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The Horror MEGAPACK ®: 25 Classic and Modern Horror Stories
Hours of great reading await, with tales from some of the 20th century's most renowned horror and dark fantasy authors, Here is the by H.P. LovecraftTHE CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, by Robert E. HowardMOTHER OF PEARL, by Fitz-James O’Brien THE WALKING DEAD, by E. Hoffmann PriceSOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO SHOUT ABOUT IT, by Darrell SchweitzerTHE STORY OF MING-Y, by Lafcadio HearnBY MOONLIGHT, by John Gregory BetancourtTHE GATEWAY OF THE MONSTER, by William Hope HodgsonCANON ALBERIC’S SCRAP-BOOK, by M.R. JamesDRACULA’S GUEST, by Bram StokerTHE MAN WHO FOUND OUT, by Algernon BlackwoodPHANTAS, by Oliver OnionsFEAR, by Achmed AbdullahLUCIFER, by John D. SwainPENNIES FROM HELL, by Darrell SchweitzerTHE HOUND, by H. P. LovecraftTHE DUKE OF DEMOLITION GOES TO HELL, by John Gregory BetancourtJUKE-BOX, by Henry KuttnerTHE MUMMY’S FOOT, by Théophile Gautier PIT OF MADNESS, by E. Hoffmann PriceTHE GHOST OF TOWNELEY TOWERS, by Seabury QuinnSMALL WORLD, by William F. NolanTHE BELL IN THE FOG, by Gertrude AthertonTHE CORPSE ON THE GRATING, by Hugh B. CaveTHE MAN WHO COLLECTED KNIVES, by John Gregory BetancourtAnd don't forget to search on "Wildside Megapack" to see other volumes in this series, covering fantasy, horror, mystery, westerns, and much, much more!
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2011
71 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
H.P. Lovecraft
6,111 books19.2k followersHoward Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.
Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
— Wikipedia
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.
Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
— Wikipedia
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November 9, 2025PLACEHOLDER REVIEW
Hugh B. Cave's "The Corpse On The Grating" is thick slice of pulp horror. A investigative duo (think Holmes & Watson, but more emotional) happen across a dead watchman at the window of a warehouse, late at night. The watchman has been frightened to death, which leads the Holmes analog to bet the Watson analog that he won't go inside and sit in the dark for a couple of hours. He does, and finds the book of horror stories the deceased watchman was reading. And then he's not alone... All this would be fine, an atmospheric harum-scarum yarn, if it weren't for the framing device that "explains" the situation. Still, an enjoyable piece of fluff.
Robert E. Howard's "Children Of The Night" starts with a bunch of English and American toffs arguing over racial lineages and discussing their favorite weird and decadent fiction (really - there's even an oblique nod to James Elroy Flecker!). But then one accidentally hits another in the head with a Pictish mallet (really), which triggers an unconscious dream state in which the injured has visions of himself as a member of the Sword People, in the ancient past, battling in vicious combat with "the children of the night", degenerate, subterranean peoples. A strange thing, half barbarian-type action, half disturbing musing on racial enmity.
Hugh B. Cave's "The Corpse On The Grating" is thick slice of pulp horror. A investigative duo (think Holmes & Watson, but more emotional) happen across a dead watchman at the window of a warehouse, late at night. The watchman has been frightened to death, which leads the Holmes analog to bet the Watson analog that he won't go inside and sit in the dark for a couple of hours. He does, and finds the book of horror stories the deceased watchman was reading. And then he's not alone... All this would be fine, an atmospheric harum-scarum yarn, if it weren't for the framing device that "explains" the situation. Still, an enjoyable piece of fluff.
Robert E. Howard's "Children Of The Night" starts with a bunch of English and American toffs arguing over racial lineages and discussing their favorite weird and decadent fiction (really - there's even an oblique nod to James Elroy Flecker!). But then one accidentally hits another in the head with a Pictish mallet (really), which triggers an unconscious dream state in which the injured has visions of himself as a member of the Sword People, in the ancient past, battling in vicious combat with "the children of the night", degenerate, subterranean peoples. A strange thing, half barbarian-type action, half disturbing musing on racial enmity.
