Nicole’s Book Nook

Can you feel the terror engulfing us, the building dread that permeates the very air we breathe? Do you feel like there’s something creeping up behind you, bound to drag you into the shadows? Is it Halloween?

No, it’s the US midterm elections.

To distract yourself from the horror of American politics, You may as well fully immerse yourself in all the ghoulish delights that the Halloween season has to offer. Even if that means celebrating well into November. To properly prepare you for the post-Halloween spirit, I’ve compiled a fair menagerie of ghostly tales. 

Before I go much further, I feel it’s important to note that most of these stories contain rather graphic imagery and disturbing themes, and I invite the readers to do some research on these stories if they may be sensitive to certain topics. 

Contemporary: 

While I have plenty of older ghost tales to share, I thought it might be best to start with a newer read. Set in an IKEA-esque furniture store possessed by evil spirits, Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix is equal parts comedy and horror. 

Accompanying the campy tale is a series of “advertisements” of various products, which grow more and more deranged as the story goes on. While I wouldn’t consider Horrorstör a particularly profound story, there’s nothing wrong with a light, easy read (around 248 pages including illustrations).  If you’re looking for the literary equivalent of classic camp horror, this is the book for you. 

Classic: 

If you’re looking to challenge your analytical skills, and you’re willing to embrace ambiguity, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is the novella for you. Framed as a story within a story, The Turn of the Screw follows an unnamed governess who seeks to protect her young wards from, you guessed it, ghosts. 

I won’t lie and pretend I wasn’t scratching my head by the time I finished the book, but the confusing nature of this story is the root of its lasting appeal throughout the years. Is the story a morality tale in which a young woman must come to terms with the evils of the world, or does the novel imply that the phantoms are simply manifestations of an unstable psyche? Either way, it’s a story that is bound to haunt the reader’s mind but, hopefully, not their house. 

Short stories: 

In my humble opinion, there’s hardly a better format for horror than the short story. Short stories, even if they’re on the longer side, have an easier time ramping up the tension and delivering a satisfying ending. I’ve provided three short stories that I believe deliver a terrifyingly good time. 

You’re almost certainly well-acquainted with the works of Edger Allen Poe, so I’ve tried to find one of his stories that might have slipped your attention. At least, it escaped my attention until my sophomore year of college. “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a classic gothic horror with madness, mysterious illnesses, and a crumbling mansion belonging to a once noble, now destitute family. It’s the small details that make this story a fascinating read, and it’s worth doing a little research into the allusions the story provides in order to form your own conjectures about their significance (spoiler alert: it’s about incest).  

Another darling of the early American literary scene, Nathaniel Hawthorne has many fascinating short stories to choose from: “The Minister’s Black Veil”, “Rappacini’s Daughter”, and “The Birthmark” to name a few. I think my personal favorite is “Young Goodman Brown”. 

There’s something very compelling about puritanical society, and I think this story hits all the right notes. Not only is it a scathing critique of the mistrust and hypocrisy that Hawthorne saw within his puritanical roots, but it’s also a fascinating exploration of sin and human nature. It’s also the shortest read on this list, so you should be sure to check it out! 

Alright, maybe you want to check out a short story that was written this century. In that case, you should give “The Quiet Boy” by Nick Acosta a read. The story follows a struggling teacher in an impoverished community trying to support one of her students. Her advocacy is shortly rewarded with a horrifying twist after she uncovers the boy’s closely guarded secret. 

If the story seems at all familiar to you, that’s because it was adapted into the 2021 horror film Antlers. The screenplay takes a lot of liberties with the original material, and, as usual, the movie pales in comparison with the original. It’s a gruesome read, but it’s bound to get you into the Halloween spirit.