# recommendations for spooky/mystery short stories? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 27, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716 "2008-10-27T02:41:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/1 "2008-10-27T02:41:47Z")
I teach a literature class for middle school students and I thought it would be cool to have them read a spooky short story this week, it being Halloween and all. They are advanced ESL students. We just finished reading _Pride and Prejudice_ and _Oliver Twist_ (unabridged) - they understood most of the text, if not all the subtleties. I think they would enjoy a short story mystery, but a creepy story would also be cool. I considered Lovecraft, but I somehow doubt they’d appreciate him. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/2 "2008-10-27T02:43:48Z")
POE–any short story. How about “The Cask of the Amontillado”? (and hello, you–missed you!) ---
**Author:** ![vintageloveletter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@vintageloveletter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vintageloveletter)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/3 "2008-10-27T02:54:30Z")
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Irving Washington The Raven by Poe (not a short story of course, but creepy. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2008, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/4 "2008-10-27T04:30:51Z")
More Poe- Masque of the Red Death, perhaps House of Usher. I like The Black Cat but in this day & age, half the class would react in utter revulsion at the treatment of the cat & the other half might see it as a good idea. The Tell-Tale Heart is always cool. Lovecraft suggestions- The Herbert West stories, The Dunwich Horror, The Shadow Over Innsmouth- none of those are too advanced for middle schoolers. Chapter 5 of Frankenstein through to the Coleridge quote (the monster’s creation & Victor’s nightmare- which no movie has yet done). Chapter 16 of Dracula (the Staking of Lucy Westenra). ---
**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:** [October 27, 2008, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/5 "2008-10-27T04:32:51Z")
Oh- if you can get it & have time in class, play the CD for the Alan Parsons Project’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allen Poe. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/6 "2008-10-27T04:38:54Z")
The Monkey’s Paw by a guy I can’t remember. The Open Window by Saki (for a humorous spooky story) The New Mother by Lucy Lane Clifford ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/7 "2008-10-27T04:56:13Z")
> [@Pyper](#): > > The Monkey’s Paw by a guy I can’t remember. W.W. Jacobs, and it’s a great one–good recommendation. 😉 [ul] [li]“Cypress Swamp Granny” from Vivian Van Velde’s _Curses, Inc._[/li][li]Even more Poe: “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” (warning: this one is gross!)[/li][li]“The Rats in the Walls” by H.P. Lovecraft[/li][li]“A Rose for Emily” by Faulkner[/li][li]“Was It A Dream?” by Guy de Maupassant[/li][li]“How Love Came to Professor Guildea” by Robert Hichens[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/8 "2008-10-27T05:38:24Z")
You may find some good ones in this thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=487875&highlight=bradbury](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=487875&highlight=bradbury) I read The October Game, Ted’s Cave Story, and Pidgeons From Hell, and they were all really good. The Cave Story is a series of web pages, but still a really interesting and suspenseful read. ---
**Author:** ![Flip\_Pancake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f1d935/32.png) [@Flip\_Pancake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flip_Pancake)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/9 "2008-10-27T08:06:11Z")
_The Lottery_ by Shirley Jackson. You can read it [here](http://www.americanliterature.com/Jackson/SS/TheLottery.html). ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/10 "2008-10-27T13:58:03Z")
_Two Bottles of Relish_, by Lord Dunsany. ---
**Author:** ![Paladud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Paladud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paladud)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/11 "2008-10-27T14:53:24Z")
Many of Roald Dahl’s stories have a creepy element. “Mr. Botibol” does not, but it fits the roleplaying theme of Halloween and is by far the most uncomfortable of the bunch. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/12 "2008-10-29T01:07:54Z")
Thanks for the recs, everyone. I’m off to the bookstore today to see what I can find. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/13 "2008-10-29T01:12:53Z")
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce ---
**Author:** ![lucky\_henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc8723/32.png) [@lucky\_henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucky_henry)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/14 "2008-10-29T01:50:07Z")
Not exactly what you’re looking for, but [themoonlitroad](http://www.themoonlitroad.com/) is really good. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2008, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/15 "2008-10-29T06:19:48Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I think they would enjoy a short story mystery, but a creepy story would also be cool. You could combine the two and pick something from the “weird detective” genre. The classic example are the stories about [Carnacki The Ghost-Finder](http://www.forgottenfutures.com/game/ff4/carnacki.htm). ---
**Author:** ![phil417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6bbea6/32.png) [@phil417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phil417)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/16 "2008-10-29T06:40:57Z")
For sheer creepiness, how about “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs. Encourage discussion after reading. Love, Phil ---
**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, 2008, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/17 "2008-10-29T16:21:48Z")
> [@phil417](#): > > For sheer creepiness, how about “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs. Encourage discussion after reading. And/or watch the Simpsons [Treehouse of Horror segment](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treehouse_of_Horror_II#The_Monkey.27s_Paw) inspired by the story. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-spooky-mystery-short-stories/469716/18 "2008-10-29T17:08:04Z")
How about “Oh Whistle And I’ll Come To You My Lad” by Montague Rhodes James? Somebody suggested him and I just happened to read that one, and I’ve seen it referenced a million times after that. It scared the crap out of me sitting here at my desk at the library.