The Monkey’s Paw

The Monkey's Paw: Short story by W. W. JacobsToday we are bringing you The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs, one of the most famous horror stories of all time. First published in 1902, it has since appeared in many forms including live plays, movies, TV shows, radio plays, books, comics and cartoons (even a Simpsons episode!). In the story, a man makes a wish upon an enchanted monkey’s paw with disastrous results for his family. First, some advice before you start to read. Don’t do it sitting at home alone on a dark and stormy night! Themes: family, greed, tempting fate, industrialization (work safety), death, the supernatural.

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The Hospice

The Hospice: Short story by Robert AickmanAuthor Robert Aickman preferred to be called a writer of “strange fiction” rather than ghost or horror stories. The Hospice, considered one of his best, is a good example of why. The story is full of unexplained twists and turns. It builds to what readers expect will be a typical horror climax, then seemingly falls flat with the protagonist safely on his way home. But is he? It’s easy to see why Aickman has been called the English Kafka. Was it a dream? Delirium caused by an animal bite? Supernatural forces? Or did he die along the way?

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The Raft

The Raft: Short story by Stephen KingIn this story from Stephen King, the last swim of the season by four college students also proves to be the last swim of their lives. On an alcohol-fuelled whim, the foursome drive to a deserted lake to swim out to a raft moored fifty yards off shore, say good-bye to summer, and then swim back. As they reach the raft, they learn to their horror that a mysterious black mass floating on the surface is stalking them for its next meal(s). Themes include teenage exuberance, machismo, chauvinism, sexuality, fear, the unknown/supernatural.

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The Chosen Vessel

The Chosen Vessel: Short story by Barbara BayntonThis story by Barbara Baynton paints a graphic picture of the isolation and dangers faced by women living in ‘outback’ Australia during the 19th century. A ‘swagman’ traveling the countryside looking for work visits a woman on a farm whose husband is away. She does not like the way he looks at her, and locks herself and her baby in their house. The man is about to break in when they hear a horse rider coming. The woman runs outside and calls for help. However, when the horse rider hears and then sees her, he races away in fright.

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Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Short story by Joyce Carol OatesThe plot of this award-winning story by Joyce Carol Oates in a nutshell: attractive, self-absorbed, rebellious teen under Why can’t you be like your big sister? pressure meets a predatory psychopath with, one imagines, predictable results. What sets the story apart is the way Oates, using dialogue alone, transforms a cautionary tale for young women into a psychological thriller that gradually develops into a horror story. Themes include search for identity, independence, sexuality and control, appearance vs. reality, malevolence, psychological manipulation and (if you believe Connie really sacrificed herself for her family), self-sacrifice.

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Prey

Prey: Short story by Richard MathesonIn this story by Richard Matheson, a woman buys her new boyfriend a Zuni fetish doll for his birthday. A scroll inside the box reads THIS IS HE WHO KILLS…. HE IS A DEADLY HUNTER. As she prepares to shower, the doll turns out to be the real deal. It escapes the gold chain designed to keep the hunter’s spirit locked inside and sets off in search of prey. Although the girl and the spirit appear temporarily happy with the outcome, the girl’s mother may not be! Themes include control, isolation, violence, fear, determination, the supernatural.

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The Feather Pillow

The Feather Pillow: Short story by Horacio QuirogaIn this story by Horacio Quiroga a healthy young woman slowly wastes away and dies over the three months following her wedding. Her husband’s impassive manner, coupled with spending her days alone in his cavernous, unwelcoming house, destroy her childhood fancies of married life. Her fate is sealed when she decides to cast a veil over her former dreams and live like a sleeping beauty in the hostile house. Later, we learn that it is not their house that is hostile, but her feather pillow. Themes include innocence, love and marriage, isolation and loneliness, disillusionment, depression and death.

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The Fall of the House of Usher

The Fall of the House of Usher: Short story by Edgar Allan PoeThis Edgar Allan Poe story is a masterpiece of the Gothic Horror genre. A man visits a childhood friend in his crumbling family mansion to help him cope with an acute attack of depression. An interdependent relationship exists between the friend, his twin sister and the house (some say a shared soul), which ends in the downfall of all three. The story’s most remarkable feature is the almost total lack of physical action. The feeling of terror and impending doom develops solely from Poe’s descriptions of setting, characters, and atmosphere. Themes: isolation, friendship, fear, madness, the supernatural.

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