The 20 Greatest Classic Horror Books

Yes, I’m doing this again.
The 20 Greatest Classic Horror Books!

[@kenobi639]

I love these videos. You have lots to say without spoiling the stories you're talking about and I super appreciate that. It's a joy to watch you gush over your favorite books. Really inspires me to read more.

[@nikkivenable3700]

This is my favorite video of yours! I’ve bought 4 of the books you mentioned here and I’m so excited for the chilly weather so I can start reading them. I love all things gothic/ghost but tbh I’ve only read obvious ones such as Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights(which is about the most atmospheric books I’ve ever read…so so good), Daphne DuMaurier, Shirley Jackson etc. I haven’t heard of many of the ones you’ve referenced and this is EXACTLY why I love KZbin. Thanks, Michael.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I’m glad this video was useful! Thanks for watching!

[@maverickwonder2477]

Another fantastic and informative video, thank you. I’ve read 15 out of your 20 picks and really enjoyed most of them, the exceptions being The King In Yellow and Arthur Machen, I found his and Chambers writing styles very hard work. I learn so much from these videos and you have introduced me to some new authors like Benson, who I now added to my TBR list.

[@kirktanka8199]

Another great video!!! I can sit and watch your videos for hours. I always come away with new books to look to buy and put on my TBR list. Thank you for all of your great videos and insight.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks for watching! I really appreciate your support.

[@AJDunnReadsandWrites]

_Dorian Gray_ is definitely a horror story. I fully felt that when I read it.

[@gcpoulides]

Love your lists, my “must read” list keeps getting larger and larger, as others have said without ruining the story keep it up! Instantly subscribed!

[@paulmonahawk4921]

I have several of these on my tbr shelf, glad they have your recommendation! Great video!

[@Nick20_02]

Loved your list. I'm really excited to read some of them as I have already ready Dracula, Frankenstein and short stories of Poe. But I was shocked to know that Wuthering heights is a gothic book. Please make another list of classic horror books. I loved it ❤

[@snowysnowyriver]

I saw your original list and it's interesting to see how things have moved on. You certainly are much comfortable in talking to us these days!! 😊👍 As an aside Clark Ashton Smith is a very interesting person. To anyone who has never looked, read his biog. There is a reason why his use of language is so unique.

[@matthewdavies1973]

Great choices, Michael. I've recently finished 'Roarings from Further Out', a collection of four Blackwood stories. I struggled to find a copy of the Penguin. A great writer that deserves more recognition 👏

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

He does indeed.

[@gcpoulides]

I love his John Silence books, it’s like Sci-Fi Sherlock Holmes!

[@disshelvedwithadamwhite8731]

Another great list. Always with some authors new to me so that makes it exciting.

[@mathewguglielmi8451]

Great selection. I will have to add these titles to the to be read pile. I just discovered that Penguin Classics has recently published the original text of Frankenstein which contains a bit more social commentary. Frankenstein is also often cited as one of the earlier examples of science fiction. There is a great film adaptation of M.R. James' story, Casting the Runes, called Curse of the Demon, aka Night of the Demons, directed by Jacques Tourneur.

[@srpyle]

Great list! Thanks!

[@sgriffin9960]

Great list! It’s about time I read another classic!

[@chrisnawara1363]

great video! I had no idea Wuthering Heights was supernatural(ish?), now I have to add that to my list!

[@dennisdelgado7350]

I love this video and the icon on your bookshelf. Thank you.

[@PaxPanic]

I was wondering if Monk was going to be on this! I really need to get to that! And JEKELL AND HYDE! YES!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

You will really appreciate The Monk.

