{"id":102010,"date":"2014-10-31T09:40:56","date_gmt":"2014-10-31T08:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/?p=102010"},"modified":"2018-10-26T09:33:55","modified_gmt":"2018-10-26T07:33:55","slug":"free-horror-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/free-horror-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"35 classic horror stories, free to download"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Classic<\/a>
Project Gutenberg offers classic horror stories that are free to download in several ebook formats<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
On this list, you’ll find classic horror stories from the 19th and 20th century, including the ones by Bram Stoker, H.P. Lovecraft, and Edgar Allan Poe.<\/strong><\/div>\n

Nowadays, when people want get horrified, they turn on ghost games or watch horror movies. However, both games and movies have one origin.<\/p>\n

See also:<\/strong>
\n[ef-archive number=2 tag=”lists” ]<\/div>\n

Vampires, ghosts, paranormal activities\u2026 in the beginning they were seen on the pages on numerous books.<\/p>\n

Dracula<\/em> by Bram Stoker, the works of Edgar Allan Poe or H.P. Lovecraft, are not the only must-reads for anyone who wants to bring some horror\u00a0to an evening on a sofa.<\/p>\n

Arthur Machen’s The Great God Pan<\/em>, now a classic\u00a0in horror genre, was\u00a0at first denounced for\u00a0its deeply decadent style and\u00a0obscenity.<\/p>\n

The House of the Vampire<\/em>, written\u00a0by George Sylvester Viereck, is one of the first horror novels to explore\u00a0the psychic and emotional aspects of vampirism.<\/p>\n

In The Lost Stradivarius<\/em>\u00a0(John Meade Falkner),\u00a0the source of the evil is a single object – a found\u00a0Stradivarius violin.<\/p>\n

All the stories are available for free from Project Gutenberg<\/a>. You can get them to your Kindle or other e-readers and apps, including iPad or iPhone, Kobo, and Nook.<\/p>\n

You can use a one-click download to Dropbox or Google Drive, so getting multiple files is pretty easy.<\/p>\n

A great thing about Project Gutenberg is that the site offers book collections. This list is based on Horror Bookshelf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[ef-reco id=”106394″ title=”Read also” info=”Top article”]<\/p>\n

35 classic\u00a0horror stories, free to download<\/h2>\n

1. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge<\/h3>\n

by Ambrose Bierce<\/em><\/p>\n

Set during the American Civil War, it\u00a0is the story of Peyton Farquhar, a Confederate sympathizer condemned to death by hanging from Owl Creek Bridge.<\/p>\n

This is the most famous story by Ambrose Bierce, valued\u00a0for its irregular time sequence and twist ending.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

2. The Damned Thing<\/h3>\n

Ambrose Bierce<\/em><\/p>\n

The story focuses on how the human race takes their views of nature for granted, and how there may be things in the natural world that the human eye cannot see or the human ear cannot hear.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

3. The Damned<\/h3>\n

Algernon Blackwood<\/em><\/p>\n

One of the short stories from Algernon Henry Blackwood, English novelist and one of the most prolific writers of ghost stories in the history of the genre.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Four Weird Tales<\/h3>\n

Algernon Blackwood<\/em><\/p>\n

The collection contains\u00a0four short stories: The Insanity of Jones<\/em>, The Man Who Found Out<\/em>, The Glamour of the Snow<\/em>, and Sand<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

5. The Wendigo<\/h3>\n

Algernon Blackwood<\/em><\/p>\n

Probably one of the best-known stories by Blackwood.\u00a0A group of men deep in the Northern wilderness are visited by a terrifying creature from Native American legend.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

6. The Willows<\/h3>\n

Algernon Blackwood<\/em><\/p>\n

H.P. Lovecraft considered this story\u00a0to be the finest supernatural tale in English literature.<\/p>\n

Two friends are on a canoe trip down the Danube. Their antagonist is\u00a0the surrounding environment\u00a0(river, sun, wind, and most importantly \u2014 the willows) which\u00a0imbues them with a powerful and threatening character.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

7. The King in Yellow<\/h3>\n

Robert W. Chambers<\/em><\/p>\n

A collection of ten highly weird stories, described\u00a0by S.T. Joshi as “a classic in the field of the supernatural.”<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

8. The Lost Stradivarius<\/h3>\n

John Meade Falkner<\/em><\/p>\n

In this Gothic short story, aristocrat John Maltravers, discovers a Stradivarius violin, and\u00a0becomes obsessed with the instrument.<\/p>\n

The black magician’s history and this obsession eventually destroy him.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

9. The House on the Borderland<\/h3>\n

William Hope Hodgson<\/em><\/p>\n

A\u00a0supernatural horror story being\u00a0a hallucinatory account of a recluse’s stay at a remote house, and his experiences of supernatural creatures.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

10. The Night Land<\/h3>\n

William Hope Hodgson<\/em><\/p>\n

A\u00a0classic horror novel, described by\u00a0H.P. Lovecraft\u00a0as “one of the most potent pieces of macabre imagination ever written”.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0gentleman, mourning the death of his beloved\u00a0woman, is given a vision of a distant future where their souls will be reunited.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

11. The Boats of the “Glen Carrig”<\/h3>\n

William Hope Hodgson<\/em><\/p>\n

A story about\u00a0the passengers who escaped in two lifeboats the wreck of a ship, which was lost at sea and\u00a0struck a hidden rock.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

12. The Turn of the Screw<\/h3>\n

Henry James<\/em><\/p>\n

A\u00a0gothic ghost story novella written by Henry James. It tells a story\u00a0of how the young governess is hired by a man who has become responsible for his young nephew and niece after the death of their parents.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

13. A Thin Ghost and Others<\/h3>\n

M. R. James<\/em><\/p>\n

A\u00a0collection of ghost stories\u00a0includes, among others,\u00a0The Residence at Whitminster<\/em>, and The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

14. Ghost Stories of an Antiquary<\/h3>\n

M. R. James<\/em><\/p>\n

First\u00a0collection of ghost stories by\u00a0M. R. James. The stories rely “on a gentle, bucolic background to emphasize the awfulness of the otherworldly intrusions.”<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

15. Ghost Stories of an Antiquary – Part 2<\/h3>\n

M. R. James<\/em><\/p>\n

The second part of\u00a0M. R. James’ collection brings 15 more horror stories.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

16. Metamorphosis<\/h3>\n

Franz Kafka<\/em><\/p>\n

A famous short novel by Franz Kafka, which begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed into a large, monstrous insect.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

16. The Trial<\/h3>\n

Franz Kafka<\/em><\/p>\n

One of Kafka’s best-known works, it tells the story of a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed neither to him nor the reader.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

17. Carmilla<\/h3>\n

Sheridan Le Fanu<\/em><\/p>\n

This\u00a0Gothic novella\u00a0tells the story of a young woman’s susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

18. The Shunned House<\/h3>\n

H.P. Lovecraft<\/em><\/p>\n

One of\u00a0H.P.\u00a0Lovecraft’s best short novels.\u00a0The protagonist and his uncle, Dr. Elihu Whipple,\u00a0have\u00a0been tracking the mysterious, yet apparently coincidental sickness and death of many who have lived in the house\u00a0on\u00a0Benefit Street.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

19. The Great God Pan<\/h3>\n

Arthur Machen<\/em><\/p>\n

A\u00a0classic horror novella by Arthur Machen\u00a0was widely considered\u00a0as degenerate and horrific because of a\u00a0decadent style and sexual content.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

20. The House of Souls (collection)<\/h3>\n

Arthur Machen<\/em><\/p>\n

Most notable works by\u00a0a Welsh author and mystic Arthur Machen. Besides\u00a0The Great God Pan<\/em>, you’ll find here also\u00a0A Fragment of Life<\/em>,\u00a0The White People<\/em>, and\u00a0The Inmost Light<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

21. Animal Ghosts Or, Animal Hauntings and the Hereafter<\/h3>\n

Elliott O’Donnell<\/em><\/p>\n

First of three books by Elliot\u00a0O’Donnell, digitized by Project Gutenberg. The author was\u00a0known primarily for his books about ghosts.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

22. Scottish Ghost Stories<\/h3>\n

Elliott O’Donnell<\/em><\/p>\n

A collection of seventeen ghost\u00a0stories located in Scotland.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

