Best Horror Stories

by Lynn Picknett (Introduction), Patricia Highsmith, William Faulkner

Anthology of 55 horror stories.

The black cat ; The tell-tale heart ; The premature burial / Edgar Allan Poe. The torture of hope / Villiers de l'Isle Adam. An episode of the terror / Honoré de Balzac. The hand / Guy de Maupassant. The withered arm / Thomas Hardy. The idiots / Joseph Conrad. The bird / Thomas Burke. The terror / Arthur Machen. Lot No. 249 / Arthur Conan Doyle. The apprentice / Hilaire Belloc. The sentence / J. Kaden-Bandrowski. The killers / Ernest Hemingway. Arabesque : the mouse / A. E. Coppard. Treasure trove / F. Tennyson Jesse. Cinci / Luigi Pirandello. Suspicion / Dorothy L. Sayers. The last chukka / Alec Waugh. Dead on her feet / Cornell Woolrich. Taboo / Geoffrey Household. A little place off the Edgware Road / Graham Greene. The words of guru / C. M. Kornbluth. Yours truly, Jack the ripper / Robert Bloch. The glass eye / John Keir Cross. The web / D'Arcy Niland. The little black bag / C. M. Kornbluth. The phsysiology of fear ; The head and the feet / C. S. Forester. The veld ; Skeleton / Ray Bradbury. Evening primrose / John Collier. Back from the grave / Robert Silverberg. A rose for Emily / William Faulkner. The island of bright birds / John Christopher. The comforts of home / Flannery O'Connor. The skylight / Penelope Mortimer. Pig / Roald Dahl. Robert ; The question / Stanley Ellin. In the steam room / Frank Baker. The pencil / Edmund Crispin. The dark of the moon / Olaf Ruhen. Falling object / William Brittain. The terrapin / Patricia Highsmith. The taste of your love / Eddy C. Bertin. Aunt Jennie's tonic / Leonard Tushnet. Not after midnight / Daphne du Maurier. The game / Thomasina Weber. The fanatic / Arthur Porges. The whimper of whipped dogs / Harlan Ellison. Judas story / Brian M. Stableford. You're putting me on --
aren't you? / Joe Gores. Wake up dead / Tim Stout. Corabella / David Fletcher.
-- introduction by Lynn Picknett.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction

751 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compilation of 31 stores of "horror and terror" by various authors........some of whom I know and others I never heard of. They are arranged in chronological order, starting with Poe and ending in the 1980s. In most story collection books there is a preface and a short paragraph preceding the story. Not so here....just the stories with no background and in the smallest print I have ever seen.

As is usually the case in collections, some were good and some were inferior but a very short story, The Torture of Hope by Villiers, Count de Isle Adam, really stuck with me. Written in the late 1800s, it has all the characteristics of a story that will chill your soul and it is quite a simple plot. But the author had a great talent with words and the ending , although not unexpected, is one that illustrates a true tale of terror.

It is a mediocre collection but probably worth a read for those who like horror tales.

[Susy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
“…Cinema provides you with the pictures, channels you visually. Oddly, people still read the book of the film even after having seen the film. The images must be yours for the horror, to be yours. When you read horror the images are yours, personally. They bypass the censor. The shape they take is you, no getting away from it; words wriggle into your brain and fester. The poison is of your own manufacture.”

I’m not a big fan of short stories. On top of that many of these were quite boring, had me wondering why they were included in this short story collection. And to make it even worse there were 751 pages of tiny lettering. I experienced quite a relief when I reached the last page. Luckily there were some stories that were ok/good.

1. The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe ***.5
2. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe **.5
3. The Premature Burial by Edgar Allan Poe ***
4. The Torture of Hope by Villiers de l’Isle Adam **.5
5. An Episode of the Terror by Honoré de Balzac **
6. The Hand by Guy de Maupassant ***
7. The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy ***
8. The Idiots by Joseph Conrad *
9. The Bird by Thomas Burke ***
10. The Terror by Arthur Machen **
11. Lot No. 249 by Arthur Conan Doyle ***.5
12. The Apprentice by Hilaire Belloc *
13. The Sentence by J. Kaden-Bandrowski *
14. The Killers by Ernest Hemingway *
15. Arabesque: the Mouse by A. E. Coppard *
16. Treasure Trove by F. Tennyson Jesse ***
17. Cinci by Luigi Pirandello *
18. Suspicion by Dorothy L. Sayers ***
19. The Last Chukka by Alec Waugh **
20. Dead on Her Feet by Cornell Woolrich ***
21. Taboo by Geoffrey Household ***
22. A Little Place off the Edgware Road by Graham Greene ***
23. The Words of Guru by CM Kornbluth **.5
24. Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper by Robert Bloch ****
25. The Glass Eye by John Keir Cross ***.5
26. The Web by D’Arcy Niland *.5
27. The Little Black Bag by CM Kornbluth ***.5
28. The Physiology of Fear by CS Forrester **
29. The Head and the Feet by CS Forrester *.5
30. The Veld by Ray Bradbury ***
31. Skeleton by Ray Bradbury ***
32. Evening Primrose by John Collier **
33. Back from the Grave by Robert Silverberg ***.5
34. A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner **
35. The Island of Bright Birds by John Christopher **
36. The Comforts of Home by Flannery O’Connor *
37. The Skylight by Penelope Nortimer *
38. Pig by Roald Dahl ****
39. The Question by Stanley Ellin **.5
40. In the Steam Room by Frank Baker **.5
41. The Pencil by Edmund Crispin ***
42. The Dark of the Moon by Olaf Ruhen **.5
43. Falling Object by William Brittain ***
44. The Terrapin by Patricia Highsmith **
45. The Taste of Your Love by Eddy C. Bertin ***
46. Aunt Jennie’s Tonic by Leonard Tushnet **.5
47. Not After Midnight by Daphne du Maurier ***
48. The Game by Thomasina Weber ***.5
49. The Fanatic by Arthur Porges ***.5
50. The Whimper of Whipped Dogs by Harlan Ellison *.5
51. Judas Story by Brian M. Stableford *
52. You’re Putting Me On - Aren’t You? by Joe Gores**
53. Wake Up Dead by Tim Stout ***.5
54. Corabella by David Fletcher ***

[Tressa Mackley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book the best horror stories have many different books in it. They have the story The tell-tale heart in it. The story The tell-tale heart is about a man whose name they don't say and a woman whose name they don't say either. The story takes place in there little hut somewhere in the woods. The conflict is that the woman wants to take the mans glass eye. The climax is when the man dies because, she kills him while taking out his glass eye. The falling action is when the old woman married to the old man, hides him in the floor/wall. The resolution is when the cops come and the old woman hears voices, and the cops are talking and having a good time, and the old woman flips out on them, and shows them the and then gets arrested.

[Mauoijenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit a lot of the stories in this big huge book I have read already but I did manage to find about 20 that I had not yet. This is a great book to curl up and read a few stories with out feeling overwhelmed by how big it is. Great stories from Poe and many others.