[@sethball2475]

That was great, Michael. An obvious list - but where else could you go, and if you were going to take even one of those choices off, I don't know what you would replace it with (except for...). I have read all the novels you mention, and most of the major short stories that would appear in the collections you've chosen to go with. There's probably some stuff in that particular Le Fanu book that I need to get to - but I did read what's in In A Glass Darkly. Some alternates, that I would have to seriously think about, if making my own Top 20 List of Classic Horror: The Wandering Jew, by Eugene Sue (one of my favourite books, and it would definitely squeeze off something from your list...let's say those William Sloane books (which I do like). Uncle Silas, by Sheridan Le Fanu (maybe instead of short stories...at least, at this point) Melmoth the Wanderer, by Charles Maturin (long and creepy and amazing - I might even sacrifice The Monk off my own list, with a "since I've got this on my list, I don't need this..." attitude. Sorry.) The Confidence-Man, by Herman Melville (yes, this would have to go on my list too; the more I do this, the more I see that I might drop some short story books and sneak in novels I loved) Anyway, I'm okay with Twice-Told Tales by Hawthorne being missing, though he's got some great stuff, Citadel of Fear by Francis Stevens may be a bit too obscure to keep "Classic" sticklers happy, and I have not read Legend of Sleepy Hollow or Hunchback of Notre Dame (both of which I have slated for this Halloween) Finally...The Jewel of Seven Stars by Stoker is underrated, and I'll be getting to The Lair of the White Worm soon, I hope. Again, superb list from you, for anyone who wants to just knock off virtually all the Classic Horror writers!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I haven’t read Melmoth yet. I need to get to that.

[@Domino365]

This is the first video of yours I've seen, and you had me as soon as I saw the bookshelf.

[@oldforestroad]

Excellent list Michael! "The wrong place, the wrong time...you're toast" ~ MKV

[@DamnableReverend]

My mum read me Phantom of the Opera when I was really young. Maybe nine years old. The musical had just come to town and she thought it would be good for me to know where the story really came from. I loved the book. I think the ending actually made kid me cry. Thinking about it now, sure, it's melodramatic, and yea, maybe it is a bit trashy (apparently leroux's other books are even moreso!)...but we all need some of that!

[@anotherbibliophilereads]

The Monk was great. I read it this year for the first time. I’ve read a lot on this list.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I bet you have!

[@leoden49]

Of course, I think this is a great list since it is the core of my personal library. The cherry on top was the William Sloane pick which some how I had never heard of. Duly noted and ordered. Thanks.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks for watching!

[@davebrzeski]

A great list, albeit I might shuffle the ranking order a bit. It's nice to hear someone pronounce Arthur Machen's surname properly for a change. I've read almost all of them, with the exception of the William Sloane (I have it in Kindle format, so I will endeavour to get to it), and the Bronte (for predictable reasons of literary classic phobia of my youth, which I've been planning on making up for as soon as I find the time. Frankenstein... 1839 version, or the 1818 version? I've read it a couple of times, but it was so long ago that the 1818 version wasn't available at the time. I certainly plan on finding time to get to that at some point. In fact I should probably find a better translation of The Phantom of the Opera too. I own two copies of The Hunchback of Notre Dame: one absolutely gorgeous early hardcover, and one much plainer edition that is way more readable, so I know it makes a huge difference. As for The Jekyll & Hyde, I remember being slightly disappointed with it when I read some 40 yeras ago. Probably because the assorted films spoiled it for me. If I remember correctly, it isn't actually stated that Jekyll & Hyde were the same person until right at the end, not that I can believe many people hadn't worked it out long before that.

[@TheJohno95]

I still need to check out some of these authors! Thanks for the recommendations!

[@Monsterblood]

A couple of titles in here I've never heard of. I recently read Phantom of the Opera (within the last year or so) and it was good. It was a little slow and melodramatic in the beginning but it was great in the second half. Definitely can't wait to read more by H.G. Wells, whenever I get out of my reading slump. The Invisible Man is one of my all time favorites

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I have heard about reading slumps but have so far never experienced one. They sound terrible.

[@michelle_flora]

Fantastic list! Of course dear Howard should be at number one, who could possibly argue that?! I do hope you do a video on The King in Yellow, those stories are haunting and should be talked about more!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

As soon as I reread King in Yellow I will do a video!

[@zombieprincess82]

Great list, I agree with lots on here. I've been re-reading The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath this morning, I don't think enough people read Lovecraft, although his stories have influenced so many other writers, and other media too, I know I've played a few games based on his work, and there are some really fun movies.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I really like Dream-Quest. Now I know when my cats 🐈 are not around they are on the moon.

[@zombieprincess82]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 😂 absolutely, it makes sense

[@stephenwalker2924]

Great video! Lots of good stuff to catch up on. Don't take this personally, Michael, but when you're talking...I can't help but stare and stare and stare at your bookshelves behind you. I always listen attentively to what you have to say. But I have got book envy so bad...

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks Stephen! I’ve been collecting books my whole life and my favorites are up on that shelf.

[@Carlo-V.]

Great list, Michael! Perfect!!!!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks!

[@geluz4430]

Great list, but I'm definitely missing Ambrose Bierce on it, Oliver Onions too.

[@michaelsbooinbooks]

Interesting list! I haven’t read very many classics, but I had a feeling what your #1 would be. 😄

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Yeah, I guess that wasn’t all that surprising.

[@DamnableReverend]

Whoa, fantastic list. And you put The Monk on here! Great. I laugheda t your V.C. Andrew scomment. Seems particularlya ppropriate as a friend and I were talking about her the other day and he actually expressed an interest in reading her work. haha I don't know that I've heard of WIlliam Sloan (stone?) before, but I'm defintiely intrigued. All the others are familiar to me and I love them all. We recently did a podcast episode on House on the Borderland, by the way. Many of these authorsa nd stories deserve more than one read through in a person's lifetime. Sometimes, a certain familiarity only serves to increase the horror feeling.

[@CliffsDarkGems]

Great List! I need to read so much more Poe and Lovecraft, terrifying short stories. Wonder why Hitchcock's Psycho did not deserve a place on this list? Surely hugely influential!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

That great book came out in 1959, making it too late for this list. I cut off classic horror at the 1930s.

[@CliffsDarkGems]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 Yes, I figured as much after making my comment. Still classic though!

[@midnightgreen8319]

Clark Ashton Smith deserves MUCH more attention than he gets, his writing is amazing

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Very true

[@tonygriego6382]

Good to see that you and Roger were able to escape the clutches of the Swiss.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Only temporarily.

[@frankmorlock9134]

Gaston Leroux was not only famous as a novelist for the the Phantom of the Opera. He was also famous as a playwright. One of his plays The Man Who Saw The Devil was really scary. And it all takes place in a ski lodge in the Alps. He also adapted his own locked room mystery The Yellow Room to the stage. It was good but not as convincing and unsettling as The Man Who Saw The Devil. Leroux's Cheri-Bibi novels were adapted as plays by other French dramatists.

[@deblawrence8341]

I loved "The Mystery of the Yellow Room"! I have several of Leroux's books which are not easy to find.

[@nicholasjones3207]

Had an REH phase and I particularly loved his horror stories. Not very pc but oh so good

[@markw.loughton6786]

Love this list, I've read quite a few, but I 100 agree with regards to the Prince of providence, he is the definitive 20th century horror writer. Lovecraft is fantastic 👏

[@peterpuleo2904]

Every horror fan should read "The Willows" and "The Wendigo" by Algernon Blackwood.

[@simonagree4070]

Fine stuff -- I can never resist an old horror anthology when I see one, and there's always some obscure writer in there who I want to know more about. I've actually read The King In Yellow twice without going insane 😉 , the first time because it was referenced in a song by Blue Oyster Cult, the second time because I enjoyed the creepiness of the first read. There's some SF in that book, too, which is odd because of its age. There are a couple of great books which probably fall right on the border of your criteria for inclusion -- Fear, by L. Ron Hubbard, and Conjure Wife, by Fritz Leiber. Both are classics of late pulp horror at its finest. Conjure Wife got turned into movies and radio, and Fear is unfilmable.

[@bookfantastic]

E. F. Benson: "Negotium Perambulans," "Caterpillars," and "The Horror Horn" (pretty much all of his stuff is good). This latter story matches so many of the tales I have heard from the first nations people of Canada about Sasquatch, that I think it must be based on some reality that Benson experienced or heard about. I love Sloane's work and, though I first heard about the Edge of Running Water, I read To Walk the Night first and it is excellent and, I think, a bit better. Good stuff all around either way. Lovecraft, Howard, and Clark Ashton Smith need no words other than "sublime." I would add to that trio William Hope Hodgson. Oops! I wrote too soon in the middle of your review. House on the Borderland is also my favorite, but his short stories are hard to beat. "A Voice in the Night" and "The Derelict" come to mind first, but I have read all of his stories again and again without regrets. Gotta try Leroux. I have The Monk queued up (found it at a local library sale). King in Yellow is great. I have never finished. I tend to graze horror collections to save stories for later. Just reread Moreau after having first read it maybe 50 years ago. Great. Le Fanu - no words. Just bought a new copy of Wuthering so I can re-read it after my misspent youth. The Wendigo. I must read more Blackwood. I read Dorian Gray maybe a century or so ago. I still look just like him now (but which version?). Machen. Awesome. James is a joy. I like all of Stevenson. Never a bad book. Last read Kidnapped. Frank and Drac. Yes! Took me until about 10 years ago to read Drac. Page turner. Yours is a great list altogether. I would want to expand it to include the one-hit wonder - Fingers of Fear by J.U. Nicholson. Also, I love the best works of H. R. Wakefield. His "The Red Lodge" is still my favorite ghost story and I have read it maybe 30 times. The newest great weird story writer I particularly love is Terry Lamsley. "Under the Crust," Walking the Dog," and etc. Great scary stuff. But there are so many other classics: W.C. Morrow, Eleanor Scott, Sarban, Gerald Kersh. We could ramble. Thank you for your very enjoyable reviews. Off to finish the last story in Conan The Wanderer.

[@troytradup]

You didn't lock the Swiss contingent in the dungeons of Vaughan Manor, did you? Extra big thumbs-up for showcasing some Oxford World's Classics! I'm curious only about one missing title -- any thoughts on Melmoth the Wanderer? Oh, and horror-adjacent: what about Ambrose Bierce?

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Bierce does deserve to be on the list. That’s true.

[@The_Non-One]

I’ve read the house on the Borderland. It has tones of adventure, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Pretty interesting read. Dogs don’t fare too well in this book.

[@josephnizolek3975]

Agree the King in Yellow really influence in horror, some really scary stories in that book

[@frankmorlock9134]

I think people who read the Monk will be surprised how modern the style is. It is very easy to read.

[@hifrommike2120]

Lovecraft is misquoted on more than one cover of Hodgson's The House of the Borderland. What Lovecraft wrote in Supernatural Horror in Literature was this: ""But for a few touches of commonplace sentimentality this book would be a classic of the first water." I would put Poe first, but that's just me. Try his lesser known stories: "Loss of Breath," "The Imp of the Perverse," "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar," "Berenice" & "How to Write a Blackwood Article."

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I’ve read all of Poe’s fiction, and he could very well have been #1. I still think Lovecraft deserves it a bit more…but that could just be me.

[@paulcharlwood702]

Recently read The Willows and the Wendigo by Blackwood and I must say I was a bit disappointed. The writing was great and the situations could have been really disturbing but he either pulled his punches or fluffed the delivery. Either way I found The Willows, well, just weird, and the Wendigo only vaguely unsettling. I have read better stories which were genuinely disturbing (in a skin crawling, scalp prickling, supernatural sort of a way, not the usual modern schlokey, slasher, nutter in a mask with a chainsaw sort of way). The Haunting of Hill House and The Loney both spring to mind.

[@DamnableReverend]

Horror is such a subjective thing though. I don't think Blackwood pulls his punches -- at all. However, many of his tales consist largely of Algernon meticulously describing characters thinking and feeling very, very weird things. If that's not your bag of bones, it's just not, i suppose. personally i think he's such an extraordinarily great writer (as in, he deserves attention far outside of his accepted field), that I'll listen to him tell me anything. even his books for children are fantastic.

[@redwawst3258]

Phantom Of The Opera. MASTERPIECE . 🎩

[@peterpuleo2904]

Stephen King said that "The Room in the Tower" by E.F. Benson is his favorite horror short story.

[@freelivefree7221]

Either Poe or Lovecraft would have to be number one. I found House on the Borderland psychedelic. It's a kind of creepy psychedelic though. Frankenstein I heard for years was not a good book, then I read it. (Same edition with the Bernie Wrightson pictures you showed) It's not a perfect work of art, but it is a good book. I feel the need to mention the Belgian Jean Ray as a writer who could fit in the list. Hist works Malpertuis and Cruise of Shadows are great and include some cosmic horror that is very different from Lovecraft. He wrote at the same time as HPL and even had translations of his works in the same issue of Weird Tales as him. He's uneven (I'd skip his first collection Whiskey Tales) but his best stuff is up there with the masters.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I will check out Jean Ray. Thanks!

[@ChrisDailyReading]

Yes, love horror so love this! I really should read The Phantom of the Opera

[@jamesfetcho6315]

Well I agree with Number One. Thought REH , could have been higher. Well a few could have been higher. JMO. Great List.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

At least I got the #1 right!

[@jamesfetcho6315]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 LoL 😆😂🤣

[@TH3F4LC0Nx]

Oh, The Monk, what a trip! 😅 That book is WILD. 😂😂😂 I was genuinely shocked at just how much depravity there was in that book. Goes to show that books sometimes weren't nearly as constrained content-wise as other mediums. Still kind of appalling today, but what a ride!

[@DamnableReverend]

What surprise me most wasn't the depravity considering the time the book was written, but that it was an *English* book. I'm used to seeing depraved French books from back then, but the English were always pretty reserved and delicate about taht sort of thing!

[@josephcusumano2885]

Great book, th Monk. I loved it.

[@arthurodell3281]

Hi Michael, Have you ever read Seabury Quinn? I’m not saying he belongs on this list, but I am really enjoying his work at the moment.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I love Seabury Quinn. I did a Jules De Grandin video a while back.

[@arthurodell3281]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 Thanks for replying! I’ll definitely check that video out.

[@macos-brasil1814]

Wuthering Heights it's so dark. After read it i went to the internet to look for answers because i couldn't understand how i thought it was a romance novel all these years. Then i found the the movies adaptations and i've got what makes everybody say it's a romance.

[@Shiro128b]

H. P. Lovecraft may be my favourite author but the Phantom of the Opera is my all time favourite book.

[@falgalhutkinsmarzcal3962]

Arthur Machen and MR James are the only authors that have disturbed me. The White People, Novel of the Black Seal, The Mezzotint, Canon Alberic's Scrapbook, and so many other great short stories between these two gentlemen.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

They both wrote wonderfully disturbing stuff.

[@stews9]

Sidereal question, Michael - have you read Uncle Silas by le Fanu?

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I have! I remember really enjoying it.

[@stevec7372]

Pity no Turn of the Screw, Henry James, and especially no mention of standout stories particularly in MR James, Machen, Le Fanu AND worse of all Lovecraft!! These writers though great, were varying quality, so what are standout favorites as stories in each collected works? MR James, I love Whistle and I will cometh!

[@rondemkiw4492]

THE EDGE OF RUNNING WATER was adapted into a 1941 Boris Karloff film called THE DEVIL COMMANDS.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I didn’t know that. Thanks!

[@darnes12]

Robert E Howard is so underrated.

[@anthonyvictor3034]

I have the Lovecraft on my bookshelf - the very edition you showed. I would probably bump Poe down to four and put M R James at number 2. With Dracula at 3. Sorry, British sensibilities prevail. And big shout out for The Monk. A grand gothic tale. Wish someone made a miniseries of it. Speaking of film and TV. You must do yourself a favour and watch the BBC dramatisations of James. They can be found under their titles on KZbin. Delightfully atmospheric and creepy adaptations. I will have to look for Sloane, the only author on the list l have not read.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks for letting me know about those James adaptions.

[@rickcroucher]

Nice tie.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks!

[@farhad_s]

I'm a huge comic fan, I've read all of Lovecraft, have read and reread Sherlock Holmes so much I practically have the stories memorised. But the constant Robert E. Howard bombardment embarrasses me, as I've not read any. Finally decided to change that, so hopefully will start with Conan from next month!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I have a feeling you will really enjoy REH.

[@suzannes8017]

Didn't know E.F. Benson wrote horror, unless one classifies the Mapp and Lucia saga as such! :-)

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Yeah, he had some range in his writing!

[@fiberartsyreads]

Great list. I haven’t read many of these but I have read Wuthering Heights and disliked it so so much.😆 I really liked Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde and Frankenstein though. And of course Poe is great.

[@NP-Hunt]

Absolutely have to agree with you on Wuthering Heights. If anyone ever asked me "isn't that a romance book?" I'd have to answer with that overexaggerated deep voiced thing we can't help sometimes, and be like 'huh-huh-huh - oh no! It's definitely not!'. FAR more horror than romance. If it was a romance novel it'd be the worst in its genre. As horror in the same vein as much of Shirley Jackson, it stands up as a pinnacle of that 'lightly supernatural' psychological horror. Maybe that's just me.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

It’s not just you.

[@DDB168]

I think the novelisation of Showgirls should have been number 1 🤣 I think I made the same joke on the original video so just a bit of nostalgia for you 😉 Where's Richard Matheson ? 🤔

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

This list only went up through the 1930s. So no Matheson. There is a Showgirls novelization!? How has CriminOlly not made a video about that yet?

[@DDB168]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 I think he even wrote it 🤣

[@evanup2326]

What are the names of Lovecraft’s fantasy and romance stories

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

His “romance “ was Sweet Ermengarde. His fantasies include; Polaris, The White Ship, Celephais, The Silver Key, and The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath.

[@evanup2326]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 thank you

[@robertrodriguez7087]

@@evanup2326 The Quest of Iranon and the Cats of Ulthar are other fantasy stories of his. The Quest of Iranon is definitely my favorite.

[@rondemkiw4492]

OUR LADY OF DARKNESS by Fritz Leiber? DARKER THAN YOU THINK by Jack Williamson?

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I cut off this list in the 1930s so that left out the great Our Lady of Darkness. I liked Darker Than You Think. I did a video on that one.

[@nicholasjones3207]

Currently tucking into the string of pearls and it’s very enjoyable so far. The sweeney Todd penny dreadful

[@macos-brasil1814]

I like very much the afford you put to make these videos about "Top books of...". I've discovered many great books because of your videos. Some of them i knew but i didn't knew that it was REAAAALLLY that good. I think we're always blaming "self-help" readers for reading trash content but, actually, we (ordinary readers in general) are soo behind in terms of showing people the quality of the classic books. "Rich dad poor dad" (from Robert K.) is really a buch of BS but i garante there's much more people reading this book and thinking is "gold" than Dracula.

[@telstar9367]

I might have squeezed in Dante's Inferno.

[@evanames5940]

Dorian Grey best read the uncensored is best.

[@rondemkiw4492]

Dennis Wheatley THE DEVIL RIDES OUT?

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I think the books I’ve listed are better, but I can certainly see a good case being made for The Devil Rides Out.

[@leonoldfield9765]

🧛‍♂️😱👻

[@OnTheOnlyShipButHalfWannaSink]

There’s no such thing as the 20 greatest horror books. 😊