20 Must-Read Horror Short Stories

Cristina has some superstitions. For example, she never wants to live in a house with a history. But is it really superstition if the ghosts are out to get you?

Little Red Riding Hood, rape culture, internalized misogyny, and puberty, all wrapped up in one tidy package. This story may very well be the scariest thing I’ve read in years.

This is the story that reshaped the way I look at horror: Jackson doesn’t need any supernatural elements to craft a tale as chilling and terrifying as the most accomplished ghost story.

No list of horror short stories would be complete without Lovecraft. Along with Poe, he’s probably the master of horror; and this story, exploring what happens when the monsters aren’t who you’d expect, shows why.

Enríquez’s work may feature supernatural elements, but their real horror lies in the real, human parts of it. In this story, death doesn’t stop the last dictatorship in Argentina from continuing to spread terror.

Sometimes, you’re the monster. In this incredible story, Wong explores the implications of having a monster within yourself.

The supernatural isn’t, in and of itself, terrifying. But when somebody with less than stellar intentions learns to wield it? That’s when we fall squarely in horror territory.

We’ve all likened having to sit through class with a horror story once or twice. Lucky for us, most people don’t mean it as literally as the students of this Introduction to the Horror Story module.

I know everyone raves about “The Fall of the House of Asher” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and they are masterpieces, to be sure. But I read this particular story on a fateful night when I was 12 years old, never touched it again, and I still remember every detail 20 years later. If that doesn’t earn it a spot in this list, well, I don’t know what would.

The thing about horror stories: sometimes you find yourself rooting for the monster. Sometimes, you realize that the real monster isn’t the zombie, but rather the human man that she’s hunting down in pursuit of revenge. Or maybe simple justice.

trigger warning: pedophilia

Metamorphosis is a common trope in horror. But unlike most characters, Abbie is delighted by the change — amping the eerie factor up by a million. What makes this story a thousand times creepier though? Abbie’s predilection for teenage boys. Sexual predators are recast as lake creatures in this chilling read.

The title alone is a masterpiece of the genre. The story itself? Let’s just say that you’ll find yourself praying for a speedy breakup between the narrator and her boyfriend. Preferably in a public place. Far away from the aptly named Museum of Torture.

You know how, in movies, the dead or dying husband gives their blessing when his wife and his best friend fall in love? This is not what happens here. Wyoming is displeased enough to let his wife, Enid, and best friend, Grant, know about it — by sending a message all the way from the grave. Or does he?

Some of the most terrifying horror I’ve ever read is a mere expansion of real-life phenomena. In this case: what happens when a mother’s love for her child goes too far?

Forget vampires and ghosts, there is no creature more terrifying than human beings. In this story, it’s not the child narrator’s apparent monstrosity that creates the horror. It’s his parents’ cruelty.

I’m going to go ahead and let the story’s opening paragraph do the talking this time: “Two things to mention: 1) I am going to speak with my wife, two years after the last time. 2) My wife is dead; she died two years ago, in odd circumstances.”

Before Dracula and Carmilla, there was The Vampyre. This 1816 short story introduces us to a young Englishman named Aubrey, who befriends a stranger but charismatic man…only to find out that he isn’t what he seems.

Every time I read this story, I’m left with more questions than answers. A classic ghost story.

Have you ever been struck with horror by some male authors’ descriptions of women’s bodies? Cole has too. In her own words: “I just took what they started to its monstrous extremes.” The result is a wonderful horror story with an underlying thread of dark comedy.

Both a horror story and a tale of grief, resilience and love, this short story taught me a) to be careful what I wish for, and b) that maybe my inability to grow most plants is a good thing after all.