22. The Sorcery Club<\/h3>\n

Elliott O’Donnell<\/em><\/p>\n

This occult fantasy novel is one of the most popular works of\u00a0Elliott O’Donnell.<\/p>\n

Three people make a pact with the “Unknown” to obtain occult powers. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize with whom they made the pact.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Classic<\/p>\n

23. Widdershins<\/h3>\n

Oliver Onions<\/em><\/p>\n

One of the best ghost story collections by\u00a0a British writer Oliver Onions. It includes\u00a0The Beckoning Fair One<\/em>, widely regarded as a classic of the horror genre.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

24. The Works of Edgar Allan Poe: Volume 1<\/h3>\n

Edgar Allan Poe<\/em><\/p>\n

First of the five-volume set of digitized\u00a0works of Edgar Allan Poe, includes\u00a0The Gold-Bug<\/em>,\u00a0The Murders in the Rue Morgue<\/em>, and\u00a0The Oval Portrait<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

25. The Works of Edgar Allan Poe: Volume 2<\/h3>\n

Edgar Allan Poe<\/em><\/p>\n

The volume includes:\u00a0The Purloined Letter<\/em>,\u00a0The Black Cat<\/em>,\u00a0The Fall of the House of Usher<\/em>, and\u00a0The Masque of the Red Death<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

27. The Works of Edgar Allan Poe: Volume 3<\/h3>\n

Edgar Allan Poe<\/em><\/p>\n

In this volume, you’ll find\u00a0The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket<\/em>, the only\u00a0complete novel written by Poe.<\/p>\n

This is a story of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, who stows away aboard a whaling ship called the Grampus.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

29. The Works of Edgar Allan Poe: Volume 4<\/h3>\n

Edgar Allan Poe<\/em><\/p>\n

Among the included works:\u00a0The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether<\/em>,\u00a0Mellonta Tauta<\/em>, and\u00a0The Devil in the Belfry<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

30. The Works of Edgar Allan Poe: Volume 5<\/h3>\n

Edgar Allan Poe<\/em><\/p>\n

The last part of the collected works of Poe, includes among others, a short story\u00a0Hop-Frog<\/em>.\u00a0The title character, a dwarf taken from his homeland, becomes the jester of a king particularly fond of practical jokes.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

31. The Vampyre; a Tale<\/h3>\n

John William Polidori<\/em><\/p>\n

A\u00a0horror short story by\u00a0John William Polidori,\u00a0is often viewed as the progenitor of the romantic vampire genre of fantasy fiction.<\/p>\n

It tells a story of\u00a0Aubrey, a young Englishman, who meets Lord Ruthven, a man of mysterious origins who has entered London society.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

32. Varney the Vampire: Or the Feast of Blood<\/h3>\n

Thomas Preskett Prest<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s a\u00a0Victorian era serialized gothic horror story by\u00a0Thomas Preskett Prest.\u00a0Altogether it totals over\u00a0666,000 words, and has been described as the worst book of the 19th century.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

33. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde<\/h3>\n

Robert Louis Stevenson<\/em><\/p>\n

A famous novella by a\u00a0Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, focuses on\u00a0a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

34. Dracula<\/h3>\n

Bram Stoker<\/em><\/p>\n

A classic\u00a0Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker\u00a0tells the story of Dracula’s attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread undead curse.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

35. The House of the Vampire<\/h3>\n

George Sylvester Viereck<\/em><\/p>\n

One of the first horror novels to delve into the psychic and emotional aspects of vampirism, lending a measure of psychological suspense to the story.<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n

To get more posts like this, please subscribe by RSS<\/a> or email<\/a>. Let’s also connect on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Pinterest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More lists to discover:<\/p>\n

[ef-archive number=5 tag=”lists”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Classic horror stories from the 19th and 20th century, including the ones by Bram Stoker, H.P. Lovecraft, and Edgar Allan Poe. Free download for Kindle, iPad, Amazon Fire, Kobo, or Nook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":131477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[7],"tags":[11602,11563,11455],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ebookfriendly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Classic-horror-stories-Halloween-free-to-download.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdOQhx-qxk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102010"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102010"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131479,"href":"https:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102010\/revisions\/131479"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebookfriendly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}