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The

CLASSIC HORROR BLOG

Critical Essays on Horror, Ghost Stories, & Weird Fiction

— from Mary Shelley to M. R. James —

by M. Grant Kellermeyer

GOTHIC NOVELS & NOVELLAS

MACABRE MASTERS BEST STORIES BY AUTHOR

STORY SUMMARIES & ANALYSES HORROR TROPE SPOTLIGHTS

FILM ADAPTATIONS NEW BOOK REVIEWS HOLIDAY STORIES

May 26, 2016
9 min

7 Best Ghost Stories by Henry James (Not Including The Turn of the Screw)

The very first literary ghost story that I ever read was “The Turn of the Screw.” I had loads of books about hauntings, phantom hitchhikers, cryptozoology, and supernatural folklore, but Henry James was the first writer who engaged my intellect as well as my imagination. His most famous spook story followed a naïve (and possibly insane) young woman who was the governess to two children who were probably molested by their previous servants, and who may or may not be haunted by

Nov 12, 2015
7 min

7 Best Horror Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson (Not Including Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde)

To this day the name Stevenson resonates to some in the same way that Stoker and Shelley do – as the creator of one of literature’s most enduring monsters: he is to the literary werewolf what Stoker is to the Gothic vampire -- Shelley to the science fiction monster. But unlike the other members of the Three S’s club, Stevenson’s work has a strong footing in the world of high literature. Chesterton and Nabakov pored over his works and wrote enthusiastic criticism in his name.

Oct 2, 2015
8 min

12 Best Horror Stories by H. G. Wells (Not Including "The Invisible Man")

H. G. Wells continues to be exulted as the grandsire of modern science fiction. Alongside Jules Verne and Edgar Allan Poe, he enjoys a very keen degree of respect in that genre. The pity is that he has not been nearly as well received by horror aficionados. Perhaps they view him as taken goods – the sci-fi folks have him and he’s their territory. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that the few horror stories that he is famous for dabble so deeply in science and technology. “The War

Apr 30, 2015
8 min

Algernon Blackwood's Best Horror Stories: Part Two - 7 Best Weird Tales

Last week we took a good look at seven of Algernon Blackwood’s best ghost stories (while unfortunately leaving out many contenders, so feel free to go back and comment on which stories you would pick!), and this week we look at seven of his best weird tales. In our anthology, The Willows, The Wendigo, and Other Horrors: The Best Weird Fiction and Ghost Stories of Algernon Blackwood, I divided his stories into three relatively distinct classes: ghost stories (occur typically

Apr 23, 2015
7 min

Algernon Blackwood’s Best Horror Stories: Part One – 7 Best Ghost Stories

Widely known for his weird fiction, Algernon Blackwood was also a masterful writer of ghost stories – indeed, one of the best practitioners of the genre in the Edwardian Era. His tales are rich in emotion, psychological atmospheres, and spiritual energy, and rival the best entries of M. R. James, Oliver Onions, and Walter de la Mare with their keen approach to the mentality of fear and their luscious prose. While Blackwood’s weird tales are almost exclusively in and inspired

Feb 25, 2015
6 min

7 Best Horror Stories by W. W. Jacobs (Not Including "The Monkey's Paw")

There is perhaps no more cursed writer of horror in the English canon than the elegant Edwardian, W. W. Jacobs. World renowned for one tale, “The Monkey’s Paw,” he is often classed alongside the three S’s (Stoker, Shelley, and Stevenson) as an unquestionable dean of the classic British supernatural tale. But little or nothing else about his fiction is commonly read or talked about. “Jerry Bundler” receives some attention, and a bit is given to “The Toll House” and “The Well,”

Nov 20, 2014
7 min

7 Best Ghost Stories by Charles Dickens (Not Including 'A Christmas Carol')

Dickens is widely renowned in popular culture as a writer of grade-A ghost stories. “Could you name some?” a person – not particularly given to the ghostly – might ask of a supernatural aficionado such as yourself. “Well, A Christmas Carol,” you are bound to say. You will likely be quick at mentioning “The Signal-Man,” and perhaps “To Be Taken With a Grain of Salt.” But that might (perhaps, I say, just perhaps) be where you stop. Here is a list of Dickens’ seven best ghost st

Dec 23, 2013
8 min

12 Classic Christmas Ghost Stories (That You Can Read Right Now)

"There'll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.." Or so the carol tells us. To most Americans, this snippet from the Andy Williams classic has remained an anachronistic -- even disturbing -- oddity. Who tells scary stories at Christmas? That's Halloween, right? But for centuries -- especially in Britain -- they have been part and parcel of the Season (though the oral tradition of spending windy, winter nights listening to grandma's gor

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FEATURED POSTS

The

CLASSIC HORROR BLOG

S U B S C R I B E:

GOTHIC NOVELS & NOVELLAS

MACABRE MASTERS BEST STORIES BY AUTHOR

STORY SUMMARIES & ANALYSES HORROR TROPE SPOTLIGHTS

FILM ADAPTATIONS NEW BOOK REVIEWS HOLIDAY STORIES

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FEATURED POSTS

The

CLASSIC HORROR BLOG

S U B S C R I B E:

GOTHIC NOVELS & NOVELLAS MACABRE MASTERS BEST STORIES BY AUTHOR STORY SUMMARIES & ANALYSES HORROR TROPE SPOTLIGHTS FILM ADAPTATIONS NEW BOOK REVIEWS HOLIDAY STORIES

GOTHIC NOVELS & NOVELLAS

MACABRE MASTERS BEST STORIES BY AUTHOR

STORY SUMMARIES & ANALYSES HORROR TROPE SPOTLIGHTS

FILM ADAPTATIONS NEW BOOK REVIEWS HOLIDAY STORIES