Spooky Reads

Author James Hynes suggests some spooky stories for October hauntings (via Maud).

I picked up a stack of Alfred Hitchcock Presents anthologies in a recent used book store spree. When we packed the car for our camping trip to Vermont, I threw one of them in a spare bag, along with two from Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone and Triple W: Witches, Warlocks, and Werewolves), thinking we could read them in the tent with flashlights under our chins.

Of course, the first night we were so spooked by the chipmunks rustling in the leaves that we didn't dare crack a spine.

If you're braver than we are, you might want to try some of his suggestions, while the leaves are still browning, before the jack-o-lanterns start to rot. Shirley Jackson always leaves me wide-eyed, so that might be a good place to start.

© Zan McQuade. All rights reserved.