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The Armchair Horror Collection
1993
685 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Peter Haining
333 books99 followersPeter Alexander Haining was an English journalist, author and anthologist who lived and worked in Suffolk. Born in Enfield, Middlesex, he began his career as a reporter in Essex and then moved to London where he worked on a trade magazine before joining the publishing house of New English Library.
Haining achieved the position of Editorial Director before becoming a full time writer in the early Seventies. He edited a large number of anthologies, predominantly of horror and fantasy short stories, wrote non-fiction books on a variety of topics from the Channel Tunnel to Sweeney Todd and also used the pen names "Ric Alexander" and "Richard Peyton" on a number of crime story anthologies. In the Seventies he wrote three novels, including The Hero (1973), which was optioned for filming.
In two controversial books, Haining argued that Sweeney Todd was a real historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800, was tried in December 1801, and was hanged in January 1802. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims. A check of the website Old Bailey at for "Associated Records 1674-1834" for an alleged trial in December 1801 and hanging of Sweeney Todd for January 1802 show no reference; in fact the only murder trial for this period is that of a Governor/Lt Col. Joseph Wall who was hanged 28 January 1802 for killing a Benjamin Armstrong 10 July 1782 in "Goree" Africa and the discharge of a Humphrey White in January 1802. Strong reservations have also been expressed regarding the reliability of another of Haining's influential non-fiction works, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack.
He wrote several reference books on Doctor Who, including the 20th anniversary special Doctor Who: A Celebration Two Decades Through Time and Space (1983), and also wrote the definitive study of Sherlock Holmes on the screen, The Television Sherlock Holmes (1991) and several other television tie-ins featuring famous literary characters, including Maigret, Poirot and James Bond. Peter Haining's most recent project was a series of World War Two stories based on extensive research and personal interviews: The Jail That Went To Sea (2003), The Mystery of Rommel's Gold (2004), Where The Eagle Landed (2004), The Chianti Raiders (2005) and The Banzai Hunters (2007).
He won the British Fantasy Awards Karl Edward Wagner Award in 2001.
Haining achieved the position of Editorial Director before becoming a full time writer in the early Seventies. He edited a large number of anthologies, predominantly of horror and fantasy short stories, wrote non-fiction books on a variety of topics from the Channel Tunnel to Sweeney Todd and also used the pen names "Ric Alexander" and "Richard Peyton" on a number of crime story anthologies. In the Seventies he wrote three novels, including The Hero (1973), which was optioned for filming.
In two controversial books, Haining argued that Sweeney Todd was a real historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800, was tried in December 1801, and was hanged in January 1802. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims. A check of the website Old Bailey at for "Associated Records 1674-1834" for an alleged trial in December 1801 and hanging of Sweeney Todd for January 1802 show no reference; in fact the only murder trial for this period is that of a Governor/Lt Col. Joseph Wall who was hanged 28 January 1802 for killing a Benjamin Armstrong 10 July 1782 in "Goree" Africa and the discharge of a Humphrey White in January 1802. Strong reservations have also been expressed regarding the reliability of another of Haining's influential non-fiction works, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack.
He wrote several reference books on Doctor Who, including the 20th anniversary special Doctor Who: A Celebration Two Decades Through Time and Space (1983), and also wrote the definitive study of Sherlock Holmes on the screen, The Television Sherlock Holmes (1991) and several other television tie-ins featuring famous literary characters, including Maigret, Poirot and James Bond. Peter Haining's most recent project was a series of World War Two stories based on extensive research and personal interviews: The Jail That Went To Sea (2003), The Mystery of Rommel's Gold (2004), Where The Eagle Landed (2004), The Chianti Raiders (2005) and The Banzai Hunters (2007).
He won the British Fantasy Awards Karl Edward Wagner Award in 2001.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 7, 2014
There were a few stories I enjoyed but ultimately this book was boring. Most of the stories felt pretty repetitive and I definitely wouldn't put this collection in the horror genre.
Want to Read
August 21, 2025PLACEHOLDER REVIEW:
"The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster - In the future, mankind has adjusted to a life of ease and automation, pulling further and further into their unnatural, regulated pattern in which their time is filled simply with "ideas" (of no consequence). But what happens when... There are so many takes on how our futures will go bad, but in this case Forster seems to have nailed a number of details exactly right: blind trust in automation (including automation of thoughts & received, cooked-down simplified wisdom as better than "from the source"), rejection of human and natural interaction, etc. Well done.
