Favorite Short Story Horror Collections

[Atraxi]

I apologize if this already exists somewhere; I tried searching but didn't find anything.

What are your favorite short story horror collections?

[neverending]

I'm not going to be any help here, because I have read so many over the years they just all blend together. I love anthologies. Maybe even more than novels. I just love short form fiction, and an anthology gives you the chance to read the works of so many different authors. If one doesn't suit you, the next one might.

So, sorry for going off on such a tangent and not being any help whatsoever. :P

[Bob Gray]

Some of my favorites are Stephen King's Night Shift and Skeleton Crew, Lovecraft's Lurking Fear and Other Stories, The Haunter of the Dark, and The Horror in the Museum, Robert W. Chambers's The King in Yellow, and Ramsey Cambell's Coldprint

[wizard of gore]

from what iv read so far,the best of hp lovecraft and clive barkers books of blood. oh and the best if modern new horror, but thatdoesnt really count as its heaps of different authors.....or does it

[Atraxi]

from what iv read so far,the best of hp lovecraft and clive barkers books of blood. oh and the best if modern new horror, but thatdoesnt really count as its heaps of different authors.....or does it

If you're asking if books with short stories by various authors count then yes. It can be various short stories by one or multiple authors, one or multiple themes, etc, just as long as it's horror.

[MichaelMyers]

Continuing in the Lovecraft vein, I am currently reading Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos and it is very spooky and good.

[Dara]

I really liked The books of Blood by Clive Barker.I read them when I was younger and thought they were awesome.I require a little more from my reading now and wince everytime I see the word 'Cacophony'~Mr Barker really likes that word it seems.

[wizard of gore]

.I require a little more from my reading now.

what more do you want??

[Dara]

what more do you want??Have you read Let the right one in John Ajvide Lindqvist ? Thats my perfect book!

[wizard of gore]

Have you read Let the right one in John Ajvide Lindqvist ? Thats my perfect book!

is it short stories?

[Dara]

is it short stories?
no...but just his style of writing!! you pedantic beast!!

[wizard of gore]

no...but just his style of writing!! You pedantic beast!!

...........: )

[Fearonsarms]

Pretty much all the HP Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe collections-my fave short stories by them being At The Mountains Of Madness and The Pit and The Pendulum respectively. Also love Clive Barker's Books Of Blood too :)

[Dead&Bloated]

Stephen King's Night Shift and Edgar Allen Poe's collected writings. My all time favorite short story is The Tell-Tale Heart.

[MichaelMyers]

Bentley Little's "Collection."

[Cayora]

Since a lot of people here seem to enjoy Lovecraft, let me recommend The Darkly Splendid Realm, by Richard Gavin. It has a similarly evocative atmosphere, but has less of the cosmic horror and more of the personal. In my opinion the best story in the collection is "The Bitter Taste of Dread Moths." It is just fantastic.

[wizard of gore]

Since a lot of people here seem to enjoy Lovecraft, let me recommend The Darkly Splendid Realm, by Richard Gavin. It has a similarly evocative atmosphere, but has less of the cosmic horror and more of the personal. In my opinion the best story in the collection is "The Bitter Taste of Dread Moths." It is just fantastic.

will check it out,thanks

[Shadow Voice]

Some of the classic writers gave us the very pinnacle of horror - M. R. James, Arthur Machen and Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. I would reccommend Tales of Horror & the Supernatural, from Tartarus Press, which contains all of Machen's best tales. For James, A Pleasing Terror from Ash-Tree Press has not only the most comprehensive selection of the author's stories, but also extensive annotations on the tales. The best books of Le Fanu's fiction can be found in the three volumes from Ash-Tree, Schalken the Painter & Others, The Haunted Baronet & Others and Mr. Justice Harbottle & Others. All these books are expensive hardcovers, but of course you can pick up paperback collections by all three authors very cheaply too.

[Bob Gray]

I can't believe I forgot about Thomas Ligotti, his collections Songs of a Dead Dreamer, Grimscribe, and The Nightmare Factory are all superb. He is reminiscent of Lovecraft and Machen.

[Fearonsarms]

I forgot MR James-A Warning To The Curious being my fave :)

[thesystemforce]

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill is a great collection. Though it has been mentioned before, I'd also recommend Skeleton Crew by Stephen King. Going to echo those people suggesting Lovecraft as well.