Essential Horror Anthologies

[Randy M.]

Has anyone read M R James? I have copies of two antholigies by him, seems he was considered influential on ghost stories. Does he come highly recommended?

By all means read James. "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" and "Casting the Runes" are among the best ghost stories I've read, and many, many of his others are just as good.

Randy M.

 

[picklematrix]

By all means read James. "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" and "Casting the Runes" are among the best ghost stories I've read, and many, many of his others are just as good.

Randy M.

Sweet. Im gonna dive in. Ive been looking for some horror with a real atmosphere.

 

[BigBadBob141]

There are lots of adaptations of his stories made by the BBC.
They can be viewed on You Tube.
I really like "Room 13" & " A View From A Hill" is very creepy!!!
Back in the 60s ITV made a horror series who's name escapes me.
I was too young to stay up that late to watch it.
But my older brother would describe it with glee!
I'm sure one of them sounded like "Room 13" .

 

[paranoid marvin]

There are lots of adaptations of his stories made by the BBC.
They can be viewed on You Tube.
I really like "Room 13" & " A View From A Hill" is very creepy!!!
Back in the 60s ITV made a horror series who's name escapes me.
I was too young to stay up that late to watch it.
But my older brother would describe it with glee!
I'm sure one of them sounded like "Room 13" .

There were quite a few (far moreso than today. One of the best was Hammer House of Horror, but I think that came later than 60s.

As for MR James, imho he us unsurpased as a writer of tales of the supernatural. Although not an anthology, his numerous short stories (sometimes as short as 4 or 5 pages long) can often be found combined one binding. His stories are perfect for bedtime/fireside reading, as indeed this is what they were initially inrended for. As provost at Eton, each Christmas he would invite a select few students to join him whilst he related his latest story.

And yes, the best and most chillung tales are those told in one sitting (or short story).

 

[Grendel]

Prime Evil edited by Douglas Winter is a good one. Earlier Night Visions anthology series from the 80s were good ones, where they gave three writers a a maximum word count to write as many story stories. One volume in particular stands out, Night Visions 3 where Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart first appeared. The Year's Best Horror Stories by Karl Edward Wagner a solid lot.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King (includes "The Ten O' Clock People" and "Suffer the Little Children", my two favorites so far)
Classic Ghost Stories (edited by Bill Bowers)
The October Country by Ray Bradbury

 

[BAYLOR]

In a Lonely Place by Karl Edward Wagner.

Revelations in Black by Carl Jacobi

 

[BigBadBob141]

Have read the Carl Jacobi, short story collection, used to go to the library in Nuneaton on my lunch break and plow through a story, a well written collection as I remember!

 

[Guttersnipe]

Your mileage might vary as to whether it's frightening, but Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn is a good book of Japanese ghost stories.

 

[BAYLOR]

Your mileage might vary as to whether it's frightening, but Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn is a good book of Japanese ghost stories.

I have that book.

There exists film adaptions of some of those stories.

 

[BAYLOR]

Have read the Carl Jacobi, short story collection, used to go to the library in Nuneaton on my lunch break and plow through a story, a well written collection as I remember!

His stuff is terrific . His shore story The Static Piano was adapted for anthology series Tales from the Darkside , I think.

 

[KGeo777]

Richard Matheson short stories like Born of Man and Woman, Blood Sun and Prey (the basis for the doll story in Trilogy of Terror).
There was a version for I AM LEGEND that included some short stories with it but I see there's now a Penguin book THE BEST OF RICHARD MATHESON.

 

[BAYLOR]

Richard Matheson short stories like Born of Man and Woman, Blood Sun and Prey (the basis for the doll story in Trilogy of Terror).
There was a version for I AM LEGEND that included some short stories with it but I see there's now a Penguin book THE BEST OF RICHARD MATHESON.

I had that edition of I am Legend.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Richard Matheson short stories like Born of Man and Woman, Blood Sun and Prey (the basis for the doll story in Trilogy of Terror).
There was a version for I AM LEGEND that included some short stories with it but I see there's now a Penguin book THE BEST OF RICHARD MATHESON.

Blood Son* is good. Even his stories that aren't technically horror can be scary. Take "Disappearing Act," for instance (adapted for The Twilight Zone as "And When the Sky Was Opened"). No monsters or murders here, just people vanishing one by one, along with most memory of them. "Legion of Plotters" is one of his good psychological tales, this being about a man who suspects people are trying to drive him mad--the irony being that he already is.

 

[Randy M.]

If you're interested in Matheson, you might also look into Perchance to Dream by Charles Beaumont. Along with Matheson and Rod Serling, Beaumont wrote for the original Twilight Zone. The Howling Man is a better retrospective of his fantasy/horror with commentary from Beaumont's friends and fans, but many of the same stories appear in Perchance to Dream and it's easier to find. The latter includes some non-fantasy, but the fantasy/horror is distinctively TZ-like and so influenced the look and feel of the show.

Randy M.

 

[AE35Unit]

Years ago I had an anthology called Dark Fantasies edited by Chris Morgan, an author I can find no info on. It was a good collection apart from one story by Brian Aldiss which I hated.

 

[JJewel]

Okay, presume this has been mentioned already but have to say The complete H P Lovecraft!

Not only is it a beautifully bound old world looking hardback but the storys define horror.

 

[Zoortecho]

So, I was wondering what horror anthologies you'd like to add to this list. They could be widely accepted genre landmarks like Dark Forces, relatively lesser known collections, and not necessarily multi-author collections but even those published by a single author.

I know I come way late to this forum, but... what about Come Tomorrow and other tales of Bangalore Terror???
Just bought it a couple of weeks ago.

 

[dask]

Knivesout?