Trick 'r' Treat Tell Us Who the Best Ghost Story Teller Is
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1Limelite
Whether you're haunted by a creepy nightmare story, or a psycho drama that twists your own psyche, or an apparitional tale that raises the fuzz on the back of your neck, almost all of us have a favorite ghost story. "Ghost story" has become a fairly broad term that encompasses most any scary story involving paranormal and near-paranormal beings ultimately responsible for inexplicable events, even when actual ghosts never appear. "Haunt" may be a better word to use than "ghost" in referring to these tales designed to turn our hair white with fear.
When I think of Jane Eyre I think of it as probably the most successful ghost novel ever written that doesn't have an actual ghost in it. But the secret of Thornfield Hall is a "haunt." And the scary atmosphere that dominates this novel is due to the wisp and whisper of a suggested prisoner with superhuman powers capable of death and destruction.
And when I think of a real ghost story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is the numero uno representative of that genre in its strictest sense. The headless ghost of a Hessian soldier would definitely haunt the memories and dreams of the nightshirt set of the generation following the American Revolution. And it's haunted my mostly 20th C mind, too.
Ghost stories are so popular in the imaginations of writers and readers that we still thrill to the ones being written today, in spite of -- or because of? -- the Age in which we live. Now, I've not jumped on the Stephen King bandwagon, but I imagine somewhere in his spine tingling collection of tales of the weird and disturbingly "off kilter," there has to be a haunt or ghost story.
The point is, whether classic or contemporary, you probably have an opinion as to which writer has written the absolute best ghost story ever put down on paper or composed in e-ink. So, when the sun goes down in about two weeks on All Hallow's Eve, who is your go-to author of all things scary that you depend on to traumatize the kids (and adults) as you sit around the bonfire and share a holiday story?
Tell us your favorite writer, favorite story, and why it especially works for you as the ne plus ultra of the genre. Just don't say "Boo!" behind my back when you do.
When I think of Jane Eyre I think of it as probably the most successful ghost novel ever written that doesn't have an actual ghost in it. But the secret of Thornfield Hall is a "haunt." And the scary atmosphere that dominates this novel is due to the wisp and whisper of a suggested prisoner with superhuman powers capable of death and destruction.
And when I think of a real ghost story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is the numero uno representative of that genre in its strictest sense. The headless ghost of a Hessian soldier would definitely haunt the memories and dreams of the nightshirt set of the generation following the American Revolution. And it's haunted my mostly 20th C mind, too.
Ghost stories are so popular in the imaginations of writers and readers that we still thrill to the ones being written today, in spite of -- or because of? -- the Age in which we live. Now, I've not jumped on the Stephen King bandwagon, but I imagine somewhere in his spine tingling collection of tales of the weird and disturbingly "off kilter," there has to be a haunt or ghost story.
The point is, whether classic or contemporary, you probably have an opinion as to which writer has written the absolute best ghost story ever put down on paper or composed in e-ink. So, when the sun goes down in about two weeks on All Hallow's Eve, who is your go-to author of all things scary that you depend on to traumatize the kids (and adults) as you sit around the bonfire and share a holiday story?
Tell us your favorite writer, favorite story, and why it especially works for you as the ne plus ultra of the genre. Just don't say "Boo!" behind my back when you do.
2abbottthomas
M R James does it for me. I like the rather dry, academic atmosphere that surrounds the stories.
Susan Hill's The Woman in Black is pretty good, too.
Susan Hill's The Woman in Black is pretty good, too.
4southernbooklady
>1 Limelite: When I think of Jane Eyre I think of it as probably the most successful ghost novel ever written that doesn't have an actual ghost in it.
I still think of the bedroom/veil scene as one of the most frightening moments in English literature. Another good ghost story without a ghost is a short story by Saki that I am always wanting to call "The Romantic" but is actually called "The Open Window."
I still think of the bedroom/veil scene as one of the most frightening moments in English literature. Another good ghost story without a ghost is a short story by Saki that I am always wanting to call "The Romantic" but is actually called "The Open Window."
5Cecrow
>1 Limelite:, I might challenge your citation of Jane Eyre, since Henry James one-upped it by taking almost exactly the same story and then putting the focus on its gothic elements while dropping the romance to craft The Turn of the Screw. There's also his less effective The Jolly Corner which sort of has a ghost in it.
In the past three years I've caught up on Frankenstein, Dracula and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Of those three, I think Dracula wins for spooky.
A lot of people seem to like The Haunting of Hill House but I haven't had the pleasure yet.
Right now I'm reading House of Leaves as Halloween approaches, but finding its crafting overwhelms its striving for atmosphere.
I don't know that I've ever really read an actually scary story that kept me awake or made me turn more lights on, etc. The Shining maybe came closest. The lady in the bathtub, the footsteps, and watching the handle turn ... I've forgotten most of that book's details but that part, yeah, that's stuck with me.
In the past three years I've caught up on Frankenstein, Dracula and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Of those three, I think Dracula wins for spooky.
A lot of people seem to like The Haunting of Hill House but I haven't had the pleasure yet.
Right now I'm reading House of Leaves as Halloween approaches, but finding its crafting overwhelms its striving for atmosphere.
I don't know that I've ever really read an actually scary story that kept me awake or made me turn more lights on, etc. The Shining maybe came closest. The lady in the bathtub, the footsteps, and watching the handle turn ... I've forgotten most of that book's details but that part, yeah, that's stuck with me.
6Limelite
Scary? Ya wanna talk about scary?! The Silence of the Lambs about does it for me when it comes to pass out scared.
Nowadays, I'm more considerate of my heart.
The Bronte Sisters totally creep me out. Even Villette makes me shudder -- too many drafty rooms, which to my SoFla soul means haunts are about.
And if anyone mentions the name "Poe," I quail in my furry bedroom slippers. His ghastly stories are worse than most writers' ghostly ones. The repulsive Ligeia springs to mind, as does The Tell-Tale Heart.
Daphne du Maurier's is responsible for Rebecca, one of the most haunted books ever written; and leaning more to horror than phantasmagoria is, The Birds. She has a lot to ask forgiveness for from us timid readers.
The worst thing about ghost stories is the more of them I read the less inured to being frightened by them I become. Now I avoid them. They're only for the young and the brave.
Nowadays, I'm more considerate of my heart.
The Bronte Sisters totally creep me out. Even Villette makes me shudder -- too many drafty rooms, which to my SoFla soul means haunts are about.
And if anyone mentions the name "Poe," I quail in my furry bedroom slippers. His ghastly stories are worse than most writers' ghostly ones. The repulsive Ligeia springs to mind, as does The Tell-Tale Heart.
Daphne du Maurier's is responsible for Rebecca, one of the most haunted books ever written; and leaning more to horror than phantasmagoria is, The Birds. She has a lot to ask forgiveness for from us timid readers.
The worst thing about ghost stories is the more of them I read the less inured to being frightened by them I become. Now I avoid them. They're only for the young and the brave.
7Cecrow
lol - I've read Silence of the Lambs and an entire collection of Poe but didn't think to mention them. I guess I just never forget I'm reading enough to be pulled in!
Our family still owns a farmhouse built in the 1870s, heated by big iron wood stoves, most of its furnishings still from that era or shortly after. It's constructed of nothing but drafty rooms. I spent a lot of happy childhood there, so that sort of image makes an entirely different impression on me.
I'll be reading Rebecca near future, sounds like fun.
Our family still owns a farmhouse built in the 1870s, heated by big iron wood stoves, most of its furnishings still from that era or shortly after. It's constructed of nothing but drafty rooms. I spent a lot of happy childhood there, so that sort of image makes an entirely different impression on me.
I'll be reading Rebecca near future, sounds like fun.
8pgmcc
Try some Thomas Ligotti if you want your mind disturbed.
The work of M.R. James is excellent as is that of Robert Aickman. If you have not tried Aickman before you should track down his collection, Cold Hand in Mine.
The work of M.R. James is excellent as is that of Robert Aickman. If you have not tried Aickman before you should track down his collection, Cold Hand in Mine.
9pgmcc
Looking at the title of this thread, and if I were asked to pick one author as the best ghost story teller it would most definitely be M.R. James.
10Meredy
One of the scariest stories I ever read was "The Willows," by Algernon Blackwood, one of many shuddery tales in Bennett Cerf's anthology Famous Ghost Stories, which spooked me pretty thoroughly as a kid and didn't let me off much more lightly as an adult. And this was after reading all of Poe, which I'd done by the time I was about 12.
Stephen King's The Shining also made my pulse race so hard that I had trouble breathing.
But I don't think I ever read anything to top Fredric Brown's "Don't Look Behind You" for pure fright. I was truly scared to leave my house for at least three days (although I did have to go out and go to work, and I did look behind me).
It might not have the same impact today, and certainly wouldn't if read electronically, but I well remember how it shivered my spine some 40 years ago.
Stephen King's The Shining also made my pulse race so hard that I had trouble breathing.
But I don't think I ever read anything to top Fredric Brown's "Don't Look Behind You" for pure fright. I was truly scared to leave my house for at least three days (although I did have to go out and go to work, and I did look behind me).
It might not have the same impact today, and certainly wouldn't if read electronically, but I well remember how it shivered my spine some 40 years ago.
11.Monkey.
>10 Meredy: Hah, well now you've got my curiosity piqued!
12Meredy
>11 .Monkey.: Speaking of: never forget "The Monkey's Paw"--a very short one, but one with staying power of a disturbing kind.
It's far from the first tale of bargains made with unintended consequences--they're easily found in ancient literature--but I believe this scenario was original. I've seen the idea appropriated more than once in later stories and scripts.
It's far from the first tale of bargains made with unintended consequences--they're easily found in ancient literature--but I believe this scenario was original. I've seen the idea appropriated more than once in later stories and scripts.
13.Monkey.
Ooh more to look into! I'm not too big on short stories, but they do work well for horror, when done right! The best short story collection I ever read was My Favorite Horror Story, nearly all of them were excellent!
14SomeGuyInVirginia
L.P. Hartley's 'The Visitor from Down Under' and 'The Travelling Grave' from the short story collection The Travelling Grave are utterly chilling. Both employ a macabre shift that introduces a grim new reality. Really very creepy. Hartley's other stories can be hit or missish, but when he hits it's a very palpable hit.
>10 Meredy: Fredric Brown is a tiny bit marvelous, isn't he? Roald Dahl never wrote a stinker.
>10 Meredy: Fredric Brown is a tiny bit marvelous, isn't he? Roald Dahl never wrote a stinker.
15abbottthomas
Anyone know the works of Robert Aickman? I have just read an enthusiastic review in the autumn edition of Slightly Foxed on the strength of which I have splurged £2.99 for a Kindle edition. I'll come back on this if the stories are any good.
16ahef1963
>4 southernbooklady: I agree, you don't get much spookier than The Open Window.
Ghost stories/scary stories that I really like:
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Two by Neil Gaiman: The Graveyard Book and The Ocean at the End of the Lane
The Thing on the Doorstep by H.P. Lovecraft
The scariest ghost story I've read is Duma Key by Stephen King. I lost sleep for over a week while reading and after reading that one. I'll never read it again, but I have the utmost respect for his ability to scare me half to death!
Ghost stories/scary stories that I really like:
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Two by Neil Gaiman: The Graveyard Book and The Ocean at the End of the Lane
The Thing on the Doorstep by H.P. Lovecraft
The scariest ghost story I've read is Duma Key by Stephen King. I lost sleep for over a week while reading and after reading that one. I'll never read it again, but I have the utmost respect for his ability to scare me half to death!
17pgmcc
>15 abbottthomas: Robert Aickman's stories are wonderful on many levels. I hope you enjoy them. Which collection have you bought?
18SomeGuyInVirginia
>15 abbottthomas: >17 pgmcc: I'll third Aikman, and there are lots to choose from. I'd be interested in your opinion, at.
Margaret Millar wrote a really creepy story called 'The People Across the Canyon'. It's widely available in both literary and horror genre anthologies. Michael Shea's 'The Autopsy' is pretty good, and John Collier's Evening Primrose still give me the willies when I think about it, even though it's been years since I read it.
Mary Danby edited several good creepy anthologies in the 60s and 70s.
Margaret Millar wrote a really creepy story called 'The People Across the Canyon'. It's widely available in both literary and horror genre anthologies. Michael Shea's 'The Autopsy' is pretty good, and John Collier's Evening Primrose still give me the willies when I think about it, even though it's been years since I read it.
Mary Danby edited several good creepy anthologies in the 60s and 70s.
19Limelite
It looks like scary ghost stories and haunt fiction do best in short story form.
I'm surprised that all the haunted house fiction out there (lots made into movies) hasn't made it into the discussion. Is that because LTers think it belongs to the horror/possessed/slasher fiction realm? Don't ghosts inhabit haunted houses these days -- or are they all crazed killer hangouts?
Got to thinking about humorous ghost/haunted house fiction after I recalled several comic Hollywood movies like "Topper," based on Thorne Smith's two novels. And what about "Harvey"? Does an alcoholic's hallucination count as a ghost story?
Do you have a favorite "cozy" ghost/haunt story?
I'm surprised that all the haunted house fiction out there (lots made into movies) hasn't made it into the discussion. Is that because LTers think it belongs to the horror/possessed/slasher fiction realm? Don't ghosts inhabit haunted houses these days -- or are they all crazed killer hangouts?
Got to thinking about humorous ghost/haunted house fiction after I recalled several comic Hollywood movies like "Topper," based on Thorne Smith's two novels. And what about "Harvey"? Does an alcoholic's hallucination count as a ghost story?
Do you have a favorite "cozy" ghost/haunt story?
20SomeGuyInVirginia
There are so many more good ghost stories than novels that it can't be because there are so many more short stories written than there are books; ghost stories really do seem to do better in short form. The only two ghost novels I can think of that are really good are The Haunting of Hill House and The Shining.
21abbottthomas
>17 pgmcc: >18 SomeGuyInVirginia: I bought Dark Entries. The first story, The School Friend, was full of menace without much happening - I did enjoy the matron's cat. The next, about too many bells in an East Anglian village, was less to my taste but I am certainly pleased to have made Mr Aickman's acquaintance.
22SomeGuyInVirginia
Actually, 'full of menace without much happening' is a perfect description of Aikman's work.
23pgmcc
>22 SomeGuyInVirginia: that is what makes it so realistic. :-)
24SomeGuyInVirginia
>23 pgmcc: Yes, OR it describes my love life. Either.
I started Cornell Woolrich's Dark Melody of Madness this weekend. First intro to Woolrich and I'm pleased, although the writing can be a weensy skosh clunkyfied. I mean pleased because the story is unfolding in surprising ways. This collection is all supernatural horror, rather than crime. Perfect for Halloween. Cornell's picture is included with a brief bio and you can see in his eyes that he had his demons. Poor guy. Still, he made them work for him.
I started Cornell Woolrich's Dark Melody of Madness this weekend. First intro to Woolrich and I'm pleased, although the writing can be a weensy skosh clunkyfied. I mean pleased because the story is unfolding in surprising ways. This collection is all supernatural horror, rather than crime. Perfect for Halloween. Cornell's picture is included with a brief bio and you can see in his eyes that he had his demons. Poor guy. Still, he made them work for him.
26SomeGuyInVirginia
You try not dating the undead. Catnip.
Has anyone read John Blackburn? Really, every book is like the others, but try his best- Bury Him Darkly, Scent of New-Mown Hay, and Our Lady of Pain.
Has anyone read John Blackburn? Really, every book is like the others, but try his best- Bury Him Darkly, Scent of New-Mown Hay, and Our Lady of Pain.
28SomeGuyInVirginia
Aaaw, death's wingéd minion is SOOPER QEWT! Yeah, damn right he's qewt.
29Limelite
Cuteness is a problem; I don't wanna start a trend of kewt kitty posts.
Do you have an opinion on turquoise jack-o'-lanterns? Would they be a scary prop in the "Headless Horseman"?
Do you have an opinion on turquoise jack-o'-lanterns? Would they be a scary prop in the "Headless Horseman"?
31pgmcc
>29 Limelite: I am not sure about turquoise jack-o-lanterns. The original ones were made from turnips and were much more like human heads.
32SomeGuyInVirginia
>29 Limelite: Paint it black.
33Meredy
>5 Cecrow:, >30 Cliff-Rhu-Rhubarb: I found House of Leaves very scary, but not at all in a spooky Halloween sort of way. Much more the sort of scariness that comes with hearing "We have your test results, and I'm afraid it isn't good news."
34SomeGuyInVirginia
SOOPER QEWT! #NationalCatDay
35Cecrow
Just in time for Halloween, Tor.com has published an online index of "Ghosts from A to Z". Some from literature, although most appear to be from movies.
http://www.tor.com/2015/10/29/your-guide-to-ghosts-from-a-to-z/
http://www.tor.com/2015/10/29/your-guide-to-ghosts-from-a-to-z/
36Meredy
>29 Limelite: Barn door.
37Limelite
>36 Meredy:
Hoping barn door stays that way now holiday is over. Cute turkeys? Naaahhh.
Hoping barn door stays that way now holiday is over. Cute turkeys? Naaahhh.
38inkdrinker
I'll second Algernon Blackwood as being very good at building creepy mood. I Also enjoy many of Ambrose Bierce's creepy stories for full on creepy mood.
