Master of the macabre short story

American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) is especially known for his poetry and for his short stories. While they aren't his best known stories, the mystery stories featuring his fictional detective character C. Auguste Dupin had a huge impact on the literature after him. They inspired the genre of detective fiction, which was popularized by later writers like Arthur Conan Doyle creator of Sherlock Holmes. This genre owes a huge debt to Poe as its pioneer, and stories like "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Purloined Letter".

But Poe's legacy and influence is especially in the genre that is now described as Gothic horror. These short stories often had themes related to death, and relied on psychological suspense and terror. Many of his tales revolve around death, insanity, or the supernatural, and have a dark feel to them, often displaying mankind at its worst. Poe had a real ability to convey the torment going on in the minds of his characters, and to evoke a sense of psychological terror in the minds of his readers. His sense of the macabre saw him often using symbols like ravens and clocks to strengthen his themes.

These half a dozen or so tales are commonly regarded to be his best known stories of this sort:

• The Tell-Tale Heart: A chilling tale of a man who tries to prove his sanity while confessing to a murder, but is haunted by guilt and the sound of his victim's heart.
• The Cask of Amontillado: Driven by revenge and cruelty, a man uses wine to lure a companion into the catacombs for a macabre burial alive.
• The Black Cat: A man’s guilt over abusing and killing his cat spirals into insanity, murder, and his ultimate downfall.
• The Masque of the Red Death: A lavish party for the rich who have fled from a pestilence is interrupted by a mysterious masked figure that pictures death.
• The Fall of the House of Usher: A crumbling mansion mirrors the madness and doom of two mysteriously ill siblings, the last two family members of the House of Usher.
• The Pit and the Pendulum: A prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition faces horror in a dark room while tied to a machine of torture, narrowly escaping a terrifying death.
• William Wilson: A man is haunted by a doppelgänger who looks and acts like him, and acts as his conscience, leading to a tragic showdown.

The first three listed above will serve as a good introduction to Poe's style, and are arguably his most well-known and beloved tales. Stories of this sort had a big influence on later writers like H.P. Lovecraft, creator of the Cthulhu mythos. Despite their dark and dramatic feel, there is no denying their impact and influence.

Hey everyone!

I've seen a lot of amazing horror book recommendations around here (I've already added several to my TBR — thanks!), but this time I'm looking for something more specific: short stories about ghosts and haunted houses.

Not novels or full-length books — I'm in the mood for those quick, atmospheric tales that give you chills and make you think twice before turning off the lights.

I'm open to classics or contemporary authors, international or local. Anything with ghosts, vengeful spirits, creepy old mansions, lingering souls, etc.

If you know of any good anthologies or collections that focus on this theme, those are also very welcome!

Thanks in advance!

Hey guys. I just watched the Haunting of Bly manor and I’m currently reading the amazing Lisa Morton’s book on ghosts (Ghosts: a haunted history). If you don’t know her she did some research on Halloween too so i highly recommend you check it out!

Anyway now I’m in the mood for ghost stories, short ones. I’ve read the two pillars that are the Haunting of Hill House (my favorite book of all times) and Turn of the Screw (but the prose was too dense for me!). I’ve also read most of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories.

I typed ‘ghost stories’ on Amazon but there are so many options I don’t know which one is the best anthology! What would you recommend?

I am definitely looking for classic, gothic literature, not new / contemporary ghost stories

Turns out Edgar Allan Poe didn’t need to invent women clawing their way out of coffins. His lovers died young and tragically enough to haunt any house. It’s as if the line between his real life and ghost stories blurred until he couldn’t see where flesh ended and wraith began. Maybe that’s why his writing hits so hard — he was just transcribing what the dead were already telling him. Makes you wonder what you’d hear if you stood in his old study. https://obscurix.com/loves-and-losses-that-shaped-edgar-allan-poes-mystique/

I'm a big fan of ghost stories, and like many people, I have my favorites. I love the short story as a form of fiction, and ghost stories are a fantastic short story genre. I'd love to hear what other people think are particularly well-written ones and why.

Henry James's 'The Turn of the Screw' is often referenced in this context, and while excellent, it doesn't quite do it for me. I can see exactly how the author is manipulating our perceptions, and somehow that lessens the impact of the story.

I'd pick Daphne du Maurier's 'Don't Look Now' as the top of my list, despite (or maybe because of) the fact it succeeds while going against so many of the conventions of typical ghost stories. That and the fact it has such a terrifically shocking ending.

What other ghost stories are notable for their literary merit?

The ghost story is my favorite sub-genre of horror literature, so I'm looking for the best ghost story writer. I hear M.R. James quite often when this question is asked. So, I might start off with him. Who do you think is the best at writing ghost stories?

I'm looking for some really unique, outside the box ghost stories, not just the classic haunted house trope or something like that. So, which are the most different ghost stories that you have read? (Even better if they are very creepy or disturbing)

I am a real sucker for ghost stories, what are your favorite ghost novels? Scarier the better.