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 by Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) is considered one of America’s earliest and finest horror writers. He also invented the detective genre, dabbled in science fiction, and wrote numerous poems. However, with the exception of select poems such as “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee”, Poe is remembered most for his many macabre horror stories.

One of Poe’s most popular works is “The Tell-Tale Heart”. The story is about an unnamed narrator who is not able to hide a murder he committed because the dead man’s heart can still be heard beating. “The Tell-Tale Heart” can serve as a good introduction to the works of Poe.

“The Masque of the Red Death” may appeal to teenage audiences because elements from this story have been used in several different adaptations of “The Phantom of the Opera”. This story is about a prince who, instead of helping his people when a plague known as the Red Death strikes, locks himself up in his one of his estates with a select group of people. All goes well until the Red Death decides to visit his masquerade ball.

“The Pit and the Pendulum” is one of Poe’s most psychological tales. The story is about a man sentenced to death by the Spanish Inquisition. Throughout the course of a horrible night in prison, he realizes that he will die by either falling into a pit or by being cut in half by “pendulum” that he can see slowly descending from the ceiling.

Another of Poe’s psychological horror stories is “The Premature Burial”. This story is about a man who suffers from catalepsy and who begins to fear that he will one day be buried alive. Fear of being buried alive or “taphophobia” was rampant during the mid-19th century and, therefore, made Poe’s story quite popular.

Although “Ligeia” is rather unusual it is still considered one of Poe’s finest works. The story is about a man who practically worships his wife, a beautiful woman named Ligeia. After her early death, he becomes addicted to opium and his continued obsession with her destroys his second marriage.

No list of horror stories by Edgar Allan Poe would be complete without mention of one of the author’s most terrifying and disturbing works: “The Fall of the House of Usher”. The story is about Roderick Usher, a mentally ill man who purposely buries his sister alive. Many literary critics consider “The Fall of the House of Usher” one of the finest horror stories ever written.