Night Chills

by Kirby McCauley (editor)

In the Mind's Darkest Secrets...Robert Bloch, Fritz Lieber, Robert E. Howard, Ray Bradbury, H. P. Lovecraft...these are only a few of the renowned horror storytellers whose work haunts the pages of this book. Here you'll discover a fatal night-time game of hide-and-seek..a rusted, mouldy trunk containing a ghastly artifact..a sinister fairy tale encounter in the autumn countryside..a strange device which calls the dead from the grave...an allergy with a macabre origin...a Halloween prnk which brings eerie consequences..a touch of slimy evil in an ordinary family..these and many other chilling these and many other chilling experiences await within these pages, to haunt the reader with a breath of cold terror.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Literature, Anthologies

260 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1975

About the author

Kirby McCauley (1941-2014) was a New York City literary agent and editor.

He attended the University of Minnesota and became a literary agent in the 1970s, soon building a successful agency and representing authors such as Stephen King, Roger Zelazny, and George R.R. Martin, who credits him with helping to launch his writing career. In 1975, McCauley chaired the first World Fantasy Convention.

He died of of renal failure associated with diabetes in 2014.

Reviews

[Jack Tripper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nearly as essential as the late Kirby McCauley's seminal 1980 horror anthology, Dark Forces, 1975's Night Chills is a little different in that it consists solely of reprints as opposed to new originals. But McCauley went out of his way to dig for overlooked gems from prominent writers, unlike other editors of the era that pretty much just recycled the same stories over and over.

Among the highlights for me include:

Thomas M. Disch's slow-burning, atmospheric "Minnesota Gothic," a dark and creepy modern fairy tale in the woods that evokes both "Hansel and Gretel" and Robert Aickman's stranger stories;

Robert E. Howard's "People of the Black Coast," a nice slice of pulpy goodness about an island of giant, telepathic crabs. Need I say more I didn't think so;

"Yesterday's Witch," from the always dependable but sometimes overly fey/twee (for my tastes) Gahan Wilson, an excellent, nostalgia-laden Halloween story about a group of kids who gain the courage to knock on the door of the neighborhood "witch;"

Ramsey Campbell's "Call First," which details why it's never a good thing to be too curious about anyone's private life, and provides a very persuasive reason for why you should always call first before you visit someone;

and last but not least, the first paperback publication of Karl Edward Wagner's stunning Lovecraftian classic, "Sticks," which is definitely among the four or five very best horror tales I've experienced. Of course, this novelette has since been reprinted countless times, and I reread it every time I get a new antho or Wagner collection that includes the story, yet it never gets old. It has, without a doubt, one of the most terrifying opening sequences I've ever read, a jaunt deep into the New England woods, where the sinister stick lattices later made famous in The Blair Witch Project and True Detective make their first appearance. It was inspired by true events related firsthand to Wagner by esteemed Weird Tales artist Lee Brown Coye (who eventually began incorporating the menacing sticks into many of his covers and illustrations, including the issue of Whispers magazine featuring this story).

Most anybody with the amount of interest in horror to entertain getting this semi-obscure book is likely already familiar with "Sticks." If not well you should be, shame on you now think about what you did. If you have read it, I think it's about time you revisit it. The pervasive, ominous atmosphere never fails to freak me the hell out, and not many cosmic horror stories are better at producing that eerie frisson I'm always searching for.

There are also good, but in some cases lesser (by the authors' usual standards), entries by Etchison, Bradbury, Leiber, Wellman, L.P. Hartley, Richard L. Tierney, Bloch, Mary Elizabeth Councelman, Lovecraft (with Derleth), Marjorie Bowen, Jacobi, Brennan, and de la Mare. All are worth reading, but the five stories singled out above are what make this a great anthology, as opposed to just a good one.

4.0 Stars

ETA: Those who are well versed in Lovecraft will know the term "lich" (a corpse, animate or inanimate), but I recently gave a Wagner collection containing "Sticks" to my cousin who'd never heard of the word, and so one really intense and chilling moment was almost totally devoid of suspense for him. That's why I'm posting this little addendum, in case anyone's interested in checking out the story, but may be unaware of the term.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

McCauley is best remembered as an editor for Dark Forces, the iconic volume of original stories that appeared in 1980, but he produced a few titles prior to it, including this nifty book of spooky stuff in 1975. He went out of his way to find stories from familiar and popular authors that were not as well known as their most famous works. His selections spanned from pioneers like Carl Jacobi, Manly Wade Wellman, H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth, through Ray Bradbury, Fritz Leiber, and Robert Bloch, to modern names like Thomas M. Disch and Dennis Etchison. Among my favorites are Gahan Wilson's dandy Halloween short Yesterday's Witch, Robert E. Howard's People of the Black Coast, and most especially Sticks by Karl Edward Wagner.

