More terrifying horror story anthologies
Just when you thought it was safe to have a peaceful night’s sleep comes another of Stephen King’s short story collections to give you nightmares.
This new anthology features 12 stories and with titles like Rattlesnakes, The Weirdo Man, and Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, you can be guaranteed a few restless nights after reading them.
If you’re a fan of short story collections with dark and disturbing themes, here are 10 more books to read after you have completed You Like It Darker.
Night Shift
by Stephen King
Released in 1978, this was Stephen King’s first short story collection.
Highlights include Children of the Corn, about a cult of children beholden to a menacing demon known as “He Who Walks Among the Rows,” and Battleground, which tells the story of a man who is besieged by an army of toy soldiers who have come murderously to life.
Many of the stories in this collection later became films – Children of the Corn, Sometimes They Come Back, The Boogeyman – but none of them come close to the power of King’s written works.
Skeleton Crew
by Stephen King
Stephen King is certainly a prolific writer. Not only has he written more novels than you’ve had hot dinners (that might be a slight exaggeration), but he has also written over 100 short stories, many of which are featured in Skeleton Crew.
Highlights in this collection are The Mist, a Lovecraftian-type story about a group of people trapped in a convenience store by monsters lurking outside, and The Raft, an enjoyable but terrifying tale about a bunch of college kids who find themselves stuck in the middle of a lake while a strange creature lurks beneath them.
Just After Sunset
by Stephen King
How many Stephen King collections is this writer going to include in this list… is a question you’re probably asking yourself as you work your way down our recommendations. Well, quite a few, as we think it’s important to highlight other anthologies by the famous horror author for those wanting to read more of his short stories.
We will move on to other authors in a moment, but for now, we recommend you check out this book, which includes a tale about an evil cat; a story about a woman who receives a call from her husband (who just so happens to be dead); and a creepy yarn about a train station filled with dead people.
Not every story is a classic but there is enough here to give even the bravest person a chill up their spine.
Ghost Stories: Classic Tales of Horror and Suspense
by Assorted Authors
In this spine-tingling anthology, little-known works from such literary giants as Walter Scott, Charles Dickens and Mark Twain are mixed with spooky tales from masters of early horror fiction, including M.R. James and Edgar Allan Poe.
The Signalman by Charles Dickens, about a signalman who is haunted by a hooded figure, and Ligeia, a hallucinatory tale about a man’s resurrected wife, are among the highlights of this masterful collection. You can read some of these dark tales for free here so you have no excuse not to delve into the annals of classic horror fiction.
After The People Lights Have Gone Off
by Stephen Graham Jones
This anthology was nominated for ‘the Best Collection of the Year,’ at the Bram Stoker Awards in 2015, so if that’s not a recommendation to check out this anthology, we don’t know what is!
The book contains 15 chilling stories to keep you awake at night, including The Black Sleeve of Destiny about a teenager who purchases a seemingly cursed hoodie (it’s scarier than it sounds) and Doc’s Story, which offers a fresh and bone-chilling take on the werewolf stories of old.
Alfar Anthology
by Assorted Authors
This mix of sci-fi, dark fantasy, and horror fiction contains a wide variety of stories that’ll delight anybody with a taste for the unusual.
Among the short stories included is one of my own pieces of fiction, Ticket Please, an ominous tale about a young man who boards a night train from which there is no escape; Perpendicular by Brendan Higgins about a world-ending virus; and The Thirst for Power by Wolcott Wheeler, which is a twisty tale for lovers of vampire fiction.
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
by Stephen King
We’re back in the dark and chilling world of Stephen King with this collection of terror tales that are among the strongest the author has ever written.
Highlights in this anthology are The Night Flier, a vampire-themed tale about a reporter who is pursued by a blood-sucking pilot turned serial killer, and The Moving Finger, which is a story both funny and terrifying about a disturbingly long finger that emerges from a sink drain.
Books Of Blood
by Clive Barker
Many consider Clive Barker to be the UK’s answer to Stephen King. His Books of Blood collection is a series of six anthologies that feature some truly terrifying stories, not least The Midnight Meat Train about a man’s hunt for a serial killer who carries out his nasty business within the subways of NYC.
Skins of the Fathers, about a man who tries to save a child from a group of demons; In The Hills, The Cities, about an ill-fated couple who stumble across something horrible in the Yugoslavian countryside; and The Yattering and Jack, an odd tale about a demon-possessed Christmas turkey, are just some of the other stories we can recommend from Barker’s blood-soaked works of fiction.
Tiny Nightmares
by Assorted Authors
The short stories in this collection are exceedingly short and that’s because Tiny Nightmares is a horror anthology of over 40 fast-paced short stories within the genre of flash fiction.
The stories in this collection won’t take you long to read at all but with tales about mind-reading witches, Uber-taking serial killers, and the dark consequences of social media addiction, these twisted yarns from emerging writers will stick long in your memory.
Everything’s Eventual
by Stephen King
Stephen King? Remember him? We veered off course to introduce you to other authors but it’s only right that we return to our favourite horror writer.
There are some brilliant stories in this horror collection, including 1408 about a sceptic of all things supernatural who books a stay in a haunted hotel room (you might remember the movie); Autopsy Room Four, an unsettling tale about a man believed dead (but who isn’t) who is about to undergo an autopsy; and L. T.’s Theory of Pets which, with its blood-dripping finale, will make you think twice before bringing a cat into your home.
Everything’s Eventual is arguably one of Stephen King’s best horror anthologies, though we’d be interested to know what you think. Is this your favourite horror story collection? Let us know in the comments below.
Read More: Stephen King Short Story Collections in Release Date Order
How many of these books have you read? Do you have any other recommendations for our readers? Let us know by leaving us a comment.