has written nearly 100 books over the course of her career. She stands alongside Lucy Foley and Riley Sager as one of the most prominent authors in the thriller genre to be releasing a new book in June. Although she has penned multiple series of interconnected novels including New Orleans , The Cahills , and Alvarez & Pescoli , her upcoming gender-bent Fatal Attraction riff Our Little Secret will be a standalone .

The book follows a wife and mother whose extramarital affair from six years ago still haunts her and wracks her with guilt and paranoia. However, she soon begins to realize that she may not be imagining that her former lover has finally returned to settle the score . After the recent Fatal Attraction show on Paramount+ provided more dimension to the original 1987 movie's lead female character Alex Forrest, this gender-swapped version should plumb the depths of the story with even more bite.

3 Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

Hungry People author Tasha Coryell returns this month with Love Letters to a Serial Killer . The novel follows a true crime enthusiast who seeks meaning in her life and decides to write letters to a recently incarcerated serial killer. Thus begins an unusual pen pal relationship that ends up with her marrying the man after he is released from jail, allowing her unprecedented access to investigate whether he has actually committed the crimes for which he was acquitted .

This new book offers a fresh twist on the common true crime phenomenon of serial killers receiving love letters and even getting married to their correspondents while still in prison, even while sometimes facing life sentences for their crimes. It remains to be seen if either character lives to see the end of the book, but what is in store is sure to be a compelling thrill ride.

2 Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

Malerman is another well-known author in the horror genre. His works include A House at the Bottom of a Lake , Unbury Carol , and It Waits in the Woods , but he is likely best known for penning 2014's Bird Box . The latter title was adapted into the 2018 Sandra Bullock horror movie of the same name, which remains one of the Top 5 most-watched Netflix releases of all time. That franchise has expanded both on the page and on the screen with the 2020 Malerman follow-up Malorie and the 2023 Netflix spinoff feature Bird Box Barcelona .

His new book Incidents Around the House takes on the tropes of the haunted house novel, offering a fresh take from the perspective of a family's eight-year-old daughter. In a twist straight out of Coraline , she is haunted by an entity known as Other Mommy who constantly asks her one sinister question: “Can I go inside your heart?”

1 The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

The Eyes Are the Best Part tells the story of a young Korean-American woman whose family is facing issues after the departure of her adulterous father. One way that her general rage manifests is nightmares about eyes and a burgeoning push toward becoming a serial killer. As the bodies begin to pile up , her unquenchable anger continues to drive her.

The psychological thriller seems sure to lead readers down a twisting and turning path...

As one of the horror and thriller books set to close out June 2024, it is one of the most intriguing. For one thing, it comes from a brand new voice, as it is the debut horror novel from Monika Kim, a UC Davis graduate who works in environmental justice . The psychological thriller seems sure to lead readers down a twisting and turning path as they are plunged into the darker side of the human heart.

The 15 Best Horror Anthology Movies, Ranked According to Rotten Tomatoes

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Horror anthology films have existed since the era of silent movies, offering a collection of at least three short horror films, each with a unique premise and a different cast. While some horror movies run out of steam as they stretch their story to 90 minutes, anthology shorts have the benefit of wrapping things up in a taut 20–30 minutes. The concept owes much to short story books. Stephen King , in particular, has published many short story collections that have been adapted into horror anthology movies. He even provided the screenplay for the horror anthology Creepshow .

The key to making a great anthology is achieving a consistent level of quality across all the entries , as many anthologies prove to be uneven as some stories outshine others. The best anthology horror movies do not have this problem, as they deliver thrills and chills throughout every part. With the best anthology TV series like Black Mirror getting plenty of attention, anthologies have found a new home on streaming services and more horror films are being produced in the genre than ever before.

15 'Cat's Eye' (1985)

Rotten tomatoes score: 69%.

