# Need a scary short story! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [October 29, 2022, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950 "2022-10-29T04:39:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/1 "2022-10-29T04:39:04Z")
My daughter (12yo) is an avid reader but has been talking smack about nothing written ever scares her. It’s close to Halloween so I want to school her. **It’s a Good Life** by Jerome Bixby was the scariest short story I could think of, but perhaps you have a better recommendation. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/2 "2022-10-29T04:43:52Z")
As mentioned in another thread, Stephen King’s _The Jaunt_ might be a good candidate. It’s in his collection _Skeleton Crew_. Short stories aside, she might find the Shirley Jackson novel _The Haunting of Hill House_ pretty scary. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/3 "2022-10-29T04:54:17Z")
Another Shirley Jackson: “The Lottery.” There are no ghosts or goblins or vampires, but it is chilling. A snap ending worthy of O.Henry, but much, much, darker. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/4 "2022-10-29T05:19:02Z")
“The Lottery” is in the Shirley Jackson collection of short stories, _The Lottery and Other Stories_. But back to _The Haunting of Hill House_ for a moment. The opening paragraph is brilliant writing: > No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/5 "2022-10-29T05:45:52Z")
Thanks guys, keep them coming! ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/6 "2022-10-29T05:46:25Z")
Hand her a copy of James Clavell’s The Children’s Story. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/7 "2022-10-29T05:53:56Z")
H.P. Lovecraft might be a bit too advanced for a 12-year-old, but _The Outsider_ and _Pickman’s Model_ are both on the short side and pack a punch. _To Build a Fire_ by Jack London isn’t a conventional horror story, but it tells a pretty terrifying tale nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/8 "2022-10-29T06:10:24Z")
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado.” I first read that when I was 12, and it sent chills up my spine. You may have to help out a bit with this one–Poe was writing for adults, and not everything would be understandable to a 12-year-old (I had to ask my teacher what “amontillado” was, for example). But Poe’s friendly relationship between Montresor and Fortunato as they go in search of amontillado (which is actually sherry, as my teacher told me) in the cellars, is something we can all relate to. Until they come to an alcove, and the result is … well, read it for yourself. Years ago, the plots of _Twilight Zone_ episodes were written as short stories and published in paperback collections that you might find on a drugstore rack. I cannot remember the publisher (Bantam? Signet? Dell?), but I had a number of them. Might be worth looking for, since while some stories were fairly benign, some others were scarier than what they could show on television. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/9 "2022-10-29T06:55:07Z")
For a Poe story, I would try _The Masque of the Red Death_. Might actually be a little _too_ scary during a real pandemic. And H.P. Lovecraft’s _The Haunter of the Dark_ has got to be one of the most terrifying stories written. It might or might not be too advanced, depending on the 12-year-old. Lovecraft, of course, has been accused of racism and xenophobia, but in this particular story I interpret it more as the idea that “people from the Old Country retain knowledge that we in the U.S. have largely forgotten.” See what you think. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/10 "2022-10-29T06:58:38Z")
Oh, I had nearly forgotten: the story that made the youthful me cast nervous glances behind, whenever the light grew dim, was _The Hound of the Baskervilles_. Believe it or not, that Conan-Doyle story was the terror of my childhood. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/11 "2022-10-29T07:02:32Z")
Speaking of Poe, Christopher Lee’s reading of _The Raven_ is probably one of the best dramatic readings I’ve ever heard of any poem, and he really brings to life the terror of the tale in a way that it might be harder for a young person reading the text to appreciate. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BefliMlEzZ8/maxresdefault.jpg "The Raven (Christopher Lee)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BefliMlEzZ8) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/12 "2022-10-29T12:19:46Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > As mentioned in another thread, Stephen King’s _The Jaunt_ might be a good candidate. It’s in his collection _Skeleton Crew_. I thought “Survivor Type” was pretty creepy, too. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/13 "2022-10-29T14:10:08Z")
If it were me, I might try “Working at Home,” from Jeremy Robert Johnson’s collection _Angel Dust Apocalypse_. Dude gets infested with parasitic worms. I read it when the book first came out in 2005, and it’s stuck with me vividly ever since then. Plus, Johnson is a pretty good writer, so the whole book is recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/14 "2022-10-29T14:24:22Z")
Figuring out what would scare the OP’s daughter is tricky, for two reasons. One is that different people find different things scary: what’s terrifying to one person is ho-hum to another. (See the [That’s for children?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-for-children/973784) thread for examples.) The other reason is that there are different kinds of scary. There are stories that have a shocking ending that stays with you (like the aforementioned “The Jaunt” or “The Lottery”). There are stories that are pervaded by a growing sense of dread or menace (maybe Stephen King’s “1408” is a good example). There are stories that are thrilling or suspenseful and have you scared for the protagonist’s safety. There could be stories that have the literary equivalent of jump scares—and I can’t think of any good examples right now, but that might be what the OP’s daughter is thinking of, since it’s something that’s significantly easier to do on screen than on the page. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/15 "2022-10-29T16:53:53Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Years ago, the plots of _Twilight Zone_ episodes were written as short stories and published in paperback collections that you might find on a drugstore rack. I cannot remember the publisher (Bantam? Signet? Dell?), but I had a number of them. Might be worth looking for, since while some stories were fairly benign, some others were scarier than what they could show on television. Unless you’re thinking of something else, Rod Serling novelized just 19 episodes into short stories, which were originally sold in three volumes. There was also **[a single-volume collection later](https://www.amazon.ca/Twilight-Zone-Complete-Stories/dp/157500111X)** of all 19 stories but it appears to be out of print. However, the three-volume version has been reprinted and they’re available from Amazon as either Kindle ebooks or paperbacks. One has to be careful because there are also a number of books with titles like “New Stories from the Twilight Zone” or “More Stories from the Twilight Zone” which are entirely new and unrelated to the original series. But these are the ones Serling wrote himself: [Volume 1](https://www.amazon.ca/Stories-Twilight-Zone-Rod-Serling/dp/1490423915/ref=d_pd_sim_sccl_1_7/142-2024164-3251267?pd_rd_w=36Cmz&content-id=amzn1.sym.7dee2abd-6737-4767-a298-77a3394d8a2a&pf_rd_p=7dee2abd-6737-4767-a298-77a3394d8a2a&pf_rd_r=B5R7FG2HFA6ZWZGV2D1F&pd_rd_wg=1k6UL&pd_rd_r=f21a803c-b338-47d4-86fb-7f7d3b793f57&pd_rd_i=1490423915&psc=1) [Volume 2](https://www.amazon.ca/More-Stories-Twilight-Zone-Serling-ebook/dp/B00DOIAQIG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21VJKBSDPB8KE&keywords=stories+from+the+twilight+zone&qid=1667061564&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&s=books&sprefix=stories+from+the+twilight+zone%2Cstripbooks%2C86&sr=1-1) [Volume 3](https://www.amazon.ca/New-Stories-Twilight-Zone-Serling/dp/1490423893/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2YOQ1F839JSLR&keywords=stories+from+the+twilight+zone+book+3&qid=1667061789&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjU5IiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&s=books&sprefix=stories+from+the+twilight+zone+book+3%2Cstripbooks%2C91&sr=1-2) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/16 "2022-10-29T18:58:02Z")
For scariest King short story, I nominate “The Boogeyman”. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/17 "2022-10-29T19:03:18Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > _To Build a Fire_ by Jack London isn’t a conventional horror story, but it tells a pretty terrifying tale nonetheless. That’s the first one I thought of. London’s “Bâtard” might not have the potential to induce nightmares in a 12-year-old, but it’s creepy nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/18 "2022-10-29T19:40:12Z")
Two of the scariest stories I’ve ever read are by Harlan Ellison. At 12 I don’t think your daughter has the life experience to understand “All the Birds Come Home to Roost,” but “Flop Sweat” might just do the trick. Or go with the classics and have her read “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.” ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/19 "2022-10-29T19:42:48Z")
King’s Gramma. Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. Though more a novella, Machen’s The Great God Pan might work. Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad by M.R. James is another classic. More modern choices might be Selfies by Lavie Tidhar and Last Breath by Joe Hill. Has she read The Monkey’s Paw? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950/20 "2022-10-29T21:08:38Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > Though more a novella, Machen’s The Great God Pan might work. Stephen King mentions this as a real classic. Its problem is that it was first published in 1894 and is perhaps a bit dated. > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > Has she read The Monkey’s Paw? I remember this as a play, I guess derived from the original W.W. Jacobs story. It’s old, tooi (1902) but rather timeless. It’s a “three wishes” story and a sort of morality tale in a horror setting, but the horror is unseen and implied. I think there have been some good suggestions here and I’d include this one. I believe it’s now in the public domain. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-scary-short-story/973950.md?page=2)