First published 1986
This anthology opens with Stephen King introducing a collection that spans over a century of supernatural fiction. Edgar Allan Poe's vengeful dwarf executes his revenge in "Hop-Frog" while Nathaniel Hawthorne explores deadly botanical obsession in "Rappaccini's Daughter." Bram Stoker delivers frontier horror in "The Squaw" and H.P. Lovecraft unveils artistic nightmares in "Pickman's Model." Robert Bloch reimagines Jack the Ripper as an immortal killer, and William Faulkner transforms a Southern spinster into something monstrous in "A Rose for Emily." The collection moves through decades of fear, featuring Fritz Leiber's vampiric model, Truman Capote's psychological breakdown, and Ray Russell's disfigured nobleman. Contemporary masters like Joyce Carol Oates, Charles L. Grant, and Stephen King himself contribute modern terrors. Each story explores different facets of human darkness, from supernatural creatures to psychological collapse, creating a comprehensive survey of horror fiction's evolution.
Genres: anthologies, 20th-century, horror, supernatural, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: psychological-thriller, supernatural
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century
Hardcover · Random House Value Publishing
Content warnings: body-horror, death, gore, graphic-violence