Germany has all but lost WWII. For Uwe, who has spent the war caring for his widowed mother, this is a relief. But for others in his village, the fight is not over yet. Inspired by talk of power and his village’s werewolf lore, Uwe joins a resistance unit preparing for the arrival of Allied soldiers. But when the men’s violent rampage takes a devastatingly personal turn, Uwe must grapple not only with his role in their evil acts but with his own humanity. Read or listen to this terrifying short story from Alma Katsu free with Prime. People’s interest in horror is nothing new; on the contrary, it’s as old as humanity itself. As a result, for as long as we have been interested in human behavior, we’ve been interested in this fascination with fear. H.P. Lovecraft nailed it when he said that “the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” Indeed. But I’d venture that it’s not only fear of the unknown. It’s fear of an unknown that we cannot control. Otherwise, stories about magic schools wouldn’t be so beloved: magic is unknown to us, but tales of magic schools offer us the chance to corral it, thus taking away that what makes it frightening. Because this love of horror is so old, there are countless horror short stories that are worth at least one read. Alas, I have a limited space here, so I’m only going to recommend 20. I chose to mix classic horror short stories with more recent works, in order to paint as varied and comprehensive a picture as possible. If you’re new to the genre, consider using this only as a starting point. If you’re a seasoned veteran, I hope you find at least a couple of stories that will make you burn through your electric bill. Shall we? General content warnings for rape, murder, misogyny, and more. Would you like more horror short stories before you go? What about horror novels?
Metamorphosis is a common trope in horror. But unlike most characters, Abbie is delighted by the change — amping the eerie factor up by a million. What makes this story a thousand times creepier though? Abbie’s predilection for teenage boys. Sexual predators are recast as lake creatures in this chilling read.
