Halloween is a season of preparing costumes, parties, and visits to local haunted houses. This time of year, you may consider reading a scary story or two to get you in the mood for Halloween. Here are six famous scary short stories you may want to check out this year.
Scary Short Story 1: The Vampyre by John Polidori
If you like vampires, you certainly can’t miss this story. Make sure those windows are locked tonight, vampires seem to have a way of flying inside at night for a little nibble.
Scary Short Story 2: Royal Jelly by Roald Dahl
In “Royal Jelly,” a truly creative tale, a beekeeper begins to feed his infant daughter royal jelly ― the food bees feed their future queens ― in a desperate attempt to get her to gain weight. Eventually, impressed by the results, he tries royal jelly himself. By the time things get weird, it’s a little too late.
Scary Short Story 3: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
The story follows the meek Ichabod Crane as he contends with the town bully, Brom Bones, for the hand of Katrina Van Tassel — but an appearance by the legendary Headless Horseman threatens to tip the scales in Brom’s favor.
Scary Short Story 4: The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs
Be careful what you wish for: That’s the message of this macabre tale. Though this story has been told and retold, Jacobs’ original version from 1902 has a special frisson to it. A poor couple, the Whites, live with their grown son, Herbert, who works at a factory. When they come into possession of a magical monkey’s paw, capable of granting three wishes, they don’t hesitate to start wishing ― though maybe they should have.
Scary Short Story 5: The Veldt by Ray Bradbury
The Hadleys live in a high-tech home operated by devices that fulfill their every needs, from shoe-tiers to tooth-brushers, plus a huge nursery that projects hyperrealistic environments drawn from their two children’s fantasies. Smells, sounds, 3D images ― the nursery creates an experience more convincing than reality. But when the two youngsters become obsessed with the African veldt, the dangerous world within the nursery seems to grow more powerful than any machine should be.
Scary Short Story 6: The Pale Man by Julius Long
A man living in a small country hotel becomes obsessed with the only other permanent resident — a a strange pale man who inexplicably moves from room to room. It’s an eerie and extremely brief tale that can be consumed in less than 10 minutes — the perfect story for anyone looking for a quick way to get into the Halloween spirit.
Whether or not you are into scary short stories, Strangling Brothers Haunted Circus invites you to experience a scare all your own at their haunted house in American Fork, Utah. This year, when the lights go out, the freaks come out! Get your haunted house tickets online now!