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Ghost House Books
Campfire Ghost Stories: Volume I
- the spirit of a young girl killed in a car accident returns to the lonely stretch of road that claimed her life
- six glowing orbs of light-the ghostly remains of doomed travellers-warning a group of campers to leave their wilderness campsite or face certain death
- a young girl who grows up with a ghostly double finally discovers the secret behind her extraordinary doppleganger
- and much more...
- six glowing orbs of light-the ghostly remains of doomed travellers-warning a group of campers to leave their wilderness campsite or face certain death
- a young girl who grows up with a ghostly double finally discovers the secret behind her extraordinary doppleganger
- and much more...
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 9, 2015
I bought this book a while back and I haven't gotten around to reading it until now. While I didn't enjoy this as much as Campfire Ghost Stories, Volume 2, there were some pretty good, well-written stories here. I'll give my opinion on each story along with a brief plot synopsis:
The Hitchhiker: Late one night, a travelling businessman picks up a mysterious woman. This is based off an urban legend that I'd already read, so I knew what was going to happen. Despite that, though, this was well-written with some good tension in it.
The Hook: A teenage couple's date is interrupted by the announcement of a killer's escape from prison. Another urban legend, and nothing much is added. But still a decent enough story.
Children Of The Tracks: A young man decides to test the validity of a local urban legend. Obviously, another urban legend, but more's added to it. Pretty good.
The Warning: A woman travelling alone has a scary encounter with a gas station attendant. It's another urban legend, but this one has a lot more added to it. I enjoyed this one.
Bloody Mary: Young girls at a sleepover play a game of Bloody Mary that goes terribly wrong. Creative plot, well-developed characters, excellent writing, and a great ending. One of the best stories in this book.
The Message: A college student sneaks into her dorm room to get a sweater, unaware of what lurks within. Another urban legend, but there's some more added. Not great, but not awful either.
Skinned Tom: A young man gets an ominous warning from the ghost of a murdered man. Another urban legend. While there is some more material added that gives the story variety, the ending is a bit confusing. Why would the woman be afraid of Skinned Tom if he was only targeting married MEN who cheated? Other than that, a good story.
The Screaming Bridge: An urban myth told at a post-graduation party leads to unforeseen consequences. A creative plot with a very nice ending. Plus, I really liked the main character. One of the better stories.
The Scratching: A teenage couple's date turns into terror. Another urban legend, but still a great story. I actually felt sorry for
The Weeping Woman: Desperate for a man's affection, a woman does the unthinkable. A pretty nice ghost story and I felt pretty sorry for the titular character. Very good.
A Grave Mistake: A young woman takes part in a sorority's spooky initiation ceremony. Another urban legend, but there's more added to it that makes it original. Pretty good story.
The Helpful Stranger: A woman has a strange encounter with a man in a mall parking garage. Another urban legend. Nothing is really added, it's not very scary, and the writing is sub par compared to the other stories.
The Telephantom: A man makes a strange request regarding his burial. This had a very creative plot. Sure, the ending was predictable, but it didn't do much to hurt the story's quality.
Wolf Water: A farmer's wild cousin comes to visit and starts telling crazy stories. One of my favorites. This had a creative plot and good writing. The ending twist was predictable, but it didn't hinder the story's impact.
An Ungodly Mess: Two young siblings discover a strange substance in their kitchen. Very good writing, intense action scenes, a creative plot, and a fantastic ending. I really liked this one.
Sandman: Two young teens encounter a terrifying creature during a late night at the lake. Very well-written story with sympathetic characters, genuine tension, and a chilling ending. Very well done.
The Vig: Desperate for money, a poor man turns to a notorious loan shark for help. A creative story with a well-written villain and a chilling yet darkly comedic ending. The twist was obvious, but it didn't hinder the story.
Man Burger: A small town sheriff and mayor meet at a popular diner to discuss a recent string of disappearances. Creative plot with very well-written, entertaining dialogue. The twist was obvious, but it didn't hinder the story and the ending was good.
The House Of Miner: A young man on the verge of inheriting his grandfather's mansion learns the house is haunted. A very creative, twisty plot with the perfect ending. One of the best stories in this collection.
Enchantment: A man turns to a witch to help him find the perfect woman for him. Even though this story wasn't very scary, I enjoyed it for what it was. I particularly enjoyed the main character's vanity and the great ending. One of my favorites.
The Pirate's Ring: A man discovers a valuable ring on the beach. This is one of the "just OK" stories of the book. It wasn't very scary save for the end and there's not much tension. But still, it was decent enough.
Black Aggie: A teenager pays the price for disrespecting a cemetery statue. Creative plot with a very nice ending.
The Lost Lights: A man witnesses a strange phenomenon while camping with a group of boys. Creative plot, genuine tension, and a great, chilling ending. One of the better stories.
The Best House On The Block: A family's efforts to go above and beyond with their Halloween decorations goes horribly wrong. A very creative plot with a very disturbing, twisted ending. I loved it!
The Rope: A schoolboy is wrongfully accused of stealing a piece of playground equipment. A good story, despite the twist being fairly obvious. Despite that, it had a creative plot and good writing.
The Calling Woman: A trapper attempts to rid himself of his nagging wife, but soon realizes she won't leave so easily. A very chilling story with good writing, real tension, and a sympathetic main character. I liked this one.
Insomnia: A young woman buys a bed at a yard sale and learns that it's haunted. Uncreative premise (it's your average "possessed (insert anything)"), no real scares or tension, and an unsatisfying ending. Probably the weakest story in the book.
A Nip Of Courage: Two young men unintentionally disturb the spirit of their grandfather. A creative plot with some good dialogue from the grandmother and a very nice ending. Pretty good.
A Summer Companion: A woman makes a chilling discovery about her daughter from a series of photographs. A very chilling story with a creative premise and a tragic ending. One of my favorites.
Frosty: A teenage girl working at a convenience store suspects the slushy machine is haunted. A VERY creative story with genuine terror, great action sequences and writing, and a very disturbing ending. One of the best in the book!
The East Elevator: A woman has a bizarre experience in the elevator of her apartment. Not very creative, no real tension, and the ending is a bit confusing.
The Double: A young girl lives her life with a mysterious doppelganger. This is a good story, despite the lack of real horror. The premise is creative and the revelation at the end was pretty poignant.
Your Fortune-Five Dollars: A woman tests the validity of a local fortuneteller. A pretty humorous story with a great ending. One of my favorites.
The Caretaker: A young couple get a tour of a house they're considering renting from a mysterious woman. A good story with a creative premise and a subtle hint of fear. But what really hindered the story was the confusing ending. I seriously don't understand what the last sentence is supposed to mean. But otherwise, a really nice story.
Afterword: One More Story: A group of campers beg their leader to tell them one last scary story. A very disturbing story with an equally disturbing ending. A great way to end the book.
Overall, this book was pretty good, but not as good as the sequel. It has a lot more sub par stories and very few were truly amazing. But I still found the stories enjoyable reads and I highly recommend this for any horror lover.
Pros: Good writing, good scary stories, and good dark humored scary stories.
Cons: The forgettable/sub par/unscary/uncreative stories.
The Hitchhiker: Late one night, a travelling businessman picks up a mysterious woman. This is based off an urban legend that I'd already read, so I knew what was going to happen. Despite that, though, this was well-written with some good tension in it.
The Hook: A teenage couple's date is interrupted by the announcement of a killer's escape from prison. Another urban legend, and nothing much is added. But still a decent enough story.
Children Of The Tracks: A young man decides to test the validity of a local urban legend. Obviously, another urban legend, but more's added to it. Pretty good.
The Warning: A woman travelling alone has a scary encounter with a gas station attendant. It's another urban legend, but this one has a lot more added to it. I enjoyed this one.
Bloody Mary: Young girls at a sleepover play a game of Bloody Mary that goes terribly wrong. Creative plot, well-developed characters, excellent writing, and a great ending. One of the best stories in this book.
The Message: A college student sneaks into her dorm room to get a sweater, unaware of what lurks within. Another urban legend, but there's some more added. Not great, but not awful either.
Skinned Tom: A young man gets an ominous warning from the ghost of a murdered man. Another urban legend. While there is some more material added that gives the story variety, the ending is a bit confusing. Why would the woman be afraid of Skinned Tom if he was only targeting married MEN who cheated? Other than that, a good story.
The Screaming Bridge: An urban myth told at a post-graduation party leads to unforeseen consequences. A creative plot with a very nice ending. Plus, I really liked the main character. One of the better stories.
The Scratching: A teenage couple's date turns into terror. Another urban legend, but still a great story. I actually felt sorry for
The Weeping Woman: Desperate for a man's affection, a woman does the unthinkable. A pretty nice ghost story and I felt pretty sorry for the titular character. Very good.
A Grave Mistake: A young woman takes part in a sorority's spooky initiation ceremony. Another urban legend, but there's more added to it that makes it original. Pretty good story.
The Helpful Stranger: A woman has a strange encounter with a man in a mall parking garage. Another urban legend. Nothing is really added, it's not very scary, and the writing is sub par compared to the other stories.
The Telephantom: A man makes a strange request regarding his burial. This had a very creative plot. Sure, the ending was predictable, but it didn't do much to hurt the story's quality.
Wolf Water: A farmer's wild cousin comes to visit and starts telling crazy stories. One of my favorites. This had a creative plot and good writing. The ending twist was predictable, but it didn't hinder the story's impact.
An Ungodly Mess: Two young siblings discover a strange substance in their kitchen. Very good writing, intense action scenes, a creative plot, and a fantastic ending. I really liked this one.
Sandman: Two young teens encounter a terrifying creature during a late night at the lake. Very well-written story with sympathetic characters, genuine tension, and a chilling ending. Very well done.
The Vig: Desperate for money, a poor man turns to a notorious loan shark for help. A creative story with a well-written villain and a chilling yet darkly comedic ending. The twist was obvious, but it didn't hinder the story.
Man Burger: A small town sheriff and mayor meet at a popular diner to discuss a recent string of disappearances. Creative plot with very well-written, entertaining dialogue. The twist was obvious, but it didn't hinder the story and the ending was good.
The House Of Miner: A young man on the verge of inheriting his grandfather's mansion learns the house is haunted. A very creative, twisty plot with the perfect ending. One of the best stories in this collection.
Enchantment: A man turns to a witch to help him find the perfect woman for him. Even though this story wasn't very scary, I enjoyed it for what it was. I particularly enjoyed the main character's vanity and the great ending. One of my favorites.
The Pirate's Ring: A man discovers a valuable ring on the beach. This is one of the "just OK" stories of the book. It wasn't very scary save for the end and there's not much tension. But still, it was decent enough.
Black Aggie: A teenager pays the price for disrespecting a cemetery statue. Creative plot with a very nice ending.
The Lost Lights: A man witnesses a strange phenomenon while camping with a group of boys. Creative plot, genuine tension, and a great, chilling ending. One of the better stories.
The Best House On The Block: A family's efforts to go above and beyond with their Halloween decorations goes horribly wrong. A very creative plot with a very disturbing, twisted ending. I loved it!
The Rope: A schoolboy is wrongfully accused of stealing a piece of playground equipment. A good story, despite the twist being fairly obvious. Despite that, it had a creative plot and good writing.
The Calling Woman: A trapper attempts to rid himself of his nagging wife, but soon realizes she won't leave so easily. A very chilling story with good writing, real tension, and a sympathetic main character. I liked this one.
Insomnia: A young woman buys a bed at a yard sale and learns that it's haunted. Uncreative premise (it's your average "possessed (insert anything)"), no real scares or tension, and an unsatisfying ending. Probably the weakest story in the book.
A Nip Of Courage: Two young men unintentionally disturb the spirit of their grandfather. A creative plot with some good dialogue from the grandmother and a very nice ending. Pretty good.
A Summer Companion: A woman makes a chilling discovery about her daughter from a series of photographs. A very chilling story with a creative premise and a tragic ending. One of my favorites.
Frosty: A teenage girl working at a convenience store suspects the slushy machine is haunted. A VERY creative story with genuine terror, great action sequences and writing, and a very disturbing ending. One of the best in the book!
The East Elevator: A woman has a bizarre experience in the elevator of her apartment. Not very creative, no real tension, and the ending is a bit confusing.
The Double: A young girl lives her life with a mysterious doppelganger. This is a good story, despite the lack of real horror. The premise is creative and the revelation at the end was pretty poignant.
Your Fortune-Five Dollars: A woman tests the validity of a local fortuneteller. A pretty humorous story with a great ending. One of my favorites.
The Caretaker: A young couple get a tour of a house they're considering renting from a mysterious woman. A good story with a creative premise and a subtle hint of fear. But what really hindered the story was the confusing ending. I seriously don't understand what the last sentence is supposed to mean. But otherwise, a really nice story.
Afterword: One More Story: A group of campers beg their leader to tell them one last scary story. A very disturbing story with an equally disturbing ending. A great way to end the book.
Overall, this book was pretty good, but not as good as the sequel. It has a lot more sub par stories and very few were truly amazing. But I still found the stories enjoyable reads and I highly recommend this for any horror lover.
Pros: Good writing, good scary stories, and good dark humored scary stories.
Cons: The forgettable/sub par/unscary/uncreative stories.
September 3, 2025
yay spooky ghost stories that i read in like middle school😝😝😂😂🤣 #Fall 🎃
October 26, 2017
Part One: Stories Told by Firelight:
1. The Hitchhiker: ★ (I’ve seen this one multiple times.)
2. The Hook: ★ (This one is common.)
3. Children of the Tracks: ★★ (This one didn’t involve the bus.)
4. The Warning: ★ (I think it’s the same as the Stranger in the Backseat.)
5. Bloody Mary: ★★ (Highly new take on the legend.)
6. The Message: ★ (I think this one was in Supernatural.)
7. Skinned Tom: ★ (Not really scary.)
8. The Screaming Bridge: ★★ (I never heard of this one.)
9. The Scratching: ★★ (Not bad, but not good either.)
10. The Weeping Woman: ★★ (A sad tale really, but not scary.)
11. A Grave Mistake: ★★★★★ (I really love the idea behind this story, so I gave it five stars.)
12. The Helpful Stranger: ★ (I still have no clue what that guy was going to do to her.)
13. The Telephantom: ★ (Kind of confusing, to be honest.)
1 Star: 7
2 Stars: 5
3 Stars 0
4 Stars: 0
5 Stars: 1
In Total: ★★
Part Two: Stories Told by Moonlight:
1. Wolf Water: ★
2. An Ungodly Mess: ★ (The mother didn’t know her kids were missing? The fuck?)
3. Sandman: ★★★★ (I like this version of the Sandman. I knocked the star off because it wasn’t that scary.)
4. The Vig: ★ (I spotted the twist at the first “Bleed you dry” and the name Vladimir.)
5. Man Burger: ★ (I spotted the twist at the word Man Burger and a disappeared person.)
6. The House of Miner: ★★ (Well, the ending was kind of unexpected.)
7. Enchantment: ★ (I’m not sure how to feel about this one.)
8. The Pirate’s Ring: ★★ (It certainly made my heart pound a little.)
9. Black Aggie: ★★★ (Interesting.)
10. The Lost Lights: ★★★ (I got goose bumps reading it.)
11. The Best House on the Block: ★ (What the fuck was that ending?)
1 Star: 6
2 Stars: 1
3 Stars: 3
4 Stars: 1
5 Stars: 0
In Total: ★★★
Part Three: Stories Told by Candlelight:
1. The Rope: ★ (I can’t even talk about this one.)
2. The Calling Woman: ★ (That poor trapper didn’t deserve that fate from his old hag of a “wife”)
3. Insomnia: ★ (Eh.)
4. A Nip of Courage: ★ (Eh.)
5. A Summer Companion: ★ (Bullshit. The mother deserves comeuppance for being a bitch. Some word probably say that she did, but not at the expense of her daughter. I hate this one.)
6. Frosty: ★★ (A haunted slushie machine. Interesting.)
7. The East Elevator: ★ (Very short.)
8. The Double: ★ (*sigh* I saw that twist coming.)
9. Your Fortune—Five Dollars: ★ (I saw the word gyp*y and noped the fuck out that. It’s a racist slur. Stopped, read it again, and saw it being used three times and fucking despised it.)