September 4, 2020
This collection was more like a bunch of racist, sexist stories than horror. I had a really difficult time making my way through this book because it was so offensive. In one of the stories, the "monsters" were literally Asian people, and in another story the author could not stop describing women's breasts repeatedly and failing in his imagination and vocabulary to say anything other than they were "firm" over and over.
The large majority of the authors were white men, and it really shows. There were basically no female characters that had any depth or weren't there just for decoration or to be ravaged and saved. With regards to people of color, they were either exoticized or portrayed as simple, backwards, and - the age old - "savage" people. Many of the "horrors" were really just amplifications of how white men wrongly viewed other cultures (i.e. "primitives" in the African jungle, "mystique" of ancient Egyptians, the "demonic" look of "Mongoloid" people).
I'm glad I read this so that I personally learned how biased and discriminatory (horror) writers used to be. Modern literature still isn't perfect but it sure is better than this. 2 stars because there were a few stories that I did enjoy.
The large majority of the authors were white men, and it really shows. There were basically no female characters that had any depth or weren't there just for decoration or to be ravaged and saved. With regards to people of color, they were either exoticized or portrayed as simple, backwards, and - the age old - "savage" people. Many of the "horrors" were really just amplifications of how white men wrongly viewed other cultures (i.e. "primitives" in the African jungle, "mystique" of ancient Egyptians, the "demonic" look of "Mongoloid" people).
I'm glad I read this so that I personally learned how biased and discriminatory (horror) writers used to be. Modern literature still isn't perfect but it sure is better than this. 2 stars because there were a few stories that I did enjoy.
November 22, 2015
Generally Good
A generally good megapack although not all to my taste and some I honestly wondered if they had been included just because of the name. Here is my story by story review:
Dagon- 4 Stars : I love Lovecraft's stories and this is one of his good ones. Short and eerie.
The Children of the Night- 2 Stars: Started off with promise with a minor wink, wink, nudge, nudge reference to Lovecraft by the author Robert E. Howard. But it devolved rather quickly into more of an action adventure story that strays away from horror.
Mother of Pearl- 4 Stars: It starts off a little slow but packs a wallop of an ending that is slightly diminished by the ending paragraph which, frankly, seems out of place to me.
The Walking Dead- 3 Stars: Without even checking the publication date you can easily tell this story comes from the heyday of Adventure pulps when men were tough, rugged and ready for action (of whatever kind) and women were scantily clad damsels in need of rescue and/or ravishment. Very amusing if you can look past its non-PC faults. But not very spine tingling.
Sometimes You Have to Shout About It- 2 Stars: Meh. Just not very interesting to me.
The Story of Ming-Y- I honestly didn't read this one because I have it in a collection of Lafcadio Hearn and I wanted to read it all together.
By Moonlight- 4 Stars: A bit of a different take on a vampire story. I would give a spoiler warning but it's pretty clear what he is right away. I liked the twist at the end.
The Gateway of the Monster- 4 Stars: I love the Carnacki series by William Hope Hodgson and only wish there were more of them.
Canon Alberic's Scrapbook- 4 Stars: Another great classic by a master, M.R. James. I have to wonder though, with this same story in the Second Ghost Story Megapack, why they didn't choose another. There are plenty of good ones to choose from.
Dracula's Guest- 3 Stars: This is supposed to be an excised chapter from Dracula but it works well as a stand-alone short story.
The Man Who Found Out- 2 Stars bordering on 3: It starts out great and seems to be building to a great climax when...nothing. Perhaps Blackwood couldn't think of anything horrible enough and decided to leave it vague but it seems to be a bit of a cheat.
Phantas- 4 Stars: I'm not overly fond of Oliver Onions' stories but this one I really like. Particularly the revelation at the end.
Fear- 2 1/2 Stars: Is a very good suspense builder and keeps the pace moving along briskly. I just couldn't really care about the character and really thought he got what he deserved.
Lucifer- 2: Just ok
Pennies from Hell- 3 Stars: Will certainly make you think of picking up loose change!
