The Witching Hour: Ghostly Tales for the Darkest Nights

by Bridget Collins, Susan Stokes-Chapman, Imogen Hermes Gowar

FROM THE CREATORS OF THE HAUNTING SEASON AND THE WINTER A COLLECTION OF GHOSTLY TALES

Featuring original stories

Michelle Paver
Stacey Halls
Bridget Collins
Imogen Hermes Gowar
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Andrew Michael Hurley
Jess Kidd
Natasha Pulley
Elizabeth Macneal
Susan Stokes-Chapman
Laura Shepherd-Robinson
Stuart Turton
Catriona Ward

_________

There is something peculiar about the hour after midnight.

It is the time when darkness reigns.

And strange things roam the earth.

In this dazzling collection of new and original haunted tales, thirteen bestselling and much-loved authors bring this hour to vivid, spine-tingling life.

So curl up, light a candle, and wait for the clocks to strike . . .

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Gothic, Anthologies, Christmas, Fiction, Fantasy

Audible Audio

First published October 16, 2025

About the author

Bridget Collins has works written under the name B.R Collins.

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of nicely creepy stories.

As I mentioned in another review for a book I read in October, I unfortunately don't currently have the time for writing a status update for each story and some deep reflection / detailed review.

But you should definitely pick up a copy, it's worth it.

[Rina | Worldsbetweenpages · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Doll‘s House 3,5/5:
- Antarctic expedition
- Magical doll house
- Victorian era

The Second Witness 3/5:
- Ghost summonings
- Murder investigation
- Old mansion

23 Bridge Street 4/5:
- Childhood best friends
- Tragic accident
- Spirit hauntings

The Bugle and the Drum 3/5:
- Toy-maker
- Grief
- Resurrections

Two Go Together 4/5:
- Coffin-maker
- Ghost sightings
- Children death

🥇The Signal Bells 5/5:
- Abandoned mine
- The Devil
- Missing people

A Midnight Visitor 4/5:
- Fortune teller
- Tarot readings
- Death

🥉An Artful Curse 5/5:
- Three ex best friend
- Missing woman
- The old ways

🥈An Age of Evil 5/5:
- Haunted manor
- Possessed inhabitants
- Ghost hunters

Feast 3/5:
- College for Girls
- Occult games
- Queen Bee

The Terror by Night 4/5:
- Insomnia
- Demon‘s bargain
- Academic setting

Macaw 3,5/5:
- Parrot’s pov
- Domestic violence
- Obsession

Dr Thrale‘s Notebook 3,5/5:
- Spitsbergen
- Geologist
- Evil experiments

[Rebecca Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐

Another wonderful collection of gothic stories, perfect for the winter months! I had read the previous two collections and really enjoyed them both, so I was excited to read this. It did not disappoint! It features the same authors as the previous collections. I think my favourite story was Thrale's Notebook by Michelle Paver, but I enjoyed all the stories. I hope they continue to make these collections, highly recommended!

