While guisers roam rainswept streets and all manner of spooks and monsters abound, there is one civilised Halloween tradition that keeps you safe from the elements – and wandering ghouls.
All you have to do is find a comfy seat, wrap yourself up in a warm blanket, dim the lights and sit back with a classic horror story to truly enjoy the season.
Some may sniff at the genre, but horror has delivered some of our most memorable tales, inspired unforgettable movies and, for centuries, has unnerved and completely gripped generations of terrified readers.
It can take many forms and this Halloween you can work your way through a run of short stories, devour a novella or take a bite out of a novel. No matter your choice, every one of the following tales will haunt you forever.
Your Tiny Hand is Frozen by Robert Aickman
English writer Aickman was reported to have a distrust of all things modern and in this tale the protagonist is haunted by his telephone. Technological advances may make parts of this feel dated, but the horror still resonates and Aickman is a master of dropping hints which allow a reader to join dots, create their own picture and let their imagination run wild.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
The 1974 screen adaptation, also written by Blatty, won an Academy Award but the book, penned three years earlier, is every bit as terrifying and memorable. Tales of demonic possession are legion (if you pardon the pun) but today The Exorcist still sets the benchmark. Well written, accessible and, like the movie, you will never forget it.
World War Z by Max Brooks
Immensely readable, you will fly through this tale of a global zombie infection, told through different characters around the world. Great fun, a fast read but don’t go into it thinking you are getting the story of the Brad Pitt film. The only similarities between the book and movie are the zombies – and the title.
The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers
A masterpiece, described by some as the finest piece of weird fiction to be written in the United States post-Poe and Lovecraft. Most of the stories which form the book return to one play, The King in Yellow, which drives those exposed to it completely insane. Fans of the brilliant first series of True Detective will see influences in this book.
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
You could fill this list with Shirley Jackson stories and argue all day about whether or not they can be classed as true horror. What you will always agree on is that Jackson, who died suddenly at 48 and left a peerless body of work, is one of the great writers – whatever genre. The Lottery is a brilliant starting point and a short story which, over half a century on from publication in 1948, remains the New Yorker’s most complained about article.
The Hunger by Alma Katsu
Published in 2018, Katsu draws on real events – the ill-fated journey of the Donner party in the early American ‘Wild’ West – and pieces together one of history’s great mysteries. It masterfully tells of the in-fighting, the fractures, the hunger as the party are lost – all with a mounting feeling that someone – or something is watching them.
My Work is Not Yet Done by Thomas Ligotti
Have you ever taken a dislike to one of your colleagues, or maybe even all of them? What price would you pay for retribution? Readers may see a bit too much of themselves in this novella’s main character, Frank Dominio, and while Ligotti often draws comparisons with the likes of Lovecraft, he is a unique force in the world of horror.
The Shadow Over Innsmouth by HP Lovecraft
The master of the ‘weird tale’ and also deserving of a list of his own. This short story shows Lovecraft at its best, dropping the reader in a mysterious town where they are pursued not only by strange creatures but by the past itself. Brilliant, delivers a fantastic twist and is one you will re-read over and over.
Berenice by Edgar Allan Poe
Like Lovecraft you are spoiled for choice and picking a Poe story or poem is, over a century and a half from his death, a thankless task. Rather than go for an obvious choice, we have dug up Berenice and a tale that, when read once, will haunt you forever. As a bonus, have a listen to the audio version narrated by the legendary Vincent Price.
The Wolf Trial by Neil Mackay
We shall close with a relatively recent addition to the pantheon of horror and a book written by the Herald’s own, Neil Mackay. Like Katsu’s The Hunger, this is inspired by a real trial – the case of Peter Stumpf who is accused not only of murder but of being a werewolf. As the trial commences you see that the monsters are far more human in nature.
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