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.
The 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.
The 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.
The 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.
Poe'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.
Darkness: 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.
Vile 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.
Hellbound 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.
Dark 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.
The 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.
Zombies: 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 for Children
Horror stories for children are full of things that creep and crawl and go bump in the night. They're full of just the right mixture of innocent chills and thrills to frighten and delight younger readers. Though boys and girls alike love reading horror stories, they are especially great choices for younger boy readers in a fiction market that produces heavily for girls.
One of the great names in children's horror is R.L. Stine, author of the popular Goose Bumps series, Fear Street series and countless other scary stories children can finish in a single sitting. Several of his books and short stories have been collected into themed anthologies.
The Nightmare Hour is a collection of ten horror stories for children written by R.L. Stine. These stories may hold a lot of appeal for middle grade children who enjoy ghost stories and fantastical tales of wizards and witches. Short story compilations like this one are wonderful for parents to share with their children at bedtime.
Beware! is another anthology of horror stories for children that was edited by R.L. Stine. Though Stine contributes several stories the collection, readers will also find stories from Ray Bradbury, Shel Silverstein, Alvin Schwartz and other authors. Also included are several poems and comic strips.
One of the classic collections of horror stories for children is the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series. Three books in the series have been published and can be purchased together as a collection. The stories contained in the series range are retellings of urban legends and folklore by author Alvin Schwartz. Children might also enjoy the author's stand alone compilation entitled In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories.
Children love getting into the spirit of Halloween by reading themed anthologies with plenty of scares lurking between the pages. Halloween themed collections of horror stories for children are not in short supply and new anthologies are released each year. A Haunted Halloween, released in October 2010 by Dark Regions Press, is a large collection of Halloween themed short stories for youngsters written by author Paul Melniczek. Melniczek is a relatively new but prolific writer of children's horror stories with more than 100 to his credit in three years.
Children need to be taught early to love literature and reading. One of the ways parents can help foster this love in children is by providing their kids with books and stories that are age appropriate and interesting to them.
Horror stories for children have long been favorites for boys and girls alike. Many who are parents now will remember reading the stories of Alvin Schwartz, Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine when they were children. Some have continued to read those stories into their adulthood and most have advanced to reading the horror stories of Dean Koontz, Stephen King and other popular writers. What better way to encourage a child to read than by providing him with a collection of spooky children's stories?