[Hank Hoeft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kirby McCauley's intent in Night Chills is to collect suspense and horror stories that have not seen much republication since their first appearance. In addition, although I don't think this is explicitly stated, the stories are heavy on mood and atmosphere, as opposed to the grab-the-reader-by-the-throat kinds of stories that typify Clive Barker or David Schow or Michael Slade or any splatterpunk writer. I wanted to rate this higher than 3 stars, but some of the stories just didn't do much for me. I realize this may be due to my lack of discernment rather than a lack of literary merit in the story, but still, many of the stories just left me thinking, "Meh."

[Chris Aldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mindwebs audiobook 58 comprises “Kellermans Eyepiece” by Mary Elizabeth Counselman from this 1975 collection.

[Forked Radish · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Kellerman’s Eyepiece” by M. E. Counselman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. An epic epistolatory epigram… No really, but it alliterates and the epistolatory part is correct, anyhow.

[Williwaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a truly superior anthology of horror stories that I picked up long, long ago --- most likely in the late 1970's. I remember reading the first two or three stories back then, but not getting much farther. I acquired a couple other Avon horror anthologies around that time: "Harvest of Fear" and "A Feast of Blood." The covers of these books are very catchy, and done up in a similar style and probably by the same artist (unidentified). I know that I read "Harvest of Fear," and I recall that it was quite good. Recently, while prowling the aisles of a local, used bookshop, I found another Avon collection that appears to belong to this "series:" "A Walk with the Beast."

The most memorable story here is probably "Sticks," by Karl Edward Wagner. It is loosely based on an episode from the life of pulp artist, Lee Brown Coye, who was famous for his Weird Tales illustrations and several Arkham House covers for Lovecraft books. "Sticks" is also a sort of Lovecraft pastiche and a clever example of what might be termed "meta-pulp fiction." Apparently, this was the first appearance of "Sticks" in paperback. I'm sure that it has been anthologized countless times since 1975, when this book came out, and deservedly so. (In fact, have a look: Sticks)

Other great stories in this volume include: "Wet Season," by Dennis Etchison; "People of the Black Coast," by Robert E. Howard; "Goodman's Place," by Manly Wade Wellman; and "A: B: O," by Walter de la Mare (this last one is one of the creepiest stories I've ever read). "Yesterday's Witch," by Gahan Wilson (the famous cartoonist), was quite good, as well.

If you are itching for some old-school horror stories in an attractive little package, seek this volume out. It's well worth the trouble! Full description here: Night Chills

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

• “At Midnight, in the Month of June” by Ray Bradbury (5 stars)
Haunting little story about violence and evil set in Bradbury’s typical small town.
• “Call First” by Ramsey Campbell (5 stars)
Library gothic tale with a sinister twist.
• “Alice and the Allergy” by Fritz Leiber (5 stars)
Creepy and well-structured tale.
• “From Beyond the Stars” by Richard L. Tierney (5 stars)
In the tradition of Lovecraft, there are places into which one should not wander.
• “The Funny Farm” by Robert Bloch (5 stars)
Story and reality blend together in a tale of obsession and of loyalty from the most unexpected places.
• “Sticks” by Karl Edward Wagner (5 stars)
Another story that blurs the fine line between the creator of fiction and the fantasy created.

• “A : B : O.” by Walter de la Mare (4 stars)
• “Minnesota Gothic” by Thomas M. Disch (3½ stars)
• “The Jugular Man” by Joseph Payne Brennan (3 stars)
• “The Island” by L. P. Hartley (3 stars)
• “Yesterday's Witch” by Gahan Wilson (3 stars)
• “Wet Season” by Dennis Etchison (4 stars)
• “Innsmouth Clay” by August Derleth and H. P. Lovecraft (4 stars)
• “People of the Black Coast” by Robert E. Howard (2 / 3 stars)
• “The Face in the Wind” by Carl Jacobi (3 stars)
• “Goodman's Place” by Manly Wade Wellman (4 stars)
• “Kellerman's Eyepiece” by Mary Elizabeth Counselman (4 stars)
• “The Sign-Painter and the Crystal Fishes” by Marjorie Bowen (4 stars)

[Shawn]

PLACEHOLDER REVIEW: Had reason to read one story that appears here, and as this is on my inevitable "to be read" pile, figured I'd stick it here:

In Marjorie Bowen's "The Sign-Painter & The Crystal Fishes" - a wealthy dandy visits a humble (and somewhat mad) sign painter and murders him so as to forestall a witch's prediction, only for the events to happen anyway. This is a neat little piece of phantasmagoria - indebted to the Decadents, as it's chock full of detailed descriptions of clothing, accoutrements, colors and partially takes place among the idle. What's even more fun is that - while in some ways an example of the classic "revenant's revenge" trope, the story is told in a strange, fractured time sense that mixes up past and present, life and afterlife, to nicely ambiguous effect. I dug it.

[Jan Brattain · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories hold up surprisingly well. I bought this book new back in the 70's and nearly every year at Halloween I pull it out to read Yesterday's Witch by Gahan Wilson. It is a perfect Halloween story. This year I decided to read the whole book over again and enjoyed it. Several stories are very eerie and scary such as Sticks by Karl Edward Wagner. The images of the strange stick structures have stuck with me all these years and are just as haunting today.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it a millions years ago in one sitting. Very good!