User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Obviously a play on the children's book series SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, Stephen Jones has collected some classic works of ghost and monster horror from well-known names (Stephen King and Neil Gaiman among them) and combined them with new works specifically for this collection. In addition, each story is effectively twice-illustrated by Randy Broecker.
Unlike the SCARY STORIES collection, these stories aren't really meant to be read aloud around a campfire. It would be difficult, for example, to read King's "Here There Be Tygers" (King readers might remember this one from one of his own 1980s short story collections) aloud with the same end-of-story jump-scare that many of the SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK tales are intended to have. For that reason, this obvious adult homage to the SCARY STORIES series is badly titled.
That said, it's a great collection and a highly recommended read, especially for those who might not already be familiar with Gaiman, King, Ramsey Campbell, or Charles L. Grant.
Rating: really liked it
"Love is the only feeling worth a tin nickel but you've got to know that it comes from both sides of a man's character and the deeper it runs the darker the pools it draws from."
Great short read, stirs up nostalgia for good old scary stories and puts you very much in mind of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Rating: really liked it
I enjoyed the
Scary Stories trilogy by Schwartz, having re-read them just last year to more fully appreciate the movie that was released around the same time. I'm also familiar with Jones's metier as a horror anthologist, and though I don't always agree with his selections, he never fails to send a few choice gems my way. So when I heard about this book, I had no choice but to swoop on it.
First things first - the pieces here are not from the same mold as
Scary Stories, which is actually a good thing. While the latter obviously has young children as its target audience, this book is attuned to an older though still juvenile palate. They're longer, for one, and less whimsical so there are no jump scares or tales with storytelling cues here.
This book would not have been as enjoyable without Broecker's art though. I just wish there were more of them, as each story only has one or two drawings.
The tales I liked the best here are:
Click-Clack the Rattlebag - eerie babysitting story that reads like an urban legend
Granny's Grinning - a shocker that turns the traditional wholesome family Christmas dinner trope on its head
The Man Who Drew Cats - there are some injustices so searing and odious that they just can't be allowed to go on
I'm rating this 6.5/10 or 3 stars out of 5.
Rating: really liked it
I was immediately reminded of The Gruesome Book edited by Ramsey Campbell way back in 1983. That book was aimed at the younger reader, which I loved even as I read it as an adult. I'm even older now but that didn't stop me reading another anthology designed to scare the wee ones. I'm not sure they will be scared -- kids are a tough bunch. Nevertheless, Stephen Jones' collection of ten "scary stories to give you nightmares" makes a great attempt, and will surely steer younger readers to search out more horror stories. At the very least the publishers need to commission volume two forthwith: there are so many other writers that deserve to be selected for our younger readers, writers such as Tanith Lee, Samantha Lee and Lisa Tuttle.
I'll highlight my favourite four: "Homemade Monsters" by R Chetwynd-Hayes, perhaps the UK's finest ghost story writer (I know, there are so many candidates to choose from but this is my review); "The Man Who Drew Cats" by Michael Marshall Smith; "The Sideways Lady" by Lynda E Rucker; and the weirdest one in the anthology, "Granny's Grinning" by Robert Shearman (weird in a really good way). But all the stories are worthy of inclusion. To top off the book we have loads of fine pen and ink illustrations by Randy Broecker. There really should be more books full of illustrated stories.
Rating: really liked it
Review of TERRIFYING TALES TO TELL AT NIGHT edited by Stephen Jones and illustrated by Randy Broecker. Review by Trevor Kennedy for Phantasmagoria Magazine.
One of the great things about this book - Stephen Jones’ one-hundred and fifty-first - is the restraint shown. Yes, of course it is a collection aimed at children, so it is never going to be a full-blown gorefest or such, but its subtlety and lack of ‘over-the-top-ness’ is its real power. And power is exactly what it has. At least it does for this forty-two year old (big) kid. And the stories contained aren’t even childish either - the young readers are never condescended. Collectively they deal with some very grown up issues indeed, such as the difficulties of family dynamics, death, loss, domestic violence and how our childhood fears help shape who we become as adults, often carrying said worries with us throughout our entire lives, always buried deep within the darkest recesses of our psyches, making unwelcome cameos from time-to-time. For that reason alone I found it a much more mature read than so much of the ‘adult’ fiction out there today.
Perhaps I’m over-analysing, or even being a little bit pretentious about it all - maybe it really is just a fun horror anthology from the masters of the genre with the intention of creeping out the young ‘uns (from that fun, safe place we lovers of all things weird and wonderful know only too well). And it is that too, trust me, but I also found it to be quite a profound experience also. It’s spooky, creepy, multi-layered and intellectual. And that is what I believe most children really want when all is said and done - to be respected and taken seriously. Terrifying Tales to Tell at Night does that with aplomb, as well as being thoroughly enjoyable into the bargain.
Let’s take a look at each of the stories within:
CLICK-CLACK THE RATTLEBAG by Neil Gaiman. A young man is babysitting his girlfriend’s rather annoying little brother, who insists on being told a scary bedtime story before he hits the hay. However, it soon emerges that the boy himself has a tale of his own, one much darker and realistic than the babysitter could ever imagine…
Mr. Gaiman does it again with another beautifully observed and weaved short fiction. However, it did leave me somewhat frustrated at the end with my longing - almost screaming - for more. But that is, of course, a trick that only the true masters of their game, like Neil Gaiman, know how to play properly.
HOMEMADE MONSTER by R. Chetwynd-Hayes. A boy named Rodney takes refuge from a storm in a spooky old mansion - never a good idea! It soon turns out that the owner of the house just happens to be the great, great grandson of a certain Dr. Frankenstein, with a few similarly-themed - and well-intentioned (I think!) - experiments up his own rather dubious sleeve.
This is great fun. Very humorous, with more than a touch of pathos added into the mix - I really did feel sorry for the… well, you know what…
THE SIDEWAYS LADY by Lynda E. Rucker. Stevie is a young wannabe ghost hunter and fan of a Derek Acorah-style ‘real life hauntings’ television show. One Halloween she decides to take her younger brother on an investigative hunt to a nearby reportedly haunted house. But whilst there, they get a little bit more than they bargained for…
A classic ghost story for the twenty-first century internet age perhaps? Yes, the adult readers will of course recognise the selection of related motifs instantly, but that’s what makes it all the more pleasing, in a post-modernist sort of manner.
HERE THERE BE TYGERS by Stephen King. A teenage schoolboy’s classroom studies are interrupted by the fact that he needs to go to the toilet - really badly! When he arrives at the basement bogs something else is awaiting him and the other unpleasant people who soon arrive on the scene…
A dark delight from the ‘King’ of horror (yep, I went there). Brimming with the blackest of black humour the only complaint I would have about this one is that it didn’t go on for longer - once again I was left wanting for more!
THE CHIMNEY by Ramsey Campbell. Throughout his life a young lad has been plagued by unrealistic fears, seemingly inherited by his somewhat neurotic mother. His cold father doesn’t seem to help much either and quite frankly finds his sensitive son a bit of a disappointment. One of the boy’s deep worries is of a particular problem to him, however. It concerns a film he saw one Christmas and the old chimney in his bedroom. As the mounting tension reaches its climax, the ending is a genuinely unexpected one.
This is brilliant. On the surface it could be just read as a ‘monster lurking in the shadows’ sort of story (and it works very well at that too), but there is so much more going on here between the lines. This, for me anyway, is a commentary on family life and the difficulties therein, which every family will face in their own specific ways. Relationships with our parents can be tricky at the best of times, especially during our earliest years, and so is life in general. How much of our parents’ personality traits do we inherit anyway, for good and bad? Can this even be avoided, for all our best intentions?
A superbly dark coming of age tale.
SCHOOL FOR THE UNSPEAKABLE by Manly Wade Wellman. One evening, a fifteen year old arrives alone by train to what will soon become his new school. Whilst there, he gets picked up by a strange young man who whisks him off into the night by horse-driven carriage to introduce him to his sinister new school and schoolmates…
Originally published in the 1930s, this is a very dark story brimming with gothic atmosphere and creepiness factor. A classic weird tale still as effective in technologically-obsessed 2019 as I’m sure it was back in 1937.
GRANNY'S GRINNING by Robert Shearman. A young girl named Sarah and her little brother Graham are really looking forward to Christmas and receiving their specialised monster outfits with a difference. Sarah’s hoping for a vampire costume, while Graham wants to be a werewolf. On top of all this, their not-very-pleasant granny, who has recently been bereaved, is also due to visit for Christmas dinner. When Christmas morning finally arrives Sarah soon discovers to her dismay that she has been given a zombie outfit instead of a vampire one, and that’s when things really do take a turn for the strange…
Wow! This one is really dark, really weird and really funny too. As a bit of a comedy snob, it can take quite a lot to get me to laugh out loud, but I did so with this story. It shocked me too - no mean feat. It goes to places you really would not expect it to and is very original in its take on its macabre subject matter. The kids reading it will love it, just as I did, and when the full realisation of what exactly is going on is revealed the story moves quickly into the darkest of dark Roald Dahl (or possibly Lucio Fulci!) territory. Bravo, Mr. Shearman!
THE CHEMISTRY OF GHOSTS by Lisa Morton. Young Benny has mysteriously vanished and April’s little brother, Matt, knows more than he’s letting on to the police and teachers. Armed with their trusty flashlights, wannabe scientist April and Matt take a jaunt to an old abandoned school where Benny might be, but there they must solve a series of chemistry-related puzzles set by the ghost of a stern old schoolmaster…
Fun spooky shenanigans and also rather educational too - and not just for the kids either - a chemistry lesson for yours truly as well. It was almost like being back at school for me, but with ghostly goings-on - something I always longed for back then anyway.
THE MAN WHO DREW CATS by Michael Marshall Smith. A strange, tall, extremely quiet man shows up in the small American town of Kingstown one day, settling there and soon becoming acquainted with the locals. Each day the man, named Tom, goes out to the town square and paints and draws the most wonderful, vivid pictures of cats and other animals. However, Tom soon finds himself entangled in the lives of a young boy called Billy and his abused mother.
This is one of the greatest short fictions I have ever read. Seriously. A beautifully dark take on the ‘stranger comes to town’ story, there is a Stephen King-esque quality to it also, along with being its very own entity. This tale came alive in my head whilst reading it in the strongest possible manner. It mesmerized me and pushed all my buttons emotionally. Classic storytelling at its very finest.
ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? by Charles L. Grant. Three badly behaved boys find themselves being babysat by the rather odd Bernadette whilst their parents decide what punishment should befit them for the breaking of a shop window. To make matters worse, it’s a dark and stormy night outside and the babysitter is insisting they play some games with her. When the games begin to go askew, Bernadette’s true intentions are soon revealed…
A fun-filled tale with a creepy warning for those youngsters who are a little bit more mischievous (or greedy, as is the case with one of the characters) than others.
The wonderfully macabre illustrations by Randy Broecker only serve to make this book all the more enjoyable, bringing me back to that great place in my own childhood when I was an avid connoisseur of this sort of material (and it certainly appears still am). There is just something so very special about black ink illustrations in a book like this. They add so, so much to the overall atmosphere and evoke in me warm, fuzzy feelings of magical enchantment and otherworldliness.
I implore you to buy this book for a child (or children) for three reasons - 1) They will be hugely entertained. 2) One day, many years from now, they may very well thank you for doing so. And that will feel good. 3) You will be encouraging them to read proper literature.
But before you hand it to them, take a few hours of your own time and have a gander at it for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
Terrifying Tales to Tell at Night is published by Sky Pony Press and is available to purchase from Amazon and many other retailers throughout the world.
Rating: really liked it
Checked this out out thinking I might share it with my son, who likes some scary things. I thought it might be similar to "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" which has stories that I still remember now from my childhood.
The tales in this collection were nothing like that. Even my adult brain didn't comprehend what was happening in some of the stories, and others seem to end in the middle, unfinished.
I did finish reading them all myself, but decided not to share it with my child after all.
Rating: really liked it
I really enjoyed all ten of these entertaining, spooky stories.
There are contributions from Ramsey Campbell, R. Chetwynd-Hayes, Lynda E. Rucker, Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Manly Wade Wellman, Robert Shearman, Lisa Morton, Michael Marshall Smith and Charles L. Grant.
My favourite story was
The Man Who Drew Cats by
Michael Marshall Smith. Although it is a bit predictable, it is heart-warming and you can’t help feeling fulfilled by the outcome.
What makes this little book even better, elevating it from good to great, is a series of excellent illustrations by
Randy Broecker.
Rating: really liked it
Another uneven horror collection, but this is pretty much the standard, so overall I found it perfectly fine and would recommend it as a quick read if you can grab it at a lower price.
Ostensibly aimed at kids (the acknowledgements section notes that some stories have been edited for content), some of these tales are pretty dark, so Stephen Jones' warning about these causing nightmares may be apt for younger readers.
A brief take on each of the ten stories:
Click-Clack the Rattlebag (Neil Gaiman) is a typical Gaiman story, with a droll sort of delivery, the promise of spooky shenanigans, then it abruptly ends, so it certainly fits the "short" part of "short story." It was fine.
Homemade Monster (R. Chetwynd-Hayes) is a light, modern take on the Frankenstein monster, featuring an easily distracted mad scientist, a yearning-to-be-sophisticated helper and exploding parts. It's fun, if slight.
The Sideways Lady (Lynda E. Rucker) features a sister and brother out ghost-hunting in an abandoned house across town said to be haunted by an entity called The Sideways Lady. On Halloween they wrap up their trick or treating then go explore the house, joining up with a few older, skeptical kids along the way. The allegedly empty house has a strange occupant--and maybe others, as well. The kids felt authentic, but the actual haunting part seemed a bit confused, as if the author went in several directions, couldn't decide, and tried to make both work.
Here There Be Tygers (Stephen King). Taken from King's first collection, Night Shift, this is a curiously delightful tale about a boy at school who needs to use the washroom very badly, the possible presence of tigers in said washroom and what might happen to the frumpy, rude old teacher he has to endure when all elements are combined. The light, almost absurdist tone here stands out from the bulk of King's work.
The Chimney (Ramsey Campbell) starts out as a simple story about a boy who is frightened of Santa and of the huge fireplace in the bedroom of the very old house he lives in. It gets progressively darker, turning from a child's tale to something downright grim. I liked it, but this is one of those that could very well give younger kids bad dreams.
School for the Unspeakable (Manly Wade Wellman). First, Manly Wade Wellman is a great author name. This story, about a boy sent to a private school, is terrifically weird and unsettling. When Bart Setwick arrives at the school--at night, of course,--it's strangely dark and the boys he meets are just strange. Things escalate quickly from there before the (mild) twist is revealed. This reads like a classic spooky story told 'round the campfire.
Granny's Grinning (Robert Shearman). Told in a deliberately twee style, with giant paragraphs stuffed with dialogue from multiple characters, this is the one story I didn't finish. I just didn't care enough about the story or characters to push past the writing style. Grandma was probably a zombie or something.
The Chemistry of Ghosts (Lisa Morton). This feels like a YA story, in which a brother and sister attempt to find the brother's missing friend, who the brother fears has disappeared in the closed wing of a college said to be haunted by a former chemistry professor. It is not a spoiler to say this is correct and the ghostly instructor challenges the kids to a series of puzzles to get their friend back--and avoid being trapped in the wing forever with him. Light, almost breezy, with plenty of opportunity for kids to try to figure things out and brag about how smart they are.
The Man Who Drew Cats (Michael Marshall Smith). A quiet stranger moves into a small town and begins to paint and draw in the town square, sharing (some) small talk with the locals at a nearby pub in the evenings. This is one of those stories that telegraphs what will happen in huge neon letters, but knows it, and makes the journey to its inevitable destination as entertaining as possible. In this case, an abusive husband gets his comeuppance when the stranger turns his drawing skills to certain beasts. In a way, this is a great companion to "Here There Be Tygers."
Are You Afraid of the Dark? (Charles L. Grant). Basically, a story about a very bad babysitter. It's weird, a bit gruesome and maybe should have been the second-to-last story in the collection.
Rating: really liked it
A fun collection of horror stories for kids. I grew up with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and this book gave me the same vibes. These stories actually felt more adult than the stories in Scary Stories so I was pleasantly surprised by that. I think that this is a collection that both adults and kids can enjoy. My favorite story was The Man Who Drew Cats!
Rating: really liked it
Even though it’s aimed mostly at the YA audience, I actually found this collection of stories very enjoyable! Some are outright spooky, some are more serious than the others and have much deeper subjects hidden under the facade of an ordinary scary tale, but all of them without exception are very well-written and hard to put down. I would definitely recommend this anthology to all fans of the genre, regardless of age.
Rating: really liked it
Overall this was a 3.25. Just like all short story books there are some ups and downs. There were a couple that were more fun though. Grannys Grinning was just fun to think of having costums like they do (they change you into the monster itself). The Man Who Drew Cats was a real good one as well, very well written.
Rating: really liked it
Not very scary, nor good. Neil Gaiman and Stephen King’s stories are the shortest (and worst). So if you’re thinking of buying this for them...DON’T.
Rating: really liked it
This anthology of 10 short stories, was a good read.
I'll give a quick overview of each story:
1. Neil Gaiman's "Click-Clack The Rattlebag". A story of a monster who takes the least expected form.
2. R. Chetwynd-Hayes "Homemade Monster". A great descendant of Baron Frankenstein is up to new tricks.
3. Lynda Rucker "The Sideways Lady". Kids exploring a haunted house on Halloween.. what could go wrong...
4.Stephen King "Here There Be Tygers". Previously published in "Skeleton Crew". A scary trip to the bathroom.
5. Ramsey Campbell "The Chimney". What if Santa was not the only thing coming down the chimney at Christmas...
6. Manly Wade Wellman "School for the Unspeakable". A ye olde tale of a school gone bad.
7. Robert Shearman "Granny's Grinning". A strange tale of dress up, and what we do for love.
8. Lisa Morton "The Chemistry of Ghosts". The Ghost of a chemistry teacher is testing students.
9. Michael Marshall Smith "The Man Who Drew Cats". A street artist with the most unusual skills.
10. Charles L Grant "Are You Afraid of the Dark?". A babysitter who really scares the kids.
All were good stories, some better than others, and some were very, very short.
A good read for Halloween.
Rating: really liked it
It’s not that I didn’t enjoy this anthology, because I did. It’s just that it didn’t scare me. For scary stories aimed at adults, I just didn’t find them scary. There were a few things that made them not so child friendly, but scare factor isn’t one of them. They’re creepy and eerie, just a bit supernatural, but not really scary. Actually, the more I think about it, they’re the kind of just slightly scary stories that are nice to read as you’re gearing up for Halloween. They’re actually kind of pleasant to read, which truly scary writing is not. So, yes, this is a four star book for me.
Rating: really liked it
There were a few good stories, but most of them were pretty drab.
I was irritated about the positioning of the illustrations in the text. In a few cases, the illustration was actually a spoiler; it revealed the "punch line" before I got to the actual text that it was describing. I wish they would have put the illustrations a page or two after the "reveal" so that you can properly enjoy the stories without spoilers.