[Dan Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Doll’s House by Elizabeth Macneal -
A young girl strives to see her father return home and when she discovers a link between a gift and the one she misses the most, she will stop at nothing to see it become reality.
The Second Witness by Laura Shepherd-Robinson -
An investigation into a paranormal phenomenon leads to more questions being asked about not only the dead,but also the living.
23 Bridge Street by Stacey Halls -
Two best friends who are seemingly inseparable become fractured overnight,but that doesn’t mean the dead will stay quiet, in the shadows.
The Bugle and the Drum by Andrew Michael Hurley -
An investor sees a golden opportunity to finally make his fortune,but dare he take such a risk with someone so obsessed with what is beyond the veil of the living?
Two go together by Imogen Hermes Gowar -
One who ferries the lost to peace with the help of his carpentry skills is determined to ensure those crossing over always go in pairs.
The Signal Bells by Natasha Pulley -
One woman sets out to find a soul trapped in the depths of an abandoned mine,but she may discover more than she bargained for.
A Midnight Visitor by Susan Stokes-Chapman -
A tarot reader who is at the mercy of her own mortality must face up to the consequences she has wrought upon those she loved.
An Artful Curse by Jess Kidd -
Friends come together to seek vengeance for someone who they only wanted to protect.
An Age of Evil by Stuart Turton -
Two innocents fall prey to a dwelling heavy with the weight of family curses and death.
Feast by Kiran Millwood Hargrave -
School friends come together for a night of ghostly fun only to face their own hauntings.
The Terror by Night by Bridget Collins -
What seems to be an innocent yet rambling man soon becomes something much more unnerving.
Macaw by Catriona Ward
Hiding and safe in his gilded cage, one bird hides a life-altering secret.
Dr Thrale’s Notebook by Michelle Paver -
Wanting to follow in the footsteps of the greats, one man will learn perhaps he should have remained amongst those of his own kind.

My thoughts!
This haunting collection is definitely my favourite out of the series so far!
Ranging from the chilling, to the creepy, to the downright terrifying and disturbing.
All authors bring their own twist on what we fear, what we know, and indeed what we don’t….
Do yourself a favour as the evenings draw in; grab a copy of The Witching Hour. You won’t regret it.

[ThatBookish_deviant · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

“Always after a death, the women arrived in silence, and washed and laid out the body, and opened the window, and lit the candles. They cushioned the shock with the sound of their breath and the warmth of their bodies. They filled the strange hours with gentle talk, and reminiscences.”
-Imogen Hermes Gowar’s ‘Two Go Together’

The Witching Hour: Ghostly Tales for the Darkest Nights, is the third release in this spooky holiday series from Sphere books. The current iteration is the longest yet, with stories from thirteen authors, eleven of whom were featured in Sphere’s second installment, The Winter Spirits. The current edition lost a contribution from beloved author, Laura Purcell, but gained two renown writers new to this series: Stacey Halls and Michelle Paver.

I do hope Sphere continues to publish this series, as they’re my favorite anthologies of all time! While I’ve enjoyed all three of the collections, this one’s my current favorite. The stories range from good to great and there’s not a bad one among the lot. Only six of these thirteen tales mention anything specific to Christmas/Yule, so don’t delay digging into this eerie tomb.

I rated each story and listed them in order from most to least favorite below.

1. The Doll’s House by Elizabeth Macneal, 5.0

2. An Artful Curse by Jess Kidd, 5.0

3. The Second Witness by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, 5.0

4. Two Go Together by Imogen Hermes Gowar, 4.5

5. Macaw by Catriona Ward, 4.5

6. Midnight Visitor by Susan Stokes-Chapman, 4.0

7. An Age of Evil by Stuart Turton, 4.0

8. 23 Bridge Street by Stacy Halls, 3.5

9. The Terror By Night by Bridget Collins, 3.5

10. The Bugle and the Drum by Andrew Michael Hurley 3.0

11. Dr Thrale’s Notebook by Michelle Paver, 3.0

12. The Signal Bells by Natasha Pulley, 3.0

13. Feast by Kiran Milwood Hargrave, 2.5

[Gina House · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75🌟 My favorite spooky collection by Bridget Collins so far! I forget how engaging, thrilling and on-the-edge of my seat these short stories can be. Not only do I love the actual content of the book, but the book itself (and all in the series so far) are wonderful! The size, shape, cover design and font are all perfect. Now that I'm over 50, these things (for some reason) really make a big difference in my enjoyment of a novel.

Here is a list of the short stories I enjoyed most in this collection:
🔮 Two Go Together
🔮 The Doll's House
🔮 23 Bridge Street
🔮 A Midnight Visitor
🔮 Macaw
🔮 An Artful Curse
🔮 An Age of Evil

If you love spooky, haunting, suspenseful, and downright frightening stories, you need to read The Witching Hour! I truly hope there's another collection next year...and every year!

[Daniel Myatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always with short stories there are great ones and there are poor ones and this is no different. HOWEVER this collection definitely has more that fall into the great category.

A wide range of spooky stories with themes of witchcraft, ghosts, haunted mansions, a magical doll house there is absolutely a story to suit everyone here.

The best one of this series so far!!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sometimes, ... I think that when the clock has struck midnight, something - some lock or seal somewhere - comes undone, and then . . . If you're awake, and wanting something with all your heart - what if, late at night, something hears, and answers?" (p.385)

This volume follows on from The Haunting Season and The Winter Spirits, both of which I have also read. At this time of year, whether it is leading up to Halloween or whether it is leading up to Christmas, a ghostly tale is a great companion for the long winter nights.

This volume has 13 tales, all by well known authors. Jess Kidd, Stuart Turton, Bridget Collins, Catriona Ward and Michelle Paver to name but a few. Perhaps, as with many anthologies, there are some which I prefer compared to the others. My favourites were definitely:
An Age of Evil - Stuart Turton
An Artful Curse - Jess Kidd
The Second Witness - Laura Shepherd-Robinson
Two Go Together - Imogen Hermes Gowar
Dr Thrale's Notebook - Michelle Paver

What I have found from reading this latest volume, along with the previous two, is that the tales are probably not going to have you keeping the lights switched on for the whole night after reading them. They are a light kind of horror, more haunting than horrifying. Despite the subject matter, they have almost been quite a cosy companion to these darker nights. They are tapping into that tradition of sitting before an open fire, maybe with a hot chocolate or hot toddy to warm your hands, listening to the wind as it howls and thrashes at your windowpane, and I loved it for this. If there is a 4th volume, I for one will definitely be reading that too.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.75/5 stars

[Anne of Cair Paravel · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far my favorite collection of stories in this series. While there weren't any stories that stood out in the same way some of the ones in the other books did, all of them were solidly well told and enjoyable. Unlike the other two, there weren't any Christmas centered stories, nor would I necessarily call all of them "ghostly;" they were more about strange things that happened after midnight. But still I had some particular favorites.

"The Second Witness:" the haunting element in this one was really well done with a bit of myself among the living thrown in. And spoiler, it's told from the perspective of a ghost who doesn't know he's dead until the end, which was quite the twist and an unexpected perspective.

"The Signal Bells:" I loved the comedic characterization of the priest; his humourous character genuinely made me laugh. But the devil is in this story... the hunt at the end was an intriguing detail. It's not a version of the devil I've come across before.

"A Midnight Curse:" This one's about a tarot reader, Noelle, who receives a mysterious visitor asking for a reading. At the end, the visitor is revealed to be Death, and the reading is really Noelle's, causing her to reflect on her life before Death takes her.

"An Age of Evil:" Probably my favorite story in the collection. It's told through a series of text messages, letters, diary entries, newspaper clippings, and interview transcripts about a house that has haunted everyone who goes there over many decades. As each story unfolds simultaneously, you start to see similarities between them, and you begin to realize who will be next...

"The Terror by Night:" A classic selling-your-soul to the devil story. But with a twist. Was David a ghost? Was he ever really there? Or was he a warning to the story's narrator about wishes made during the witching hour?

[Erin Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up. There were only a couple stories I was a little dissatisfied with, which is great for an anthology like this. I had a great time!

Least favorite story was An Age of Evil simply because of the modern timeline of it. It was odd, too, because the communication in the present day read like text messages but was formatted like emails or something? That bugged me. And it just felt unnecessary in an otherwise fun ghostly story.