"Farewell Performance" by H.R. Wakefield may turn on a familiar concept - a famous ventriloquist decides "the show must go on" (despite the recent, unexpected death of his wife), but his dummy has other ideas - but is nicely done - compact, effective and sharply written.
"Distant Signals" - a stranger approaches a Hollywood producer about reviving a long-forgotten (and not particularly fondly remembered) quasi-Western from decades ago, a show with a central mystery that was never resolved before its abrupt cancellation. The stranger has money, which overcomes many hurdles, but can they overcome the fact that the now aged star of the forgotten show is a has-been, alcoholic wreck? This is a nice little piece of work, sure it's a cute genre idea, but it really shines in its ability to evoke the strange magic of old television, with the imaginary show here described ("A Stranger In Town") kind of a mixture of THE FUGITIVE, CORONET BLUE and your standard Hollywood "oater". A solid read.
"The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster - In the future, mankind has adjusted to a life of ease and automation, pulling further and further into their unnatural, regulated pattern in which their time is filled simply with "ideas" (of no consequence). But what happens when... There are so many takes on how our futures will go bad, but in this case Forster seems to have nailed a number of details exactly right: blind trust in automation (including automation of thoughts & received, cooked-down simplified wisdom as better than "from the source"), rejection of human and natural interaction, etc. Well done.
"Farewell Performance" by H.R. Wakefield may turn on a familiar concept - a famous ventriloquist decides "the show must go on" (despite the recent, unexpected death of his wife), but his dummy has other ideas - but is nicely done - compact, effective and sharply written.
"Distant Signals" - a stranger approaches a Hollywood producer about reviving a long-forgotten (and not particularly fondly remembered) quasi-Western from decades ago, a show with a central mystery that was never resolved before its abrupt cancellation. The stranger has money, which overcomes many hurdles, but can they overcome the fact that the now aged star of the forgotten show is a has-been, alcoholic wreck? This is a nice little piece of work, sure it's a cute genre idea, but it really shines in its ability to evoke the strange magic of old television, with the imaginary show here described ("A Stranger In Town") kind of a mixture of THE FUGITIVE, CORONET BLUE and your standard Hollywood "oater". A solid read.
June 17, 2018
A hefty collection of short stories, all linked by the fact that they were inspirations for episodes of late-night horror on television programmes such as The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. And there's probably something for everyone here - the range in stories is massive, and it doesn't confine itself by genre. Some are based in science fiction, for example E.M. Forster's "The Machine Stops" or (one of my favourites) "William and Mary" by Roald Dahl. Some are more fantasy focused, such as "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs, and some have no speculative element at all, such as "The Kiss of Blood" by Arthur Conan Doyle. A lot of these stories I've read before, and apart from the Dahl I retain a continued fondness for "The Doll" by Richard Matheson and the horribly creepy "Gramma" by Stephen King.
Most of the included stories are genuinely disturbing, albeit a little old-fashioned; if there's one aspect of this book that's less broad in range than it could be it's the protagonists, a large proportion of whom seem to be functionally identical Oxbridge types. But the collection's decades old at this point, and some of the entries were written over a century ago, so it's not really surprising that it's a bit dated. Still, as an anthology of classics it's genuinely entertaining.
Most of the included stories are genuinely disturbing, albeit a little old-fashioned; if there's one aspect of this book that's less broad in range than it could be it's the protagonists, a large proportion of whom seem to be functionally identical Oxbridge types. But the collection's decades old at this point, and some of the entries were written over a century ago, so it's not really surprising that it's a bit dated. Still, as an anthology of classics it's genuinely entertaining.
October 16, 2018
A very thoughtful gift from my mother and brother for my 17th birthday. Either they thought I was crazy or they just really loved me...or both! Good reads throughout.
March 16, 2024
A solid and varied collection hindered by false advertising. These stories come from a variety of TV programs and range the gamut from traditional British murder mysteries to a few science fiction. The stories are anywhere from 10-30 pages long so they are perfect to read just before you go to bed. With that being said, the cover shows pictures from movies like The Shining, Nightmare on Elm Street, Frankenstein and Dracula. None of the movies have anything to do with the content of this book. However the stories that are included are fairly entertaining and none are complete duds. Except for classics like The Machine Stops and the Monkeys Paw, none are superb but many, like William and Mary by Ronald Dahl are pretty good. A solid enjoyable collection.
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August 6, 2011Yeah right, what can I say?
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews