The Best Ghost Stories Ever

by Christopher Krovatin

ACE 0439574269 (ISBN13: 9780439574266)

Watch your step. Be careful what you do. Ghosts are everywhere. In houses new and old. In lonely walks and grim gatherings. Underneath the wallpaper. Riding through the night. These are some of the spookiest ghost stories ever written, from authors including Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, and Henry James. Prepare to be haunted...


The empty house / by Algernon Blackwell --
The monkey's paw / by W.W. Jacobs --
The legend of Sleepy Hollow / by Washington Irving --
The masque of the red death / by Edgar Allan Poe --
The judge's house / by Bram Stoker --
A ghost story / by Jerome K. Jerome --
The yellow wallpaper / by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

Genres: Horror, Classics, Short Stories, Gothic, Fiction, Fantasy, Supernatural

180 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

I'm Chris Krovatin, author of DARKNESS, RED ROVER, FREQUENCY, VENOMOUS, HEAVY METAL & YOU, the GRAVEDIGGERS trilogy, and HELLRAISERS).

I'm also a journalist for multiple heavy metal press outfits, specifically The Pit, Kerrang!, Noisey, Invisible Oranges, and MetalSucks.

I'm a horror enthusiast, Halloween worshipper, husband and dad living out in New Jersey. My favorite musicians are Slayer, Rob Zombie and Frank Sinatra, and my favorite food is gnocchi (it's made of potatoes!).

Reviews

[Lisa Diven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just don't understand some reviewers. Criticizing a collection of stories for a Scholastic Series or saying the stories are "old?" Of course they're old, it's CLASSIC LITERATURE! And if you didn't recognize authors such as Edgar Allen Poe, Bram Stoker and Henry James, and know by those names the time period these works were written, well, shame on you! If you're looking for blood and guts and gore, this book isn't for you. If you're looking for spine-tingling climatic story building done the old fashioned way then give this book a read. It's a wonderful collection that I intend to read again and again. For my full review please visit the Fox Valley Writers blog https://foxvalleywriters.wordpress.co....

[Amara Tanith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, one thing's for sure: these definitely aren't the best ghost stories ever. Honestly, it boggles my mind how you'd even have the balls to assign that title to any collection, let alone one so small. Lots of great horror/ghost story authors are neglected that should really get some inclusion here; there's no J. Sheridan le Fanu, no M.R. James, no Lovecraft (though it's probably reasonable to leave him out of a book of ghost stories, as that wasn't really his jam), and all in all no representation to tons of authors who deserve a showing. And while there are definitely some famous and well-deserving inclusions here (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Masque of the Red Death, The Judge's House), I question the inclusion of stories like The Monkey's Paw, which, though it is a much-loved classic horror story, has nothing at all to do with ghosts, and The Yellow Wallpaper, which can only really be considered a ghost story by readers willfully choosing to ignore the themes of mental illness and misogyny that the story is actually about.

A couple of the stories were ones that I actually either hadn't read before or didn't retain strong memories of. Algernon Blackwood's The Empty House was a fun read with a refreshing portrayal of an older woman as the major supporting character. A Ghost Story by Jerome K. Jerome was a bit dull, but its ghostly revenge plotline is interesting primarily for its use of many of the tropes that remain mainstays of modern horror stories (a vengeful ghost seeking to punish someone who wronged him or her during life, a haunted/possessed object--in this case, human remains made into a display skeleton--that allow the ghost to haunt the owner, and even the 'he looks like he's just sitting oddly stiff in his chair until you get right up close to him and realize he's dead!' cliche). And The Romance of Certain Old Clothes is also a rather interesting little piece, except that it also isn't terribly involved with a ghost, except for a single line implying the cause of death for the greedy wrongdoer. (Ultimately, I don't begrudge The Empty House its inclusion in a collection of "the best ghost stories ever", and I think someone more knowledgeable than I about the history and evolution of ghost stories could make a good case for A Ghost Story. But if I'm being perfectly honest, I think that even within the realm of public domain works, there are more worthy inclusions. And I really strongly question whether The Romance of Certain Old Clothes should've made the cut.)

The Story of Clifford House, meanwhile... well, it was definitely a ghost story, but I did not enjoy it a whit and am not remotely interested in even entertaining the idea that it belongs in a collection of "the best". An anonymous tale, its horror revolves around the idea of the ghost of a masculine woman, and god knows there's nothing more terrifying than a tall woman with broad shoulders and masculine facial features! How frighteningly uncouth! *gags* Now, while that definitely rubbed me the wrong way, I normally wouldn't make such a big deal out of it, except that the short story also includes this little gem of womanly advice from the protagonist:

I cannot tell why wives, and young wives too, will neglect their personal appearance when "only one's husband" is present. It is unpolitic, unbecoming, and unloving; and men and husband's don't like neglect--direct or implied, be sure of that, ladies--young, middle-aged, or old.

