Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories That Go Bump in the Night

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

by Alfred Hitchcock (Editor)

Twenty-four stories by the likes of Bierce, Dahl, Macdonald, and Sturgeon are touched, mainly on the lighter side, by evil, the macabre, and dark suspense

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

307 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Sir 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.

Reviews

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a deep love for these old short story collections. Short stories written between the '30s and the early '70s just have something that modern short stories so often don't. (I think it's usually a plotline, but I say that jokingly since I like modern short stories, too.) Anyway, this is a solid collection. Only a couple of the stories are bad. Almost all are enjoyable, but few of them are really great. The best among them are:

"Muldoon and the Numbers Game" by Robert L. Fish, with it's ever-hopeful numerological outlook. As a mathematician, I found this one hilarious. Also, I always enjoy a short story with a punchline.

"Something for the Dark" by Edward Hoch, a monster story, or is it?

"The Gentleman Caller" by Veronica Parker Jones, with a batty narrator who describes things correctly enough for us to see what's going on, but who can't see it herself.

"No Such Thing as a Vampire" by Richard Matheson, a monster story, or is it?

"The Other Celia" by Theodore Sturgeon, is definitely the strangest story in the book. It's exactly like a Twilight Zone episode, but one of the ones with no moral.

"An Evening in Whitechapel" by Nancy Swoboda, is a super-short with a cool twist which, unfortunately, it telegraphs. But it's still short enough so that it doesn't seem wasted.

Anyway, if this is the sort of thing you like, you'll like this one. It's certainly better than some of the other "Alfred Hitchcock Presents..." books.

[Angelle Tusa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently Alfred Hitchcock liked his stories very short - with the exception of one that spanned 50 pages, all the stories in this collection ranged from 5 - 15 pages. It makes them a very easy read, and if any feels a little tedious it won't be long until you're on to the next one. In the introduction he warns that many of them are simply amusing rather than scary, and I have to agree with that assessment. Regardless, it's an interesting collection of horror, scifi, detective stories, and other amusing tidbits. There's a story by Roald Dahl and one by Richard Matheson, and that alone makes it worth checking out if you can find it.

[Thomas Baird · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this cover to cover in one night when I was young. I've read from it often since then when a story pops into my memory. I'd read a number of collections put together by Hitchcock, but this became my favorite. I won't spoil it for anyone who likes the genre. I'll just say that Hitchcock didn't often lend his name to junk.

[Nan Silvernail · Rating 4 out of 5]

24 stories, hand gathered by Hitchcock just for you!

One is pure corn, but all are enjoyable. (I'm short on this review, but trust me, this is a worthwhile read.)

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less stories that go bump in the night and more stories that deal with clever antics.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A standard Hitchcock collection of mystery and suspense stories, mostly from the 60's and 70's, with a few older ones. It contains one of my favourite Richard Matheson stories, the exquisite "No Such Thing as a Vampire", as well as some gems from the superb Roald Dahl, Robert L. Fish, Patricia Highsmith, and Edward D. Hoch. There's a very good Ross Macdonald novelette from the 40's as well. I expected more from the John D. MacDonald story, which I thought was rather blah, and "The Coconut Trial" has a punchline that will be meaningless to everybody reading it nowadays (I had to Google the name).

[Dara Salley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of these stories were okay, some were awful. One managed to be homophobic, racist and misogynist, all in just a few pages! I should have known things weren't going to go well when the collection started with Roald Dahl throwing a cat into a bonfire.

[Juleen Brantingham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stories are of uneven quality but there is an excellent one by Theodore Sturgeon.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed these stories, but I enjoy Hitchcock books for teenage boys & girls, they are more interesting to read. Some of these short stories they were above my head and I didn't understand them.

[Coby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of spooky short stories that are sure to have any horror fan entertained.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing Alfred Hitchcock. My favorite was Muldoon and the Numbers Game, because I loved the irony at the end. The scariest by far was Woodrow Wilson's necktie, that one still haunts me. The coconut trial was the only one I really didn't understand, so I didn't like that one. The scruff of the soul had a funny ending. My favorite line from the book was "Twenty years to life she got, with time off for good behavior. You come around next spring, i'll introduce you."

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I inhaled the Alfred Hitchcock Presents series of scary, eerie, bizarre, and horrific tales that were great for reading at night. I scared myself silly time after time.

[Christie Skipper Ritchotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a bit biased on Hitchcock books, since I swooned over them in the 5th grade, but I haven't read them since, so can't say how they would hit me today.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars