This is a compiled list of some of my favorite pieces of short horror fiction, ranging from classics to modern-day horror, and includes links to where the full story can be read for free. Please be aware that any of these stories may contain subject matter you find disturbing, offensive, or otherwise distressing. Exercise caution when reading. Image art is from Scarecrow: Year One.
PSYCHOLOGICAL: tense, dread-inducing horror that preys upon the human psyche and aims to frighten on a mental or emotional level.Ā
āThe Frolicā by Thomas Ligotti, 1989
āButton, Buttonā by Richard Matheson, 1970
ā89.1 FMā by Jimmy Juliano, 2015
āThe Yellow Wallpaperā by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1892
āDeath at 421 Stockholm Streetā by C.K. Walker, 2016
āThe Ones Who Walk Away from Omelasā by Ursula K. Le Guin, 1973
āAn Empty Prisonā by Matt Dymerski, 2018
āA Suspicious Giftā by Algernon Blackwood, 1906
CURSED: stories concerning characters afflicted with a curse, either by procuring a plagued object or as punishment for their own nefarious actions.
āHow Spoilers Bleedā by Clive Barker, 1991
āA Warning to the Curiousā by M.R. James, 1925
āeach thing i show you is a piece of my deathā by Stephen J. Barringer and Gemma Files, 2010
āThe Road Virus Heads Northā by Stephen King, 1999
āRing Once for Deathā by Robert Arthur, 1954
āThe Mary Hillenbrand Cassetteā by Jimmy Juliano, 2016
āThe Monkeyās Pawā by W.W. Jacobs, 1902
MONSTERS: tales of ghouls, creeps, and everything in between.
āThe Curse of Yigā by H.P. Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop, 1929Ā
āThe Oddkidsā by S.M. Piper, 2015
āNightmare at 20,000 Feetā by Richard Matheson
āThe Graveyard Ratsā by Henry Kuttner, 1936
āTall Manā by C.K. Walker, 2016Ā
āThe Quest for Blank Claveringiā by Patricia Highsmith, 1967
āThe Showersā by Dylan Sindelar, 2012
CLASSICS: terrifying fiction written by innovators of literary horror.Ā
āThe Tell-Tale Heartā by Edgar Allan Poe, 1843
āThe Interlopersā by Saki, 1919Ā
āThe Statement of Randolph Carterā by H.P. Lovecraft, 1920
āThe Damned Thingā by Ambrose Pierce, 1893
āThe Legend of Sleepy Hollowā by Washington Irving, 1820Ā
āAugust Heatā by W.F. Harvey, 1910
āThe Black Catā by Edgar Allan Poe, 1843
SUPERNATURAL:Ā stories varying from spooky to sober, featuring lurking specters, wandering souls, and those haunted by ghosts and grief.Ā
āNoraās Visitorā by Russell R. James, 2011
āThe Pale Manā by Julius Long, 1934
āA Collapse of Horsesā by Brian Evenson, 2013
āThe Jigsaw Puzzleā by J.B. Stamper, 1977Ā
āThe Mayor Will Make A Brief Statement and then Take Questionsā by David Nickle, 2013
āThe Night Wireā by H.F. Arnold, 1926Ā
āPostcards from Natalieā by Carrie Laben, 2016
UNSETTLING: fiction that explores particularly disturbing topics, such as mutilation, violence, and body horror. Not recommended for readers who may be offended or upset by graphic content.Ā Ā
āSurvivor Typeā by Stephen King, 1982
āIām On My Deathbed So Iām Coming Cleanā¦ā by M.J. Pack, 2018
āIn the Hills, the Citiesā by Clive Barker, 1984
āThe New Fishā by T.W. Grim, 2013
āThe Screwfly Solutionā by Racoona Sheldon, 1977
āIn the Darkness of the Fieldsā by Ho_Jun, 2015Ā
āThe October Gameā by Ray Bradbury, 1948
āI Have No Mouth, and I Must Screamā by Harlan Ellison, 1967Ā
HAPPY READING, HORROR FANS!
tangentwithtanner
andulkaphoto
kianamaiart
pixelskylines
kaledo-art
discoholicmusic
annaxmalina
vaporwave