10. The Caretaker: ★ (I saw the twist coming.)
1 Star: 9
2 Stars: 1
3 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
5 Stars: 0
In Total: ★
Afterword: One More Story: ★ (Boring.)
1. The Hitchhiker: ★ (I’ve seen this one multiple times.)
2. The Hook: ★ (This one is common.)
3. Children of the Tracks: ★★ (This one didn’t involve the bus.)
4. The Warning: ★ (I think it’s the same as the Stranger in the Backseat.)
5. Bloody Mary: ★★ (Highly new take on the legend.)
6. The Message: ★ (I think this one was in Supernatural.)
7. Skinned Tom: ★ (Not really scary.)
8. The Screaming Bridge: ★★ (I never heard of this one.)
9. The Scratching: ★★ (Not bad, but not good either.)
10. The Weeping Woman: ★★ (A sad tale really, but not scary.)
11. A Grave Mistake: ★★★★★ (I really love the idea behind this story, so I gave it five stars.)
12. The Helpful Stranger: ★ (I still have no clue what that guy was going to do to her.)
13. The Telephantom: ★ (Kind of confusing, to be honest.)
1 Star: 7
2 Stars: 5
3 Stars 0
4 Stars: 0
5 Stars: 1
In Total: ★★
Part Two: Stories Told by Moonlight:
1. Wolf Water: ★
2. An Ungodly Mess: ★ (The mother didn’t know her kids were missing? The fuck?)
3. Sandman: ★★★★ (I like this version of the Sandman. I knocked the star off because it wasn’t that scary.)
4. The Vig: ★ (I spotted the twist at the first “Bleed you dry” and the name Vladimir.)
5. Man Burger: ★ (I spotted the twist at the word Man Burger and a disappeared person.)
6. The House of Miner: ★★ (Well, the ending was kind of unexpected.)
7. Enchantment: ★ (I’m not sure how to feel about this one.)
8. The Pirate’s Ring: ★★ (It certainly made my heart pound a little.)
9. Black Aggie: ★★★ (Interesting.)
10. The Lost Lights: ★★★ (I got goose bumps reading it.)
11. The Best House on the Block: ★ (What the fuck was that ending?)
1 Star: 6
2 Stars: 1
3 Stars: 3
4 Stars: 1
5 Stars: 0
In Total: ★★★
Part Three: Stories Told by Candlelight:
1. The Rope: ★ (I can’t even talk about this one.)
2. The Calling Woman: ★ (That poor trapper didn’t deserve that fate from his old hag of a “wife”)
3. Insomnia: ★ (Eh.)
4. A Nip of Courage: ★ (Eh.)
5. A Summer Companion: ★ (Bullshit. The mother deserves comeuppance for being a bitch. Some word probably say that she did, but not at the expense of her daughter. I hate this one.)
6. Frosty: ★★ (A haunted slushie machine. Interesting.)
7. The East Elevator: ★ (Very short.)
8. The Double: ★ (*sigh* I saw that twist coming.)
9. Your Fortune—Five Dollars: ★ (I saw the word gyp*y and noped the fuck out that. It’s a racist slur. Stopped, read it again, and saw it being used three times and fucking despised it.)
10. The Caretaker: ★ (I saw the twist coming.)
1 Star: 9
2 Stars: 1
3 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
5 Stars: 0
In Total: ★
Afterword: One More Story: ★ (Boring.)
October 17, 2024
3.5 🌟
Fun quick read.
Fun quick read.
November 1, 2017
The name of this book is one of the best things to do and experience in life, bucket list item! I can smell the smoke now mmm...! My personal favorite story was The Hook, it was immensely popular when I was a kid and was told and retold ten ways till Sunday, with the boy teen date discovering the escaped crazy killer's bloody stump and hook hanging in his date's car door! DUN DUN DUN! Also other moldy oldies that still get a retell around a campfire or in the dark with a flashlight: the story with the spirit of a young girl who was killed in a car accident, and she returns to the lonely stretch of road that claimed her life. There are the six glowing orbs of light-the ghostly remains of doomed travellers-warning a group of campers to leave their wilderness campsite or face certain death. And, there's the one about a young girl who grows up with a ghostly double finally discovers the secret behind her extraordinary doppelganger. It is a cool book--it also gives you tips and hints on how to be a better scary dramatic storyteller; certainly lots of fun on Halloween, out camping or even when there's a power outage.
Grab this little volume and get your spook on! Guaranteed to give the heebies!
Grab this little volume and get your spook on! Guaranteed to give the heebies!
October 4, 2022
🌟🌟🌟1/2
🔥 This book was fine. It wasn’t the best ghost story book I have read but it wasn’t the worst. It was fine. I liked some stories and some were meh, but it was written as if they were told around a campfire and it gave instructions on how to tell a really good ghost story so for younger readers who want to learn this skill this would be a great choice!
🔥 This book was fine. It wasn’t the best ghost story book I have read but it wasn’t the worst. It was fine. I liked some stories and some were meh, but it was written as if they were told around a campfire and it gave instructions on how to tell a really good ghost story so for younger readers who want to learn this skill this would be a great choice!
November 21, 2024
As someone who really loves campfire stories, I found this collection appropriately chilling. Most of the stories were disturbing, as good horror tales should be, but a few of them were unexpectedly wholesome. All in all, a decent collection of stories, despite some of its outdated language.
My favourite of these stories would have to be “The Lost Lights” 🏮
My favourite of these stories would have to be “The Lost Lights” 🏮
December 22, 2018
Amazing collection of stories and very well written. A must read on cozy campfires or simply at home sitting in a reclyning chair by the fireplace with the thunderstorms outside. A toasty treat indeed!
July 31, 2021
This was a fun, young reader's book of scary stories. Most I had heard - the urban legend of the parking smootchers and the man with the hook hand, for instance; but there were a few new ones too. Lots of fun. I loved scary stories as a kid and I think I still do.
September 2, 2017
There are some seriously creepy stories in this book!! Loved it!!
September 10, 2018
Simple yet unique tellings of mostly classic stories. A pleasant surprise.
March 3, 2019
Really fun book, scary stories without being disgustingly gory.
Read
June 5, 2019uygjDQBUE5QEAMUSNBIQDt3ra4wkkg
September 18, 2019
The short stories at the beginning are really good, but the scariness fades away over time. Maybe it's just me, but the stories kind of got kind of boring towards the end.
March 1, 2020
Such a fun read! Based on true stories and just overall enjoyable. I’d recommend for nearly any age group, it’s not overly scary.
January 8, 2024
Some beloved stories and some new ones. Love it
September 26, 2024
This was another major book in my childhood - Took this with me on multiple Boy Scout Trips - I just have a fondness for it - really got me into horror at an early age.
Read
October 9, 2025Always a treat to revisit a childhood classic in anticipation for spooky season, yet the spookiest story is just people in an elevator.
September 10, 2025
My favorite book of ghost stories I have found since the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books, which will always be my favorites. Great retellings of classic ghost stories, folktales, and urban legends.
August 30, 2015
I loved this book. Some stories are scarier than others. I found 'The Hitchhiker', 'The Hook', 'Children of the Tracks', 'The Warning', 'Bloody Mary' spooky in Part One: Stories Told By Firelight. In Part Two: Stories Told By Moonlight, I found 'Wolf Water', 'Sandman', 'The Vig', 'Man Burger' and 'The Best House on the Block' very scary. In Part Three: Stories Told By Candlelight, I found 'The Rope', 'Insomnia', 'Frosty', 'The East Elevator', 'The Double', 'Your Fortune- Five Dollars' and 'The Caretaker' to be quite creepy. All of the stories in the book are great, and are very different in their own ways. I found 'Bloody Mary' the creepiest. Jo-Anne Christensen is a great author of ghost stories. I loved this book a lot.
September 21, 2007
Fun fast read.... Lots of urban legend ghost stories!
April 13, 2013
Obviously some stories are scarier than others but it was a good book overall
August 29, 2009
Wow this book was really good it was super scary. I read it to a couple of kids and they loved it. I never heard of until last month.
January 31, 2014
There were a few old ghost stories I remember and a few I never heard of but I really enjoyed the book.Who doesn't like a scary story to read,great for all ages to read.
December 2, 2016
Absolutely love these ghost stories.
April 28, 2016
Entertaining. A few good stories. Good pace and easy to read.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews