Five Tales Of Terror To Tingle Your Spine
Halloween may be over, but there's always room for one more spook
I wouldn’t consider myself a “horror fan”. I rarely read the genre, and I don’t generally watch many horror films, but I do find myself drawn to the “weird fiction” of the 1920s and 30s. The stories written then really grip my imagination, and it’s a style I’ve tried to evoke in my own fiction.
But, without further ado, here are five stories that I think are a cut above.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
This is a tale of scientific inquiry gone wrong. Dr. Jekyll is a mild mannered physician who begins dabbling in the nature of good and evil. He concocts a chemical which allows him to live out his darker urges as the sinister Mr. Hyde. This is tale of the dangers of science as well as a psychological exploration of the nature of morality. Sure to be a great read for horror buffs as well as those new to the genre.
Masque of the Red Death
I first read Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe in 2020, during the worst of the COVID pandemic, and man did this story hit home! Prince Prospero hides from a deadly plague known as the Red Death in his abbey with all his wealthy friends and courtiers as the plague ravages the helpless peasantry outside. He then hosts a series of themed masquerade balls for his guests. But one dark night, a stranger appears. Who is the grotesque interloper?
This is a chilling reminder that while we may run from misfortune, sooner or later it will come for us, no matter how wealthy we are.
The Dreams in the Witch House
This classic Lovecraft tale follows the inquiry of a young mathematics student, Walter Gilman at the fictional Miskatonic University in the fictional town of Arkham, Massachusetts. When Gilman takes a keen interest in the dark arts, he purposefully rents a room at a boarding house which was once owned by a convicted witch back in the 17th century. The tale takes a dark turn as Gilman’s inquisitiveness takes him deeper and deeper into the realm of chaos ruled by the Azathoth.
This is another cautionary tale, warning us of the dangers of too much curiosity.
The Black Stone
While Robert E Howard is more well known for his Conan the Barbarian tales, he was also an accomplished writer of weird fiction. The Black Stone tells the tale of another curious inquirer (are we shocked?) into the occult, as he travels to a little village in Hungary, outside of which is a large, black monolith. This stone has a long history of association with ancient, forbidden rituals. The locals won’t have anything to do with it, and caution travelers to do the same. Our unnamed protagonist is warned not to spend Midsummer’s Night near the black stone; the last person to do so went incurably insane. Our protagonist naturally goes against their best advice.
This tale is rather gruesome, I must say; Howard didn’t shrink from giving the full facts of the the depravity of man, but it is a gripping tale if you’re interested in that sort of thing.
The Black Seal
I’ve mentioned before that I greatly admire the fiction of Arthur Machen. I believe this to be one of his more interesting stories. This is a story of a young woman, Ms. Lally, unemployed and on the verge of starvation in London, where she meets the eccentric anthropologist Professor Gregg, who invites her to be his assistant. Having no other viable options, the young woman takes the job. The professor introduces Ms. Lally to his study of ancient and forgotten subterranean cultures, which may still be alive, though hidden, beneath modern Britain. While he is scorned by the scientific community, Ms. Lally believes in him. The two of them take an expedition to the Welsh countryside to find some archaeological ruins which Gregg believes are hidden there. The tale then takes a rather dark turn, as you can imagine, culminating the mysterious disappearance of the professor.
This is another warning against the dark side of curiosity. Sometimes in our thirst for knowledge, we as humans may find out information that we wish we could forget. I’ve found that to be very true in my real life as well. Perhaps that’s why we write these sorts of stories.
This list is by no means complete; there were several other stories I could have included, but didn’t. Perhaps next year at Halloween time, I shall pen a sequel to this article. So what are your favorite horror stories, if you have any? Write them in the comments if you can. If not, you should consider becoming a paid subscriber to get the full benefits of my newsletter. It’s only $5/month, so subscribe today!