Classic Horror Stories: Sixteen Legendary Stories of the Supernatural

by Charles A. Coulombe (Editor)

Before electric lights and telephones, there were only candles and, at last,
gas lights, to banish the darkness. And in that darkness might lurk - who
knows? Ghosts, werewolves, vampires, witches, or even the Devil himself!
Such stories were told - and written - to provoke that delicious chill
of fear which, even in our own electrified world, millions seek through
movies and television. Here are some of the most spine-tingling tales ever written about the starnge and thrilling world of the supernatural.

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Fiction, Anthologies

275 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Roy-Charles A. Coulombe is an American Catholic author, historian, and lecturer. Coulombe is known for his advocacy of monarchism.

Reviews

[Carmen Tudor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although Coulombe's collection only contains sixteen stories there a few great pieces to look out for. R. S. Hawker's "The Botathen Ghost," H. B. Marryat's "The Werewolf" and Ralph Adams Cram’s “The Dead Valley” all stand out--even among the more familiar names such as Dickens, Saki, Bierce and Gogol. All pieces are fairly tame and seem to have a familiar quality, and a lot of them read almost as folk tales or straight character narratives (anecdotes). In spite of this, it’s a worthwhile anthology if you can get your hands on a copy.

NB I skipped some of the well known pieces and focused on the lesser known of the stories.

[Eligos Vespillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent compilation of improtant ghost fiction throughout the centuries, including an exerpt from the Bible (perhaps an apt categorization) and such powerhouses as Ambrose Bierce and Charles Dickens.

[Casie Blevins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed but grew weary of how they wrote stories in the 1800's-- in a very indirect way.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine collection of classic spine chilling tales!

[John Devlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit old school but still some have a punch.