100 Favorite Horror Stories

[Coolallosaurus]

NPR is doing a horror-themed summer read (always nice to see the genre of horror getting some critically-engaged love)! Along with some interesting articles about the genre, the site has also released a 100 Favorite Horror Stories list. What do y'all think? What's missing/shouldn't be on there? These reader polls are always interesting and totally subjective. I remember the interesting conversation that a post about The Great American Read sparked. I'm looking forward to seeing how people react to this list.

 

[Dana Jean]

Ohhhhh, so many good looking books and stories! The ones I haven't read are on my list now!

 

[Doc Creed]

NPR is doing a horror-themed summer read (always nice to see the genre of horror getting some critically-engaged love)! Along with some interesting articles about the genre, the site has also released a 100 Favorite Horror Stories list. What do y'all think? What's missing/shouldn't be on there? These reader polls are always interesting and totally subjective. I remember the interesting conversation that a post about The Great American Read sparked. I'm looking forward to seeing how people react to this list.

I'm intrigued by The Werewolf of Paris since it was written in 1933. Pretty decent list. I didn't understand why "The Body" was in the Creepy Kids category, but I'm splitting hairs. Thanks for sharing.

 

[GNTLGNT]

....on my way to work, will check the list later today.....

 

[Wayoftheredpanda]

....on my way to work, will check the list later today.....

Have a fun day at the prison.

 

[GNTLGNT]

Have a fun day at the prison.

... 4 hours early...mandated overtime....yay me....

 

[Wayoftheredpanda]

... 4 hours early...mandated overtime....yay me....

You go nurse those prisoners back to health!

 

[doowopgirl]

Very intriguing list. A lot of stuff I've never heard of, a lot of stuff I've never gotten around to. Some outstanding ones as well. A few favorites of mine that I can recall from the list. Haunting of Hill House, Frankenstein, Dracula, Oh Whistle and I'll Come to you,. I'll look at the list again and reply again later.

 

[HollyGolightly]

Just stopping by at lunch to find a new good read - I think I'm going to have to retire early and curl up now, but I want to read all of these - so many I haven't read!

Where can I work that I can just read and nap for a living?

Thanks for sharing! Coolallosaurus

 

[Wayoftheredpanda]

Just stopping by at lunch to find a new good read - I think I'm going to have to retire early and curl up now, but I want to read all of these - so many I haven't read!

Where can I work that I can just read and nap for a living?

Thanks for sharing! Coolallosaurus

Book critic?

 

[GNTLGNT]

...I agree with a good many, but King is not well represented...Whitley Streiber for god's sake?!?!.....no Clive Barker?????......this list is incomplete or poorly chosen, depending on how you view it.....

 

[CoriSCapnSkip]

Thanks for sharing. I have read some of those, particularly the older titles, and others sound promising.

For those who read "The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood, I must question, did I miss something? With as little as possible spoilers, the author places two characters in a dreadful situation they must escape, explains why they can't escape, then when they do it seemed to me the story did not adequately explain how.

 

[Coolallosaurus]

I'm intrigued by The Werewolf of Paris since it was written in 1933. Pretty decent list. I didn't understand why "The Body" was in the Creepy Kids category, but I'm splitting hairs. Thanks for sharing.

...I agree with a good many, but King is not well represented...Whitley Streiber for god's sake?!?!.....no Clive Barker?????......this list is incomplete or poorly chosen, depending on how you view it.....

Agree, "The Body" was super weird to include on the kids section.

Also agree that SK was weirdly represented on the list. Definitely some excellent reads (and a number of new ones for me), but also some strange choices.

 

[mal]

I've read them all (except for 78 of them). It's a good reference list and one I've saved in my favourites for cherry picking in the future. Thx, mal.

 

[Kurben]

Many i havent read and even if they had decided beforehand at most 2 of each author i think it was strange to choose The Body for king. Great story but not really a horr

 

[Kurben]

One thing i thought of. In the department of foundation books (Dracula, Frankenstein, etc) i think you could argue for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Stevenson to be included.. It isnt pure horror but it is a foundation book for horror and ideas explored there echoes in many later horror books,
Then i would exclude The Ruins by Scott Smith and The Troop by Nick Cutter. They are, IMO, not worthy to be placed in a top 100 list. Unoriginal, formulaic and rather easy to tell whats going to happen.

 

[Coolallosaurus]

One thing i thought of. In the department of foundation books (Dracula, Frankenstein, etc) i think you could argue for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Stevenson to be included.. It isnt pure horror but it is a foundation book for horror and ideas explored there echoes in many later horror books,
Then i would exclude The Ruins by Scott Smith and The Troop by Nick Cutter. They are, IMO, not worthy to be placed in a top 100 list. Unoriginal, formulaic and rather easy to tell whats going to happen.

Good point! Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a highly influential horror novel. In that vein, The Island of Doctor Moreau would also fit well on this list.

What book from the non-classics section of the list would you recommend? I am trying to find a place to start, but am a bit overwhelmed by the choices.

 

[Kurben]

Good point! Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a highly influential horror novel. In that vein, The Island of Doctor Moreau would also fit well on this list.

What book from the non-classics section of the list would you recommend? I am trying to find a place to start, but am a bit overwhelmed by the choices.

World War Z by Brooks and The Girl With all The Gifts by M.J. Carey are still, in my view, the only two really good zombienovels written. There are other that are good (jonathan Maberry comes to mind, better than Mira Grant that was included anyway)) but i havent found any that comes close to these two very different novels.
Other than that Simmons The Terror, also his Haunted House tale A Winter Haunting. Hills Nos4R2, McCammons Swan Song, Goldings Lord Of The Flies is a classic but if you havent read it, do so. One of the truly greats. Then i'm surprised Ghost Story by Straub wasn't even included. I'm not the man to ask about Koontz, he's never really impressed me, much less scared me but others love him so i'm not surprised he is included. Ketchums The Girl Next Door is good. Rebecca of course. Few books are as atmospheric as that one.Michael McDowells The Elementals is good. (he is often good). Also Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. One of the best modern Vampire novels. It shares first place with Kings Salems Lot. oh, and Atwoods A Handmaids Tale.
Then, There is a Lot of books here that i havent read and that sounds interesting. I'm probably most interested in getting hold of The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Seddons. If you havent read Shirley Jackson she is a must. The Haunting of Hill House is the best haunted house story i have ever read.

 

[Coolallosaurus]

World War Z by Brooks and The Girl With all The Gifts by M.J. Carey are still, in my view, the only two really good zombienovels written. There are other that are good (jonathan Maberry comes to mind, better than Mira Grant that was included anyway)) but i havent found any that comes close to these two very different novels.
Other than that Simmons The Terror, also his Haunted House tale A Winter Haunting. Hills Nos4R2, McCammons Swan Song, Goldings Lord Of The Flies is a classic but if you havent read it, do so. One of the truly greats. Then i'm surprised Ghost Story by Straub wasn't even included. I'm not the man to ask about Koontz, he's never really impressed me, much less scared me but others love him so i'm not surprised he is included. Ketchums The Girl Next Door is good. Rebecca of course. Few books are as atmospheric as that one.Michael McDowells The Elementals is good. (he is often good). Also Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. One of the best modern Vampire novels. It shares first place with Kings Salems Lot. oh, and Atwoods A Handmaids Tale.
Then, There is a Lot of books here that i havent read and that sounds interesting. I'm probably most interested in getting hold of The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Seddons. If you havent read Shirley Jackson she is a must. The Haunting of Hill House is the best haunted house story i have ever read.

Thanks as always for the wonderful recommendations! Save for Atwood, Golding, and Shirley Jackson I have not read any of the books you recommended. It's good to have a sense of where to start on this list.

 

[Tery]

The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Seddons.

I sought this one out after my first read of Danse Macabre as it's on the list of books in the appendix. I loved it. So much so that I've read it a few times, now. They did make a movie out of it which was not bad for one of those Lifetime Movies.