Alfred Hitchcock's Skull Session

by Alfred Hitchcock

Death can be beautiful when it's dealt out by the experts hands that Alfred Hitchcock has Gathered together in this never ending quest for the ultimate in chilling mystery, nerve-tingling suspense and macabre wit. So take a good grip on your easy chair, try to keep your heart out of your throat, and prepare to enjoy the finest stories ever by such brilliant writers as - Donald E. Westlake - Henry Slesar - Helen Nielsen - Robert Bloch - August Derleth - Charles Einstein - Donald Honig - Paul Eiden - C B Gilford - Talmage Powell - Robert Alan blair - Michael Brett - Jack Webb - Fletcher Flora

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Fiction, Anthologies, Mystery

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1993

About the author

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (13 August 1899 - 29 April 1980) was an iconic and highly influential film director and producer, who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres.

Following a very substantial career in his native Britain in both silent films and talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and became an American citizen with dual nationality in 1956, thus he also remained a British subject.

Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career which spanned six decades, from the silent film era, through the invention of sound films, and far into the era of colour films. For a complete list of his films, see Alfred Hitchcock filmography.

Hitchcock was among the most consistently recognizable directors to the general public, and was one of the most successful film directors during his lifetime. He continues to be one of the best known and most popular filmmakers of all time.

Reviews

[Phillip Fuller]

The short crime stories in this anthology rely on more on implying violence rather than a flat out scene of brutality. All the criminals have plans for the perfect crime but are mostly foiled by an ironic turn of events. Many might find these tales somewhat old fashioned but as a reader of similar stories in the old EC comic I found them enjoyable.

[Simon]

An anthology of crime/horror/suspense short stories by various authors, selected by Alfred Hitchcock. The most famous of the contributors is probably Robert Bloch, who also wrote the novel behind Hitchcock's film "Psycho".

Quite a few of the stories are oriented towards psychological intrigue, with several revolving around marital infidelity as a central theme. Robert Bloch's story is actually one of the weirder to be found in ”Skull Session”, having a supernatural element which surprised me. Another contributor whose name I recognise from before is H. P. Lovecraft protegé August Derleth. Derleth's story is a not-very-good Sherlock Holmes pastiche that has little in common with either Hitchcock or Lovecraft's signature styles and struck me as one of the least impressive entries.

Overall ”Skull Session” is a mixed bag, but if you enjoy the crime and horror genres there are certainly worse ways to spend your free time than this. If you can get it dirt cheap at say a flea market or thrift store it is worth acquiring.

[Caz]

I was lucky enough to stumble across this book at a thrift shop, and even though my reading time is pretty limited, I tore through it in just a few days. I was actually looking for whodunnits, and these were much less straightforward crime shorts, but I loved them all the same. Hitchcock's introduction really set the scene, all the short stories were clever and interesting, and I usually found myself really rooting for the characters. The stories have aged well, and they have the added draw of being a cool glimpse into the past. Definitely recommended.

[Freder]

The Hitchcock anthologies are actually all pretty good, and a good place to find writers in this genre that you might not have encountered before.

[Frank]

Read in the 70s

[angelofmine1974]

Excellent book of short stories about death and murder.

For the rest of the review, visit my Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/XYYAO2SPKR8

Enjoy!