Ever since I was a cowardly little kid, I’ve been a sucker for a good scary story. As the author of a book about ghosts and the “Tiny Staircase” series of e-books, I’m always on the lookout for well-told scary stories. There’s something powerful about the written word–the images in a good scary story will lodge in your head and refuse to let go.
That being said, read these stories at your own risk. Maybe not right before going to bed.
1. “Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You My Lad”
M. R. James, 1904
http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/owhistle.htm
A British professor is vacationing in the Cornish countryside when he comes upon a cursed flute. He decides to play a couple notes on it. Not a good idea.
2. “The New Mother”
Lucy Clifford, 1882
http://weirdfictionreview.com/2011/11/creepy-classic-lucy-cliffords-the-new-mother/
[The link contains a short intro before the story]
A version of this story appears in Alvin Schwartz’s collection “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” The imagery in it is chillingly bizarre. Why would the new mother have a wooden tail?? Who needs a wooden tail, anyway?
3. “The Monkey’s Paw”
W. W. Jacobs, 1902
http://americanliterature.com/author/w-w-jacobs/short-story/the-monkeys-paw
Yes, this was the inspiration for that one Simpsons Halloween episode. Trust me, the written version is much more macabre–especially the ending. My brother and I read this story when we were kids, and refused to go outside to take out the trash that night.
4. “The Landlady”
Roald Dahl, 1960
http://www.nexuslearning.net/books/holt-eol2/collection%203/landlady.htm
I have a sneaking suspicion that Roald Dahl secretly hated human beings. He wasn’t content with frightening children with his “child in peril” stories, he also had to terrorize us adults as well. “The Landlady” stands the test of time as a good creepy tale.
5. “East of Eden” Chapter 8: Cathy
John Steinbeck, 1952
https://readingreflectingandrejoicing.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/eastofeden.pdf
[scroll down to page 59 for Chapter 8]
“I believe there are monsters born in the world to human parents.”
Thus begins John Steinbeck’s description of one of the most disturbing sociopaths in American literature. I realize it’s part of a novel, not technically a short story, but it still scares the hell out of me.
The scariest thing about the cold, calculating, malicious Cathy is that people like her exist in real life. It just goes to show you that human evil is often much more terrifying than anything in the supernatural world.
Incidentally, for a good non-fiction book on human evil, I highly recommend M. Scott Peck’s “People of the Lie.”
BONUS: Scariest two-sentence stories
various authors
http://thoughtcatalog.com/michael-koh/2013/07/40-freaking-creepy-ass-two-sentence-stories/
Who would have thought you could pack so much fear into just two sentences? These extremely short stories are still some of the creepiest things I’ve ever read.
I’ve also penned a variety of short paranormal stories–they can all be found right here.