The Hound- 4 Stars: Another by Lovecraft and another I've always liked. I've always had a fondness for spectral hounds (from Hell or otherwise)
The Duke of Demolition Goes to Hell- 4 Stars: A different take on Hell that I really liked. I thought it was very creative. I don't know if the story could be stretched to novella length but I would read it if it were.
Juke Box- 1 Star: It starts out ok but the ending tanks it.
The Mummy's Foot- 3 Stars: More fantasy than horror and rather odd at that but still enjoyable.
Pit of Madness- 1 Star: I honestly think some of these were chosen based off the title alone. Very little horror but in typical E. Hoffman Price fashion plenty of brawling and sex.
The Ghost of Towneley Towers- 1 Star: Was interesting at first but the mundane creeps in pretty early. And honestly, I have a pretty high tolerance for older stories being not PC, I try to look past it because the times were different then but this story... His pretty blond ward feels it's necessary to praise him with every other breath, especially in the clue finding department. Think a prettier, more obsequious Watson with a weird pidgin language and you've got her. I also think the two characters must be part of a larger series of stories because it felt like being plunked down into the middle of their story.
A Small World- 3 Stars: A decent end-of-the-world story with a nice twist at the end.
The Bell in the Fog-1 Star: Ok, this story was creepy but not in a horror vein. This main character was way too obsessed with two paintings of small children and very creepy when he actually meets a girl that resembles the painting. There's nothing really untoward exactly but it gave me the creeps. Maybe it's my more modern mind coloring it with modern perceptions but to me it was weird that he has her live wholly with him, sends the mother to the theater and trips so he can have her to himself. And the part near the end really irked me. Apparently to him it's acceptable to lay a guilt trip on a young girl.
The Corpse on the Grating- 2 Stars: A slow zombie-ish story. It was ok.
The Man Who Collected Knives- 3 Stars: Pretty decent story. Certainly an interesting take on a hobby!
Well, thank you for reading this very long review and my summation is you can't beat the price.
A generally good megapack although not all to my taste and some I honestly wondered if they had been included just because of the name. Here is my story by story review:
Dagon- 4 Stars : I love Lovecraft's stories and this is one of his good ones. Short and eerie.
The Children of the Night- 2 Stars: Started off with promise with a minor wink, wink, nudge, nudge reference to Lovecraft by the author Robert E. Howard. But it devolved rather quickly into more of an action adventure story that strays away from horror.
Mother of Pearl- 4 Stars: It starts off a little slow but packs a wallop of an ending that is slightly diminished by the ending paragraph which, frankly, seems out of place to me.
The Walking Dead- 3 Stars: Without even checking the publication date you can easily tell this story comes from the heyday of Adventure pulps when men were tough, rugged and ready for action (of whatever kind) and women were scantily clad damsels in need of rescue and/or ravishment. Very amusing if you can look past its non-PC faults. But not very spine tingling.
Sometimes You Have to Shout About It- 2 Stars: Meh. Just not very interesting to me.
The Story of Ming-Y- I honestly didn't read this one because I have it in a collection of Lafcadio Hearn and I wanted to read it all together.
By Moonlight- 4 Stars: A bit of a different take on a vampire story. I would give a spoiler warning but it's pretty clear what he is right away. I liked the twist at the end.
The Gateway of the Monster- 4 Stars: I love the Carnacki series by William Hope Hodgson and only wish there were more of them.
Canon Alberic's Scrapbook- 4 Stars: Another great classic by a master, M.R. James. I have to wonder though, with this same story in the Second Ghost Story Megapack, why they didn't choose another. There are plenty of good ones to choose from.
Dracula's Guest- 3 Stars: This is supposed to be an excised chapter from Dracula but it works well as a stand-alone short story.
The Man Who Found Out- 2 Stars bordering on 3: It starts out great and seems to be building to a great climax when...nothing. Perhaps Blackwood couldn't think of anything horrible enough and decided to leave it vague but it seems to be a bit of a cheat.
Phantas- 4 Stars: I'm not overly fond of Oliver Onions' stories but this one I really like. Particularly the revelation at the end.
Fear- 2 1/2 Stars: Is a very good suspense builder and keeps the pace moving along briskly. I just couldn't really care about the character and really thought he got what he deserved.
