31 AI-Recommended Horror Short Stories to Read During Halloween Season

I asked the AI to recommend 31 horror short stories to read during the Halloween season. The truth is that he gave me an extremely interesting list of famous stories, little-known stories and stories of anonymous authors that are worth knowing.

The following list of recommended horror short stories dazzles with its variety and high level of imagination.

1. The Black Cat, by Edgar Allan Poe

- A chilling tale of guilt and madness, revolving around a sinister man and his beautiful feline companion.

2. The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson

- A disturbing story about a small town's annual lottery that reveals the dark side of tradition.

3. The Monkey's Paw, by W.W. Jacobs

- A cautionary tale about a magical paw that grants wishes but at a terrible cost.

4. A Good Man is Hard to Find, by Flannery O'Connor

- A family road trip takes a deadly turn when they encounter an escaped convict.

5. The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe

- A psychological thriller that delves into the mind of a murderer haunted by his own conscience.

6. The Landlady, by Roald Dahl

- A suspenseful story about a young man who stays at a seemingly innocent bed and breakfast with a sinister landlady.

7. Incarnations of Burned Children, by David Foster Wallace

- A brief but intense narrative that captures the horror of a child's accident and its aftermath.

8. His Face All Red, by Emily Carroll

- A haunting tale of jealousy and betrayal, told with eerie illustrations that enhance the story's impact.

9. The Veldt, by Ray Bradbur

- A futuristic story about technology gone awry, where children's virtual reality becomes their parents' nightmare.

10. The Devil Came to Mamie’s on Hallowe’en, by Lisa Morton

- A darkly humorous tale set in a whorehouse on Halloween night, blending supernatural elements with human folly.

11. The Bony Hand (Various Versions)

- A classic ghost story involving a child left alone with an elderly relative, leading to unexpected terror.

12. Too Many Ghosts, by Steve Rasnic Tem

- A story that explores the thin line between the living and the dead during Halloween festivities.

13. Patient Zero, by Tananarive Due

- A haunting tale about a boy named Jay, locked away in a hospital for reasons that become increasingly sinister as the story unfolds.

14. Hello, Moto by Nnedi Okorafor

- This story follows three friends who possess magical wigs, but their good intentions take a dark turn when the wigs begin to control them.

15. Selfies, by Lavie Tidhar

- A girl buys a smartphone that takes pictures predicting her doom, leading to a terrifying realization about her fate.

16. Abraham's Boys, by Joe Hill

- A chilling story about the sons of the famous vampire hunter Van Helsing, who remain unaware of their father's dark legacy.

17. Please Momma by Chesya Burke

- A disturbing narrative that reveals the source of a mother's illness and the horrifying truth behind it.

18. How to Get Back to the Fores, by Sofia Samatar

- Set in a summer camp with an eerie twist, this story explores the unsettling fate of children who may never return home.

19. Incarnations of Burned Children, by David Foster Wallace

- A brief yet impactful story that captures a traumatic moment involving a child's accident, leaving readers unsettled.

20. The Devil Came to Mamie’s on Hallowe’en, by Lisa Morton

- A darkly humorous tale set in a whorehouse on Halloween night, blending supernatural elements with human folly.

21. Too Many Ghosts, by Steve Rasnic Tem

- This story features a man who sees familiar faces of deceased loved ones in wood carvings, leading to unsettling revelations.

22. Universal Horror, by Stephen Graham Jones

- A clever juxtaposition of Universal horror films and real-life terror unfolds during a Halloween party gone wrong.

23. The Old Man in the Well, anonymous

- A young boy hears a raspy voice calling his name from a supposedly dry well. When he approaches, he realizes the voice is not just in his head.

24. Mirror Entity, anonymous

- A person discovers that their reflection in the mirror has a mind of its own, often mimicking movements but occasionally acting independently.

25. The Cursed Dollhouse, anonymous

- A dollhouse begins to replicate the rooms of its owner's house, but each miniature room reveals dark secrets and disturbing events from the past.

26. The Haunted Radio, anonymous

- A radio broadcasts messages from the afterlife, leading listeners to confront their past mistakes, with ghostly voices urging them to make amends—or face dire consequences.

27. The Fog, anonymous

- A mysterious fog descends upon a town, bringing nightmares to life for anyone caught within it, manifesting their deepest fears as supernatural entities.

28. The Spectral Train, anonymous

- At midnight, a ghostly train appears in a small town, carrying the souls of the departed, with each passenger revealing their tragic story to those who dare to board.

29. The Haunted Smartphone, anonymous

- A girl receives ominous notifications on her phone that predict the deaths of people in her contact list, each accompanied by ghostly images of the deceased.

30. The Closet, anonymous

Every night, she heard whispers from her closet. Tonight, she decided to listen.

31. The Reflection, anonymous

She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, but the smile that returned was not hers.