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Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories They Wouldn't Let Me Do on TV
Alfred Hitchcock speaking:
"You may not care for some of these stories because you think them too shocking, macabre or grotesque... Eerie tales of the supernatural make up part of the book but the chief staple is that ever popular crime - murder."
These sinister and spine-chilling stories by such famous authors as Ray Bradbury, Roald Dahl, Philip MacDonald, and William Sansom are so awesome, so frightening that, say the BBC, "they would not only send the viewers screaming up the walls but would probably qualify the cast for a straightjacket."
It's no wonder they're stories they wouldn't let me do on TV. Twenty-five tales to horrify - terrify - and petrify!
"You may not care for some of these stories because you think them too shocking, macabre or grotesque... Eerie tales of the supernatural make up part of the book but the chief staple is that ever popular crime - murder."
These sinister and spine-chilling stories by such famous authors as Ray Bradbury, Roald Dahl, Philip MacDonald, and William Sansom are so awesome, so frightening that, say the BBC, "they would not only send the viewers screaming up the walls but would probably qualify the cast for a straightjacket."
It's no wonder they're stories they wouldn't let me do on TV. Twenty-five tales to horrify - terrify - and petrify!
378 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
14 people are currently reading
395 people want to read
About the author
Alfred Hitchcock
1,145 books774 followersSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (1899-1980) 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 26, 2015
Preface by Alfred Hitchcock
A humorous little introduction
Being a Murderer Myself by Arthur Williams
This one was creepy. There was a similar story on Criminal Minds involving pigs
Lukundoo by Edward Lucas White
Kind of gross. I can see why this one wasn't okay to be on television in the 60's -- today, it is a possibility.
A Woman Seldom Found by William Sansom
Just a little weird. Don't necessarily go with the woman you find on the street, they may be more than a woman
The Perfectionist by Margaret St Clair
Leaves you wondering what other subjects the Aunt decided to paint. I may still be a bit haunted by the what happened to the goldfish
The Price of the Head by John Russell
Another tale of putting trust in the wrong person. The prize is a shrunken head - YOURS!
Love Comes to Miss Lucy Q. Patrick
and another tale of mistrust - Makes me wonder what happened to Mr. Hitchcock that these stories drew him. In this case the prize is a ring
Sredni Vashtar by Saki (H.H. Munro)
I have never liked ferrets and their like. This story just reinforces that feeling.
Love Lies Bleeding by Philip MacDonald
A story of what one might do for a friend. Would one even go so far as to murder others - to become Jack the Ripper to protect another?
The Dancing Partner by Jerome K. Jerome
Interesting to read an early tale of technology gone bad - apparently it has fascinated for a long while
Casting the Runes by M.R. James
Really just a tale of dark magic, and how to escape it.
The Voice in the Night by William Hope Hodgson
This one reminded me a bit of Stephen King's "It Grows on You" (which of course came after this story)...you never really get to see the afflicted; so the horror comes from your imagination.
How Love Came to Professor Guildea by Robert S. Hichens
Living a life without connections to the rest of society may seem like a good idea, until love finds you anyway. I like how the parrot fits into the story.
The Moment of Decision by Stanley Ellin
A bit like "The Lady or the Tiger?" - this story leaves you without an ending -- does our hero have a conscious, or is his love of a house more than that of a fellow human being?
A Jungle Graduate by James Francis Dwyer
Treat others how you wish to be treated, or else they might tie you to a tree for the crocs.
Recipe for Murder by C.P. Donnel, Jr
Killing with kindness, or in this case RICH FRENCH food - only a patient woman could make this style of murder work.
Nunc Dimittis by Roald Dahl
A story of revenge for imagined slights - don't believe everything you hear, especially from the local gossip - for your revenge may turn out to be someone else's slight
The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell
I have read this story before, but it is such a horrible idea that I had to read it again. A bored hunter looks for the ultimate game - and then finds it.
The Lady on the Grey by John Collier
If you are a dog, then perhaps you should be a DOG
The Waxwork by A.M. Burrage
creepy. Another for your imagination. I kept imagining if I would be able to stay the night in a waxwork museum (Murderer's Row or not) -- my conclusion is likely not - for this poor journalist, he should have stayed away as well.
The Dumb Wife by Thomas Burke
This story really just makes me sad. Poor lady, had to give up her son, and then loses her ability to speak, and really LOSES her son. terribly sad.
Couching at the Door by D.K. Broster a creepy story I didn't quite get
The October Game by Ray Bradbury
I adore Ray Bradbury. His stories just have something that others don't. Maybe it's because he leaves the lights off?
Water's Edge by Robert Block
I am not sure why they wouldn't let Alfred do this one - I believe I have seen a movie or two with this basic idea. I liked the story quite a lot. It would not be good for Dr. Henry Jones Sr though -- he is not so fond of the rats
The Jokester by Robert Arthur
A twist on the boy who cried wolf. A sick sick twist
The Abyss by Leonid Andreyev
Be careful looking into the abyss, for the abyss also looks into you (i am summarizing...I don't recall the actual quote) - that is the basis of this pretty creepy tale
A humorous little introduction
Being a Murderer Myself by Arthur Williams
This one was creepy. There was a similar story on Criminal Minds involving pigs
Lukundoo by Edward Lucas White
Kind of gross. I can see why this one wasn't okay to be on television in the 60's -- today, it is a possibility.
A Woman Seldom Found by William Sansom
Just a little weird. Don't necessarily go with the woman you find on the street, they may be more than a woman
The Perfectionist by Margaret St Clair
Leaves you wondering what other subjects the Aunt decided to paint. I may still be a bit haunted by the what happened to the goldfish
The Price of the Head by John Russell
Another tale of putting trust in the wrong person. The prize is a shrunken head - YOURS!
Love Comes to Miss Lucy Q. Patrick
and another tale of mistrust - Makes me wonder what happened to Mr. Hitchcock that these stories drew him. In this case the prize is a ring
Sredni Vashtar by Saki (H.H. Munro)
I have never liked ferrets and their like. This story just reinforces that feeling.
Love Lies Bleeding by Philip MacDonald
A story of what one might do for a friend. Would one even go so far as to murder others - to become Jack the Ripper to protect another?
The Dancing Partner by Jerome K. Jerome
Interesting to read an early tale of technology gone bad - apparently it has fascinated for a long while
Casting the Runes by M.R. James
Really just a tale of dark magic, and how to escape it.
The Voice in the Night by William Hope Hodgson
This one reminded me a bit of Stephen King's "It Grows on You" (which of course came after this story)...you never really get to see the afflicted; so the horror comes from your imagination.
How Love Came to Professor Guildea by Robert S. Hichens
Living a life without connections to the rest of society may seem like a good idea, until love finds you anyway. I like how the parrot fits into the story.
The Moment of Decision by Stanley Ellin
A bit like "The Lady or the Tiger?" - this story leaves you without an ending -- does our hero have a conscious, or is his love of a house more than that of a fellow human being?
A Jungle Graduate by James Francis Dwyer
Treat others how you wish to be treated, or else they might tie you to a tree for the crocs.
Recipe for Murder by C.P. Donnel, Jr
Killing with kindness, or in this case RICH FRENCH food - only a patient woman could make this style of murder work.
Nunc Dimittis by Roald Dahl
A story of revenge for imagined slights - don't believe everything you hear, especially from the local gossip - for your revenge may turn out to be someone else's slight
The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell
I have read this story before, but it is such a horrible idea that I had to read it again. A bored hunter looks for the ultimate game - and then finds it.
The Lady on the Grey by John Collier
If you are a dog, then perhaps you should be a DOG
The Waxwork by A.M. Burrage
creepy. Another for your imagination. I kept imagining if I would be able to stay the night in a waxwork museum (Murderer's Row or not) -- my conclusion is likely not - for this poor journalist, he should have stayed away as well.
The Dumb Wife by Thomas Burke
This story really just makes me sad. Poor lady, had to give up her son, and then loses her ability to speak, and really LOSES her son. terribly sad.
Couching at the Door by D.K. Broster a creepy story I didn't quite get
The October Game by Ray Bradbury
I adore Ray Bradbury. His stories just have something that others don't. Maybe it's because he leaves the lights off?
Water's Edge by Robert Block
I am not sure why they wouldn't let Alfred do this one - I believe I have seen a movie or two with this basic idea. I liked the story quite a lot. It would not be good for Dr. Henry Jones Sr though -- he is not so fond of the rats
The Jokester by Robert Arthur
A twist on the boy who cried wolf. A sick sick twist
The Abyss by Leonid Andreyev
Be careful looking into the abyss, for the abyss also looks into you (i am summarizing...I don't recall the actual quote) - that is the basis of this pretty creepy tale
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2016
I read this ages ago. Aside from the staples like "Casting the Runes" and "Lunkundoo," I don't remember much about the new stories except for a feeling of pleasant entertainment.
