Hauntings Tales of the Supernatural Author:Henry Mazzeo (Editor), Edward Gorey (Illustrator) Published in the 1960s, it's a solid mix of remarkably intense Victorian authors and more contemporary authors, with the emphasis on atmosphere rather than gratuitous gore. And it's a powerful atmosphere, drawing upon the darkest places of the psyche, invoking almost primal fears. — For example, "The Red Lodge" remains one ... more »of the creepiest haunted house stories written. It creates such a pervasive tone of outright nastiness and evil that it still makes one uncomfortable. And "The Gray Ones" works both as a story about The Silently Invading Other & as social commentary. In fact, many of these stories have a psychological component that provides food for thought along with effective chills. So "The Lonesome Place" delves into the nature of a child's terrified imagination, while "Thus I Refute Beelzy" takes a rather different look at the power of a child's worldview.
While many of these stories can also be found in other anthologies, this one has the added delight of illustrations by Edward Gorey. His combination of dark humor and subtly queasy uneasiness is the perfect complement to these well-chosen tales. If you're looking for genuinely frightening stories of high literary quality, you won't do better than this collection.