In a day and age in which authors like Stephen King have deluged the horror genre with their shocking and controversial blends of the macabre and gruesome, it can be easy to forget that the finest works of the frightful dwell among the classics. Though there are a host of terrifying stories to be found in the classics, I have compiled the five that I believe to be the finest and most well-crafted tales of 'mystery and imagination.'
5 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Being the wife of the masterful poet, Percy Shelley, and having many friendships with some of the most famous authors of her time, Lord Byron being one of them, it could be said that writing came quite naturally to Mary Shelley, something that she more than proved in her legendary work of man playing God. Written in an age of progress and scientific development, "Frankenstein" embodied many of the fears of its time in its terrifying portrayal of scientific progress gone amok, bringing us to the one of the hallmarks of a well-written horror story, cultural relevance. It's certainly true that a massive razor-clawed beast can evoke fear in a story, however, it's effect is decidedly tampered by its inability to relate to its audience on any level, save their most basic fears. Mary Shelley obviously understood this when she crafted her famous tale as her story resounds deeply with the widely held fear of the consequences of science pushing too far, a fear that still resounds as deeply as it once did in an industrialized Europe.
4 The Eumenides by Aeschylus
Famous for bringing the epic conclusion to one of Greek drama's most beloved trilogies, "The Eumenides" shows the nightmarish consequences faced by its protagonist, Orestes, as punishment for the vengeance he wreaked on the murderers of his father. This penalty takes form in the horrific furies, vengeful denizens of the underworld that are sent in Greek Mythology to torment sinners, that endlessly torment the young hero. Though frightening in script, it is traditionally believed that there were in fact deaths as a result of the terror evoked by viewing the play, due to the furies presence, perhaps making it more deserving of an iconic position in the history of horror.
3 Dracula by Bram Stocker
Of all the works on this list, "Dracula" is likely the most popular due to the current cultural infatuation with vampires and all things bloodsucker. Despite the host of vampire stories that are currently on the market, Bram Stocker remains the eminent authority on portraying the undead. Being the longest book on this list, "Dracula" has the strength of being able to forge its timeless settings and plots in their entirety, lending the novel its primary source of infamy in its intwined relationship between plot and atmosphere. Where an isolated castle surrounded by forests full of feral wolves evokes an outright fear, the story moves right along to the even more unsettling abandoned streets of London at night where all manner of otherworldly creatures dwell in the shadows. When this atmosphere is paired with the suspenseful plot devices of the ancient Count and his many minions, it becames readily apparent as to why Bram Stocker is credited as one of the greatest masters of horror in history.
2 The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe
No horror list would be complete without the founder of American horror, himself, Edgar Allen Poe. Though he never found it necessary to write an epic novel of terror, Poe excelled in the arena of short stories and lent them an effect that far surpasses many similar works of much greater lengths. Of his nightmarish short stories, "The Black Cat" is one of the most unsettling. The first reason for this is Poe's gift at writing from the perspective of the villain, something very few other authors have ever done, much less mastered as Poe did. This lends an eerie and bleak feel to the story as the villainous narrator tells of his alcohol-laced descent from rationality and into evil. Another factor of the story that makes it so special is its unique plot that combines an intimate first person narrative style with a jarring concluding twist, a plot device that Poe had refined, as is evident in his other works, such as "Morrella," "Ligeia," and "The Masque of the Red Death." Finally, though all the stories on this list include morality, Poe incorporated the message of "The Black Cat" so closely with the plot as to make its lesson resound long after the book is closed, proving that, though an odd mix, didacticism and horror make an effective pair.
1 Young Goodman Brown by Nathanael Hawthorne
Though overshadowed by his masterpiece, "The Scarlet Letter,"Nathanael Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" stands as one of his best and most disturbing short stories. Set in a Puritan American colony, the setting of the story forms a seemingly innocent and benign atmosphere that, when contrasted with later plot developments, becomes an important literary device that Hawthorne used to maximum effect. Once again, this tale gains its power from a twist that throws the narrative into a completely new and decidedly unexpected direction, jarring both the reader and Hathorne's hero and sending the story on a direct course to its grim and frightening denouement. Unfortunately, further description of "Young Goodman Brown" would completely ruin it genius plot and leave it bereft of any semblance of its power. Fortunately, its short length makes it a small investment with an assuredly satisfying return.
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