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.
Urban Legends and Horror Stories
Everyone loves a good horror story or urban legend on a stormy, cold night. And there are many scary stories available to the avid horror buff. Urban legends are stories that are based on supposedly true myths. And before your next outing to a local bonfire at night with friends, keep some of these horror stories and urban legends in mind.
1. The Hook - Two teenagers drove a car to Lover's Lane one hot summers night and after a passionate make-out session, the couple listened to some music on the radio. An urgent bulletin came on air and warned of an escaped psychopathic murderer not far from Lover's Lane that had a hook for a hand. The girl became frightened and asked to leave, but not before the boy gave up a fight. He finally jerked the car into motion and drove home where they both got out of the car. The girl began screaming because there, on the passenger side door, was a bloody hook.
2. Humans Can Lick Too - A young girl who's parents went on vacation, was staying in her house one cold, rainy night with her trusty puppy dog. She went to bed that night and watched as her dog crawled underneath the bed, which was something he always did. The girl began hearing weird noises coming from upstairs soon after she fell asleep, so she put her hand under the bed and was reassured when her dog began licking her hand.
Soon after, she was awakened again by weird noises and was again reassured by her dog's licking. As the night progressed, the noises became constant and she went to check them out which led her to the discovery of her dog's dead body hanging from the ceiling; inside-out. The girl ran back to her bedroom and found her mirror smeared with a bloody message, which said, "Humans Can Lick Too".
3. The Body in the Bed - A newlywed couple was in Las Vegas for their honeymoon, and upon arrival to their hotel room, they both detected a horrible odor. Neither of them knew where it was coming from so they tried to ignore it. As the night progressed, they continued to smell something dreadful that they couldn't pinpoint. Because every other hotel room was filled, it was impossible for them to leave.
The couple finally realized that the smell was coming from the bed. And after stripping all of the sheets and blankets, trying to find the odor, the husband tore the mattress off the box spring. And lodged inside the box spring was the dead body of a woman.
4. The Well-Dressed Stranger - A woman who was on her way to pick up her daughter from college, stopped at a gas station on the way there. While the gas attendant was pumping her gas, a nicely dressed man carrying a suitcase came over and explained to the woman that his rental car had died and was in need of a ride. She agreed and he put his briefcase in the backseat, stating that he was going to make a final trip to the mens room.
The woman, after looking at her watch, realized that she had no time to spare and took off before the man could get back into the car. When she got to her daughter's college, she noticed the man's briefcase in the backseat. And upon opening it, she discovered a knife and some duct tape.