Except for "Being a Murderer Myself" by Arthur Williams.
It's a story narrated by the killer where the guilt and the motive is never in question, but as law enforcement struggles to find damning evidence, the real mystery to the reader is "How the hell did he do it?"
It's an evil alternate reality's version of Columbo.
The anthology's worth getting just for that read alone.
Except for "Being a Murderer Myself" by Arthur Williams.
It's a story narrated by the killer where the guilt and the motive is never in question, but as law enforcement struggles to find damning evidence, the real mystery to the reader is "How the hell did he do it?"
It's an evil alternate reality's version of Columbo.
The anthology's worth getting just for that read alone.
July 5, 2014
I've been reading this in bite-sized chunks over the last week or two. Favorite stories so far: Sredni Vashtar (Saki); Casting the Runes (M.R. James); and How Love Came to Professor Guildea (Robt. S. Hichens).
This is an interesting collection that combines well-known and frequently anthologized classics, like the ones I've just mentioned, with more obscure works by lesser known authors.
Even the non-classics are quite interesting. I'm about half way through and there hasn't been a dull story in the lot. Coincidentally, I recently discovered that Philip MacDonald (whose story in this collection is "Love Lies Bleeding") wrote a small corpus of science fiction stories under the name "W.J. Stuart." Among those is a novelization of the famous science fiction film, "Forbidden Planet."
The Hitchcock short story collections are legion, and apparently Hitchcock himself had little or nothing to do with them. When I was in my mid-teens in the 1970's, I bought quite a few of the Dell paperbacks with covers that featured clever and fanciful paintings of Hitch in various macabre situations. How I wish I had hung on to those! Those covers were so delightful.
I have begun to re-acquire some of the old paperbacks. I found a website that provides information about them. Sometimes a cover scan is included, and often a table of contents is provided. If you have any interest, here's a link:
Hitchcock Wiki
Okay, finished! Not sure I'd recommend all 378 pages to everyone. I was hoping I'd find some hidden gems in here, but the second half of the book didn't have too much going for it. Certainly, most of the stories are well-crafted entertainments, often with twist or ironic endings. I'd encountered "The Most Dangerous Game" and "The Waxwork" long ago in one of Hitchcock's juvenile anthologies (I believe it was called "Spellbinders in Suspense," and the illustrations were quite haunting). If you haven't seen the RKO picture of "The Most Dangerous Game" (1932), I recommend it!
This is an interesting collection that combines well-known and frequently anthologized classics, like the ones I've just mentioned, with more obscure works by lesser known authors.
Even the non-classics are quite interesting. I'm about half way through and there hasn't been a dull story in the lot. Coincidentally, I recently discovered that Philip MacDonald (whose story in this collection is "Love Lies Bleeding") wrote a small corpus of science fiction stories under the name "W.J. Stuart." Among those is a novelization of the famous science fiction film, "Forbidden Planet."
The Hitchcock short story collections are legion, and apparently Hitchcock himself had little or nothing to do with them. When I was in my mid-teens in the 1970's, I bought quite a few of the Dell paperbacks with covers that featured clever and fanciful paintings of Hitch in various macabre situations. How I wish I had hung on to those! Those covers were so delightful.
I have begun to re-acquire some of the old paperbacks. I found a website that provides information about them. Sometimes a cover scan is included, and often a table of contents is provided. If you have any interest, here's a link:
Hitchcock Wiki
Okay, finished! Not sure I'd recommend all 378 pages to everyone. I was hoping I'd find some hidden gems in here, but the second half of the book didn't have too much going for it. Certainly, most of the stories are well-crafted entertainments, often with twist or ironic endings. I'd encountered "The Most Dangerous Game" and "The Waxwork" long ago in one of Hitchcock's juvenile anthologies (I believe it was called "Spellbinders in Suspense," and the illustrations were quite haunting). If you haven't seen the RKO picture of "The Most Dangerous Game" (1932), I recommend it!
November 27, 2017
RECE - 25 racconti del terrore vietati alla TV - A cura di Alfred Hitchcock - Voto: 8+
Il libro è di 898 pagine quindi lunghetto, ma gradevole. I racconti non sono propriamente del terrore alla Stephen King ma più "gotici" sullo stile di Hitchcock. Alcuni (pochi) sono noiosi, altri sono realmente intriganti.
Ho iniziato a leggerlo sulla spiaggia e nonostante non ami particolarmente i racconti mi ha intrigato.
Consigliato se non volete letture impegnative.
Il libro è di 898 pagine quindi lunghetto, ma gradevole. I racconti non sono propriamente del terrore alla Stephen King ma più "gotici" sullo stile di Hitchcock. Alcuni (pochi) sono noiosi, altri sono realmente intriganti.
Ho iniziato a leggerlo sulla spiaggia e nonostante non ami particolarmente i racconti mi ha intrigato.
Consigliato se non volete letture impegnative.
Want to read
September 19, 2023Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories They Wouldn't Let Me Do On TV HC 1957
○ Preface
○ Being a Murderer Myself - Arthur Williams
○ Lukundoo - Edward Lucas White
○ A Woman Seldom Found - William Sansom
○ The Perfectionist - Margaret St. Clair
○ The Price of the Head - John Russell
○ Love Comes to Miss Lucy - Q. Patrick
○ Sredni Vashtar - "Saki" (H. H. Munro)
○ Love Lies Bleeding - Philip MacDonald
○ The Dancing Partner - Jerome K. Jerome
○ Casting the Ruins - M. R. James
○ The Voice in the Night - William Hope Hodgson
○ How Love Came to Professor Guildea 1900 - Robert S. Hichens
○ The Moment of Decision 1956 - Stanley Ellin
○ A Jungle Graduate 1910 - James Francis Dwyer
○ Recipe for Murder - C. P. Donnel, Jr.
○ Nunc Dimittis 1953 - Roald Dahl
○ The Most Dangerous Game aka The Hounds of Zaroff 1924 - Richard Connell
○ The Lady on the Grey 1951 - John Collier
○ The Waxworks 1931 - A. M. Burrage
○ The Dumb Wife 1921 - Thomas Burke
○ Couching at the Door 1933 - D. K. Broster
○ The October Game 1948 - Ray Bradbury
○ Water's Edge 1956 - Robert Bloch [Alfred Hitchcock Hour S3E3 aired 10.19.64 Water’s Edge]
○ The Jokester - Robert Arthur aka Anthony Morton [Alfred Hitchcock Presents S3E4 aired 10.19.58 The Jokester]
○ The Abyss - Leonid Andreyev
○ Preface
○ Being a Murderer Myself - Arthur Williams
○ Lukundoo - Edward Lucas White
○ A Woman Seldom Found - William Sansom
○ The Perfectionist - Margaret St. Clair
○ The Price of the Head - John Russell
○ Love Comes to Miss Lucy - Q. Patrick
○ Sredni Vashtar - "Saki" (H. H. Munro)
○ Love Lies Bleeding - Philip MacDonald
○ The Dancing Partner - Jerome K. Jerome
○ Casting the Ruins - M. R. James
○ The Voice in the Night - William Hope Hodgson
○ How Love Came to Professor Guildea 1900 - Robert S. Hichens
○ The Moment of Decision 1956 - Stanley Ellin
○ A Jungle Graduate 1910 - James Francis Dwyer
○ Recipe for Murder - C. P. Donnel, Jr.
○ Nunc Dimittis 1953 - Roald Dahl
○ The Most Dangerous Game aka The Hounds of Zaroff 1924 - Richard Connell
○ The Lady on the Grey 1951 - John Collier
○ The Waxworks 1931 - A. M. Burrage
○ The Dumb Wife 1921 - Thomas Burke
○ Couching at the Door 1933 - D. K. Broster
○ The October Game 1948 - Ray Bradbury
○ Water's Edge 1956 - Robert Bloch [Alfred Hitchcock Hour S3E3 aired 10.19.64 Water’s Edge]
○ The Jokester - Robert Arthur aka Anthony Morton [Alfred Hitchcock Presents S3E4 aired 10.19.58 The Jokester]
○ The Abyss - Leonid Andreyev
December 15, 2016
Classic compilation from one of the masters of suspense. Features stories by Robert Bloch and William Hope Hodgson. A few clunkers in the collection, but that may be more a matter of my own personal taste about writing style. Worthy addition to any thriller fan's library.
October 5, 2017
Not a bad collection, some good, some dull, but none are anywhere near as scary as the introduction makes out.
July 26, 2020
Ho recuperato su comprovendolibri questo volume di racconti horror del 1957 che portano la firma di alcuni autori famosissimi tra cui Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Roald Dahl, Philip MacDonald, Jerome K. Jerome, William Hope Hodgson.
Ce n'è per tutti i gusti: dalle storie soprannaturali, al delitto perfetto. Alcuni sono veramente sadici.
Ho trovato un gusto un po' antiquato nelle storie ambientate in luoghi remoti ed esotici, dove lo stesso ambiente primitivo sconosciuto e ostile, è fonte di superstizioni, misteri e orrori.
Poi, certi pudori nel parlare di sesso fanno veramente sorridere e i libri horror di oggi sono molto più espliciti e truculenti, ma nel complesso la raccolta è gradevole e mi ha divertita.
Ce n'è per tutti i gusti: dalle storie soprannaturali, al delitto perfetto. Alcuni sono veramente sadici.
Ho trovato un gusto un po' antiquato nelle storie ambientate in luoghi remoti ed esotici, dove lo stesso ambiente primitivo sconosciuto e ostile, è fonte di superstizioni, misteri e orrori.
Poi, certi pudori nel parlare di sesso fanno veramente sorridere e i libri horror di oggi sono molto più espliciti e truculenti, ma nel complesso la raccolta è gradevole e mi ha divertita.
February 17, 2021
A decent little collection of horror stories - some hit and miss, others sufficiently creepy. My personal favourites were Being a Murderer Myself, The Perfectionist, and How Love Came To Professor Guildea. A nice palate cleanser of a read in between longer books.
December 13, 2025
5 stars: Love Lies Bleeding by Philip MacDonald
4 stars:
Sredni Vashtar by “Saki” H. H. Munro
The Dancing Partner by Jerome K. Jerome
A Jungle Graduate by James Francis Dwyer
The October Game by Ray Bradbury
4 stars:
Sredni Vashtar by “Saki” H. H. Munro
The Dancing Partner by Jerome K. Jerome
A Jungle Graduate by James Francis Dwyer
The October Game by Ray Bradbury
January 12, 2020
This is an interesting mix of mystery, science fiction, and very mild horror. None of the stories was scary to me.
Read
August 27, 2022"Kẻ tự giết chính mình"
July 12, 2024
Some stories are very good. Others are either mediocre or bad.
November 7, 2025
Brièvement divertissant, aussitôt lu aussitôt oublié.
January 15, 2013
I found this book at a book market in Amsterdam and I was excited to get this edition from 1957!! The stories started out amusingly morbid and delightfully wicked, as I had hoped. But then, the year it was written in became obvious with a few stories that were obviously racist in their depictions and ending conclusions; calling black islanders "savages" and "heathens" is just one example.
I could excuse this because at the time, this is how some people thought but the last few stories in this book were so twisted and disturbing that I couldn't sleep afterwards. I'd recommend skipping the last three...especially the one about Halloween. That one was straight up appalling.
I give this book 4 stars because I really enjoyed it and it was an interesting look into the past...but it's not a book that everyone can stomach..
I could excuse this because at the time, this is how some people thought but the last few stories in this book were so twisted and disturbing that I couldn't sleep afterwards. I'd recommend skipping the last three...especially the one about Halloween. That one was straight up appalling.
I give this book 4 stars because I really enjoyed it and it was an interesting look into the past...but it's not a book that everyone can stomach..
January 9, 2021
Mi auguro che questi racconti il signor Hitchcock si sia limitato a presentarli e non a selezionarli, o si meriterebbe una bacchettata sulle mani per non aver rispettato la consegna.
Il titolo parla di racconti del "terrore", ma malgrado ciò qui di terrore ne ho visto poco.
Alcuni racconti sono piuttosto interessanti, altri sono un po' dozzinali, altri ancora sarebbe stato meglio non fossero mai stati scritti perché nessun lettore al mondo ci avrebbe perduto nulla. Ma in linea generale si tratta di racconti noir, in alcuni casi weird o gialli, ma col terrore quasi niente a che vedere.
Peccato.
Il titolo parla di racconti del "terrore", ma malgrado ciò qui di terrore ne ho visto poco.
Alcuni racconti sono piuttosto interessanti, altri sono un po' dozzinali, altri ancora sarebbe stato meglio non fossero mai stati scritti perché nessun lettore al mondo ci avrebbe perduto nulla. Ma in linea generale si tratta di racconti noir, in alcuni casi weird o gialli, ma col terrore quasi niente a che vedere.
Peccato.
Read
September 3, 2012amazing collection that u are not likely to come across elsewhere. must read!
August 17, 2025
Livre de ma jeunesse
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews