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Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales
Ghosts! Vampires! Zombies! Monsters! The literature of the supernatural abounds with some of the most frightening horrors imagined into existence. They mock our notions of what should be and challenge the security of the boundaries of our rational world. While there are limits to what we consider natural, there are no limits to the supernatural--and, perhaps, no safety from it.
Great Supernatural Stories features 101 horrifying tales of the supernatural that are sure to make you fearful of the dark corners of the room and to curdle your dreams into nightmares. Selections include:
The Bus-Conductor--E. F. Benson. The bus driver looked just like the hearse driver--and what did he mean when he said, "Just room for one inside, sir"?
The Damned Thing--Ambrose Bierce. The being shredded flesh as easily as it flattened grass, but it couldn't be evaded because no one could see it.
The Ghost of Mohammed Din--Clark Ashton Smith. They say that dead men tell no tales, but the ghost in the haunted house had more in mind than just frightening those who stayed in it.
Jumbee--Henry S. Whitehead. On the island of St. Croix death brings all manner of supernatural marvels out at night, including ghosts, were-dogs, and hanging jumbees.
The Masque of the Red Death--Edgar Allan Poe. When Prince Prospero sealed off his castle in the hope of cheating the Red Death, he didn't realize that it was just as easy to lock something in as to lock it out.
The Mezzotint--M. R. James. The scene in the framed picture appeared to be changing gradually, and the story it told was a horrifying account of revenge from beyond the grave.
The Terrible Old Man--H. P. Lovecraft. To the three robbers the old man seemed feeble and helpless, but they underestimated the wild talents that he had developed during his years at sea.
Was It a Dream?--Guy de Maupassant. The man had gone to the cemetery to honor the memory of his dead lover, unaware that it was the night that the dead rose to write their true epitaphs on their tombstones.
Great Supernatural Stories features 101 horrifying tales of the supernatural that are sure to make you fearful of the dark corners of the room and to curdle your dreams into nightmares. Selections include:
The Bus-Conductor--E. F. Benson. The bus driver looked just like the hearse driver--and what did he mean when he said, "Just room for one inside, sir"?
The Damned Thing--Ambrose Bierce. The being shredded flesh as easily as it flattened grass, but it couldn't be evaded because no one could see it.
The Ghost of Mohammed Din--Clark Ashton Smith. They say that dead men tell no tales, but the ghost in the haunted house had more in mind than just frightening those who stayed in it.
Jumbee--Henry S. Whitehead. On the island of St. Croix death brings all manner of supernatural marvels out at night, including ghosts, were-dogs, and hanging jumbees.
The Masque of the Red Death--Edgar Allan Poe. When Prince Prospero sealed off his castle in the hope of cheating the Red Death, he didn't realize that it was just as easy to lock something in as to lock it out.
The Mezzotint--M. R. James. The scene in the framed picture appeared to be changing gradually, and the story it told was a horrifying account of revenge from beyond the grave.
The Terrible Old Man--H. P. Lovecraft. To the three robbers the old man seemed feeble and helpless, but they underestimated the wild talents that he had developed during his years at sea.
Was It a Dream?--Guy de Maupassant. The man had gone to the cemetery to honor the memory of his dead lover, unaware that it was the night that the dead rose to write their true epitaphs on their tombstones.
737 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
35 people are currently reading
278 people want to read
About the author
Stefan R. Dziemianowicz
81 books32 followersBorn in 1957, Stefan Dziemianowicz works for the publisher Barnes & Noble as an editor.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 27, 2020
Nice collection for the season. These are old fashioned stories about the supernatural. Some are more suspenseful, some psychological, some creepy, some more interesting than scary, but all enjoyable. There's a nice mix of classic and obscure writers. Mostly ghost or mysterious happenings and only one vampire story, but one I had never read before and quite suspenseful.
This is a thick book, about 500 pages. It took me a couple of weeks to read, because I only read in my bed nook at night with only a dim lamp on. If you're a sensitive soul, you might want to read this in the daytime or white brighter lights on.
This is a thick book, about 500 pages. It took me a couple of weeks to read, because I only read in my bed nook at night with only a dim lamp on. If you're a sensitive soul, you might want to read this in the daytime or white brighter lights on.
February 29, 2020
This hefty volume collects a variety of public domain stories concerning the supernatural. While the majority fall roughly into the category of horror, some are more what we’d call “dark fantasy” and a handful are just “well, that’s a weird thing that happened.” The introduction mentions that many of these were published before genre fiction was so narrowly enforced, so any author could just plop down a supernatural story even if their usual output was say “kitchen sink” realism, without it being a big deal.
The stories are in alphabetical order by title, so the first tale in the volume is “Accessory Before the Fact” by Algernon Blackwood. A hiker takes a wrong turn somewhere, and experiences being murdered–but then he’s just fine. He later realizes he’s had a premonition that was meant for another man, but fails to do anything about it. Can he live with the guilt?
The final story is “White Zombie” by Vivian Meik. No relation to the Bela Lugosi film of the same title, this one is set in Africa. An English plantation owner’s widow is doing remarkably well after the death of her husband; everything seems to be running to perfection. And yet the commissioner senses something wrong in the atmosphere. Could it be…zombies?
This is easily the most use of racist tropes of a story in the collection, notwithstanding several “boy, India is creepy” tales. Much is made of the “Curse of Ham” by the local missionary. And that there’s a white zombie is supposed to be particularly horrific.
And yes, there’s a fair amount of period racism and sexism in these stories. Just saying, it’s not like that should be a surprise.
Since there are so many stories to pack in, all are fairly short, some down to two pages and no more than ten pages. That makes this volume an attractive option for readers who only have a few minutes at a time for a complete story. On the other hand, to not make this review too long, I’ll have to highlight only a few of the pieces.
“The Bold Dragoon, or, the Adventure of My Grandfather” by Washington Irving has the title character spending a night in an inn which only has one open bed–in a chamber reputed to be haunted. And certainly, the dancing furniture would seem to indicate something of the sort! This is one of several stories in the collection that emphasizes that the protagonist is the sort of down to earth person that one wouldn’t expect to see ghosts. The style of the story is verisimilitudinous, with the narrator stopping and restarting himself as he recollects details.
“The Damned Thing” by Ambrose Bierce starts with a coroner’s hearing, but the verdict is unsatisfying because the coroner decides not to enter certain evidence. We, the audience, do get to see that evidence. The section titles have a sardonic humor, and this is justly a famous story.
“‘Doubles’ and Quits” by Arthur Quiller-Couch is a funny tale of a stubborn couple who quarrel, and will not compromise, even after death.
“The Haunted Cap” by George W. Kelley is the tale of a Confederate soldier who kept a grotesque memento of the Union soldier he’d killed, a cap with a bullet hole in it. A cap that was haunted! At the end, the peculiar behavior of the cap has a “natural” explanation, but what about the rest of the events? I’d like to see this one made into a short film.
“Jikininki” by Lafcadio Hearn is a rendering of a Japanese ghost story about a monk who spends a night in a haunted village and learns of an eater of the dead. This one’s a bit creaky, but at least is told from the local lore, rather than from a tourist’s point of view.
“The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe is a famous enough story that I can just say that it’s one of the best in the collection.
“The Mezzotint” by M.R. James is a creepy short about an engraving that changes when you aren’t looking at it, and explains an old tragedy. It also refers to an earlier M.R. James story, indicating that they happened at the same college.
“The Terrible Old Man” by H.P. Lovecraft has three robbers decide to terrorize an ancient and possibly senile retired sea captain for his reputed stash of gold coins. They are never seen again, or perhaps that should be stated as never recognized again. Lovecraft does a good job of understatement here.
And many more by such luminaries as E. Nesbit, Charles Dickens and H.G. Wells.
This volume is excellent value for money if you can put up with the usual period content issues.
The stories are in alphabetical order by title, so the first tale in the volume is “Accessory Before the Fact” by Algernon Blackwood. A hiker takes a wrong turn somewhere, and experiences being murdered–but then he’s just fine. He later realizes he’s had a premonition that was meant for another man, but fails to do anything about it. Can he live with the guilt?
The final story is “White Zombie” by Vivian Meik. No relation to the Bela Lugosi film of the same title, this one is set in Africa. An English plantation owner’s widow is doing remarkably well after the death of her husband; everything seems to be running to perfection. And yet the commissioner senses something wrong in the atmosphere. Could it be…zombies?
This is easily the most use of racist tropes of a story in the collection, notwithstanding several “boy, India is creepy” tales. Much is made of the “Curse of Ham” by the local missionary. And that there’s a white zombie is supposed to be particularly horrific.
And yes, there’s a fair amount of period racism and sexism in these stories. Just saying, it’s not like that should be a surprise.
Since there are so many stories to pack in, all are fairly short, some down to two pages and no more than ten pages. That makes this volume an attractive option for readers who only have a few minutes at a time for a complete story. On the other hand, to not make this review too long, I’ll have to highlight only a few of the pieces.
“The Bold Dragoon, or, the Adventure of My Grandfather” by Washington Irving has the title character spending a night in an inn which only has one open bed–in a chamber reputed to be haunted. And certainly, the dancing furniture would seem to indicate something of the sort! This is one of several stories in the collection that emphasizes that the protagonist is the sort of down to earth person that one wouldn’t expect to see ghosts. The style of the story is verisimilitudinous, with the narrator stopping and restarting himself as he recollects details.
“The Damned Thing” by Ambrose Bierce starts with a coroner’s hearing, but the verdict is unsatisfying because the coroner decides not to enter certain evidence. We, the audience, do get to see that evidence. The section titles have a sardonic humor, and this is justly a famous story.
“‘Doubles’ and Quits” by Arthur Quiller-Couch is a funny tale of a stubborn couple who quarrel, and will not compromise, even after death.
“The Haunted Cap” by George W. Kelley is the tale of a Confederate soldier who kept a grotesque memento of the Union soldier he’d killed, a cap with a bullet hole in it. A cap that was haunted! At the end, the peculiar behavior of the cap has a “natural” explanation, but what about the rest of the events? I’d like to see this one made into a short film.
“Jikininki” by Lafcadio Hearn is a rendering of a Japanese ghost story about a monk who spends a night in a haunted village and learns of an eater of the dead. This one’s a bit creaky, but at least is told from the local lore, rather than from a tourist’s point of view.
“The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe is a famous enough story that I can just say that it’s one of the best in the collection.
“The Mezzotint” by M.R. James is a creepy short about an engraving that changes when you aren’t looking at it, and explains an old tragedy. It also refers to an earlier M.R. James story, indicating that they happened at the same college.
“The Terrible Old Man” by H.P. Lovecraft has three robbers decide to terrorize an ancient and possibly senile retired sea captain for his reputed stash of gold coins. They are never seen again, or perhaps that should be stated as never recognized again. Lovecraft does a good job of understatement here.
And many more by such luminaries as E. Nesbit, Charles Dickens and H.G. Wells.
This volume is excellent value for money if you can put up with the usual period content issues.
December 18, 2017
Look, I'm not going to say that every one of these 101 tales was Grade A masterpiece, but I will say that for $5 at Barnes and Nobel, I was cheerily occupied in the ghost story season (Halloween to Christmas, properly). Coming in at 737 pages, the stories being compiled alphabetically from the 19th and early 20th century, you get a wide spread of choices. Some were standbys ("The Meszzotint," and "the Masque of the Red Death, "for example) and others were brilliant little pieces by some great authors (Dickens' "The Trial for Murder" was fantastic, as was E. Nesbit's "No 17"). There were also some seriously political incorrect pieces that speak to how the foreign was so...foreign to people a hundred years ago--"White Zombie," of course, and also like a half dozen "something terrible from India" stories. I really enjoyed the hours I spent reading these tales, and I look forward to having the volume on my shelf for next year.
April 1, 2019
This is the second anthology I’ve read by this editor. It took me about two years to finish because it’s a huge book and I liked reading it in small bites.
I have to believe that the editor found a treasure trove of old magazines and stories. These short, spooky stories read like pulp fiction going back 150 years. There was nothing in here more recent than HP Lovecraft. I loved reading a voice written for an author’s contemporaries. I felt like it gave me a glimpse into mundane life reflected in some thrilling, “urban legend” (or grandpa’s rural legend) from the 1890s that I don’t always feel from larger literary novels of the time.
There were also some great British voices from the authors and historical cultural references.
There were very few weak selections in this anthology and very few of the “classics” which keep getting republished. Most of the stories were truly obscure gems.
