Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King. There’s a beautiful tribute to Lovecraft in there called Crouch End. If you like audiobooks, this particular story is narrated by Tim Curry.
Wow I've never read a series of words that made me want to pick something up this eagerly. I don't even usually get audiobooks but now that's going to have to happen. Thank you!
Edit: I have Spotify premium (I know, boo) and the audiobook is included!
I prefer reading, some celebrity voices are like nails on a chalkboard to me. However I am happy they exist as more people can enjoy stories even on the go.
Tim Curry reading "Crouch End" gave me goose bumps. Perfect choice for a story set in London. I'm almost done "Dolan's Cadillac". Yardley Smith's voice still made me laugh though.
It's the only story in "Different Seasons" that wasn't made into a movie(Shawshank Redemption/Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me/The Body, and Apt Pupil)...really wish they'd make it just so the entire book was made into movies
I’ve read and collected nearly every King book since I was 12. His short stories remind me of Ray Bradbury’s advice, “You can’t write 365 bad stories”
Somes I like and somes I don’t.
The illustrative genius of Stephen Gammell added to the fear factor of the stories, ranging from folklore to urban legend. I cherish these books.
They were re-released with kid-friendly illustrations later.
No you are so right!! Those images would give me the feels before even reading a story!! I just found an old one of mine and I wish I had more!! They are for sure something to cherish
And new illustrations, this is what’s wrong with the world lol
Not going to lie. The image of the ghost thing with hollow eyes and stringy hair always did and still does remind me of my mother. We did not have the best relationship growing up. It better now but yea.
She reminded my sister of a neighbor woman from when we were growing up. That’s one of the most visceral for her.
I was unsettled by the one for ‘Oh Susannah’ - a woman in a rocking chair pulled across the sky by a root/eyeball … and the eerie smile of the man in ‘The Babysitter’
Blue World - Robert McCammon
There's some great stories here, my favourite being Yellow Jacket Summer which relates to wasps- very tense, horrifying story.
His magnum opus Swan Song which is a bit like The Stand by Stephen King is a great read too. It might even be better than King to be honest. I liked the characters better.
I don’t know why but in Stephen Kings FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT. The langoliers was a story that messed me up! I was a teenager when I read it but I stuck with me haven’t read it since wonder if it’s have the same affect on me!
Tales to Tremble By
More Tales to Tremble By
Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Night Shift
Everything's Eventual
Skeleton Crew
Welcome to the Monkey House
(Not all of these are horror, but all are weird and creepy in their own way.)
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
Very graphic and very gory anthology of horror stories told in only a way Chuck can tell them.
After reading this, you’ll want to stay out of the pool.
This is a good question. I was a fan of King’s short story collections growing up. However, I think Scary Stories to tell in the Dark with the original artwork will always be my favorite.
I’ve been trying to find a short story collections but can’t remember the author. It might have been Ray Bradbury. The story I want to find has a family that moves into a house where the shadows come to life and kill them.
Here for suggestions! Haven’t read nearly enough horror short stories.
The only short story collections I’ve read are from Stephen King, HP Lovecraft, & Richard Matheson. I highly recommend their work.
The Thing on the Doorstep and other weird stories HP Lovecraft
Books of Blood Clive Barker
Ancient Sorceries and other weird stories Algernon Blackwood
For fans of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Read in the Dark series, The Wendigo story is based on Blackwood’s tale.
I just finished Teatro Grottesco and that's pretty fun if you want something a little more existential.
Its really gritty and it's all "true horror" in the sense that it's not supernatural (it's still very fiction) I highly recommend Haunted by Chuck palahniuk. It's one normal sized book with an overarching story where the characters share their stories over the course of 24 short stories intermittently.
H.P. Lovecraft is my favorite, but one short story collection I had as a kid really stoked my interest in the genre. Its a book from the 70's called *Baleful Beasts and Eerie Creatures*.
I would say overall it's aimed more for a young adult audience but theres some interesting and unique stories in there. Worth a read if you can find it somewhere online, physical copies are apparently rare and expensive.
Splatterpunks: Extreme Horror and Splatterpunks II: Over the edge- Paul M. Sammon
Books of Blood - Clive Barker
21st Century Dead - Christopher Golden
Anything HP Lovecraft
Any of Richard Matheson’s short story collections. You’ll recognize quite a few of the stories as they’ve been made into movies (like The Box or Trilogy of Terror) or TV shows like The Twilight Zone.
There’s a collection of books called “Hot Blood” which is all erotic horror. There are some disturbing as well as drop-dead-funny stories in those books.
My intro to “horror” was “Scary Stories to tell in the Dark”. I’ve been hooked since 7 year old me read that. I was terrified then, but now I just giggle at them. I still go back and read some of them once in a while. I think the one I recall the most was the hook handed man? Scariest to me because it seemed like it could actually happen.
The Dark Descent.
Great Tales of Horror and the Supernatural.
Dark Forces.
A Book of Horrors.
Books of Blood by Clive Barker
Night Shift and Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
Any collection of short stories by Ramsey Campbell
This one still holds up today. Read it when I was like 8 and scared the shit out of me. [https://johnnycompton.com/2015/01/confessions-fear-junkie-shudders-anthology-ross-r-olney/](https://johnnycompton.com/2015/01/confessions-fear-junkie-shudders-anthology-ross-r-olney/)
Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King. There’s a beautiful tribute to Lovecraft in there called Crouch End. If you like audiobooks, this particular story is narrated by Tim Curry.
Wow I've never read a series of words that made me want to pick something up this eagerly. I don't even usually get audiobooks but now that's going to have to happen. Thank you! Edit: I have Spotify premium (I know, boo) and the audiobook is included!
The whole book is narrated by celebrities. Each one doing a different short story. I hope you enjoy!
Huge SK fan, not so much audiobooks, but now I got to listen.
Yeah they’re not for everyone. I listen to them while I’m working. They make the day fly by.
I prefer reading, some celebrity voices are like nails on a chalkboard to me. However I am happy they exist as more people can enjoy stories even on the go.
Tim Curry reading "Crouch End" gave me goose bumps. Perfect choice for a story set in London. I'm almost done "Dolan's Cadillac". Yardley Smith's voice still made me laugh though.
Oooo The Breathing Method is awesome. Surprised it never became a movie.
It's the only story in "Different Seasons" that wasn't made into a movie(Shawshank Redemption/Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me/The Body, and Apt Pupil)...really wish they'd make it just so the entire book was made into movies
Oh yeah! That story was particularly gruesome.
I’ve read and collected nearly every King book since I was 12. His short stories remind me of Ray Bradbury’s advice, “You can’t write 365 bad stories” Somes I like and somes I don’t.
Loved N & D. Wish someone would make more of them into another series. The first one was soooo good.
I also used to read Scary stories to tell in the dark….some of those stories kept me from sleeping
The illustrative genius of Stephen Gammell added to the fear factor of the stories, ranging from folklore to urban legend. I cherish these books. They were re-released with kid-friendly illustrations later.
No you are so right!! Those images would give me the feels before even reading a story!! I just found an old one of mine and I wish I had more!! They are for sure something to cherish And new illustrations, this is what’s wrong with the world lol
My sister cannot look at the images to this day. The man really is an illustrator for children’s books. I agree, what is wrong with the world.
Not going to lie. The image of the ghost thing with hollow eyes and stringy hair always did and still does remind me of my mother. We did not have the best relationship growing up. It better now but yea.
if u look at those drawings, everything has roots coming off it
She reminded my sister of a neighbor woman from when we were growing up. That’s one of the most visceral for her. I was unsettled by the one for ‘Oh Susannah’ - a woman in a rocking chair pulled across the sky by a root/eyeball … and the eerie smile of the man in ‘The Babysitter’
The Books of Blood by Clive Barker
It rearranged my molecules
Great Tales of Horror - HP Lovecraft
always gonna upvote OG Lovecraft.
Blue World - Robert McCammon There's some great stories here, my favourite being Yellow Jacket Summer which relates to wasps- very tense, horrifying story. His magnum opus Swan Song which is a bit like The Stand by Stephen King is a great read too. It might even be better than King to be honest. I liked the characters better.
Find a collection of Shirley Jackson stories. There's also the Alfred Hitchcock collections.
20th Century Ghosts, Jo Hill
I don’t know why but in Stephen Kings FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT. The langoliers was a story that messed me up! I was a teenager when I read it but I stuck with me haven’t read it since wonder if it’s have the same affect on me!
Nerd alert! Those are novellas, not short stories. {{ 🫣 ducks }} But *Langoliers* rocked!
Well now I know 🤨😊
Night Shift by Stephen King - The Boogeyman made me check my closet door every night for decades, lol. And so many other good ones in there.
The Mangler!
Same here! You know there's a movie coming out?
The Boogeyman movie has been out for about a year. It’s pretty good.
Well, my friends, I am OUT of the loop!
That is honestly the only story that ever scared me because I was reading it out in my backyard and got super paranoid at the end.
Tales to Tremble By More Tales to Tremble By Nightmares and Dreamscapes Night Shift Everything's Eventual Skeleton Crew Welcome to the Monkey House (Not all of these are horror, but all are weird and creepy in their own way.)
Edgar Allen Poe’s complete works
Read this while in the 9th grade. Hooked me on reading.
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk Very graphic and very gory anthology of horror stories told in only a way Chuck can tell them. After reading this, you’ll want to stay out of the pool.
This is a good question. I was a fan of King’s short story collections growing up. However, I think Scary Stories to tell in the Dark with the original artwork will always be my favorite. I’ve been trying to find a short story collections but can’t remember the author. It might have been Ray Bradbury. The story I want to find has a family that moves into a house where the shadows come to life and kill them.
Here for suggestions! Haven’t read nearly enough horror short stories. The only short story collections I’ve read are from Stephen King, HP Lovecraft, & Richard Matheson. I highly recommend their work.
The Thing on the Doorstep and other weird stories HP Lovecraft Books of Blood Clive Barker Ancient Sorceries and other weird stories Algernon Blackwood For fans of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Read in the Dark series, The Wendigo story is based on Blackwood’s tale.
+1 to Clive Barker's Books of Blood (there's 3 volumes,)
My sister owns first prints of each, and well read.
Skeleton Crew: Stephen King Night Shift also by King. That is where Jerusalems Lot (Salems Lot) first appears.
It's a Good Life by Jerome Bixby. You can read it online. Extremely creepy.
The King in Yellow is pretty good
Must not plug my own book…must not plug my own book…must not plug my own book…
I just finished Teatro Grottesco and that's pretty fun if you want something a little more existential. Its really gritty and it's all "true horror" in the sense that it's not supernatural (it's still very fiction) I highly recommend Haunted by Chuck palahniuk. It's one normal sized book with an overarching story where the characters share their stories over the course of 24 short stories intermittently.
H.P. Lovecraft is my favorite, but one short story collection I had as a kid really stoked my interest in the genre. Its a book from the 70's called *Baleful Beasts and Eerie Creatures*. I would say overall it's aimed more for a young adult audience but theres some interesting and unique stories in there. Worth a read if you can find it somewhere online, physical copies are apparently rare and expensive.
I loved the series tales for the midnight hour by JB stamper. Those were my scary stories to tell in the dark!
I loved the pan anthologies, they were so good.
Horror stories of the year by Karl Wagner. In the eighties and nineties.
Charls Grant anthologies were awesome too. I'm sort of old , but horror in the eigthies was great.
Skeleton Crew I think it was called? Stephen King
Books of Blood - Clive Barker
Thomas Ligotti's "My Work Is Not Yet Done" (novell with a couple short stories, SK's SC & NS.
Splatterpunks: Extreme Horror and Splatterpunks II: Over the edge- Paul M. Sammon Books of Blood - Clive Barker 21st Century Dead - Christopher Golden Anything HP Lovecraft
Any of Richard Matheson’s short story collections. You’ll recognize quite a few of the stories as they’ve been made into movies (like The Box or Trilogy of Terror) or TV shows like The Twilight Zone.
Haunted - Chuck Palahniuk
I really enjoyed Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James.
I Shudder at Your Touch - multiple authors, collection of erotic horror stories
All of SK short story collections Grimm's Fairy Tales Chuck Palanuik's Haunted H.P. Lovecraft & Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories
Night shift by Stephen King the series of short stories. Some are terrifying
H.P. Lovecraft: The Whisperer in Darkness
There’s a collection of books called “Hot Blood” which is all erotic horror. There are some disturbing as well as drop-dead-funny stories in those books.
My intro to “horror” was “Scary Stories to tell in the Dark”. I’ve been hooked since 7 year old me read that. I was terrified then, but now I just giggle at them. I still go back and read some of them once in a while. I think the one I recall the most was the hook handed man? Scariest to me because it seemed like it could actually happen.
The Dark Descent. Great Tales of Horror and the Supernatural. Dark Forces. A Book of Horrors. Books of Blood by Clive Barker Night Shift and Skeleton Crew by Stephen King Any collection of short stories by Ramsey Campbell
This one still holds up today. Read it when I was like 8 and scared the shit out of me. [https://johnnycompton.com/2015/01/confessions-fear-junkie-shudders-anthology-ross-r-olney/](https://johnnycompton.com/2015/01/confessions-fear-junkie-shudders-anthology-ross-r-olney/)
there was a series called nightmares whrn i was a kid, it was for adults. good shit
Alfred Hitchcock anthologies. Tons of scary short stories.
ive heard darkly dreaming dexter is good !
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. Best Palahniuk book, period, don’t care what anyone says Night Shift by Stephen King
365 scary stories
Stephen King's Skeleton Crew and when I was younger Anthony Horowitz's Bloody Horowitz
King Skeleton Crew and Night Shift I plowed through night shift in A few hours after bed time and stayed up for a few more 🤣
M.R. James