Bestselling Horror Story Anthologies

Looking for horror stories and horror story collections? The 10 horror anthologies below are the best current collections of horror stories available on Amazon, and they're bound to please.

  1. The New Dead: A Zombie AnthologyThe New Dead: A Zombie Anthology by Christopher Golden - If horror stories about the living dead tickle your fancy, then this collection from Christopher Golden would be a great purchase. 19 stories are included, from authors as diverse as Joe Hill, Rick Hautala, and Joe Lansdale.
  2. The Best of HP LovecraftThe Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre by H.P. Lovecraft - An affordable introduction to H.P. Lovecraft, who is considered by most people to be Poe's successor as master of the horror story. Lovecraft has been a huge influence on every horror writer since.
  3. The Empty House and Other Ghost StoriesThe Empty House and Other Ghost Stories by Algernon Blackwood - This is one of only two single-author anthologies of horror stories included on this list. Blackwood is a master of the craft, and his stories were a huge influence on H.P. Lovecraft.
  4. Poe's ChildrenPoe's Children: The New Horror by Peter Straub - Over 600 pages of horror stories selected by one of the master horror novelists writing today, Peter Straub. Authors included in the collection include John Crowley, Thomas Tessier, and Thomas Ligotti.
  5. Darkness: Two Decades of Modern HorrorDarkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror by Ellen Datlow - Darkness presents 25 horror stories from a diverse group of writers including Clive Barker, Peter Straub, and Stephen King.
  6. Vile Things: Extreme Deviations of HorrorVile Things: Extreme Deviations of Horror by Cheryl Mullenax - British horror writers Graham Masterton and Ramsey Campbell both have stories included in this anthology of horror stories, and other authors include Tim Curran and Randy Chandler.
  7. Hellbound HeartsHellbound Hearts by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan - This is an anthology of stories set in the same universe as Clive Barker's novel The Hellbound Heart. (That book was the source material for the Hellraiser movies.) Includes stories from Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean.
  8. Dark Delicacies III: HauntedDark Delicacies III: Haunted by Del Howison and Jeff Gelb - The editor, Del Howison, owns and operates one of only two all-horror bookstores in the USA, Dark Delicacies. This anthology includes a novella from Chuck Palahniuk, as well as short stories from notable horror authors like David Morrell and Clive Barker.
  9. The Mammoth Book of the Best New HorrorThe Mammoth Book of the Best New Horror by Stephen Jones - Presents short horror stories from 1989 to 2008 from authors like Brian Lumley, Ramsey Campbell, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, Tim Lebbon, Joe Hill, Clive Barker, and Stephen King.
  10. Zombies: Encounters with the Hungry DeadZombies: Encounters with the Hungry Dead by John Skipp - Features 32 zombie stories from notable horror authors like Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Robert R. McCammon, and Joe Lansdale.

Horror Stories - Authors

Horror stories have been around about as long as the written word. Almost every culture on earth has its own ghost stories or monster tales – even tales about vampires. But the roots of modern horror come from the rise of the gothic novel in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

This kind of rich history means that a list of authors of horror stories could be as long and as varied as any list of any genre of authors. Even though they aren’t typically considered horror writers, early American writers Washington Irving and Nathaniel Hawthorne both wrote their share of horror stories. Irving wrote “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” and Hawthorne wrote “The House of Seven Gables,” both considered horror tales.

H.P. Lovecraft is considered one of the most important horror writers ever. His stories have been adapted into movies, television, comic books, and even video games. Some of his most famous stories include “The Unnamable,” “Dreams in the Witch House,” and “The Shadow over Innsmouth.”

Edgar Allen Poe is probably the best known of all the authors of horror stories. Poe’s stories fixated primarily on death, torture, and premature burial. Poe’s most famous works are “The Raven,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.”

When it comes to contemporary authors of horror stories, there are three main names that keep recurring. Peter Straub, Clive Barker, and Stephen King stand out above the rest. They consistently produce the best and most well-known horror stories of the present day.

Peter Straub is an American horror writer best known for 1979’s “Ghost Story,” and 1980’s “Shadowland.” Straub is also known for collaborating with another famous American horror writer – Stephen King. Together, the two wrote “Talisman,” and its sequel, “Black House.”

Many fans say Clive Barker changed the landscape of horror stories when he published his “Books of Blood” series in the mid-1980s. These six books contain thirty stories and have been the basis of many films. His story, “The Hellbound Heart,” was the basis for the “Hellraiser” films.

No list of authors of horror stories would be complete without talking about Stephen King. He is often considered the king of modern horror, and he has the publishing credits to back up that claim. King has published over forty novels and half a dozen short story collections.

King’s first book was “Carrie,” which became an instant best-seller and was adapted into a movie of the same name. Since then, King wrote “Salem’s Lot,” “The Shining,” “Cujo,” “Misery,” and “The Dark Half,” just to name a few. Almost every novel and many of King’s short stories have also been adapted for television or film.