I have to believe that the editor found a treasure trove of old magazines and stories. These short, spooky stories read like pulp fiction going back 150 years. There was nothing in here more recent than HP Lovecraft. I loved reading a voice written for an author’s contemporaries. I felt like it gave me a glimpse into mundane life reflected in some thrilling, “urban legend” (or grandpa’s rural legend) from the 1890s that I don’t always feel from larger literary novels of the time.
There were also some great British voices from the authors and historical cultural references.
There were very few weak selections in this anthology and very few of the “classics” which keep getting republished. Most of the stories were truly obscure gems.
February 22, 2019
This book of one hundred and one supernatural tales (oddly arranged in alphabetic order by title) has been my bedtime reading for the past month, and I very much enjoyed reading it, and I can report that I did not have any bad dreams in consequence.
The first story in the book is "Accessory Before the Fact" by Algernon Blackwood. Among the other stories (which I list in alphabetical order) are "The Bold Dragoon, or, The Adventure of my Grandfather" by Washington Irving, "By Word of Mouth" by Rudyard Kipling, "The Damned Thing" by Ambrose Bierce, "The Giant" by Walter de la Mare, "How it Happened" by Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe, "The Mezzotint' by M. R. James (one of my favorite spooky stories), "The Music on the Hill" by Saki, "Only a Dream" by H Rider Haggard, "The Presence by the Fire" by H. G. Wells, "The Terrible Old Man" by H. P. Lovecraft, "Thirteen at Table" by Lord Dunsany, "Thrawn Janet" by Robert Louis Stevenson, "Tom Toothacre's Ghost Story" by Harriet Beecher Stowe, "The Trial for Murder" by Charles Dickens (not one of his better stories, alas), "Was It a Dream?" by Guy de Maupassant, and "What the Moon Brings" by H. P. Lovecraft. The book ends with "White Zombie" by Vivian Meik.
The book has a goodly number of flat-out ghost stories included; while ghosts are supernatural, and the supernatural includes ghosts, I wonder if it would not have been possible to save the ghost stories for the accessory volume, Great Ghost Stories: 101 Terrifying Tales Compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz, which I will start reading tonight as my bedtime reading. In any case, I enjoyed reading this book.
The first story in the book is "Accessory Before the Fact" by Algernon Blackwood. Among the other stories (which I list in alphabetical order) are "The Bold Dragoon, or, The Adventure of my Grandfather" by Washington Irving, "By Word of Mouth" by Rudyard Kipling, "The Damned Thing" by Ambrose Bierce, "The Giant" by Walter de la Mare, "How it Happened" by Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe, "The Mezzotint' by M. R. James (one of my favorite spooky stories), "The Music on the Hill" by Saki, "Only a Dream" by H Rider Haggard, "The Presence by the Fire" by H. G. Wells, "The Terrible Old Man" by H. P. Lovecraft, "Thirteen at Table" by Lord Dunsany, "Thrawn Janet" by Robert Louis Stevenson, "Tom Toothacre's Ghost Story" by Harriet Beecher Stowe, "The Trial for Murder" by Charles Dickens (not one of his better stories, alas), "Was It a Dream?" by Guy de Maupassant, and "What the Moon Brings" by H. P. Lovecraft. The book ends with "White Zombie" by Vivian Meik.
The book has a goodly number of flat-out ghost stories included; while ghosts are supernatural, and the supernatural includes ghosts, I wonder if it would not have been possible to save the ghost stories for the accessory volume, Great Ghost Stories: 101 Terrifying Tales Compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz, which I will start reading tonight as my bedtime reading. In any case, I enjoyed reading this book.
February 2, 2019
A good deal for less than $10.
The stories range from good to meh. The best one by FAR is “The Masque of the Red Death”, of course.
A caveat: most of these stories were written in the 19th and early 20th Century, so some of them are super racist.
The stories range from good to meh. The best one by FAR is “The Masque of the Red Death”, of course.
A caveat: most of these stories were written in the 19th and early 20th Century, so some of them are super racist.
December 22, 2019
A wonderful and plentiful collection of older supernatural stories, mostly from roughly 1850 to 1950. Some were new to me, some were not. I enjoyed it and will read it again.
March 26, 2021
It is a good book to read at night. I would say I liked 80% of the stories.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews