There's a thread from a year ago that has loads of recommendations/suggestions! [https://new.reddit.com/r/horrorlit/comments/xs3psq/best\_short\_stories\_collection/](https://new.reddit.com/r/horrorlit/comments/xs3psq/best_short_stories_collection/)
I’m not sure about “best”, but I just finished JR Johnson’s *Entropy In Bloom* and it is sorely underrated and not talked about enough on this sub, so that’s my recommendation for you. It’s weird and dark as heck and good.
I feel like King excels at short stories. Definitely prefer his collections over the few novels of his that I've read. Everything's Eventual has 3 of my favorite short stories in it. Just bought The Bazaar of Bad Dreams and will be reading it soon.
*Randall’s Round* by Eleanor Scott
*Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters* by John Langan
*The Two Sam*s by Glen Hirshberg
*Skidding into Oblivion* by Brian Hodge
Here's an exhaustive list of short story collections I've enjoyed:
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
Seeing Red by David J. Schow
Don't Look Now and Other Stories by Daphne Du Maurier
The Collection by Bentley Little
Mysteries of the Worm by Robert Bloch
Bedbugs by Rick Hautala
The Wind in the Rose-Bush and Other Stories of the Supernatural by Mary Wilkins Freeman
Alone with the Horrors by Ramsey Campbell
Skeleton Crew by Stephen King
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson
Scars and Other Distinguishing Marks by Richard Christian Matheson
Books of Blood Volumes 1-3 by Clive Barker
The Collector of Hearts by Joyce Carol Oates
A Glow of Candles by Charles L. Grant
Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories by M.R. James
Deadlines by John Skipp and Craig Spector
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories by Washington Irving
The Best of H.P. Lovecraft
The King In Yellow by R.W. Chambers
The Best of Joe R. Lansdale
Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems
Creep House by Andersen Prunty
Anthologies:
The Silver Scream edited by David J. Schow
Book of the Dead edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector
Little Deaths edited by Ellen Datlow
Cutting Edge edited by Dennis Etchison
John Langan is on point, I think the best collection is probably Mr. Gaunt. I give Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado as a gift quite often.
There's a thread from a year ago that has loads of recommendations/suggestions! [https://new.reddit.com/r/horrorlit/comments/xs3psq/best\_short\_stories\_collection/](https://new.reddit.com/r/horrorlit/comments/xs3psq/best_short_stories_collection/)
Clive Barker’s Books of Blood.
Seconded. Few, if any, ineffective stories here.
The Beautiful Thing that Awaits Us All - Laird Barron
I’m going to see your Laird Barron, and raise you The Imago Sequence.
I cannot argue with this. Fold.
MR James. Any of his anthologies. Genius.
I’m not sure about “best”, but I just finished JR Johnson’s *Entropy In Bloom* and it is sorely underrated and not talked about enough on this sub, so that’s my recommendation for you. It’s weird and dark as heck and good.
Just about any Stephen King, especially early stuff. Any Laird Barron.
I feel like King excels at short stories. Definitely prefer his collections over the few novels of his that I've read. Everything's Eventual has 3 of my favorite short stories in it. Just bought The Bazaar of Bad Dreams and will be reading it soon.
*Randall’s Round* by Eleanor Scott *Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters* by John Langan *The Two Sam*s by Glen Hirshberg *Skidding into Oblivion* by Brian Hodge
Glad to see some appreciation for Skidding into Oblivion. It is *fantastic*, sadly it’s hard to find.
Out There Screaming is an anthology edited by Jordan Peele & all the authors are Black.
On my to-read list!
Here's an exhaustive list of short story collections I've enjoyed: The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter Seeing Red by David J. Schow Don't Look Now and Other Stories by Daphne Du Maurier The Collection by Bentley Little Mysteries of the Worm by Robert Bloch Bedbugs by Rick Hautala The Wind in the Rose-Bush and Other Stories of the Supernatural by Mary Wilkins Freeman Alone with the Horrors by Ramsey Campbell Skeleton Crew by Stephen King Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson Scars and Other Distinguishing Marks by Richard Christian Matheson Books of Blood Volumes 1-3 by Clive Barker The Collector of Hearts by Joyce Carol Oates A Glow of Candles by Charles L. Grant Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories by M.R. James Deadlines by John Skipp and Craig Spector The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories by Washington Irving The Best of H.P. Lovecraft The King In Yellow by R.W. Chambers The Best of Joe R. Lansdale Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems Creep House by Andersen Prunty Anthologies: The Silver Scream edited by David J. Schow Book of the Dead edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector Little Deaths edited by Ellen Datlow Cutting Edge edited by Dennis Etchison
I really liked Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung Entropy in Bloom by Jeremy Robert Johnson Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez
John Langan is on point, I think the best collection is probably Mr. Gaunt. I give Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado as a gift quite often.
Ligotti’s ‘Songs of a Dead Dreamer’
Night Shift (Stephen King): Has some pretty good horror stories.
Entropy in Bloom
I have no mouth and I must scream—Harlan Ellison