"Horror is a genre of fiction and film intended to frighten or horrify its audience through the use of images involving monsters, supernatural evil, or abject violence."
Text: Jones, Darryl. "Horror." The Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural Theory, edited by Michael Ryan, Wiley, 1st edition, 2011. Credo Reference, http://sc4.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/wileylitcul/horror/0?institutionId=5065. Accessed 31 Mar 2018.
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The Call of Cthulhu by In one of his most acclaimed short stories, horror genius H.P. Lovecraft unspools an eerie tale about an ancient cult-like religious practice that has persisted in rural backwaters and isolated communities up through the twentieth century. Stringing together a number of isolated incidents that occurred across America and around the world, the tale concludes with a terrifying encounter with what may be the fearsome beast at the center of the cult.
The Complete Short Stories by The Complete Short Stories is the ultimate collection of Edgar Allan Poe's tales of the macabre--from the world-famous classics "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Pit and the Pendulum," and "The Cask of the Amontillado" to lesser-known masterpieces such as "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" and "The Devil in the Belfry." Fans of Poe's Gothic tales of horror will thrill to discover his brilliant French detective, C. Auguste Dupin. Readers familiar with Poe's mysteries will find new pleasure in his dark comedy and early science fiction stories. Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most brilliant and influential authors in American history, and The Complete Short Stories is a must-have for every admirer of his work. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The House on the Borderland by On holiday in a remote part of Ireland, two men discover a manuscript in the ruins of an old house, on the edge of a great pit. The manuscript describes the story of the recluse who was the last occupant of the house, believed by the locals to have been built by the devil, and the strange and terrifying experiences that befall him. After defending the house against an attack by evil swine-like creatures that appear from the pit below the house, he is transported through time and space to witness the end of the solar system, before returning to the house to face the final horror.
The Job of the Wasp by "A witty and grisly gothic unlike anything I've ever read. You should absolutely read this." --Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble A new arrival at an isolated school for orphaned boys quickly comes to realize there is something wrong with his new home. He hears chilling whispers in the night, his troubled classmates are violent and hostile, and the Headmaster sends cryptic messages, begging his new charge to confess. As the new boy learns to survive on the edges of this impolite society, he starts to unravel a mystery at the school's dark heart. And that's when the corpses start turning up. A coming-of-age tale, a Gothic ghost story, and a murder mystery all in one,The Job of the Wasp is a bloodcurdling and brilliantly subversive novel about paranoia, love, and the nightmare of adolescence.
Lair of the White Worm by The horror novel The Lair of the White Worm, also titled The Garden of Evil, was written by Bram Stoker, the creator of Dracula. Based in part on the Lambton Worm legend, it tells the story of Adam Salton who travels to England at his granduncle's behest in order to establish family ties. But once there Adam finds himself at the heart of strange and unaccountable developments. Ken Russell's made a film adaption in 1988, which quickly became a cult classic.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by In a secluded Dutch settlement in New York, two men vie for the hand of a wealthy farmer's daughter. Ichabod Crane, the superstitious schoolmaster, is one of those men. One night, when walking home from the farmer's house, Ichabod is chased by the Headless Horseman, who "rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head". Irving's short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one of the earliest examples of American literature still read today.
The Monkey's Paw by Brace yourself for nearly unbearable suspense in this classic horror tale from British author W.W. Jacobs. Virtually everyone has fantasized about what it would be like to be granted three wishes by a magical being. But what if the cost of having your dreams come true was a horrible toll you never expected? This iconic short story is a must-read for fans of the horror genre.
Pallid Light: The Waking Dead by This captivating story opens with the end of the world—thundering storms strike across the planet, searing the earth and leaving swathes of destruction and few survivors. For residents of Temperance, Illinois, however, the nightmare is just beginning. When the sky roils in luminous colors, the people of the small town begin to die; ex-con Randall Kane takes this as his cue to leave. What he didn't expect was for the dead to come back to life or to be so confused about what defines human versus inhuman behavior in this new world order.
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales by 'Instantly the spirit of hell awoke in me and raged...I was suddenly struck through the heart by a cold thrill of terror.'Stevenson's short novel, published in 1886, became an instant classic. It was a Gothic horror that originated in a feverish nightmare, whose hallucinatory setting in the murky back streets of London gripped a nation mesmerized by crime and violence. The respectable doctor's mysterious relationshipwith his disreputable associate is finally revealed in one of the most original and thrilling endings in English literature.In addition to Jekyll and Hyde, this edition also includes a number of short stories and essays written by Stevenson in the 1880s, minor masterpieces of fiction and comment: 'The Body Snatcher', 'Markheim', and 'Olalla' feature grave-robbing, a sinister double, and degeneracy, while 'A Chapter onDreams' and 'A Gossip on Romance' discuss artistic creation and the 'romance' form. Appendixes provide extracts from contemporary writings on personality disorder, which set Stevenson's tale in its full historical context.