Scary stories, read in the dark

Horror films are for watching. Scary stories are for reading, one candle, one page, and the picture you build yourself. Seven old tales, why each one still works on the mind, and the films that came after.

Read

• The Tell-Tale HeartPoe's 1843 story of a murderer undone by his own pulse: what happens, why guilt makes a better ghost than any ghost, and the Poe films.
• The Monkey's PawW.W. Jacobs' 1902 story of three wishes and a knock at the door: why it still works, and the films that borrowed the bargain.
• Casting the RunesM.R. James' 1911 ghost story of a scholar's curse, a slip of paper and a three-month deadline, and the 1957 film it became.
• CarmillaLe Fanu's 1871-72 vampire novella, written 25 years before Dracula: the plot, why a welcome guest frightens more than a castle, and its films.
• An Occurrence at Owl Creek BridgeBierce's 1890 story of a hanging and a very long second: what happens, why the twist still lands, and the films that learned from it.
• The Legend of Sleepy HollowWashington Irving's Headless Horseman: what happens, why the ghost may be a rival in a sheet, and the Sleepy Hollow films.
• Urban legends: the hook, the hitchhiker and the call from upstairsBrunvand's Vanishing Hitchhiker (1981) and the folklore of the modern scare story: why each spreads, and the films built on them.

What this is

The companion to HorrorMoviesList.com, which covers the films and the real crimes under them. This site covers the page. Each story here is public domain or folklore, so you can read the whole thing free, and each one has a film trail.

We summarise, quote a few lines, and explain the trick: what the story does to a reader that a screen cannot. We do not reproduce modern copyrighted collections, including Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Folklore is free to retell. Their books are not.

The stories

• The Tell-Tale Heart (Poe, 1843): a murderer confesses to a sound only he can hear.
• The Monkey's Paw (W.W. Jacobs, 1902): three wishes, and the knock at the door.
• Casting the Runes (M.R. James, 1911): a curse passed hand to hand like a parcel.
• Carmilla (Le Fanu, 1871-72): the vampire before Dracula, who arrives as a guest.
• An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (Bierce, 1890): a hanging man, and a very long second.
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Irving, 1820): a schoolmaster, a rival, and a ride home.
• Urban legends (Brunvand, 1981): the hook, the hitchhiker, the call from upstairs.

Watch what you read

Every page ends with the films that adapted or echoed the story, linked to our film site. Start with the criminology essays if you want the psychology behind why we fear what we fear, or the true stories if you want the real cases behind the films.

What you could build here

Three directions that would work on this name. None of them is the only answer — it is your name once it is yours.

1. A story site. Short scary stories, read aloud and written down, sorted by how scary.
2. A podcast home. Horror fiction podcasts need a name and a feed. This one finishes itself in the listener's head.
3. A campfire story app. Stories timed for telling out loud, with tips on delivery.

More horror

• HorrorMoviesList.comThe films: reviews written as case files, lists, trailers and where to stream.
• Criminology and psychologyEssays on why horror frightens us and what the data says about real danger.
• True stories behind the filmsThe real cases under Psycho, The Exorcist, Zodiac and more.

What it could look like

A sample concept, built to show the name in use. It is a starting point, not a business that exists.