Classic Horror Stories

by David Stuart Davies (Editor), Algernon Blackwood (Contributor), M.R. James (Contributor)

A spine-chilling anthology that celebrates the thrilling pleasure and rich literary legacy of horror writing.

From the sinister imagination of Edgar Allan Poe to the supernatural suspense of H. G. Wells, this collection of stories explores a range of eerie experiences; there are hauntings, monsters and plenty of often inexplicable and always terrifying dramas. The classic masters of the genre are here; in Algernon Blackwood’s deeply unnerving "The Occupant in the Room" a hotel room hides a terrifying secret. In Guy de Maupassant’s "Vendetta," a mother is bent on terrible revenge and in "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" M. R. James turns a treasure hunt into a nightmare.

Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, cloth-bound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover.

Genres: Horror, Classics

328 pages, Hardcover

Published August 27, 2024

About the author

David Stuart Davies was a British writer. He worked as a teacher of English before becoming a full-time editor, writer, and playwright. Davies wrote extensively about Sherlock Holmes, both fiction and non-fiction. He was the editor of Red Herrings, the monthly in-house publication of the Crime Writers' Association, and a member of The Baker Street Irregulars and the Detection Club.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

While most of the stories are notable simply because they’re old, written when a “she’s been dead the whole time!”-style revelation was revelatory, the kickoff tale THE OCCUPANT OF THE ROOM (from 1909!) is a genuinely disturbing piece of short horror, the perfect fix for feeling unsettled right before bed.

[Bea · Rating 2 out of 5]

i wasn’t built for short stories

[David Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riveting selection of classic horror tales - though I would describe some as 'suspense' as they have no element of the supernatural. (That doesn't make them any less compelling). A case in point is the opening story, The Occupant of the Room, by Algernon Blackwood. It's a tragic tale centred around a bad case of depression (or melancholy as it is described in the vernacular of the 19th century in the tale). The authors are a mix of the well-known and less well-known; I skipped the contributions of Poe, Conan Doyle and Wells to focus on the lesser-known and they certainly delivered. My favourite was Where No Bird Sings by EF Benson, one of the tales that does have an element of the supernatural. It also has some beautiful nature writing and great characters, and just fits together perfectly into its short length.

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 3 out of 5]

90% retreads. "The Hand" by Dreiser is interesting guignol.

[Izzy Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find my short ratings for all stories below: The good, the bad, and the blob. 3 stars total is derived from my average rating (rounded up for nice foreword)

The occupant of the room: “Fear, once in, is difficult to dislodge.” Algernon Blackwood summarizes the myth of Sisyphus by Camus in one (superiorly written) paragraph. Good ending, the rest not so scary. Reminded me of a Junji Ito premise. 6/10

The treasure of abbot thomas: Love a mystery, love a cipher. Silly spook. 7/10 for the non-horror setup. Would read more from this author.

M. Valdemar: FASCINATING concept (dead man hypnotized to speak from beyond), wish Poe had done more with it. 5/10 for wasted potential.

August heat: Short. Open-ended. 8/10 for creativity. Reminded me of a black mirror story.

The red room: Lame, no stakes, literally nothing happened, expected more. 2/10

And no bird sings: Lame. Sci-fi, not horror. Serving the blob. 3/10 for some pretty turns of phrase.

The terror of blue john gap: (Want to note at the outset this is the second story in a row of “men enter creature’s domain with guns, try to shoot creature who has done nothing but look icky and smell bad.” What else can you expect from the English, though, I guess) This is definitely arthur conan doyle trying to write a horror story. I.e., totally sanitized, theorized into impotence, no good scares that are not meticulously explained. 4/10 because i love the guy and his incompetence in the genre made me smile.

The thing invisible: 1/10 awful not even horror, stupid hidden lever magic trick bullshit

The hand: 3/10 lowkey depressing, some interesting ghost behavior

Twilight: 9/10 oh my god LOVED THIS!!! Creepy, beautifully written, creepy old crone story but really interesting, leaves a lot to the imagination in a good way. Finally a female author!!

Vendetta: 1/10 not horror. Animal abuse :(

A bottle of perrier: 9/10 women can write tf out of a horror story and I’ve always said this. Dreamy desert mirage vibes, a story that ratchets up the unease bit by bit the whole time. I predicted the twist but was locked in anyway.

Celuli-la 6/10 three cheers for frog monster

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book for its great cover and wasn't disappointed. 13 stories, some more, some less horror, but overall a very good overview on classic horror. It started strong with Algernon Blackwoon, MR James and Poe, then the stories became a bit longer. The closing story was Eleanor Scott's Celui-la, a very uncanny piece of fiction written in 1929 with a hooded creature seemingly possessed by the devil. If you want to have a look into classic horror this is a good starting point. The book itself is an absolute collector's edition. The pages even have golden edges. Really recommended!

[Jo Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of classic Gothic and ghost stories this is the perfect collection, filled with ghastly from such classic writers as Arthur Conan Doyle, H G Wells and M R James. What I especially liked is that they are arranged in a logical order so that stories with a similar theme are grouped together. It's also an aesthetically pleasing book, small, with a gold edge and built in book-mark. Would make a great gift or a treat for yourself.

[Luke Pitts · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Amber Scaife · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little collection, some stories better than others. I particularly liked the Doyle (which I had read before) and the Poe (which I may have read before but have forgotten).

[Nikky Southerland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of horror from around the 1880s—1920s.