Top Ten Scary Short Stories to Read for Halloween

Welcome back to Myths & Mischief ! This is your Lovable Lord of Lore, today’s mischievous myth a top ten list of scary short stories.

With no disrespect to horror novels, this is a list of short stories that have crept their way into Halloween festivities for those looking for a quick stab of terror. In honor of suspense, it will be in descending order, building to the most chilling insights into the human condition. While everyone has their own opinions, forgive me for perhaps overindulging in my favorite, the master of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe.

10: The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins

There is a definite slow build to this story, but it takes the reader on a journey into insanity that is unique. It is also accessible enough that the reader can empathize with the protagonist as they slip further and further down the rabbit hole. The protagonist starts out with some issues, then her sanity melts away as she gets lost in her own mind. There aren’t too many stories that take you along for the ride.

9: The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe

As people age, they feel the slow decline of their bodies. That feeling is evident as everything in the House of Usher falls into disrepair. The anguish of losing all that once was is a force that isn’t often portrayed in short stories, but is effective and terrible in this piece by Poe.

If you have ever had that feeling that everything was falling apart, then this may be the story that you can crumble with.

8: The Veldt by Ray Bradbury

The Veldt can be read as a story about the dangers of technology, and that would be fair. It could be read as a generational gap causing conflicts. It could be read as a warning about the dangers of failing to make human connections in a world that is increasingly devoid of actual contact. It is all of these things woven together that play with one’s sense of what should happen, while also dwelling on what could go horribly wrong. The story does give a sense of foreboding, but where it leads to is both alarming and fantastic.

7: The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allen Poe

Who doesn’t like a good torture story? The story takes you on an adventure as the swings of the pendulum with a giant blade dictate the pace of the story. This is a journey of torture as the blade swings lower slowly. The fear isn’t from pain, but from the mental anguish that results from horror. There are many methods of torture, but in this setting, in his situation, with a lack of general understanding yet the assurance of finality looming, it is an excellent read.

6: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

While all the pomp and circumstance takes a while to peel back, the clash between what a society does and what we perceive should be done is the basis for allowing us to look at all the silly rituals and nuances that we do participate in, sometimes to our own demise. This is a wonderfully described town of people who may or may not understand that their collective actions have horrible consequences. Everything in the town seems good intentioned with rational people acting the way people do. The unsettling part for the reader is trying to figure out what is beneath the surface of all these common folk that make what they are doing so egregious.

5: The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe

This story takes a while to pick up. Luckily for the avid reader, they are able to anticipate that Poe will take them along a dark path. This path just so happens to be in a catacomb. What is scarier than walking down a damp and darkened tunnel that is the burial site for so many who have met their ends to the horrors of the plague? Poe finds a way to make it worse, then cranks it up a notch. The ending makes the journey worth it for those who endeavor to be spooked into thinking about such things. This is a great story to read with a glass of wine, or several, so you can follow along with the ill-fated character since he also has no clue what his fate will be.

4: The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs

This tale mixes the intrigue of distant lands and cursed objects. It really examines the human propensity for greed and the determination of what is good or bad without understanding that they are all relative. If the characters accepted the events in their lives, they would go on struggling with the daily trials and tribulations of life. Instead, they apply their perspective and their wants to a devastating effect. The build-up in this story is so well done as their wishes are fulfilled. The wishes granted by the paw have a way of setting things back to natural order, which does not align with the perspectives of the characters. While reading, you have to wonder what you would ask for, then imagine how it could go horribly wrong.

3: The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe

I reread this story during the COVID shutdown. The mass hysteria, whether real or not, that goes with pandemics and epidemics is much better understood now. The fear of the plague may be a stone’s throw away from us now that we are underutilizing vaccinations and science that have beaten it into submission for so long. This story is about an aristocrat who involves all of his friends to seek shelter with him at a party as they shut themselves off from the world and its plague. What makes this an amazing story is that the plague is personified as a visitor at the party. With the different colored rooms of the party representing different things, the death hanging at the end of everything makes even the most frivolous moments eerily terrifying.

2: The Landlady by Roald Dahl

The transition from warm and cozy into a cell surrounded by death makes this a horrible and superb read. Like southern hospitality, it seems great on the surface, but people need to be wary of what lies are hiding behind those kind gestures. Sometimes, the terror comes from a serene setting. Perhaps you fancy yourself a traveller on a budget, would your worst case scenario compare to the fate of the protagonist. In a story where nothing is as it seems, what revelation will reveal what he has in store for him?

There are several reasons why the number one story has its place. The use of an unreliable narrator is wonderful. Some foreshadowing is going on, the reader can sense something bad is going to happen. There is a twist that makes the narrator both relatable and mad at the same time which makes you wonder if you can trust your own thoughts. As horror stories are a game of intellect, this one is crafted magnificently.

1: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

Murder, even if premeditated, does not in itself, make a great horror story. It may help if the story takes place while most people are sleeping or the unsettling appearance of an abnormality like a false eye manifests. The twist that Poe applies is the tone of the narrator. The killer is the narrator as he takes the reader through his defense. He is not defending himself from accusations of guilt. He is defending his notion that he is sane, reasonable, and intelligent which left him no choice in the matter. What adds to the horror is the narrator’s demise, which negates his claim to sanity. It is well-crafted and relatable, yet horrible and grotesque at the same time. That is Poe’s work in a nutshell: the combination of relatable experiences that delve deeper into the depraved part of the soul where bad things dwell.

I know, you probably don’t agree with some or all of this list, but at this time of year, it seems traditional to share dread with others. These stories all share that nature, our nature, that seems to be ignored most of the year, which makes setting a time to celebrate it that much more special.

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Until next time, this is your Lovable Lord of Lore.

If you ever wonder what end came of the master of the macabre, last year I wrote story about the demise of Edgar Allen Poe that was in 14 parts if you include the introduction. The links are found below for easier access.