Favorites:
1. The Second Witness: paranormal investigator rivals are working the same case and find interesting results 👀
2. Two Go Together: coffin maker who thinks deaths always come in pairs, so he starts predicting who will die next after a young child’s death
3. An Artful Curse: two women who used to be friends come together again years later to make things right for a third woman who has gone missing

[Tresillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 'series' as it were of anthologies has become somewhat of a winter tradition of mine. I really enjoyed reading the previous two collections and this latest installment is no different. The calibre of writers involved in the project is incredibly strong and the stories reflect that, though as with any anthology collection some stories were more to my taste than others.

Notable favourites for me were An Artful Curse by Jess Kidd, the incredibly chilling The Signal Bells by Susan Stokes Chapman, and Bridget Collins seemed to perfectly emmulate and capture the style of M R James in The Terror By Night.

[Jade Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first short story collection from this kind-of-series but neither of the 'sequels' have lived up and it's so sad. I had the same problems with this as the last one - I think paranormal/magical realism can be hard to fit into a short story, especially when it's more 'put there' as I found a few pf these to be.

Favourites include The Second Witness, The Signal Bells, An Age of Evil, Two Go Together and easily my fave, five stars, no notes: An Artful Curse.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.

I absolutely loved Winter Spirits so I was really excited when this collection was announced!

There’s some amazing standout stories here (particularly The Signal Bells by Natasha Pulley, The Terror by Night by Bridget Collins, An Age of Evil by Stuart Turton, and The Bugle and the Drum by Andrew Michael Hurley). However, the collection doesn’t feel as strong as a whole. I feel the witching hour prompt maybe boxed a few of these stories in too much, whereas Winter Spirits seemed to offer the writers a bit more space and flexibility.

But, I still really enjoyed this and look forward to reading The Haunting Season.

[Little Rugg · Rating 5 out of 5]

They’re not all 5star stories but without a doubt a five star collection.

[Jessica | Stuck In The Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

some excellent and very spooky stories!

[Abbie Sands · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories from some really brilliant authors. Despite being short, each story had an element of mystery and suspense, and really hooked me in. I think this is a perfect winter read, as it really matches the atmosphere on a dark evening. Highly recommend

[Rosie Sumner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another amazing anthology from this group of phenomenal historical and gothic fiction writers, this might be my favourite one yet! I really loved how this anthology featured more elements of folk horror and folklore compared to the other books in this series which I also really enjoyed.

Many of the stories in this collection were genuinely chilling and I really enjoyed them all, some really stood out to me whereas others were good but didn’t feel so memorable.

I always find it really interesting with these collections to note the differences between gothic horror written by male and female writers and their interpretations of the genre, as well as in this instance their takes on the lore surrounding the witching hour.

I love how these anthologies are a reminder that horror is and always has been a tool for political and social commentary. These stories offer an insightful and critical insight into society’s fears, anxieties, and political struggles surrounding race, gender, class and social standing in the past and present.

I love how each writer really has their own unique style and distinct voice. I always look forward to Kiran Millwood-Hargrave’s story as she is a fantastic writer and her contributions to this series have never missed. Her prose is always stunning and evocative, and she manages to make her short stories so rich and layered, an incredibly hard thing to pull off well and she does it brilliantly. Her short story in this anthology ‘Feast’ was definitely one of my personal favourites and in my opinion one of the most unsettling.

I also really loved ’23 Bridge Street’ which was terrifying, tragic and shocking with a really good twist, ‘Two Go Together’ a stunning commentary on the subordination of women and girls even in death, ‘The Signal Bells’ a spine-chilling folk horror, ‘An Artful Curse’ a heart wrenching tale of witches, murder, betrayal and revenge, ‘An Age of Evil’ which was a genuinely horrifying tale of possession, evil and male violence and ‘Macaw’, another gut wrenching story of domestic violence, occult and resurrecting the dead.

Overall, these stories work really well together as a collection, they complement each other well and I enjoyed how most of them utilise the superstitions surrounding the witching hour as either a framework or a catalyst for the narrative. Definitely check trigger warnings and proceed with caution, even though extremely sensitive topics are handled gracefully by each writer it is certainly a difficult read at times. I would highly recommend! :)

[Charlie Morris (Read, Watch & Drink Coffee) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the previous two short story collections, The Haunting Season and The Winter Spirits, and the beautiful sprayed edges of these books mean that they are instantly pre-ordered as soon as I see them pop up online. So I was excited to read the latest edition which has a witchy twist.

The author list for these books is always what interests me the most, this time including Bridget Collins, Catriona Ward, Stuart Turton, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, and Stacey Halls.

My favourite story was by Stuart Turton which came as absolutely no surprise, as this was the one I was most excited for.

As with any short story collection, some grip you more than others, but I enjoyed something about all of them. In fact, I would probably say that this is the best short story collection that I have read so far, as every story felt so concise and effective, and each stood out on their own. I especially loved the witchy twist, knowing that every story would have a bewildering feel to it.

If you're a fan of gothic and haunting stories, this is definitely one to add to your TBR this winter.

[Grey]

**The Doll’s House 👎
by Elizabeth Macneal**
🔸Dear 🇦🇶
**The Second Witness 👎
by Laura Shepherd-Robinson**
🔸Annoying characters
**23 Bridge Street 👎
by Stacey Halls**
🔸Oh my god just tell the kid
**The Bugle and the Drum 👎
by Andrew Michael Hurley**
🔸A toy maker & azathoth's troupe
**Two Go Together 👎
by Imogen Hermes Gowar**
🔸snork mimimimimi
**The Signal Bells 👍
by Natasha Pulley**
🔸abandoned mine hell yeah + great """devil""
**A Midnight Visitor 👎
by Susan Stokes-Chapman**
🔸also snork mimimi
**An Artful Curse 👎
by Jess Kidd**
🔸Predictable "the husband did it"
**An Age of Evil 👍
by Stuart Turton**
🔸I wish this was the entire book :(
**Feast 👎
by Kiran Millwood Hargrave**
🔸Regina George
**The Terror by Night 👍
by Bridget Collins**
🔸the devil loves poets. again could've been a novel/novella. Especially the mc's childhood part
**Macaw 👎
by Catriona Ward**
🔸so that was something (& don't get pet big parrots in general. Signed, a bird keeper)
**Dr Thrale’s Notebook 👍
by Michelle Paver**
🔸oh it's the dark matter author. They sure do like the icy settings.


Overall 4👍 out of 13
Anthologies don't work for me it seems

[Silver Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing collection of ghost stories by amazing authors. Every tale was chilling, eerie and unique and moved between Norway, Wales, Massachusetts, Ireland and the ice trapped North Pole. There were haunted houses, doll houses and mines, witches, devils and ghosts.

What I loved about this collection was how each author interpreted the ghostly tale. Some were very scary and tipped into horror like Stuart Turton’s ‘An age of Evil’ and Michelle Paver’s ‘Dr Thrale’s Notebook’, whereas some were hauntingly sad with stories of death like Stacey Hall’s ‘ 23 Bridge St’ and Imogen Hermes Gowar’s ‘ Two go together’.
The historical fiction element also really appealed to me and I enjoyed the variety of periods and takes on the classic ghost story.

All stories were beautifully written and captivating but I particularly enjoyed Laura Shepherd Robinson’s Georgian murder/ghost mystery and Jess Kidd’s Irish witch tale.

Loved.

[Alannah Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witching Hour: Ghostly Tales for the Darkest Nights by Bridget Collins is a richly atmospheric collection that feels perfectly suited to long winter evenings. The stories are steeped in mood, with a quiet, creeping sense of unease rather than outright horror, which makes them linger in the mind long after finishing.
Collins excels at creating settings that feel both familiar and slightly off, drawing on folklore, superstition and the darker edges of human emotion. Some tales are subtle and slow-burning, while others are more immediately unsettling, and although a few stood out more strongly than others, the overall quality remains consistently high.
This is not a collection for those seeking jump scares or fast-paced thrills, but for readers who enjoy gothic tones, beautifully crafted prose and ghost stories that unsettle through atmosphere and suggestion. A haunting and thoughtful read that rewards patience and a love of the eerie.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a very long time since I've read a short story collection, and I have definitely never read a collection of spooky stories so this was a real treat! It was perfect for diving into when I didn't have a lot of spare time to read as each story was only about forty pages long, so I could easily just read one or two at a time.

I hadn't heard of every author in this book, but I loved that as now I've discovered some new authors to look out for, as well as being reminded of some authors that I've already read and enjoyed in the past such as Stacey Halls and Michelle Paver.

All of the stories in this collection were unique and unsettling in their own ways, so it's hard to pinpoint particular favourites! Although I did really enjoy An Age of Evil by Stuart Turton as I loved how it was told through a series of letters, emails and diary entries as opposed to dialogue.

A few others that stood out for me were The Dolls House by Elizabeth Macneal for it's uniqueness and Dr Thrales Notebook Notebook by Michelle Paver which was particularly disturbing.

Overall this was a very enjoyable collection of stories, perfect for curling up with on a dark night!

[Jasmine De La Paz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Witching Hour weaves its sinister magic with thirteen tales written by talented authors whose words put me under their spell. I loved each story!

In the looming black of night, when the veil thins, and the supernatural comes to life, so do these stories of sorrow and loss, unexplained coincides, heartache, and beckoning souls. Each tale is unique, yet together, they flow with frightening fluidity. I felt excitement (and at times, bereft) ending one story and starting the next! Between classic ghost narratives, folk horror, and epistolary forms—readers are certain to be eying the shadows with chills to their nape, yet unable to stop turning each page.

I highly recommend this collection as well as its two previous others: The Haunting Season and Winter Spirits.

[Lynnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third anthology of ghostly tales by contemporary authors.
There are thirteen stories in this one and several were 4+ stars. My favourites (5 stars) were:-

The Second Witness by Laura Shepherd-Robinson and Two Go Together by Imogen Hermes Gowar.

I also enjoyed The Doll's House by Elizabeth Macneal, The Signal Bells by Natasha Pulley and An Artful Curse by Jess Kid.

Also there were a couple that I didn't finish and a couple that were too near the edge of horror for comfort!

Overall a 4 star rating.

[Kathy Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

As the start of my Christmas listening, this was a complete fail and much more suited to Halloween, but that's my problem.

Except for terrible things happening to animals, I enjoyed this more than the first collection and have now realized I haven't read the second yet. The stories are overall more memorable than the first collection, and my favorite was by Stuart Turton. Epistolary format and filled with unreliable narrators, two things I love.

[SW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't love spooky little winter tales to read by candle light?

I think I liked this book as much as the first one. I've read enough similar stories, or books by these authors, that I could already see where some of these stories were headed, so I wasn't surprised by their endings, but that made it no less enjoyable.

This took me far too long to finish (nov/dec are hard reading months for me) and it totally deserves a reread in the future.

[Kate Charlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps my fave of the collections to date?

If you’re partial to curling up in front of a Christmas tree with a cup of tea and a gingerbread while rubbing your feet together in smug festive glee then you need this as your literary companion.

On the whole these stories were the right amount of eerie and intriguing without keeping me up at night staring too hard at my chair piled with clothes wondering if I just saw it move.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent anthology from this series. I enjoyed every story, obviously some more than others, but it's a strong collection. I liked reading this one story at a time over a few weeks and not rushing through it. Would definitely recommend if you enjoyed the previous collections or are a ghost story fan. I think my favourites were the stories by Laura Shepherd-Robinson and Michelle Paver.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting selection of short stories with a mixture of ratings, ranging from ghost stories to physiological. Overall, me and my partner enjoyed reading them and would recommend it to anyone looking for a short story.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.6