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Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Relatos que me asustaron
En este volumen Alfred Hitchcock presenta una colección de relatos que ha elegido tras una minuciosa búsqueda y que ha considerado dignos de figurar en esta antología. Estos relatos son de muy diferentes estilos: unos son de misterio; otros, de intriga; otros, fantásticos; otros, de terror... Pero todos guardan entre sí un denominador común: apasionar. La más acusada característica de estos cuentos es que la emoción y el interés no decaen un solo instante a lo largo de sus páginas, teniendo al lector pendiente de la trepidante acción que se desarrolla en cada uno de ellos. Hitchcock se siente orgulloso de estos relatos, pues consideran que poseen el suficiente valor literario para interesar al lector más exigente.
485 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1967
64 people are currently reading
1785 people want to read
About the author
Alfred Hitchcock
1,145 books774 followersSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (1899-1980) was an iconic and highly influential film director and producer, who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres.
Following a very substantial career in his native Britain in both silent films and talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and became an American citizen with dual nationality in 1956, thus he also remained a British subject.
Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career which spanned six decades, from the silent film era, through the invention of sound films, and far into the era of colour films. For a complete list of his films, see Alfred Hitchcock filmography.
Hitchcock was among the most consistently recognizable directors to the general public, and was one of the most successful film directors during his lifetime. He continues to be one of the best known and most popular filmmakers of all time.
Following a very substantial career in his native Britain in both silent films and talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and became an American citizen with dual nationality in 1956, thus he also remained a British subject.
Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career which spanned six decades, from the silent film era, through the invention of sound films, and far into the era of colour films. For a complete list of his films, see Alfred Hitchcock filmography.
Hitchcock was among the most consistently recognizable directors to the general public, and was one of the most successful film directors during his lifetime. He continues to be one of the best known and most popular filmmakers of all time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
October 26, 2015
Good evening, readers, take a seat...
This is the original anthology edition featuring 25 stories, if you plan to read, check it out that the edition you get is this one, since posterior edition changed some stories and even they took out several stories.
The general rating is an average result of each individual rating of the stories contained in the anthology.
I am fan of Hitchcock’s directing work, and when I found this book, I knew that I have to read it, any set of stories able to scare the master of suspense should be a worthy reading and I wasn’t mistaken.
FISHHEAD
By Irving S. Cobb
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
An engaging tale about a deformed man living in a swamp who became target of the vengeance of two brothers up to no-good.
Great prose, interesting characters and a priceless setting.
CAMERA OBSCURA (novelette)
By Basil Copper
Rating: *** ( 3 stars )
A moneylender gives a visit to a client but the collecting resulted a lot more expensive than he ever imagined.
Engaging writing style, solid characters and an interesting development.
A DEATH IN THE FAMILY
By Miriam Allen deFord
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
A town mortician has an unique family and the unexpected arrival of a new member may change his status quo forever.
One heck of a tale, with interesting characters and a really good development of narrative.
MEN WITHOUT BONES
By Gerald Kersh
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
The only survivor of a jungle exploration arrives in an edgy state to a harbor and tells his tale to the first officer of a ship while asking for safe transport out of that area.
Wonderful adventure full of horror and science fiction with a priceless twist at the end.
NOT WITHOUT A BANG
By Damon Knight
Rating: ** ( 2 stars )
The last man and woman on Earth share an unique relationship.
Fair premise but with a development lacking of excitement.
PARTY GAMES
By John Burke
Rating: *****
An odd kid without invitation arrives to a birthday party.
An interesting different angle from “The October Game” by Ray Bradbury.
X MARKS THE PEDWALK
By Fritz Leiber
Rating: **
Bizarre reality where society is divided between two kinds of people: “Wheels” and “Foot”.
Good premise but with a poor development.
CURIOUS ADVENTURES OF MR BOND
By Nugent Barker
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
No, it’s not that Bond guy! This scary tale is about a traveller and his time at three inns managed by three brothers.
Good story, solid characters and an engaging narrative. You begins to suspect how this is going to end but still is enjoyable to make the full journey with the protagonist.
TWO SPINSTERS
By E. Phillips Oppenheim
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
A hard-boiled private detective looks for a place to avoid the rain and pass the night. An old house inhabited by two old sisters is the only site around.
Great prose, solid character and a wonderful creepy setting.
THE KNIFE
By Robert Arthur
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
An old knife, a very old knife with a valuable ruby is the reason of bloody disputes.
Interesting premise, with an engaging narrative and a priceless discovery along the story.
THE CAGE
By Ray Russell
Rating: *** ( 3 stars )
A count, his wife and the Devil. An old castle with secret passages leading to unsettling romos and dark furnishing.
It’s a good story but a confusing style of narrative ruined a bit the whole reading experience.
IT (novellete)
By Theodore Sturgeon
Rating: ** ( 2 stars )
Nope, it’s not that famous “It”! This is another totally different story about a girl, her family, her dog and of course... a monster.
Fair premise but a tedious narrative too long what it really needed ruined the potential value of the story.
CASABLANCA (novelette)
By Thomas M. Disch
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
Nope again! This is not that famous “Casablanca” film, but it’s developed in the same famous geographic place. A married couple from United States is doing some tourism and they got stranded in that city when an unexpected nuclear attack is suffered on US soil affecting in a split-second the currency value of US Dollars and the safety of US natives in foreign countries.
Truly scary story with solid characters and great development, my only complains are that the story lacks to explain what happened with certain character during the events and also, the tale lacks of a satisfactory closure. But definitely one of the most powerful stories in the anthology.
THE ROAD TO MICTLANTECUTLI
By Adobe James
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
An American criminal killed off a Mexican cop and begin to look for a safe place to hide in the middle of border Mexican landscape, a deserted place where the outlaw will meet some unusual characters.
Great premise, solid characters and several priceless twists.
GUIDE TO DOOM
By Ellis Peters
Rating: ** ( 2 stars )
An odd monologue about an old house with feature of castle-like and containing two water wells and something terrible happened in one of them.
The narrative is too strange making confusing the reading experience.
THE ESTUARY
By Margaret St. Clair
Rating: ** ( 2 stars )
A strange tale about a sailor and his assistant facing some kind of monster.
A tedious narrative ruined any potential in the story.
TOUGH TOWN
By William Sambrot
Rating: *** ( 3 stars )
An unusual town where sellers aren’t welcomed, and one unlucky seller will realize how dangerous can be to remain in that place.
Good premise with a fair development.
THE TROLL
By T.H. White
Rating: ***
Bizarre tale about a troll who is doing bloody mischief in a hotel.
Interesting premise with an acceptable development.
EVENING AT THE BLACK HOUSE
By Robert Somerlott
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
Odd tale about an unexpected meeting with various persons sharing a dark past.
Great premise, with solid characters and a strong development.
ONE OF THE DEAD (novelette)
By William Wood
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
Scary tale about a married couple buying a property in the middle of Hollywood jet-set. Soon enough strange things starting to happen during the renovation of the house and beyond.
Great story, with solid character, an engaging narrative and a priceless creepy ending.
THE REAL THING
By Robert Specht
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
A fool and a prankster are a bloody dangerous combination when a joke goes wrong.
Wonderful creepy tale where naivety and mischief lead to a priceless scary ending.
JOURNEY TO THE DEATH
By Donald E. Westlake
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
The sinking of a cruiser reunites an odd couple trapped in a sealed room under water, waiting to be rescue, but the hoped rescue is taking too long.
Wonderful premise, engaging narrative and truly scary ending.
THE MASTER OF THE HOUNDS (novelette)
By Algis Budrys
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
A young couple, looking for some rest, they rented a house for the summer, however an odd neighbor with a truly dark past and commading two lethal dogs, will turn the house into a modern-day concentration camp.
Extraordinary premise, solid characters, engaging narrative and a scary ending.
THE CANDIDATE
By Henry Slesar
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
The representative of a very unusual secret socierty exposed their business to a candidate.
Remarkable premise, good characters, engaging reading and a priceless ending.
OUT OF THE DEEPS
By John Wyndham
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
This story is known in UK as “The Kraken Wakes”, American and British versions are quite the same story but with some minor changes between them.
This is an alternative take to the premise of “The War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells, setting another kind of alien invasion and a different reaction by the Earth people.
This is a good story, well developed with intelligence and common sense, however I found odd to find such long story (it takes almost half of the book) to be included in an anthology where it’s supposed to have only short stories or novelettes at the most.
This is the original anthology edition featuring 25 stories, if you plan to read, check it out that the edition you get is this one, since posterior edition changed some stories and even they took out several stories.
The general rating is an average result of each individual rating of the stories contained in the anthology.
I am fan of Hitchcock’s directing work, and when I found this book, I knew that I have to read it, any set of stories able to scare the master of suspense should be a worthy reading and I wasn’t mistaken.
FISHHEAD
By Irving S. Cobb
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
An engaging tale about a deformed man living in a swamp who became target of the vengeance of two brothers up to no-good.
Great prose, interesting characters and a priceless setting.
CAMERA OBSCURA (novelette)
By Basil Copper
Rating: *** ( 3 stars )
A moneylender gives a visit to a client but the collecting resulted a lot more expensive than he ever imagined.
Engaging writing style, solid characters and an interesting development.
A DEATH IN THE FAMILY
By Miriam Allen deFord
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
A town mortician has an unique family and the unexpected arrival of a new member may change his status quo forever.
One heck of a tale, with interesting characters and a really good development of narrative.
MEN WITHOUT BONES
By Gerald Kersh
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
The only survivor of a jungle exploration arrives in an edgy state to a harbor and tells his tale to the first officer of a ship while asking for safe transport out of that area.
Wonderful adventure full of horror and science fiction with a priceless twist at the end.
NOT WITHOUT A BANG
By Damon Knight
Rating: ** ( 2 stars )
The last man and woman on Earth share an unique relationship.
Fair premise but with a development lacking of excitement.
PARTY GAMES
By John Burke
Rating: *****
An odd kid without invitation arrives to a birthday party.
An interesting different angle from “The October Game” by Ray Bradbury.
X MARKS THE PEDWALK
By Fritz Leiber
Rating: **
Bizarre reality where society is divided between two kinds of people: “Wheels” and “Foot”.
Good premise but with a poor development.
CURIOUS ADVENTURES OF MR BOND
By Nugent Barker
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
No, it’s not that Bond guy! This scary tale is about a traveller and his time at three inns managed by three brothers.
Good story, solid characters and an engaging narrative. You begins to suspect how this is going to end but still is enjoyable to make the full journey with the protagonist.
TWO SPINSTERS
By E. Phillips Oppenheim
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
A hard-boiled private detective looks for a place to avoid the rain and pass the night. An old house inhabited by two old sisters is the only site around.
Great prose, solid character and a wonderful creepy setting.
THE KNIFE
By Robert Arthur
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
An old knife, a very old knife with a valuable ruby is the reason of bloody disputes.
Interesting premise, with an engaging narrative and a priceless discovery along the story.
THE CAGE
By Ray Russell
Rating: *** ( 3 stars )
A count, his wife and the Devil. An old castle with secret passages leading to unsettling romos and dark furnishing.
It’s a good story but a confusing style of narrative ruined a bit the whole reading experience.
IT (novellete)
By Theodore Sturgeon
Rating: ** ( 2 stars )
Nope, it’s not that famous “It”! This is another totally different story about a girl, her family, her dog and of course... a monster.
Fair premise but a tedious narrative too long what it really needed ruined the potential value of the story.
CASABLANCA (novelette)
By Thomas M. Disch
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
Nope again! This is not that famous “Casablanca” film, but it’s developed in the same famous geographic place. A married couple from United States is doing some tourism and they got stranded in that city when an unexpected nuclear attack is suffered on US soil affecting in a split-second the currency value of US Dollars and the safety of US natives in foreign countries.
Truly scary story with solid characters and great development, my only complains are that the story lacks to explain what happened with certain character during the events and also, the tale lacks of a satisfactory closure. But definitely one of the most powerful stories in the anthology.
THE ROAD TO MICTLANTECUTLI
By Adobe James
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
An American criminal killed off a Mexican cop and begin to look for a safe place to hide in the middle of border Mexican landscape, a deserted place where the outlaw will meet some unusual characters.
Great premise, solid characters and several priceless twists.
GUIDE TO DOOM
By Ellis Peters
Rating: ** ( 2 stars )
An odd monologue about an old house with feature of castle-like and containing two water wells and something terrible happened in one of them.
The narrative is too strange making confusing the reading experience.
THE ESTUARY
By Margaret St. Clair
Rating: ** ( 2 stars )
A strange tale about a sailor and his assistant facing some kind of monster.
A tedious narrative ruined any potential in the story.
TOUGH TOWN
By William Sambrot
Rating: *** ( 3 stars )
An unusual town where sellers aren’t welcomed, and one unlucky seller will realize how dangerous can be to remain in that place.
Good premise with a fair development.
THE TROLL
By T.H. White
Rating: ***
Bizarre tale about a troll who is doing bloody mischief in a hotel.
Interesting premise with an acceptable development.
EVENING AT THE BLACK HOUSE
By Robert Somerlott
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
Odd tale about an unexpected meeting with various persons sharing a dark past.
Great premise, with solid characters and a strong development.
ONE OF THE DEAD (novelette)
By William Wood
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
Scary tale about a married couple buying a property in the middle of Hollywood jet-set. Soon enough strange things starting to happen during the renovation of the house and beyond.
Great story, with solid character, an engaging narrative and a priceless creepy ending.
THE REAL THING
By Robert Specht
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
A fool and a prankster are a bloody dangerous combination when a joke goes wrong.
Wonderful creepy tale where naivety and mischief lead to a priceless scary ending.
JOURNEY TO THE DEATH
By Donald E. Westlake
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
The sinking of a cruiser reunites an odd couple trapped in a sealed room under water, waiting to be rescue, but the hoped rescue is taking too long.
Wonderful premise, engaging narrative and truly scary ending.
THE MASTER OF THE HOUNDS (novelette)
By Algis Budrys
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
A young couple, looking for some rest, they rented a house for the summer, however an odd neighbor with a truly dark past and commading two lethal dogs, will turn the house into a modern-day concentration camp.
Extraordinary premise, solid characters, engaging narrative and a scary ending.
THE CANDIDATE
By Henry Slesar
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
The representative of a very unusual secret socierty exposed their business to a candidate.
Remarkable premise, good characters, engaging reading and a priceless ending.
OUT OF THE DEEPS
By John Wyndham
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
This story is known in UK as “The Kraken Wakes”, American and British versions are quite the same story but with some minor changes between them.
This is an alternative take to the premise of “The War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells, setting another kind of alien invasion and a different reaction by the Earth people.
This is a good story, well developed with intelligence and common sense, however I found odd to find such long story (it takes almost half of the book) to be included in an anthology where it’s supposed to have only short stories or novelettes at the most.
November 25, 2020
-Más flojo que irregular.-
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Relatos que me asustaron (publicación original: Stories That Scared Even Me, 1967) es una antología de horror con veinticuatro relatos (de longitud muy variada) y una novela de ciencia ficción (no una novela corta, nada de eso), de traducción pobre en general, que aunque se comercializa bajo la referencia de Alfred Hitchcock no tiene intervención real del cineasta en la selección de trabajos sino que esa labor recae sobre Robert Arthur (autor, también, de uno de los relatos del libro), que no ofrece la introducción de Hitchcok que sí aparecía en el original, con varios textos adaptados a la pequeña pantalla (y no necesariamente para la serie de televisión a la que dio nombre el director de cine), que nos ofrecen, entre otros, el enfrentamiento (literal) entre peatones y conductores, una criatura que acecha en la espesura, varios ejemplos de personas que terminan en lugares poco recomendables (queriendo, pero sin saberlo, o sin querer), el testimonio del superviviente de una expedición dada por desaparecida, una pareja posapocalíptica muy particular, una familia perfecta y muerta o el destino que le espera a un prestamista.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
Género. Relatos.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Relatos que me asustaron (publicación original: Stories That Scared Even Me, 1967) es una antología de horror con veinticuatro relatos (de longitud muy variada) y una novela de ciencia ficción (no una novela corta, nada de eso), de traducción pobre en general, que aunque se comercializa bajo la referencia de Alfred Hitchcock no tiene intervención real del cineasta en la selección de trabajos sino que esa labor recae sobre Robert Arthur (autor, también, de uno de los relatos del libro), que no ofrece la introducción de Hitchcok que sí aparecía en el original, con varios textos adaptados a la pequeña pantalla (y no necesariamente para la serie de televisión a la que dio nombre el director de cine), que nos ofrecen, entre otros, el enfrentamiento (literal) entre peatones y conductores, una criatura que acecha en la espesura, varios ejemplos de personas que terminan en lugares poco recomendables (queriendo, pero sin saberlo, o sin querer), el testimonio del superviviente de una expedición dada por desaparecida, una pareja posapocalíptica muy particular, una familia perfecta y muerta o el destino que le espera a un prestamista.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
March 12, 2016
Note, March 12, 2016: I just corrected a minor typo in this review.
Movie director Hitchcock's name was synonymous in that medium with suspense and horror achieved by purely natural means; but he was also an indefatigable editor of scary fiction collections that drew on the science fiction and supernatural genres, as well as the horror afforded by such descriptive fiction staples as madness, murder, etc. His anthologies gave me some of my first exposure to supernatural fiction, and whetted my desire for more of it. The selections here are well-chosen, with the exceptions of Theodore Sturgeon's "It" and Fritz Leiber's "X Marks the Pedwalk," which are implausible, Donald E. Westlake's "Journey to Death," which is morbid, and Nugent Barker's "The Curious Adventure of Mr. Bond," which is implausible and morbid. (And the concluding "horror" of Gerald Kersh's "Men Without Bones" is toothless unless you accept Kersh's Darwinist worldview.) In most of these stories, the effects are accomplished with little if any directly described violence.
Some stories here have happy endings in which the menace is destroyed or defeated; many are tales of supernatural or natural vengeance on unsympathetic characters who thoroughly deserve it; and a few are tragic tales of undeserved doom falling on characters whom the reader likes and can identify with. Though they're disturbing for that reason, however, the latter group have an emotional power that makes their events stay in your mind; and this could be said of many of the other selections here as well (even a couple of the poorly-chosen ones above). It's a testament to the memorable quality of these works that after a lapse of about forty years, I can still remember Wyndham's novel --one of science fiction's more original takes on the theme of alien invasion-- and vividly recall many of the stories, including supernatural gems like T. H. White's "The Troll," Basil Copper's "Camera Obscura," Adobe James' "The Road to Mictlantecutli," Ray Russell's "The Cage," and Margaret St. Clair's "The Estuary;" grim pieces of descriptive fiction like Algis Budrys' "Master of the Hounds," John Burke's "Party Games," and William Sambrot's "Tough Town;" and Miriam Allen deFord's poignant "A Death in the Family." Admittedly, I had to cheat in order to identify authors and titles in some cases, though, so I checked out the book again by interlibrary loan. :-) Happily, that gave me the chance to re-read other worthwhile stories I'd largely forgotten (but which often came back to me as I read). Some of the best of this group were Ellis Peters' "Guide to Doom" and E. Phillips Oppenheim's "Two Spinsters;" Robert Arthur's tale of a cursed knife, "The Knife;" and William Wood's chilling ghost story, "One of the Dead." All in all, a most worthy collection of its type!
Movie director Hitchcock's name was synonymous in that medium with suspense and horror achieved by purely natural means; but he was also an indefatigable editor of scary fiction collections that drew on the science fiction and supernatural genres, as well as the horror afforded by such descriptive fiction staples as madness, murder, etc. His anthologies gave me some of my first exposure to supernatural fiction, and whetted my desire for more of it. The selections here are well-chosen, with the exceptions of Theodore Sturgeon's "It" and Fritz Leiber's "X Marks the Pedwalk," which are implausible, Donald E. Westlake's "Journey to Death," which is morbid, and Nugent Barker's "The Curious Adventure of Mr. Bond," which is implausible and morbid. (And the concluding "horror" of Gerald Kersh's "Men Without Bones" is toothless unless you accept Kersh's Darwinist worldview.) In most of these stories, the effects are accomplished with little if any directly described violence.
Some stories here have happy endings in which the menace is destroyed or defeated; many are tales of supernatural or natural vengeance on unsympathetic characters who thoroughly deserve it; and a few are tragic tales of undeserved doom falling on characters whom the reader likes and can identify with. Though they're disturbing for that reason, however, the latter group have an emotional power that makes their events stay in your mind; and this could be said of many of the other selections here as well (even a couple of the poorly-chosen ones above). It's a testament to the memorable quality of these works that after a lapse of about forty years, I can still remember Wyndham's novel --one of science fiction's more original takes on the theme of alien invasion-- and vividly recall many of the stories, including supernatural gems like T. H. White's "The Troll," Basil Copper's "Camera Obscura," Adobe James' "The Road to Mictlantecutli," Ray Russell's "The Cage," and Margaret St. Clair's "The Estuary;" grim pieces of descriptive fiction like Algis Budrys' "Master of the Hounds," John Burke's "Party Games," and William Sambrot's "Tough Town;" and Miriam Allen deFord's poignant "A Death in the Family." Admittedly, I had to cheat in order to identify authors and titles in some cases, though, so I checked out the book again by interlibrary loan. :-) Happily, that gave me the chance to re-read other worthwhile stories I'd largely forgotten (but which often came back to me as I read). Some of the best of this group were Ellis Peters' "Guide to Doom" and E. Phillips Oppenheim's "Two Spinsters;" Robert Arthur's tale of a cursed knife, "The Knife;" and William Wood's chilling ghost story, "One of the Dead." All in all, a most worthy collection of its type!
October 29, 2008
These stories. Are. Creepy.
Of course it helps to have a musty copy of this book with yellowed pages, reading it alone in your room at night as creatures stir in the woods outside...
I reread T.H. White's 'The Troll' recently and it scared me even more.
This isn't cheap stuff. These tales were handpicked by Hitch himself and they are the elegant sort of horror tale in the tradition of Poe that just bother you. They don't shock you, they put ideas into your head that bother you, for days.
