This will be the last list about books…I promise!

However, it would be a shame to get through the Halloween season Ooky Spooky Lists without mentioning some of the most influential authors of horror.

Without further ado…10 Classic Horror Stories You Should Read:

10. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Starting nice and easy, but truthfully if you’ve never actually read the original short story I highly recommend it.

9. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Who is truly the monster? What separates man from monster? Can people ever remember that Frankenstein was the scientist…NOT the creature?

8. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Okay, I’d argue this is more mystery, thriller than straight horror…but it does have gothic qualities that tends to push it into the horror genre. Still recommend it.

7. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Most people when they hear the name Oscar Wilde think poet and playwright…but he also wrote this gothic horror that is truly a horror classic.

6. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
A mysterious carnival arrives in a midwest town and strange things start happening? Sign me up!

5. The Turning of the Screw by Henry James
All I should need to say is this…this is the story Haunting of Bly Manor is based on.

4. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Yes, this is what Haunting of Hill House is based on…but you should still read it. It’s considered one of the best literary ghost stories of the 20th century…pretty big deal, right?

3. The Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft
You could pick ANY of Lovecraft’s stories, but I specifically chose this one because it is probably the easiest for first time Lovecraftian readers.

2. The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe
As with Lovecraft, I might as well have put ALL Edgar Allen Poe writings here…but Masque of Red Death is my favorite.

1. Dracula by Bram Stoker
I love this book. I love the writing style. I love the story. For some, they may not like it as much as the many, many, many adaptations, but it is definitely a classic everyone should read.

No Honorable Mentions for this list….mostly because I tried to stay pre Stephen King and Anne Rice and Richard Matheson and SO MANY OTHER amazing horror writers.