Cat's Eye is a gripping anthology film directed by Lewis Teague and penned by the master of horror, King. The movie interlaces three macabre tales with a stray cat as the connecting thread. In "Quitters, Inc." James Woods plays Morrison, a smoker desperate to quit. But the program he joins, run by the creepy Dr. Donatti ( Alan King ), is even worse than cigarettes! Meanwhile, "The Ledge" features a high-stakes game where Kenneth McMillan 's Cressner puts Robert Hays ' Norris in a life-or-death situation by making him navigate a dangerous ledge on a skyscraper.

The final story, "General," stars a young Drew Barrymore as Amanda, a girl menaced by a malevolent troll. While the special effects in this horror film, created by Jeff Jarvis , are understated, they pack a punch. This focus on subtlety allows primal fears like pain, heights, and suffocation to take center stage. The suspenseful storytelling, further made enjoyable by the cleverly intertwined cat's journey , makes it a must-see for horror fans.

Rent on Amazon

14 'ABCs of Death 2' (2014)

Rotten tomatoes score: 73%.

Based on the concept that each entry must relate to a letter of the alphabet, ABCs of Death 2 features 26 short horror films directed by 26 different filmmakers. There is no wraparound story, so audiences can expect to experience tonal whiplash as the films leap between grotesque, laugh-out-loud funny, and disturbing.

As well as featuring famous horror names such as Larry Fessenden , Jen and Sylvia Soska , and Vincenzo Natali , the horror anthology also invited amateur filmmakers to submit their films for the letter M with the winner appearing in the film. While some shorts are weaker than others, the overall package makes for a more consistent and enjoyable watch when compared to its predecessor .

ABCs of Death 2

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13 'Southbound' (2015)

Rotten tomatoes score: 81%.

Produced by Brad Miska of Bloody Disgusting fame, Southbound is an underrated horror anthology that tells five tales all centered around the same stretch of highway in the US. There is a prevailing theory that the characters are stuck in purgatory, as they face scenarios that include evil spirits, shady old people, and masked intruders.

Having the stories directly lead into each other, rather than having a wraparound segment, allows the film to avoid the massive tonal shifts that some anthologies suffer from. Southbound features segments by filmmakers who have become some of the brightest names in horror going forward , such as Radio Silence (the two latest Scream movies) and David Bruckner (the recent Hellraiser reboot).

Watch on AMC+

12 'Scare Package' (2019)

Both a loving tribute to anthology horror movies and horror in general, Scare Package revolves around Chad, a horror fan who operates his own struggling video store. Using this setting as the wraparound segment, the stories are presented as tales told by Chad to the customers and tapes that are on display.

Created by Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns , Scare Package was seen as an opportunity to collaborate with a group of independent filmmakers who had yet to break out in the scene and pay homage to the genre they love while subverting some of its most popular tropes. It is a love letter to horror with its practical effects and familiar monsters that evoke 80s nostalgia. It also masterfully blends humor and horror, offering a refreshing twist on anthology films.

Watch on Shudder

11 'Trick 'r Treat' (2007)

One of the best Halloween-themed movies , Trick 'r Treat suffered numerous delays and a late move to straight-to-DVD for its original release. The film finally received its first-ever theatrical run last October, owing to its enduring popularity over the years.

Unique in that the whole film is directed by one person ( Michael Dougherty ), Trick 'r Treat follows four interwoven stories that all occur in the same town on Halloween night.

Starring Anna Paquin and Brian Cox , the segments feature the likes of werewolves, serial killers, and the murderous ghosts of dead children . The film's mascot, Sam, a little trick-or-treater wearing orange pajamas and a sack over his head, continues to be a popular horror icon.

Trick 'r Treat

10 'a christmas horror story' (2015), rotten tomatoes score: 83%.

Taking the anthology horror format and moving it to Christmas Eve, A Christmas Horror Story is a surprising success. Framed around a radio DJ ( William Shatner ) telling spooky stories on the air, all four segments focus on the supernatural. The highlight is the last story, which focuses on Santa Claus fighting zombies at the North Pole.

Not boasting any big-name directors or actors aside from Shatner, A Christmas Horror Story gets by on its concept alone and the execution makes for an enjoyable watch . Shatner's "Dangerous Dan" is the charismatic voice that binds the film with his chilling narration that adds a layer of charm and suspense to each story. While the limited budget is noticeable at times, its commitment to the ridiculous stories it tells makes for one of the better Christmas-set horror movies in recent years.

A Christmas Horror Story

9 'three... extremes' (2004).

A collaboration between three of East Asia's most famous directors, Three... Extremes features the work of Fruit Chan from Hong Kong, South Korea's acclaimed auteur Park Chan-wook ( Oldboy ), and Japanese gonzo master Takashi Miike . The segments tell disturbing stories that involve repulsive dumplings that grant the gift of youth, a sadistic extra that holds a director and his family hostage, and a novelist plagued by nightmares of her past as a circus performer.

It all makes for one of the best horror anthologies that is an essential watch for fans of body horror. Each segment offers a unique exploration of human depravity and the monstrous potential within. The directors bravely confront taboos with unrelenting savagery, leaving viewers unsettled.

Watch on Tubi

8 'Ghost Stories' (2017)

Rotten tomatoes score: 85%.

An anthology from England, Ghost Stories follows Philip Goodman, a television presenter who runs a show dedicated to debunking supernatural events. The film follows him as meets with three different people, each with their own story to share with the skeptic. Martin Freeman stars as one of the storytellers, and it is a treat to see the popular actor delve into darker territory.

Since the movie follows one character as he investigates the different tales, Ghost Stories is able to keep a consistent tone throughout its runtime while building to a well-developed finale. While it can be unnerving at times, the screenplay offers some humor to culminate in an enjoyable watch . The actors, particularly Freeman and Andy Nyman , deliver performances so convincing they make the film seem real. This believable setting makes the supernatural elements all the more terrifying, leaving a lasting sense of unease.

7 'Black Sabbath' (1963)

Rotten tomatoes score: 88%.

Featuring three tales directed by the master of Italian horror, Maria Bava , Black Sabbath is an entertaining throwback to horror in the early 60s . The stories include a call-girl who is terrorized by a series of disturbing phone calls, a family of vampire hunters, and a nurse who grapples with the idea of stealing from the dead.

The anthology explores different facets of fear, from the supernatural wrath of vengeful spirits to the unsettling depths of psychological horror. Black Sabbath 's influence stretches beyond the horror genre , as the legendary heavy metal band fronted by Ozzy Osbourne took their name from the film. Black Sabbath was also a major influence on Pulp Fiction , with its short story structure causing Quentin Tarantino to try and replicate it within the crime genre. The iconic presence of Boris Karloff further cements its status as a classic.

Black Sabbath

Watch on Kanopy

6 'Tales from the Crypt' (1972)

Rotten tomatoes score: 90%.

Based on a series of comic books, Tales from the Crypt remains one of the most popular horror anthologies. The original film follows tourists who encounter the infamous Crypt Keeper while on a tour through some catacombs. The Crypt Keeper shows each one their eventual death, resulting in the five stories that follow.

The film's popularity led to its revival as a television series on HBO that ran for seven seasons in the 1990s . It retained the element of the Crypt Keeper, who served as the narrator and introduced each episode's short stories of the macabre. This series proved to be even more popular than the film and features guest appearances from A-listers including Arnold Schwarzenegger , Whoopi Goldberg , and Brad Pitt .

5 'V/H/S/94' (2021)

Rotten tomatoes score: 91%.

The longest-running series of horror anthology films, V/H/S/94 is the fourth entry in the franchise that began in 2012. Transporting the series to 1994, five directors tell stories that feature terrorist organizations, mad scientists, supernatural occurrences at a wake, and a rat-like creature that lurks in a city's storm drains.

This movie is like a collection of scary stories filmed on old videotapes, which adds to the scariness. There's also a wraparound that ties everything together throughout the movie, so viewers don't fully get lost. Purchased by Shudder and screened as an original film, the horror-focused streamer claims the movie had the highest viewership numbers on the service at launch. A fifth entry, V/H/S/99 , followed in 2022.

4 'The House That Dripped Blood' (1971)

Rotten tomatoes score: 92%.

Framed around the story of a police inspector investigating disappearances that occurred at a seemingly haunted house, The House That Dripped Blood tells each of these cases as a short story. It proves for an inventive wraparound story as each deadly tale adds to the house's mystery. This horror movie has four scary tales, including "Method for Murder," which is about a writer whose pretend killer comes to life, and "Waxworks," which sees a man haunted by a creepy wax figure of his lost love.

While it initially received mixed reviews, The House That Dripped Blood has been re-evaluated in recent years to be seen as a classic within the horror anthology genre . It also features the likes of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee , who would later be involved in mega franchises Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings respectively.

The House That Dripped Blood

3 'trilogy of terror' (1975).

Putting the fear of dolls in people 13 years before Child's Play , Trilogy of Terror stars Karen Black as different characters in three separate stories, which feature a dark relationship between a teacher and her student, twisted twin sisters, and the aforementioned killer doll as it attacks a woman alone in her home.

While the first two segments are mostly forgettable, the third titled 'Amelia' proved infamous enough that it helped the made-for-television film achieve cult classic status . The evil Zuni doll featured remains one of the most terrifying dolls in horror , and the film began Black's long association with the horror genre, including the 1976 film Burnt Offerings and Alfred Hitchcock 's Family Plot .

Trilogy of Terror

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2 'Dead of Night' (1945)

Rotten tomatoes score: 93%.

One of the earliest instances of a horror anthology, Dead of Night follows a group of strangers who have all been invited to the home of a man they have never met. As a way to pass the time, they each tell stories that feature strange events, with the most famous involving a ventriloquist's dummy that comes to life.

Horror movies were banned in Britain during the 1940s due to World War II, but Dead of Night managed to slip through the cracks due to its status as a horror-comedy . Its structure of a wraparound story featuring several smaller tales would go on to greatly influence the anthology format going forward, including Tales of the Crypt and long-running The Twilight Zone .

1 'The Mortuary Collection' (2019)

Rotten tomatoes score: 96%.

When drifter Sam ( Caitlin Custer ) arrives at a small town named Raven's End, she applies to work at the local mortuary. There she meets the mortician Montgomery Dark ( Clancy Brown ), who regales Sam with tales of those who have died in Raven's End, each presented as its own short story.

A recent horror hit, The Mortuary Collection works due to the strength of its stories, maintaining a consistent level of quality that many anthologies lack. The terrifying horror movie is praised for its sets and costumes, dark jokes, and creepy stories . Brown is always great, and his role as Dark is reliably entertaining as he appears in-between each segment as the charming and creepy undertaker, making this a must-watch for horror fans.

The Mortuary Collection

NEXT: The Best Anthology TV Series, Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes

It Takes Boo to Make Haunting Go Right: 8 Terrifying Horror Short Story Collections

Liberty Hardy

Liberty Hardy is an unrepentant velocireader, writer, bitey mad lady, and tattoo canvas. Turn-ons include books, books and books. Her favorite exclamation is “Holy cats!” Liberty reads more than should be legal, sleeps very little, frequently writes on her belly with Sharpie markers, and when she dies, she’s leaving her body to library science. Until then, she lives with her three cats, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon, in Maine. She is also right behind you. Just kidding! She’s too busy reading. Twitter: @MissLiberty

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From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER. King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.

If you are reading this, it is probably safe to assume you enjoy being scared. WOO HOO! One of us! One of us! Horror stories are so much fun, especially when you can get a whole Gremlin-sized chunk of them at a time. It’s more bang for your “OH, F—!” Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are almost upon us, which means camping (watch out for monsters!), beach visits (watch out for sharks!), and road trips (watch out for serial killers!). And a collection of stories is perfect for this time of year when you can read just one or two in between summer activities. So, we are offering you this list of eight terrifying horror short story collections to give you chills in the warm weather.

