In this era of everything already seen, it’s always refreshing to find something that can still really scare you. In these short stories (well, actually two of them are short novels) you can track the origins of practically every cliché and twist in modern horror literature, television and film. But these are the originals, and they have a thrilling freshness. Better still, they are all out of copyright in the U.S, so you can download them in written form, EPUB format, Kindle format, or audio in many cases.
While doing it, you will get a ton of other good stories, and will get a taste of the importance and vastness of the Project Gutenberg. Their labor is up there with Wikipedia when it comes to preserving and distributing human knowledge. Here I include the links for you to download them.
W. W. Jacobs - The Monkey’s paw
From: The Lady of the Barge and Others, Part 2.
A happy family gets a monkey’s paw that can make three wishes come true. Everyone’s heard about it; almost everyone in show business has made an allusion to it or a parody of it. The story complies with the old saying that what is good, if short as well, is twice as good. If you have never read it, this is your chance.
Project Gutenberg E-book number: 12122
H.P. Lovecraft - The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward
Charles Dexter Ward is a young man who, inspired by the experiments of a shady ancestor, decides to give a go to the creation of life! Lovecraft is manly known for his short stories, but his very best is this short novel. This one will get you thinking and imagining things you had rather not… but that’s what horror is all about, isn’t it?
Rudyard Kipling – They
From: Traffics and Discoveries
A man haunted by a tragedy finds a heavenly spot in the middle of England, with a sweet blind woman to care for it. Kipling is probably the most accomplished writer in English, when it comes to his suppleness: he could write great poems, novels and short stories. This one, written when he was already grieving the loss of his little daughter, is one of the sweetest ghost stories ever written.
Project Gutenberg E-book number: 9790
Edith Wharton - Afterward
From: Tales of men and ghosts
A wife who doesn’t know a lot about his husband’s business is faced with his sudden disappearance. The style that has made “The age of innocence” such an endurable classic is felt throughout her stories in this book, and even if you would have thought her the last author to write about ghosts, you will get a pleasant surprise with this one.
Project Gutenberg E-book number: 4514
Henry James - The turn of the screw
A governess is assigned her dream job, in a mansion with two angelical children. Henry James is hard to read, and that’s a fact. He makes his portraits of society and the human soul as unforgiving and extensive as if he was dissecting them. But when he wanted to scare you (and he rarely did), he could manage outstandingly. None of the film versions of this short novel has ever left him in very good standings with the horror-loving public. Better go to the source!
Project Gutenberg E-book number: 209
Anonymous - Horror: A true tale
From: The most interesting stories of all nations: American
A young girl goes to sleep in her chamber, in a mansion, and by the time morning comes, her hair has turned white. Simple as that. Is an anonymous story, and odds are you have never even heard about it. But it’s really gripping, even from a 21st century point of view.
Project Gutenberg E-book number: 2043
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