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Scary!
First published 1998 · 224 pages
A delightfully chilling sampler platter of classic horror that taps straight into the primal fears of childhood.
What it feels like
Reading this anthology feels like huddling under the covers with a flashlight, eager to be terrified. It delivers a brisk, delightfully chilling experience that taps directly into primal childhood fears and the thrill of the unknown. Because it gathers a pantheon of horror masters, the prose shifts from playful macabre to creeping dread, offering a varied texture of scares that never overstay their welcome. The mood is deeply nostalgic and eerie, wrapping the reader in an atmosphere of classic, pulp-tinged suspense. It is perfect for younger readers looking for a genuine gateway into horror, or for older fans wanting to revisit the delicious, bite-sized jolts of terror that first made them fall in love with the genre.
- Mood
- eerie
- nostalgic
- chilling
- atmospheric
- Tone
- creepy
- macabre
- suspenseful
- playful
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- childhood fears · the supernatural · dark twists · monstrous encounters · loss of innocence
- The writing
- Accessible and punchy, shifting from classic pulp directness to atmospheric dread depending on the master storyteller at the helm.
- The arc
- Moves from a delicious shiver of anticipation through varied jolts of terror, settling into a lingering, delightful unease.
- Who it's for
- Readers seeking a nostalgic, gateway horror experience filled with bite-sized, classic scares.
Content notes
- supernatural peril
- child endangerment
- mild gore
- death
About the book
Anthology: Give yourself the shivers with these fourteen stories by the master scaremongers.
1. The Spell - R. L. Stine 2. It’s a Good Life - Jerome Bixby 3. Drink My Red Blood - Richard Matheson 4. Something Nasty - William F. Nolan 5. The Restless Ghost - Leon Garfield 6. The Thirteenth Day of Christmas - Isaac Asimov 7. Hush! - Zenna Henderson 8. Spotty Powder - Roald Dahl 9. A Baby Tramp - Ambrose Bierce 10. The Man Upstairs - Ray Bradbury 11. Dead Language Master - Joan Aiken 12. Here There Be Tygers - Stephen King 13. The Trick [“Trick or Treat”] - Ramsey Campbell 14. A Toy for Juliette - Robert Bloch
Description from Open Library.
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