Lucifer- 2: Just ok
Pennies from Hell- 3 Stars: Will certainly make you think of picking up loose change!
The Hound- 4 Stars: Another by Lovecraft and another I've always liked. I've always had a fondness for spectral hounds (from Hell or otherwise)
The Duke of Demolition Goes to Hell- 4 Stars: A different take on Hell that I really liked. I thought it was very creative. I don't know if the story could be stretched to novella length but I would read it if it were.
Juke Box- 1 Star: It starts out ok but the ending tanks it.
The Mummy's Foot- 3 Stars: More fantasy than horror and rather odd at that but still enjoyable.
Pit of Madness- 1 Star: I honestly think some of these were chosen based off the title alone. Very little horror but in typical E. Hoffman Price fashion plenty of brawling and sex.
The Ghost of Towneley Towers- 1 Star: Was interesting at first but the mundane creeps in pretty early. And honestly, I have a pretty high tolerance for older stories being not PC, I try to look past it because the times were different then but this story... His pretty blond ward feels it's necessary to praise him with every other breath, especially in the clue finding department. Think a prettier, more obsequious Watson with a weird pidgin language and you've got her. I also think the two characters must be part of a larger series of stories because it felt like being plunked down into the middle of their story.
A Small World- 3 Stars: A decent end-of-the-world story with a nice twist at the end.
The Bell in the Fog-1 Star: Ok, this story was creepy but not in a horror vein. This main character was way too obsessed with two paintings of small children and very creepy when he actually meets a girl that resembles the painting. There's nothing really untoward exactly but it gave me the creeps. Maybe it's my more modern mind coloring it with modern perceptions but to me it was weird that he has her live wholly with him, sends the mother to the theater and trips so he can have her to himself. And the part near the end really irked me. Apparently to him it's acceptable to lay a guilt trip on a young girl.
The Corpse on the Grating- 2 Stars: A slow zombie-ish story. It was ok.
The Man Who Collected Knives- 3 Stars: Pretty decent story. Certainly an interesting take on a hobby!
Well, thank you for reading this very long review and my summation is you can't beat the price.
December 27, 2022
I have mentioned before how these Megapack collections are such a superb value for the money, so consider that point made. This collection in particular was quite good, and with the inclusion of several spectacular tales I had previously read at some point or another, was a bit of a nostalgia trip. Well worth EVERY penny. In true Megapack tradition, there were a few that were far from spectacular, and others which were cringe inducing with regard to what today is called political correctness. These tales are of their time, and should be read as such, so consider this a warning to the easily offended.
February 27, 2024
A collection of 25 short stories some recent some older
As usual with a short story collection what I may have really liked you may not but I am sure you will find some stories that you will like. For the price you can't go wrong. Recommended.
As usual with a short story collection what I may have really liked you may not but I am sure you will find some stories that you will like. For the price you can't go wrong. Recommended.
October 30, 2019
Like every horror anthology, some great short stories, some boring fillers. In all, good anthology collection.
November 29, 2022
Better than I expected for what it is. Nice selection, stuff I’ve never read before but definitely “of the period” ie a bit icky
January 2, 2023
2.5 stars - overall, I was not entirely amazed by this collection of short horror stories. Some I did enjoy but I found the others to be slow and boring, hence the 2.5 stars
Currently reading
July 14, 2024“Fear” by Achmed Abdullah - Stuart fears Farragut will be the death of him even though he believes the man dead. That is why at first he is overjoyed when he receives an African curio drum with human skin bearing a tattoo he recognizes as Farragut's but his fear comes to pass when he disturbs a small venomous snake within the drum that bites him.
“Mother of Pearl” by Fitz-James O’Brien - The narrator's wife develops a hashish habit and, after a viewing of the play Medea, develops a thirst for blood. She attempts to murder him in his sleep and fails but succeeds in slaying their daughter. She is confined to an asylum and the narrator consoles himself with the drug.
"Lucifer" by John D. Swain - Sir William consults a Satanist to cure his son's deformity. The Devil answers the prayer by transforming the child's body into the picture of health but slays the child.
