Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories That Scared Even Me on + 1178 more book reviews
I've actually had this copy of Hitchcock stories since 1968. It was a selection from a book club that I belonged to in high school. I know I have read some of this but I don't think I ever read the whole book. Anyway, this was a really great collection of stories ranging from the macabre to just plain scary and unsettling. The book was published in 1967 so some of the stories are definitely dated but they still provide chills. Some of my favorites from the collection include:
A DEATH IN THE FAMILY by Miriam Allen deFord: This one was reminiscent of Psycho with a lonely mortician using the dead to make his own family.
PARTY GAMES by John Burke: About an odd boy who attends a party uninvited with dire consequences.
CURIOUS ADVENTURES OF MR BOND by Nugent Barker: This one was about a traveler who goes to three inns run by three different brothers who have some strange ghoulish ulterior motives.
TWO SPINSTERS by E. Phillips Oppenheim: About two lonely sisters who were apparently jilted by a suitor and are patiently waiting for him to return.
IT by Theodore Sturgeon: This one was definitely creepy about a thing that comes to life in the woods trying to figure out life by pulling apart anything it comes in contact with. This reminded me of some of the old EC horror comics from the 50s.
THE TROLL by T.H. White: Really strange tale about a troll who resides in a hotel room in Sweden.
JOURNEY TO THE DEATH by Donald E. Westlake: Westlake is one of my favorite crime novelists. This story is a little unusual for him about two men who get trapped in a sealed room in a boat that sinks and how they try to survive.
Overall, I enjoyed probably 90 percent of these stories and would highly recommend this anthology. It also contains the complete novel OUT OF THE DEEPS (aka THE KRAKEN WAKES) by John Wyndham. I didn't read this one but I have a paperback copy of this novel that I will read at a later date.
A DEATH IN THE FAMILY by Miriam Allen deFord: This one was reminiscent of Psycho with a lonely mortician using the dead to make his own family.
PARTY GAMES by John Burke: About an odd boy who attends a party uninvited with dire consequences.
CURIOUS ADVENTURES OF MR BOND by Nugent Barker: This one was about a traveler who goes to three inns run by three different brothers who have some strange ghoulish ulterior motives.
TWO SPINSTERS by E. Phillips Oppenheim: About two lonely sisters who were apparently jilted by a suitor and are patiently waiting for him to return.
IT by Theodore Sturgeon: This one was definitely creepy about a thing that comes to life in the woods trying to figure out life by pulling apart anything it comes in contact with. This reminded me of some of the old EC horror comics from the 50s.
THE TROLL by T.H. White: Really strange tale about a troll who resides in a hotel room in Sweden.
JOURNEY TO THE DEATH by Donald E. Westlake: Westlake is one of my favorite crime novelists. This story is a little unusual for him about two men who get trapped in a sealed room in a boat that sinks and how they try to survive.
Overall, I enjoyed probably 90 percent of these stories and would highly recommend this anthology. It also contains the complete novel OUT OF THE DEEPS (aka THE KRAKEN WAKES) by John Wyndham. I didn't read this one but I have a paperback copy of this novel that I will read at a later date.
