# Recommend some short horror fiction **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 8, 2008, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777 "2008-11-08T05:42:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Clivas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@Clivas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clivas)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/1 "2008-11-08T05:42:40Z")
I am currently reading Skeleton Crew by Stephen King for the fourth or fifth time and, though I still haven’t tired of it, would like to know what else is out there that might be of my taste. So far I have read these Stephen King’s… Night Shift Skeleton Crew Nightmares and Dreamscapes Everything’s Eventual I also really enjoyed the Bachman Books, Four Past Midnight and Different Seasons, though those are more novellas I guess I’ve never read Hearts in Atlantis. The name and cover really turns me off for some reason and I’ve never been able to talk myself into giving it a chance. Should I? Are there others I’m unaware of? I also really like Clive Barkers… Books of Blood vol. 1-3 The Inhuman Condition In the Flesh Cabal (not as much as the others though) A side note: Why haven’t I heard more people talking about Clive Barker? The guy absolutely amazes me. I have also just recently read H.P Lovecraft’s… Rats (which I really enjoyed) Call of Cthulu (also enjoyed) The Alchemist (not so much) The Other Gods (So so…) Lovecraft seems to take a long time to get where he’s going but when it’s good I have generally enjoyed it. So if you recommend more lovecraft can you be more specific because he’s got a long list and I don’t want to have to dredge through a bunch of crap to filter out a couple of good stories. So…getting a glimpse of what I like, are there any authors or collections that are comparable that you think I might like? I’d love to find some undiscovered worlds, monsters and evils lurking in short story form. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/2 "2008-11-08T05:48:04Z")
Lovecraft’s novels (“The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward” and “At the Mountains of Madness”) are among his best works. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/3 "2008-11-08T05:50:58Z")
To start the list of Lovecraft’s stories (I’m sure other Dopers will come along and add to it) : [ul] [li]The Shadow over Innsmouth[/li][li]At the Mountains of Madness[/li][li]In the Witch’s House[/li][li]The Dunwich Horror[/li][li]The Shadow Out of Time[/li][/ul] Also keep an eye open for books by Robert Bloch (a Lovecraft familiar). ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/4 "2008-11-08T16:06:43Z")
If you like King, Lovecraft, and Barker, then it won’t be hard to find other horror writers who will please you. My favorite horror collection is _Feesters in the Lake_ by Bob Leman. Leman wrote for _The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction_ in the 60’s and 70’s, and all his stories are in the collection. Problem is, the book wasn’t mass produced and it’s pricey ($40 used at Amazon). Not so pricey are some excellent anthologies that should be on every horror reader’s bookshelf: _Dark Forces_ edited by Kirby McCauley – if you only have one, it should be this one _Arbor House Treasury of Horror and the Supernatural_ Pronzini, Malzberg, Greenberg eds. _Foundations of Fear_, David Hartwell ed. _Dark Descent_, Hartwell Also: _Sandkings and other stories_ by George R. R. Martin _20th Century Ghosts_ by Joe Hill _Dark Carnival_ or any collection by Ray Bradbury _The Drive-In_ by Joe Lansdale (I think there are three, the first one was the best) _Book of the Dead_ Skipp and Spector, ed. (high grossout level) The _Year’s Best Horror_ edited by Stephen Jones and the _Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror_ edited by Datlow and Windling are always good and you’ll be introduced to new writers. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/5 "2008-11-08T17:35:55Z")
Try best-of collections from the following: Clark Ashton Smith Algernon Blackwood Arthur Conan Doyle Francis Marion Crawford Willian Hope Hodgson David H. Keller M. P. Shiel Arthur Machen Fritz Leiber (primarily known as a fantasy author, but did quality horror too) David Drake has a collection called _Balefires_. Get a copy of Lovecraft’s “Supernatural Horror in Literature” and read the stories he approves of. Look for collections _edited_ by August Derleth (decent anthologist, crappy author) ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/6 "2008-11-08T17:47:23Z")
> [@detop](#): > > To start the list of Lovecraft’s stories (I’m sure other Dopers will come along and add to it) : > [ul] > [li]The Shadow over Innsmouth[/li][li]At the Mountains of Madness[/li][li]In the Witch’s House[/li][li]The Dunwich Horror[/li][li]The Shadow Out of Time[/li][/ul] I’d just like to add two more to this list: _Pickman’s Model_ (I use this story to explain why I hate crowded subways.) _In the Vault_ For a different look at horror - but still very good, don’t forget to look for Shirley Jackson. She’s best known for her short story, _The Lottery_, but also wrote one of the classic novels of the genre: [The Haunting of Hill House](http://www.amazon.com/Haunting-Hill-House-Penguin-Classics/dp/0143039989/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226166201&sr=8-1) - which has served as partial inspiration for at least two movies. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/7 "2008-11-08T18:17:38Z")
If you like the meandering path that Lovecraft takes, you might enjoy Ramsey Campbell. His collections Waking Nightmares or Alone With The Horrors are pretty decent. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/8 "2008-11-08T19:27:25Z")
Dennis Etchison–especially the story “They Only Come Out at Night.” ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/9 "2008-11-08T20:08:05Z")
> [@Dr.Rieux](#): > > Dennis Etchison–especially the story “They Only Come Out at Night.” ::shudder:: The last line of that story is one of the creepiest ever. Two Scream Press collections of his work have art by J. K. Potter – a perfect fit for Etchison’s stuff. The 80’s were a boom time for horror fiction. Part of the credit goes to _Twilight Zone_ magazine, but I wouldn’t have found some of my favorite writers if it hadn’t been for Bob Weinberg/Weinberg Books. Monthly catalogs of new and reprinted horror, dark fantasy, SF, and weird fiction – nothing fancy, no photos, no excerpts, no reviews – just descriptions of the books. And excellent service and some good deals. I bought a grab bag once and for $5 I got the first four Bachman books. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/10 "2008-11-08T20:12:37Z")
If you can get past the silly title, Robert E. Howard’s [“Pigeons from Hell”](http://arthursclassicnovels.com/arthurs/howard/pighell10.html) is an entertaining read. > [@Dr.Rieux](#): > > Dennis Etchison–especially the story “They Only Come Out at Night.” I see a story by him titled “It Only Comes Out at Night”. Is that the one you’re thinking of? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2008, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/11 "2008-11-09T10:11:16Z")
Everytime someone asks this, I recommend Bram Stoker’s THE DUALITISTS OR THE DEATH-DOOM OF THE DOUBLE-BORN. Disgusting and hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2008, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/12 "2008-11-09T12:30:31Z")
You may have already read him, but Poe is of course great, especially if you like Lovecraft. I really like [My Favorite Horror Story](http://www.amazon.com/My-Favorite-Horror-Story-Various/dp/0886779146). Not every one is a winner, but it is a really strong collection. It also includes one of my all time favorites, “The Pattern,” by Ramsey Campbell. Very creepy. And it has probably my very favorite, “The Colour Out of Space,” by Lovecraft. Barbara Williamson’s “The Toy Killer” is rather effective and disturbing. If you like zombies at all, try [The Undead](http://www.amazon.com/Undead-Anthology-Eric-S-Brown/dp/0976555948). Almost every story is very good. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2008, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-short-horror-fiction/471777/13 "2008-11-09T13:38:01Z")
“The Two Bottles of Relish” by Lord Dunsany- it starts like a classic Sherlock Holmes tale, then rapidly (and delightfully) deteriorates!