Obviously, what scares people is different for every person, and there are a LOT of amazing horror story writers out there — Stephen King and Shirley Jackson go without saying. They’re masters and two of the most famous scary storywriters. These books on this list are some more of our favorites, each book with varying terrors and turmoil to keep your brain twisting while you try to sleep. There’s a little something horrifying between these for all you ghouls and goblins, so hold on to your butts and get ready to get scared!

When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson edited by Ellen Datlow

Eighteen of today’s greatest writers of the murderous and macabre tackle Shirley Jackson with their tributes to the Queen of Horror. This book, edited by the legendary Ellen Datlow, includes tales by Josh Malerman, Carmen Maria Machado, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Kelly Link, Cassandra Khaw, and Seanan McGuire. They’re filled with torment, hauntings, torture, dismemberment, unease, and a bowl of beef stew you should really avoid.

Ghost Summer: Stories by Tananarive Due

Welcome to Terror Town — population: you! These are 15 stories and a novella set around strange happenings in rural settings, and they’re all so unnerving that it’s hard to tell if it’s worse to go in the house, in the lake, or in the woods! This one is a freezer book, for sure. And Due’s most recent novel, The Reformatory , is one of the greatest recent horror novels and is based on a story mentioned in this collection.

Smashed by Junji Ito

Junji Ito is the king of horror comics. He manages to portray so much creepiness and disturbing imagery in each panel. This collection contains stories about bats (and not cute ones), ghosts, a haunted house, and more disgusting, frightening events than you can shake a stick at. If you’ve never read Ito before, you should know that nothing is off limits — and it’s all drawn out for you. When people want really messed up stuff to read, this is where we point them.

Entropy in Bloom by Jeremy Robert Johnson

If you like your horror on the more surreal side, JRJ is the author for you. These are like X-Files cases soaked in Red Bull inside Clive Barker’s skull. There’s a parasite making itself at home in a man’s body, extreme body modification, apocalypses, crime, and more. You will love and pet this collection and call George, and also wonder, “Jeremy Robert Johnson, wtf is wrong with you?!?” (Be sure to also pick up Skullcrack City !)

The Ones That Got Away by Stephen Graham Jones

Surely if you are a horror fan, you know of Stephen Graham Jones by now. He’s one of the most awesome writers of the 21st century. And so freaking prolific! Most recently, he published the Indian Lake horror trilogy about a horror-loving young woman and horror tropes. (I’m going to say horror again: horror.) This is one of his many collections, with literal heartbreak, a haunted baby monitor, a disaster after a shipwreck, things in the woods, and so, so many scares you’ll want to read this in public.

The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies by John Langan

Another widely lauded horror writer of the last decade is John Langan. Some of these horror tales feature the familiar, like zombies, vampires, and werewolves, but all in frightening, unique takes. And there’s also plenty of flat-out weird and shiver-inducing stuff you have never imagined before. (And, if you want to read an excellent horror novel, be sure to grab Langan’s The Fisherman .)

This Strange Way of Dying: Stories of Magic, Desire & the Fantastic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a Book Riot favorite! Her last few novels have delivered vampires, curses, frightening fungi, and mad scientists. This is an older book, a weird and wild collection of tales inspired by Mexican folklore. There are legends involving scorpions, a skull tree, vampires, skin shedders, and possibly most frightening of all, giant penguins. (Come on, you know you’d freak if you encountered one.)

Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yoko Ogawa, Stephen Snyder (translator)

And last but not least, what should already be being considered a modern classic. No Book Riot list of horror stories is complete without it! Ogawa did a complete 180 turn from her beautiful, sad novel The Housekeeper and the Professor with this collection of really messed up stories of…you know. R-E-V-E-N-G-E (Find out what it means to me…). There’s a new tenant who learns her landlord is a murderess; a surgeon interested in a singer’s unusual heart; a jealous lover plotting her beloved’s demise; a neglected house that is home to a collection of horrifying implements. All these connected tales and more comprise this creepy collection!

For more great horror book recommendations, check out 8 of the Most Polarizing Horror Novels Ever Written and Horror Comics That’ll Give You the Chills , and be sure to sign up for our horror newsletter The Fright Stuff !

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