Welcome to the first post of my Blog with the rather unartful name: "Best-Ghost-Horror-Vampire-Werewolf-Short-Stories." This is one of those times when art takes second seat to Web search result rankings. My name is Andrew Barger and I am the editor of Edgar Allan Poe Annotated and Illustrated Entire Stories and Poems.The cover is my profile photo.
To kick off the Blog, I will be counting down the Top 40 Best Horror Stories published in the English language for the fifty year period between 1800 and 1849. The top thirteen will be revealed in a special way and I will give hints as the event gets closer.
So what criteria have I used to pick these early horror classics? First is fear. A grand horror story therefore must evoke a sudden sense of fear at some point. This often takes the form of a shocking ending, or a pervasive sense of fear or dread throughout the story. Next, there can be no fear unless we feel for the protagonist of the story. The deeper connection the reader has to the protagonist, the greater the ability of the writer to invoke fear in the reader. Last, the writing of the story, the actual text on the page, must be at a high level. All of the stories picked for this anthology meet all three criteria. That being said, a great horror story does not require blood and gore, or even the supernatural; but at least a sticky residue of dread long after the story is put down.
Sit back, relax and enjoy the great short stories that will start coming your way this week, and for many weeks to come.
Posted via email from The Best Ghost, Horror, Vampire, & Werewolf Short Stories
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