This anonymous motherfucker straight-up paused the ghost story to lecture women about not looking their best in the privacy of their own goddamned bedrooms. Because what if a man has to look upon the horror of your natural appearance! However would he recover, the poor dear? (Which is the point at which I realized why the author here was anonymous: he's a man trying to write in a woman's voice--and to lecture women from a position of false authority--by pretending to be a woman. Or at least I fucking hope so, because that level of preachy internalized misogyny is deeply horrifying.) What I'm saying here is that this story is toxic--and we knew these tropes were toxic as far back as I Love Lucy, at least. (Seriously, way back in 1951 there was a whole episode about how "looking your best so you don't neglect your husband" is awful, bullshit advice; it was called "Be a Pal", and, yes, it's still funny af in 2019.) And a short story promoting these tropes does not belong in a Scholastic book of ghost stories for children. Especially not one published as recently as 2003.

So, to close, I want to throw out just a couple of suggestions for other "best ghost stories": The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford, The Colour out of Space (since apparently we're not actually limited to ghost stories here--and, yes, I'm looking at you, The Monkey's Paw), and maybe The Inner Room by Robert Aickman. Feel free to let me know your own suggestions in the comments below; I'm always looking to read more great ghost stories!

[Adrian Gazaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not only is the title an outrageously bold claim, it can't even back that up, as some of these stories are really boring. Not to mention that half of what's in here has nothing to do with ghosts. Did the editor misunderstand his assignment?
Some good stories in here nevertheless.

[B. Barron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic stories.

[Emily L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh another middle school era reread. I honestly enjoyed this book - probably more now than I did at twelve years old.
These classics were supernatural and atmospheric. At times truly frightening or extremely tense.
These were long and a little slow, in that way that good classic literature often is. If you're looking for violence blood and guts this is not the collection for you.
I wont say that I personally think these are the best ghost stories ever but if you have patience and you want a dose of classic horror short stories it's an enjoyable read!

[Mary Foxe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to old horror classics.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories were good, some not.

[Delanie Dooms · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Best Ghost Stories Ever is a collection of spooky tales of a strangely classic origin, and because of this, perhaps not suited for a modern child's understanding of language. These include The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood (published 1906), The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs (1902), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (1820), The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe (1842), The Judge's House by Bram Stoker (1891), A Ghost Story by Jerome K. Jerome (1892), The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892), The Romance of Certain Old Clothes by Henry James (1868), and The Story of Clifford House which came into the world anonymously in 1878. I have read them all.

I don't have a problem with any of these stories. I had a pleasure perusing them all; however, some of the choices I find rather suspect. Gilman's story, for example, is commonly read in schools all around the United States; did it really need to be here? This same can be applied to Poe, and also to Irving. I suppose one doesn't necessarily need to tailor one's collection to originality, but if this is geared toward an audience of schoolchildren, then I don't quite understand why it would be done in such a way, seeing that these tales are already often taught. Even if we assume our editor wished to bring classics to a younger audience, it wouldn't make sense to do so with things they've already read.

There are a few stories in here which I find are exceptional (excluding any commentary of school-taught stories, of course). One of these is The Monkey's Paw which attempts, and succeeds, at scaring through ambiguity. Another is The Story of Clifford House which is, if a rather by-the-books haunted house story, one of the most beautifully written one's I have ever come across. The themes of the story also fit perfectly with the denouement of the ghosts, for George and Helen are a 'perfect' family, formulated on the principle of pleasing one another and their children, starkly contrasting with the house's history. Aptly for modern readers, it also explores gender. The husband, George, is more traditionally masculine; he is the weapon-carrier, he hides his emotions with bravado, and all that. Helen, on the other hand, is more traditionally feminine. She appeals to her husband with pretty clothing, she is less abrasive, she is connected very closely with her children, and all that. The common ground upon which the two coincide is that they care for each other and others around them; in a word, they are a family. The two female ghosts are also both masculine and feminine. The masculine one is even described as "masculine" in the story! She is cruel and violent; her main action within the story is to continually fight and kill her sister. On the other hand, her sister is feminine: a sneak, a trickster, and seductive. She allures her sister's man-of-choice secretly, making her jealous, and causing their eventual deaths. These two are obvious bastardizations of this outdated gender paradigm, and seem hostile to what we might call family. The preoccupation with gender that the story has goes to far as to advise the female reader what to do for a husband!

Another theme the story explores is that of the country versus the city. One of the things our narrator does is gush about what is traditionally beautiful in the country, forewarning us, however, that she is tired of it. She wants to move to the city, and they do; only, when they get there, a whole host of problems arise, and by the end, even if she did enjoy her stay there, and even if she does visit it again, she will never be moving permanently out of the country until her inevitable death. This theme can also be read as a means of saying, "the grass is never greener on the other side of the fence," even if it looks that way.

This theme links to other themes. Why is a new nurse brought in who is not afraid of ghosts, and why is it that only after George gets violent do the ghosts hurt the family -- and never afterward? Well, obviously, it is because these ghosts do not mean any harm; the nurse is smarter, wiser than all in the story, thus making it seem, perhaps, like the metacommentary of this fiction is to say that people need to wise up or be content in their lot, for nobody is going to help them do it! It is an immensely complex story if we take all the actors as having some thematic agency, and I like that; it was a great read.

Anyway, I think that's all I really have to say. It is good for what it is.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE a good scary short story and I LOVE masterful evocative writing. So this book was perfect for the Halloween season! I recognized and loved rereading some of my favorite horrors like The Monkey's Paw, The Masque of the Red Death, The Judge's House, and the Yellow Wallpaper. And I loved reading some new ones like The Empty House and The Story of Clifford House. It's a fantastic collect.

It's important to note that there is an attribution mistake- The Empty House is written by Algernon Blackwood not Blackwell.

[Chelsy Ortega · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! This ghost stories were really good, even though I didn't understand sometimes the meaning behind the story. I gave it 4 stars because the were several complicated and unfamiliar words, which made reading some of the stories tedious for me.

The short story that I liked the most was The Yellow Wallpaper. I was so hooked in that short story despite the fact that nothing really exciting was happining throughout most of the story. I was totally immersed in reading it, I just loved it! Without this book I never would have known this great story.

[Misha · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.22 ⭐

•The Empty House - Algernon Blackwell, 1 ⭐
•The Monkey's Paw - W.W. Jacobs, 3 ⭐
•The Legend of Sleeping Hollow - Washington Irving, 1 ⭐
•The Masque of the Red Death - Edgar Allan Poe, 1 ⭐
•The Judge's House - Bram Stoker, 3 ⭐
•A Ghost Story - Jerome K. Jerome, 1.5 ⭐
•The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 3.5 ⭐
•The Romance of Certain Old Clothes - Henry James, 2 ⭐
•The Story of Clifford House - anonymous, 4 ⭐

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved rereading some of these classics. The Yellow Wallpaper really has no business being in a “ghost stories” book, as there are no ghosts; but it is still one of my favorite short stories.
These are definitely not “the best ghost stories ever;” but they are great introductions to gothic classic literature.
Love!

[Satori Schroeder · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only started this book because of the Edgar Allen Poe short story, but by the time you get to it, your brain is too exhausted from the run-on sentences in previous tales, that have nothing to do with that short story whatsoever, that all the fun of reading is seeped out. Not good. At all.

[Amalie Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't let the cover fool you, this is an awesome collection of classic gothic ghost stories. Some of my favorites like The Yellow Wallpaper and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and some new to me stories like The Judge's House. I loved them all! Perfect for spooky season!

[Rhonda Fonicello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this up at a used book sale specifically to read in October. So many classics - The Monkey's Paw, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Masque of the Red Death, and many more. A fun short story read. 4.75 rounded up.

[gloriabluestocking]

Nine classic tales of horror/intrigue/mystery. The Masque of the Red Death was my favorite, being set in a pandemic and all...

[Kristen Fort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic collection of classic spooky stories.

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nine classic tales of chills and thrills perfect for spooktacular October. The mood is set to grim, everything and anything could be evil, and that icy chill creeping up your back is just one indicator of haunting.

[Yaribel]

In the book "The Best Ghost Stories Ever" , it's basically based on many expiriences on how the author had seen with his own eyes or may have heard from the past. I think that the book was very intereting and if you read it as well as i did then you will see that Christopher (the author) can have some writting that will just bring you into the book. I would really recommend this book so much for the ghost Hunters/Busters , because if they need some skills or techniques to go do some ghost hunting; there you go the best book to mostly get. However, it doesn't, barely tell you what you should do but it's similar to it; though.I recommend this book to the ghost Hunters/Busters, like I said before.

[Anne Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of ghost stories that are very old...like hundreds of years old it seemed. Which wouldn't be so bad, but the writing was bland and old-English like, and the stories were on the boring side. We were lucky they weren't too long. My favorites were The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, for obvious reasons since I live near the town. The Monkey's Paw was also interesting on what to do about three wishes. The Judge's House and A Ghost Story were scary in parts. I'd rather read about modern day hauntings and ghost investigations in my opinion.

[Danalky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this book is mainly short scary stories.One is about this girl and her family that they move into a new house in the country and their haunted by a little girl .Another one was about this man that his wife passed away and when he danced with her she took him with her to......where ever she was.Yeah, the book was not terrifying but it was creepy at parts.
I would recommend this book to people who don't like spending much time on one story and people who like scary stories

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of scary and spooky stories that will make you jump. These stories are too good to put down although they send a shiver down your spine. If you like spooky stories or stories written by Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram SToker, and Henry James then this is the book for you.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just a book full of classic scary stories. They're really old so it's not like reading something from Stephen King, it's just classic stories. I really enjoyed this book, and found it entertaining.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best ghost stories ever is a good book! Many scary stories await to be read in this ghost book. Most are scray
others not so scray. Read to see how spooky!~

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!!!

[Kate Mixon · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was very boring...

definitely not the best ghost stories ever

[Dillon]

I think this will be a fun book to read

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Physical]
A good introduction to horror with classic short stories, including works by Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker and Henry James. Some stories are cliché, but overall it's a fun quick read.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great stories, but maybe not the most frightening...

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for some spooky stories to get in the Halloween spirit. These just didn't cut it.