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Post by billdemo2 on Oct 24, 2012 1:47:51 GMT
The Halloween season is here again and, like every year, the family gathers and I am tasked with keeping an assortment of kids and young teenagers entertained with tales of terror around the campfire... or in this case, a candle on the dining room table. I don't read the stories out loud, I retell them from memory in my own words.
I'm looking for some more short horror stories that lend themselves to being retold around the campfire. You know the type of story... a relatively simple plot with a wild, horrifying twist at the end. The kind of stories EC Comics thrived on.
Just to illustrate, the best example of this genre is the urban legend about the babysitter. All night, she gets phonecalls from a man who keeps asking "Have you checked on the children". Eventually, she calls the police who put a trace on her phone and tell her that the calls are coming from upstairs...
Here's what I've come up with so far in previous years:
WW Jacobs - The Monkey's Paw (of course) WW Jacobs - The Well AM Burrage - The Waxwork Richard Laymon - The Grab Joe Lansdale - Boo Yourself Alexander Woolcott - Moonlight Sonata Sapper - Touch and Go Guy de Maupassant - On the River Ralph Adams Cram - In Kropfsberg Keep Henry Kuttner - Graveyard Rats
Does the Vault have any suggestions?
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Oct 24, 2012 10:30:10 GMT
Ray Bradbury's "The October Game" is the Halloween story above all others. It seems profoundly unsuitable for the family context, however.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Oct 24, 2012 11:18:41 GMT
Al Sarrantonio's "Pumpkin Head" not only has that campfire tale feel but also has a Halloween theme.
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Post by ramseycampbell on Oct 24, 2012 11:18:56 GMT
Could you retell "The Outsider"?
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Post by Knygathin on Oct 24, 2012 13:18:44 GMT
Could you retell "The Outsider"? Perhaps on a werewolf theme . . . ?
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Post by Knygathin on Oct 24, 2012 15:00:10 GMT
The Halloween season is here again and, like every year, the family gathers and I am tasked with keeping an assortment of kids and young teenagers entertained with tales of terror around the campfire... or in this case, a candle on the dining room table. I don't read the stories out loud, I retell them from memory in my own words. That's a mighty fine tradition you're upholding there. I was going to suggest de la Mare's "A.B.O.". I think the kids would love hearing about the uncovering of that old box. Then I realized that it might be bad and scare for their future generative capacities. We dearly need to encourage reproduction, to secure the future of our race. But if you can continue hiding the remainders of the letters on the box, I think it will be alright. Generally I feel that most all good horror and ghost stories deal with grownups's fall from grace, with their decadence and moral decay, after having lost the purity and innocence of childhood. Therefore it is difficult to recommend such stories for kids, it seems too cruel.
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Post by cw67q on Oct 24, 2012 16:46:50 GMT
AM Burrage : Smee Bernard Capes: the Green bottle Bernard Capes: the Marble hands LP Hartley: A Visitor from Down Under William Hope Hodgson: the Voice in the Night Margery Lawrence: the Woozle Vernon Lee: Marsyas in Flanders J Sheridan LeFanu: the Child that went with the Fairies Fritz Leiber: Smoke Ghost Amyas Northcote: Brickett Bottom LTC Rolt: the Mine LTC Rolt: Cwm Garon Clark Ashton Smith: the Seed from the Sepulchre HR Wakefield: Blind Man's Buff
- Chris
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Oct 24, 2012 18:00:46 GMT
Bradbury's The Emissary would certainly keep all the little one's in shock for the whole long evening
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Oct 24, 2012 18:24:33 GMT
Bradbury's The Emissary would certainly keep all the little one's in shock for the whole long evening Yes, but "The October Game" would traumatize them for life.
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Post by Knygathin on Oct 24, 2012 18:58:15 GMT
William Hope Hodgson: the Voice in the Night Clark Ashton Smith: the Seed from the Sepulchre - Chris These would be suitable horror stories for kids, I think. The horror comes from outside, from Nature.
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Chuck_G
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 32
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Post by Chuck_G on Oct 24, 2012 19:05:04 GMT
Bradbury's The Emissary would certainly keep all the little one's in shock for the whole long evening I was thinking of The Emissary, one of my favorites. Retelling them in your own words sounds like it would be a lot of fun. Here are some suggestions Poe- The Tell-Tale Heart Poe- The Black Cat HPL- From Beyond Lafcadio Hearn- Hoichi the Earless Wagner- Where the Summer Ends Wellman- The Finger of Halugra
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Oct 24, 2012 19:39:22 GMT
Yes, but "The October Game" would traumatize them for life. That's the spirit ;D
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Post by ramseycampbell on Oct 24, 2012 20:40:10 GMT
Bradbury's The Emissary would certainly keep all the little one's in shock for the whole long evening Yes, but "The October Game" would traumatize them for life. Do you think? I read it before I was in secondary school.
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Post by ramseycampbell on Oct 24, 2012 21:01:42 GMT
Let's not forget that Basil Davenport edited two anthologies along these lines. How about Manly Wellman's "Where Angels Fear"?
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Oct 24, 2012 21:23:25 GMT
Yes, but "The October Game" would traumatize them for life. Do you think? I read it before I was in secondary school. Makes for an interesting debate - not necessarily the best Horror story but the one story that did really traumatise you as a young kid. For me it could have been The Copper Bowl by Eliot, The Emmisary or perhaps the Little Girl Eater by Dale. I'd need to have a long look at the old nightmares.
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