Of course it helps to have a musty copy of this book with yellowed pages, reading it alone in your room at night as creatures stir in the woods outside...
I reread T.H. White's 'The Troll' recently and it scared me even more.
This isn't cheap stuff. These tales were handpicked by Hitch himself and they are the elegant sort of horror tale in the tradition of Poe that just bother you. They don't shock you, they put ideas into your head that bother you, for days.
October 13, 2024
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories that Scared Even Me is simply an amazing collection of horror and suspense tales. Included are tales by several outstanding genre writers: Damon Knight, Fritz Leiber, Theodore Sturgeon, T.H. White, and John Wyndham. Yet some of the most memorable tales here are written by forgotten authors unknown to me, save for their chilling contributions to this collection. Most of these stories stuck with me around the edges of my imagination from my first reading as a young man to this most recent reread as an old geezer. These tales are memorable. Some will stick with you for a lifetime. They scared Hitchcock. They scared me. They’ll scare you, too.
Fishhead (by Irvin S. Cobb): A brilliantly atmospheric, Southern Gothic tale featuring a grotesque, idiot hermit (shunned by all and feared by night) who has a special affinity for the monster catfish living in the fetid lake by his cabin. A couple of drunken crackers, come to murder him, find horror in the lake’s muddy waters. (Lovecraft was a fan of this story, and Fishhead may have been an influence on his tale The Shadow Over Innsmouth.)
4 ⭐️
Camera Obscura (by Basil Cooper): A disturbingly eerie tale of a stereotypically nasty moneylender, an enigmatic old gentleman in an oddly disturbing old mansion high on a hill from whom he tries to collect, and the confusion that morphs into panic then into terror when the moneylender leaves the mansion by its back stairway and descends into a sinisterly changed city. This one will haunt you.
4 ⭐️
A Death in the Family (by Miriam Allen DeFord): A truly macabre, psychological tale of a lonely, small town undertaker and the cherished, secret family that he has collected over the years. He visits them every night in the locked sitting room in his basement.
5 ⭐️
Men Without Bones (by Gerald Kersh): A sole survivor of a scientific expedition into the jungle emerges feverish, with a fantastic tale of ancient alien ship discovered, and frantic to get out of that country.
3 ⭐️
Not Without A Bang (by Damon Knight): The apocalypse has happened. The bombs flew, the radioactive dust settled, the terrible plague spread. They are the last man and woman on Earth; he’s a pig and she is a rigidly conventional Puritan clinging to the prim rules of her lost world. A gallows humor last man on Earth story.
4 ⭐️
Party Games (by John Burke): Young children in groups at a party can be perfect terrors. And they can be horrid little monsters to odd kids like Simon — the quiet, bookish, polite misfit who came to the party without an invite. But childish pranks get out of hand with the misfit in the group, and a Halloween game of murder turns into screaming horror.
5 ⭐️
X Marks the Pedwalk (by Fritz Leiber): A darkly humorous, satirical tale of a dystopian future where class conflict between slums and suburbs has evolved into deadly running warfare between the Wheels (suburban motorists) and the Feet (slum pedestrians) that requires treaties to regulate the killing.
5 ⭐️
Curious Adventure of Mr. Bond (by Nugent Baker): The story of a traveler along a plateau forest road taking tour of three, oddly named inns owned by three, odd brothers. His journey becomes increasingly strange and troubling as he progresses. The reader will work out what’s going on before the obtuse traveler does, but that detracts nothing from this story’s satisfying chills.
4 1/2 ⭐️
Two Spinsters (by E. Philip Oppenheim): Erneston Grant was wretchedly lost on a wicked wet night when he asked for shelter at the lonely farmhouse. There was something odd, something eerie, about the two, dour sisters who gave him shelter. Later, when he woke to a sister staring down at him, Grant discovered just how dangerously strange a spot he was in.
4 ⭐️
The Knife (by Robert Arthur): A rusted but ornate knife, found in a heap of rubbish has a strange pull on those who hold it. But does it have a hatred of women and a will to murder?
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Cage (by Ray Russell): A tale of medieval horror. Some said the Count’s efficient young overseer was the devil, but to the lovely young Countess he was a toy to manipulate. Lust, betrayal, double crossing and sudden downfall, and the terrible truth that thinking you can outsmart the devil is harder and more horrifying than you might think.
4 ⭐️
It (by Theodore Sturgeon): A unique undead monster, of sweltering mold and corruption and a core of human bone becomes aware and curious in the North wood. It kills dispassionately from curiosity, not malice. It doesn’t even know the terror it brings to the farm family nearby.
3 1/2 ⭐️
Casablanca (by Thomas M. Disch): Elderly American tourist staying in Casablanca are isolated and increasingly frantic after they learn that America has been nuked. No one will accept their travelers checks, everyone is suddenly hostile. American citizenship is no longer a shield, but a liability. A story of the stereotypical Ugly American receiving shocking comeuppance.
4 ⭐️
The Road to Mictlantecutli (by Adobe James): Morgan was a bad man. But competent and confident, he had once again escape his fate and was speeding down a dangerous road through the Mexican night. But then there was a wreck. The padre with wild eyes, and the haughty, magnetic woman on horseback each found him afterwards, and which one he listened to would seal his doom.
3 ⭐️
Guide to Doom (by Ellis Peters): A reporter touring a small castle bribes the guide to show him the off limits old well where an ugly tragedy occurred ten years before. The old guide gives him a more thorough and dramatic tour then he expected.
3 ⭐️
The Estuary (by Margaret St. Clair): A short and slight tale of salvage thieves and haunted, decommissioned Liberty ships.
2 1/2 ⭐️
Tough Town (by William Sambrot): Towns don’t come any tougher — mad dogs and lynch mobs. A salesman can’t catch a break.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Troll (by T.H. White): A brilliantly told tale of a man’s matter of fact encounter seeing a troll eating a woman in a Swedish hotel in the full light of the midnight sun.
”The thing did not require belief. It was not a feeling of horror in one’s bones, or a misty outline, or anything that needed to be given actuality by an act of faith. It was as solid as a wardrobe. You don’t have to believe in wardrobes. They are there, with corners.”
5 ⭐️
Evening at the Black House (by Robert Somerlott): Henry Black is retired military, living with his German wife in a heavily fortified compound in remote Mexico. He invites his young American friend over on a fateful night to tell him a story of the past he is hiding from and to enlist his help against an imminent attack from his dark past.
4 1/2 ⭐️
One of the Dead (by William Wood): Ted and Ellen’s ultra-modern, newly constructed home at a prestige address on a street with stars and movie people should be perfect. How could it be haunted? Jeff and Sondra, the neighbors, know the story — Sondra knows more than she is telling. A story of love, marriage, infidelity and evil haunting in Los Angeles that is quietly terrifying.
5 ⭐️
The Real Thing (by Robert Specht): This story of a bully jokester’s prank gone horrifyingly wrong is completely and utterly predictable almost from its first paragraph. But it’s only a couple pages long so there’s that.
2 1/2 ⭐️
Journey to Death (by Donald E. Westlake): Two men trapped in a cabin of a ship sunken to a shallow sea-bed. Ehh.
”Fiction is wonderful that way. It is full of last minutes. But in life there is only one last minute. The minute before death.”
2 ⭐️
Master of the Hounds (by Algis Budrys): Summer renters in an otherwise abandoned housing project, Malcom and Virginia discover that their only neighbor, the crippled man in the house across from them, is a famous colonel who inspired a popular movie about World War II prisoner of war camp. They quickly discover that the colonel is a little mad, and through his expertly trained dogs intends to control them as completely as he did the men under him in the prison camp. Effectively terrifying with a devastating climax.
5 ⭐️
The Canidate (by Henry Slesar): The Society for United Action is a secret, non profit organization that operates on the principle that “some people are just not fit to live.” They have adapted the psychological core from the superstitious Voodoo curse and perfected it as a science. Burton Grunzer has many enemies, so when he is approached by a representative of this group, he of course is interested. This is a predictable but still effective tale.
”A man’s worth can be judged by the caliber of his enemies.”
3 1/2 ⭐️
Out of the Deeps (by John Wyndham): The final entry in this fabulous collection isn’t a short story, and is really almost too long to be a novella — more a short novel. First published in the UK as The Kraken Wakens it is an alien invasion story in the lineage of The War of the Worlds, only this time the aliens establish themselves in Earth’s oceans instead of its land masses. I’ve decided to review this later as a stand alone novel rather than as part of this collection of short stories.
Fishhead (by Irvin S. Cobb): A brilliantly atmospheric, Southern Gothic tale featuring a grotesque, idiot hermit (shunned by all and feared by night) who has a special affinity for the monster catfish living in the fetid lake by his cabin. A couple of drunken crackers, come to murder him, find horror in the lake’s muddy waters. (Lovecraft was a fan of this story, and Fishhead may have been an influence on his tale The Shadow Over Innsmouth.)
4 ⭐️
Camera Obscura (by Basil Cooper): A disturbingly eerie tale of a stereotypically nasty moneylender, an enigmatic old gentleman in an oddly disturbing old mansion high on a hill from whom he tries to collect, and the confusion that morphs into panic then into terror when the moneylender leaves the mansion by its back stairway and descends into a sinisterly changed city. This one will haunt you.
4 ⭐️
A Death in the Family (by Miriam Allen DeFord): A truly macabre, psychological tale of a lonely, small town undertaker and the cherished, secret family that he has collected over the years. He visits them every night in the locked sitting room in his basement.
5 ⭐️
Men Without Bones (by Gerald Kersh): A sole survivor of a scientific expedition into the jungle emerges feverish, with a fantastic tale of ancient alien ship discovered, and frantic to get out of that country.
3 ⭐️
Not Without A Bang (by Damon Knight): The apocalypse has happened. The bombs flew, the radioactive dust settled, the terrible plague spread. They are the last man and woman on Earth; he’s a pig and she is a rigidly conventional Puritan clinging to the prim rules of her lost world. A gallows humor last man on Earth story.
4 ⭐️
Party Games (by John Burke): Young children in groups at a party can be perfect terrors. And they can be horrid little monsters to odd kids like Simon — the quiet, bookish, polite misfit who came to the party without an invite. But childish pranks get out of hand with the misfit in the group, and a Halloween game of murder turns into screaming horror.
5 ⭐️
X Marks the Pedwalk (by Fritz Leiber): A darkly humorous, satirical tale of a dystopian future where class conflict between slums and suburbs has evolved into deadly running warfare between the Wheels (suburban motorists) and the Feet (slum pedestrians) that requires treaties to regulate the killing.
5 ⭐️
Curious Adventure of Mr. Bond (by Nugent Baker): The story of a traveler along a plateau forest road taking tour of three, oddly named inns owned by three, odd brothers. His journey becomes increasingly strange and troubling as he progresses. The reader will work out what’s going on before the obtuse traveler does, but that detracts nothing from this story’s satisfying chills.
4 1/2 ⭐️
Two Spinsters (by E. Philip Oppenheim): Erneston Grant was wretchedly lost on a wicked wet night when he asked for shelter at the lonely farmhouse. There was something odd, something eerie, about the two, dour sisters who gave him shelter. Later, when he woke to a sister staring down at him, Grant discovered just how dangerously strange a spot he was in.
4 ⭐️
The Knife (by Robert Arthur): A rusted but ornate knife, found in a heap of rubbish has a strange pull on those who hold it. But does it have a hatred of women and a will to murder?
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Cage (by Ray Russell): A tale of medieval horror. Some said the Count’s efficient young overseer was the devil, but to the lovely young Countess he was a toy to manipulate. Lust, betrayal, double crossing and sudden downfall, and the terrible truth that thinking you can outsmart the devil is harder and more horrifying than you might think.
4 ⭐️
It (by Theodore Sturgeon): A unique undead monster, of sweltering mold and corruption and a core of human bone becomes aware and curious in the North wood. It kills dispassionately from curiosity, not malice. It doesn’t even know the terror it brings to the farm family nearby.
3 1/2 ⭐️
Casablanca (by Thomas M. Disch): Elderly American tourist staying in Casablanca are isolated and increasingly frantic after they learn that America has been nuked. No one will accept their travelers checks, everyone is suddenly hostile. American citizenship is no longer a shield, but a liability. A story of the stereotypical Ugly American receiving shocking comeuppance.
4 ⭐️
The Road to Mictlantecutli (by Adobe James): Morgan was a bad man. But competent and confident, he had once again escape his fate and was speeding down a dangerous road through the Mexican night. But then there was a wreck. The padre with wild eyes, and the haughty, magnetic woman on horseback each found him afterwards, and which one he listened to would seal his doom.
3 ⭐️
Guide to Doom (by Ellis Peters): A reporter touring a small castle bribes the guide to show him the off limits old well where an ugly tragedy occurred ten years before. The old guide gives him a more thorough and dramatic tour then he expected.
3 ⭐️
The Estuary (by Margaret St. Clair): A short and slight tale of salvage thieves and haunted, decommissioned Liberty ships.
2 1/2 ⭐️
Tough Town (by William Sambrot): Towns don’t come any tougher — mad dogs and lynch mobs. A salesman can’t catch a break.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Troll (by T.H. White): A brilliantly told tale of a man’s matter of fact encounter seeing a troll eating a woman in a Swedish hotel in the full light of the midnight sun.
”The thing did not require belief. It was not a feeling of horror in one’s bones, or a misty outline, or anything that needed to be given actuality by an act of faith. It was as solid as a wardrobe. You don’t have to believe in wardrobes. They are there, with corners.”
5 ⭐️
Evening at the Black House (by Robert Somerlott): Henry Black is retired military, living with his German wife in a heavily fortified compound in remote Mexico. He invites his young American friend over on a fateful night to tell him a story of the past he is hiding from and to enlist his help against an imminent attack from his dark past.
4 1/2 ⭐️
One of the Dead (by William Wood): Ted and Ellen’s ultra-modern, newly constructed home at a prestige address on a street with stars and movie people should be perfect. How could it be haunted? Jeff and Sondra, the neighbors, know the story — Sondra knows more than she is telling. A story of love, marriage, infidelity and evil haunting in Los Angeles that is quietly terrifying.
5 ⭐️
The Real Thing (by Robert Specht): This story of a bully jokester’s prank gone horrifyingly wrong is completely and utterly predictable almost from its first paragraph. But it’s only a couple pages long so there’s that.
2 1/2 ⭐️
Journey to Death (by Donald E. Westlake): Two men trapped in a cabin of a ship sunken to a shallow sea-bed. Ehh.
”Fiction is wonderful that way. It is full of last minutes. But in life there is only one last minute. The minute before death.”
2 ⭐️
Master of the Hounds (by Algis Budrys): Summer renters in an otherwise abandoned housing project, Malcom and Virginia discover that their only neighbor, the crippled man in the house across from them, is a famous colonel who inspired a popular movie about World War II prisoner of war camp. They quickly discover that the colonel is a little mad, and through his expertly trained dogs intends to control them as completely as he did the men under him in the prison camp. Effectively terrifying with a devastating climax.
5 ⭐️
The Canidate (by Henry Slesar): The Society for United Action is a secret, non profit organization that operates on the principle that “some people are just not fit to live.” They have adapted the psychological core from the superstitious Voodoo curse and perfected it as a science. Burton Grunzer has many enemies, so when he is approached by a representative of this group, he of course is interested. This is a predictable but still effective tale.
”A man’s worth can be judged by the caliber of his enemies.”
3 1/2 ⭐️
Out of the Deeps (by John Wyndham): The final entry in this fabulous collection isn’t a short story, and is really almost too long to be a novella — more a short novel. First published in the UK as The Kraken Wakens it is an alien invasion story in the lineage of The War of the Worlds, only this time the aliens establish themselves in Earth’s oceans instead of its land masses. I’ve decided to review this later as a stand alone novel rather than as part of this collection of short stories.
December 8, 2019
the version i read is from 1967 and was borrowed from my aunt; i wish i could just keep it. ;)
I've seen in other reviews here that subsequent editions have changed the material, so in the interest of clarity, here are the stories included in the one i read, along with brief summaries and quick impressions:
Fishhead
the neighbour keeps to himself, but is it because of his disfigurement - or something else?
-- unsettling and vivid imagery; a good story to start the book with, as it quite set the mood
Camera Obscura
a shrewd banker sees how the other half lives and finds himself in a nightmare
-- unfortunately, I've seen the Night Gallery episode based on this tale, so i wasn't surprised by the conclusion; however, it was still satisfying
A Death in the Family
a funeral worker who grew up orphaned realises that family isn't just born, it can also be made
-- i really enjoyed this one. it was certainly strange and unsettling, and didn't follow the typical formula for such a premise
Men Without Bones
a sick doctor tells of his harrowing jungle adventure, and of the people he encountered within
-- a bit of an odd one, but the ending was fab
Not With a Bang
the world has been destroyed, and only two people remain
-- a fairly standard apocalypse bit. note: also likely a bit uncomfortable if you have a history of being sexually abused, but the ending is nice
Party Games
an unpopular and uninvited party guest just wants one person to whom he can relate
-- even though i saw it coming, it was still a solid, creepy story anyway
X Marks the Pedwalk
pedestrians and drivers fight over territory - with bloody ends
-- it was bizarre, though not terribly memorable
Curious Adventure of Mr Bond
(no, not James)
a wayward traveller finds himself enjoying the hospitality of three separate inns owned by a trio of brothers. when things seem too good to be true, however, he will need to determine whether there's really a threat - or if it's all in his head
-- one of my favourites, and especially creepy; i felt unsettled the whole way through
Two Spinsters
a detective, lost whilst trying to locate a village, spends a night at the home of two sisters. there is no warmth in their house - and is something sinister afoot?
-- this one took an interesting turn, and was a thoroughly dark tale start to end
The Knife
a man finds a knife - or did the knife find him?
-- somewhat predictable, but told well nonetheless
The Cage
they say he's the devil, but is he?
-- the ending had a great twist, and curiosity killed the cat
It
(not related to Stephen King's story)
something foul lurks in the woods
-- a 'novelette', this one is on the longer side, and certainly strange (and frustrating at times), but i enjoyed it
Casablanca
(not related to the Bogart film)
a married couple on holiday are unable to return home after the unimaginable occurs. then, it gets worse.
-- still not sure how i feel about this one. a bit boring at times, but it does have a frightening premise; also, the ending is unresolved, but i think that kind of works in its favour (as frustrating as it is)
The Road to Mitlantecutli
a criminal makes his escape in the Mexican desert - but is he really free?
-- another of my favourites, this story illustrates how our futures are so often in our own hands. the calibre of writing makes me want to read more of this author's work
Guide to Doom
your tour begins now; step lively, mind the gaps, and beware the falls
-- a unique perspective and entertaining twisty conclusion made this one another fun story
The Estuary
ship scrap-stealers find that some secrets aren't meant to be forgot
-- a slow burn that catches you in the end
Tough Town
a door-to-door salesman struggles to keep it together in a new town
-- this story illustrates the power of perception and how we respond to it
The Troll
a hotel guest shows us that what's on the inside doesn't necessarily match what's on the outside
-- this one was really very odd. just odd.
Evening at the Black House
a man finds out who his friends really are...with dangerous consequences
-- i really, really enjoyed this one. the story was well-written with an excellent twist
One of the Dead
a married couple buys their first home together, only it's not the paradise they were expecting
-- an unnerving twist on a ghost story. the ending to this one was especially jarring
The Real Thing
a prank from a bully, a little advice - what could go wrong?
-- very short and predictable, but still packs a powerful punch
Journey to Death
a timely fluke allows two men aboard a sinking ship to survive, but were their lives really saved?
-- an engaging journey into gratitude, desperation, despair, and madness
Master of the Hounds
a summer holiday for an uninspired husband and his beautiful but impatient wife quickly proves that strength can have a dark side
-- definitely a scary concept, this story was easy to imagine and hard to forget
The Candidate
an elderly CEO, his disgruntled employee, and a secret society holding the key
-- an unsympathetic character is actually perfect for this story - as was the ending
Out of the Deeps
(aka 'The Kraken Wakes')
mysterious objects, a changing ocean, and the link between the two create hell on earth for a man, his wife, and the world
-- a novel, it took me a little while to get into this story; however, once it picked up, i couldn't put it down
overall, an incredibly fun and spooky tome. I'll probably read most of these again before returning it. ;)
I've seen in other reviews here that subsequent editions have changed the material, so in the interest of clarity, here are the stories included in the one i read, along with brief summaries and quick impressions:
Fishhead
the neighbour keeps to himself, but is it because of his disfigurement - or something else?
-- unsettling and vivid imagery; a good story to start the book with, as it quite set the mood
Camera Obscura
a shrewd banker sees how the other half lives and finds himself in a nightmare
-- unfortunately, I've seen the Night Gallery episode based on this tale, so i wasn't surprised by the conclusion; however, it was still satisfying
A Death in the Family
a funeral worker who grew up orphaned realises that family isn't just born, it can also be made
-- i really enjoyed this one. it was certainly strange and unsettling, and didn't follow the typical formula for such a premise
Men Without Bones
a sick doctor tells of his harrowing jungle adventure, and of the people he encountered within
-- a bit of an odd one, but the ending was fab
Not With a Bang
the world has been destroyed, and only two people remain
-- a fairly standard apocalypse bit. note: also likely a bit uncomfortable if you have a history of being sexually abused, but the ending is nice
Party Games
an unpopular and uninvited party guest just wants one person to whom he can relate
-- even though i saw it coming, it was still a solid, creepy story anyway
X Marks the Pedwalk
pedestrians and drivers fight over territory - with bloody ends
-- it was bizarre, though not terribly memorable
Curious Adventure of Mr Bond
(no, not James)
a wayward traveller finds himself enjoying the hospitality of three separate inns owned by a trio of brothers. when things seem too good to be true, however, he will need to determine whether there's really a threat - or if it's all in his head
-- one of my favourites, and especially creepy; i felt unsettled the whole way through
Two Spinsters
a detective, lost whilst trying to locate a village, spends a night at the home of two sisters. there is no warmth in their house - and is something sinister afoot?
-- this one took an interesting turn, and was a thoroughly dark tale start to end
The Knife
a man finds a knife - or did the knife find him?
-- somewhat predictable, but told well nonetheless
The Cage
they say he's the devil, but is he?
-- the ending had a great twist, and curiosity killed the cat
It
(not related to Stephen King's story)
something foul lurks in the woods
-- a 'novelette', this one is on the longer side, and certainly strange (and frustrating at times), but i enjoyed it
Casablanca
(not related to the Bogart film)
a married couple on holiday are unable to return home after the unimaginable occurs. then, it gets worse.
-- still not sure how i feel about this one. a bit boring at times, but it does have a frightening premise; also, the ending is unresolved, but i think that kind of works in its favour (as frustrating as it is)
The Road to Mitlantecutli
a criminal makes his escape in the Mexican desert - but is he really free?
-- another of my favourites, this story illustrates how our futures are so often in our own hands. the calibre of writing makes me want to read more of this author's work
Guide to Doom
your tour begins now; step lively, mind the gaps, and beware the falls
-- a unique perspective and entertaining twisty conclusion made this one another fun story
The Estuary
ship scrap-stealers find that some secrets aren't meant to be forgot
-- a slow burn that catches you in the end
Tough Town
a door-to-door salesman struggles to keep it together in a new town
-- this story illustrates the power of perception and how we respond to it
The Troll
a hotel guest shows us that what's on the inside doesn't necessarily match what's on the outside
-- this one was really very odd. just odd.
Evening at the Black House
a man finds out who his friends really are...with dangerous consequences
-- i really, really enjoyed this one. the story was well-written with an excellent twist
One of the Dead
a married couple buys their first home together, only it's not the paradise they were expecting
-- an unnerving twist on a ghost story. the ending to this one was especially jarring
The Real Thing
a prank from a bully, a little advice - what could go wrong?
-- very short and predictable, but still packs a powerful punch
Journey to Death
a timely fluke allows two men aboard a sinking ship to survive, but were their lives really saved?
-- an engaging journey into gratitude, desperation, despair, and madness
Master of the Hounds
a summer holiday for an uninspired husband and his beautiful but impatient wife quickly proves that strength can have a dark side
-- definitely a scary concept, this story was easy to imagine and hard to forget
The Candidate
an elderly CEO, his disgruntled employee, and a secret society holding the key
-- an unsympathetic character is actually perfect for this story - as was the ending
Out of the Deeps
(aka 'The Kraken Wakes')
mysterious objects, a changing ocean, and the link between the two create hell on earth for a man, his wife, and the world
-- a novel, it took me a little while to get into this story; however, once it picked up, i couldn't put it down
overall, an incredibly fun and spooky tome. I'll probably read most of these again before returning it. ;)
January 18, 2024
Rating 3.5/5⭐
Read just one short story of this book 'Guide to doom'.
Read just one short story of this book 'Guide to doom'.
May 2, 2019
Eh, Hitch: te asustas fácilmente.
October 12, 2008
With the exception of John Wyndham's novella at the end of this collection, I really enjoyed these stories. Some of them I have read over and over. Party Games creeps me out every time.
November 1, 2020
Just the Barker's story read, but 4.75/5 stars.
January 25, 2019
I've actually had this copy of Hitchcock stories since 1968. It was a selection from a book club that I belonged to in high school. I know I have read some of this but I don't think I ever read the whole book. Anyway, this was a really great collection of stories ranging from the macabre to just plain scary and unsettling. The book was published in 1967 so some of the stories are definitely dated but they still provide chills. Some of my favorites from the collection include:
A DEATH IN THE FAMILY by Miriam Allen deFord: This one was reminiscent of Psycho with a lonely mortician using the dead to make his own family.
PARTY GAMES by John Burke: About an odd boy who attends a party uninvited with dire consequences.
CURIOUS ADVENTURES OF MR BOND by Nugent Barker: This one was about a traveler who goes to three inns run by three different brothers who have some strange ghoulish ulterior motives.
TWO SPINSTERS by E. Phillips Oppenheim: About two lonely sisters who were apparently jilted by a suitor and are patiently waiting for him to return.
IT by Theodore Sturgeon: This one was definitely creepy about a thing that comes to life in the woods trying to figure out life by pulling apart anything it comes in contact with. This reminded me of some of the old EC horror comics from the 50s.
THE TROLL by T.H. White: Really strange tale about a troll who resides in a hotel room in Sweden.
JOURNEY TO THE DEATH by Donald E. Westlake: Westlake is one of my favorite crime novelists. This story is a little unusual for him about two men who get trapped in a sealed room in a boat that sinks and how they try to survive.
Overall, I enjoyed probably 90 percent of these stories and would highly recommend this anthology. It also contains the complete novel OUT OF THE DEEPS (aka THE KRAKEN WAKES) by John Wyndham. I didn't read this one but I have a paperback copy of this novel that I will read at a later date.
A DEATH IN THE FAMILY by Miriam Allen deFord: This one was reminiscent of Psycho with a lonely mortician using the dead to make his own family.
PARTY GAMES by John Burke: About an odd boy who attends a party uninvited with dire consequences.
CURIOUS ADVENTURES OF MR BOND by Nugent Barker: This one was about a traveler who goes to three inns run by three different brothers who have some strange ghoulish ulterior motives.
TWO SPINSTERS by E. Phillips Oppenheim: About two lonely sisters who were apparently jilted by a suitor and are patiently waiting for him to return.
IT by Theodore Sturgeon: This one was definitely creepy about a thing that comes to life in the woods trying to figure out life by pulling apart anything it comes in contact with. This reminded me of some of the old EC horror comics from the 50s.
THE TROLL by T.H. White: Really strange tale about a troll who resides in a hotel room in Sweden.
JOURNEY TO THE DEATH by Donald E. Westlake: Westlake is one of my favorite crime novelists. This story is a little unusual for him about two men who get trapped in a sealed room in a boat that sinks and how they try to survive.
Overall, I enjoyed probably 90 percent of these stories and would highly recommend this anthology. It also contains the complete novel OUT OF THE DEEPS (aka THE KRAKEN WAKES) by John Wyndham. I didn't read this one but I have a paperback copy of this novel that I will read at a later date.
August 1, 2020
This is a great book of creepy stories. All the short stories can be read in one sitting and all are very well written.
I was so enjoying the short stories that I was distressed when I realized the book ends in a novella. This was not the format I signed up for. But John Wyndham’s Out of the Deep is charming, eerie, and thought-provoking so it won me over.
I’ve always loved literature by English writers and for my money, no one has matched the level of mystery and horror short stories they produced in the 50s through 70s.
This book is one I picked up from the trading library at a marina we were visiting with our sailboat and it’s one of the better book decisions I’ve made. I plan to keep it always.
I was so enjoying the short stories that I was distressed when I realized the book ends in a novella. This was not the format I signed up for. But John Wyndham’s Out of the Deep is charming, eerie, and thought-provoking so it won me over.
I’ve always loved literature by English writers and for my money, no one has matched the level of mystery and horror short stories they produced in the 50s through 70s.
This book is one I picked up from the trading library at a marina we were visiting with our sailboat and it’s one of the better book decisions I’ve made. I plan to keep it always.
September 7, 2020
My father gave me this book - which had belonged to him - when I was a kid. Many of the stories were a bit over my head at the time and I stayed up late, with a light under the blanket, struggling to get through these addictive & deliciously creepy horror stories. Almost all of them were spine tingling, shudder inducing tales of a gruesome or ironic nature - this is one of those books that you go back to again and again. Good stuff!
July 7, 2010
Worth the price just to read Miriam Allen Deford's "A Death in the Family" a great little horror story which Rod Serling adapted into a wonderful segment of "Rod Serling's Night Gallery" by the same name. Some other excellent stories as well!
June 25, 2023
M falta el ultimo cuento x pereza
Algunos cuentos muy muy muy bien... Hubo uno q me dio miedo d verdad, miedo d no dormir. Tambien varios sin más pero ninguno que no merezca ser leído
Destaco: una muerte en la familia, los hombres sin huesos (el final!!!), la fiesta de cumpleaños, la curiosa aventura del señor bond, dos solteronas, el monstruo (QUÉ LOCURA), casablanca, dura ciudad, la habitacion de los niños (mi favorito, me cagué)
Algunos cuentos muy muy muy bien... Hubo uno q me dio miedo d verdad, miedo d no dormir. Tambien varios sin más pero ninguno que no merezca ser leído
Destaco: una muerte en la familia, los hombres sin huesos (el final!!!), la fiesta de cumpleaños, la curiosa aventura del señor bond, dos solteronas, el monstruo (QUÉ LOCURA), casablanca, dura ciudad, la habitacion de los niños (mi favorito, me cagué)
July 6, 2020
Hay de todo, como en botica. Entretenido.
December 18, 2022
You know it’s a good book when you get a tattoo of the chapter headers.
An excellent collection of chilling reads that helped me sleep.
An excellent collection of chilling reads that helped me sleep.
January 16, 2016
This collection of stories..... sometimes made me shudder. Other times were more of a "I read it, but it wasn't scary." Other times were just nerve-wrackingly horrific!
Stories of murder, revenge, adultery, shades of the Cask of Amontillado, and hardly any have "happy" endings. Some people survive, but...... their lives are never the same.
Out of the Deeps was a novel: It (not by Stephen King) was a "Novelette", and the rest were 'stories'. All had something that chilled about them.
Out of the Deeps had me very nervous for humanity because nobody wanted to face that strange occurrences were the result of an alien invasion. The story was told from a reporter's viewpoint. It was only as some humans went missing from the shorelines or the water level rose precipitously higher than normal that governments started their work.
Stories of murder, revenge, adultery, shades of the Cask of Amontillado, and hardly any have "happy" endings. Some people survive, but...... their lives are never the same.
Out of the Deeps was a novel: It (not by Stephen King) was a "Novelette", and the rest were 'stories'. All had something that chilled about them.
Out of the Deeps had me very nervous for humanity because nobody wanted to face that strange occurrences were the result of an alien invasion. The story was told from a reporter's viewpoint. It was only as some humans went missing from the shorelines or the water level rose precipitously higher than normal that governments started their work.
October 20, 2010
I picked up this book at the library because it contains a short story "X Marks he Pedwalk" which I had been looking for for a long time. That particular story is very short but good, and I decided to read the rest of them. They are mostly very good, the kind of suspense you would expect Hitchcock to enjoy, sort of a Twilight Zone kind of feel to them. There's a particularly memorable one about a little girl who discovers a plant-monster, and one where a couple gets held hostage by a WWII vet with two dobermans. The scariest one was a story about a couple who builds a house in a prestigious area of Southern California only to discover it was once a Spanish execution grounds. Let the hauntings begin!
The final piece is a short novel about journalists who survive a world-wide attack from possible alien creatures living in the depth of the ocean. This was very good, and I stayed up late finishing it.
The final piece is a short novel about journalists who survive a world-wide attack from possible alien creatures living in the depth of the ocean. This was very good, and I stayed up late finishing it.
October 16, 2007
In addition to being one of the greatest film directors of all time, and hoating a wonderful, long- running television show, Alfred Hitchcock lent his name to a series of short story anthologies that were almost always first-rate. I read nearly all of them, and reveled in their dark, hard-boiled look at life. The best of these stories are like classic film noir; terribly depressing, but fascinating and irresistable. My personal favorite of all is in this volume. "The Candidate" by Henry Slesar is just simply a magnificant little piece of literature. It's worth the price of this book alone. For those who love crime and mystery, and short stories in general, this volume is one of the best.
August 31, 2012
This book is a compilation of old stories that were meant to scare people. More or less to get the reader to really think about how the paranormal, elderly, historical people can play a role in society. Some of the tales may be boring, some dragged, and some just got one to say, " What the freak!?"
I honestly thought this book was an alright book. Yes there were some suspenseful, mind twisting, and weird stories but come to think of it, this book was written in I think 1967 (Please do not quote me on it). Anyway, the date can sort of relate as to how people talked and how things were written. Obviously it was meant to readers of higher level. Higher level by tooshy! I say, "if you think you got what it takes to understand it, accept the challenge and give it a swing. Theres nothing wrong in giving something a try."
I honestly thought this book was an alright book. Yes there were some suspenseful, mind twisting, and weird stories but come to think of it, this book was written in I think 1967 (Please do not quote me on it). Anyway, the date can sort of relate as to how people talked and how things were written. Obviously it was meant to readers of higher level. Higher level by tooshy! I say, "if you think you got what it takes to understand it, accept the challenge and give it a swing. Theres nothing wrong in giving something a try."
November 22, 2011
This is without a doubt the most disturbing book I have ever read. I discovered it at the school library when I was 12 after devouring all the horror classics like Dracula and Frankenstein and some of the stories terrified me to my very core. The sentiment of unease I got reading them followed me for months.
July 22, 2016
Algunos relatos me han gustado mucho y otros no tanto, le daría 5 estrellas sólo al primero de la colección y a los demás 4 ó 5. El último de los relatos es de John Wyndham y me ha gustado mucho pero es muy largo, yo lo calificaría casi de novela corta, y corta un poco el rollo del resto de historias. Aún así, creo que el gusto de Hitchcock para elegir relatos es original y muy variado.
December 4, 2011
This was on my Mom's bookshelf.....I read it as a teen-ager and remember being enthralled especially with the creepy story "Part Games". Years later I still remember how this short story frightened me!
July 19, 2014
Outstanding collection, most of which I've never read before. The novel by John Wyndham is amazingly prescient about the effects of sea level rise, which unfortunatly I think we're going to see come true.
July 1, 2015
Cuentos:
- La habitación de los niños (2 estrellas)
- ¡Tan Real!... (3 estrellas)
- Viaje a la muerte (2 estrellas)
- El amo de los perros (4 estrellas)
- El candidato (2 estrellas)
- El misterios de las profundidades (3 estrellas)
- La habitación de los niños (2 estrellas)
- ¡Tan Real!... (3 estrellas)
- Viaje a la muerte (2 estrellas)
- El amo de los perros (4 estrellas)
- El candidato (2 estrellas)
- El misterios de las profundidades (3 estrellas)
November 2, 2012
My grandmother bequeathed me a ton of wonderful horror and science fiction anthologies and this is one of them. My grandmother had awesome taste. I'm going to go reread all of this immediately.
April 14, 2013
this book is much better than the 58 short stories. Typical Hitchcock fashion, even though all different authors/contributors, they still have the twist that always leaves you wondering.
February 6, 2017
Stories were neither that great nor that scary....
December 6, 2018
Read this back in the 70’s, my mother had a paperback copy. I remembered I liked it but can’t remember any of the stories. Guess I’ll need to read it, again.
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