“By Moonlight” by John Gregory Betancourt - The protagonist is a vampire but doesn't understand how he became one until he returns home and discovers that his father had been one too.
“Pennies from Hell” by Darrell Schweitzer - A comic publisher learns his favorite artist is obsessing over collecting pennies that have messages on their back side communicated by demons.
“Canon Alberic’s Scrap-Book” by M.R. James - Dennistoun buys an old book with a sketch of a hideous creature and is soon set upon by a demon at night.
"The Man Who Collected Knives" by John Gregory Betancourt - wc
"The Mummy's Foot" by Theophile Gautier - wc
"Small World" by William F. Nolan - wc
"Pit of Madness" by E. Hoffmann Price - wc
“Mother of Pearl” by Fitz-James O’Brien - The narrator's wife develops a hashish habit and, after a viewing of the play Medea, develops a thirst for blood. She attempts to murder him in his sleep and fails but succeeds in slaying their daughter. She is confined to an asylum and the narrator consoles himself with the drug.
"Lucifer" by John D. Swain - Sir William consults a Satanist to cure his son's deformity. The Devil answers the prayer by transforming the child's body into the picture of health but slays the child.
“By Moonlight” by John Gregory Betancourt - The protagonist is a vampire but doesn't understand how he became one until he returns home and discovers that his father had been one too.
“Pennies from Hell” by Darrell Schweitzer - A comic publisher learns his favorite artist is obsessing over collecting pennies that have messages on their back side communicated by demons.
“Canon Alberic’s Scrap-Book” by M.R. James - Dennistoun buys an old book with a sketch of a hideous creature and is soon set upon by a demon at night.
"The Man Who Collected Knives" by John Gregory Betancourt - wc
"The Mummy's Foot" by Theophile Gautier - wc
"Small World" by William F. Nolan - wc
"Pit of Madness" by E. Hoffmann Price - wc
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2016
I normally really like reading short story compilations - if they have horror or supernatural elements, then it's even better! However, this one was probably the weakest I've read - the ones that were bad were pretty bad (especially those with the big macho man saving the mostly nude girl from a stereotypical danger). There was no suspense and the characters were boring.
Others had interesting settings, such as the one with the lone girl that needs to sleep outside because of her family's activities. Some had interesting twists and the one with the ghost that slammed doors really built up the tension. So all in all it was a decent red in spite of the fact that the first stories almost made me give up.
Others had interesting settings, such as the one with the lone girl that needs to sleep outside because of her family's activities. Some had interesting twists and the one with the ghost that slammed doors really built up the tension. So all in all it was a decent red in spite of the fact that the first stories almost made me give up.
November 18, 2012
This was surprisingly enjoyable and entertaining. Most collections like this have their share of losers, but I'm glad I read each and every one of these. Some were by pretty well-known authors too. I'd recommend getting it and taking your time with it. No rush. Even the longest of the stories can probably be finished in an hour or so.
April 23, 2019
The horror megapacks are a real blast.
I gave it five stars because you get the classics and modern in the megapacks ! It's a great bargain with something for everyone! I highly recommend this one and the others. Check them out!
I gave it five stars because you get the classics and modern in the megapacks ! It's a great bargain with something for everyone! I highly recommend this one and the others. Check them out!
January 15, 2021
A fascinating melange of horror stories from the early 1900s to modern tales. The stories cover a wide variety of subjects and there are no stories that repeat themselves in theme. And the price can't be beat.
August 1, 2021
Excellent Megapack Anthology
I enjoyed these stories mainly from the pre WW2 era (the golden age of strange fiction). This collection was well worth the $2 paid providing hours of enjoyment and entertainment. Strongly recommend to fans of good horror stories.
I enjoyed these stories mainly from the pre WW2 era (the golden age of strange fiction). This collection was well worth the $2 paid providing hours of enjoyment and entertainment. Strongly recommend to fans of good horror stories.
April 23, 2020
A nice collection of old Pulp with a dash of Modern horror.
January 17, 2024
Excellent collection of horror with just enough scifi, mystery and murder for variety. Several classic authors -- Stoker, Lovecraft, Blackwood, Price, etc. -- to maintain a high level of style.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews