The Scariest Horror Stories You’ve Never Read

Unearthing Forgotten and Overlooked Tales of Terror
By [Mehedi Hasan] | The New Yorker
Horror fiction has long been a staple of literary terror, with names like Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and Shirley Jackson dominating the conversation. But lurking in the shadows of obscurity are chilling tales that have slipped through the cracks—stories so unsettling that they’ve been forgotten, suppressed, or simply overlooked.
In this deep dive into the macabre, we uncover some of the scariest horror stories you’ve likely never read. These are not the usual suspects from The Tell-Tale Heart or The Lottery, but rather obscure, bizarre, and deeply disturbing works that deserve a second look—if you dare.

1. "The Enigma of Amigara Fault" – Junji Ito (2000)
While Junji Ito is a celebrated name in horror manga, The Enigma of Amigara Fault remains one of his most underrated and psychologically terrifying works. The story begins with a geological anomaly: a mountainside collapses after an earthquake, revealing thousands of human-shaped holes. When people discover that each hole is perfectly shaped for a specific individual, they feel an irresistible compulsion to enter "their" hole.
What follows is a slow descent into cosmic horror, as those who enter the holes find themselves contorted, stretched, and transformed into something inhuman. Ito masterfully blends body horror with existential dread, crafting a story that lingers long after reading.
Why It’s Terrifying: The idea of an inescapable fate—of being meant to suffer—is deeply unsettling. The final images of elongated, twisted bodies crawling endlessly through the dark are pure nightmare fuel.
2. "The Events at Poroth Farm" – T.E.D. Klein (1972)
Before The Blair Witch Project made found-footage horror mainstream, T.E.D. Klein’s novella The Events at Poroth Farm delivered a slow-burn tale of rural terror. The story follows a young man who rents a room at an isolated farm to focus on his studies, only to realize that something ancient and malevolent lurks in the surrounding woods.
Klein’s strength lies in his ability to build dread through atmosphere rather than jump scares. The protagonist’s growing paranoia—combined with strange noises, disappearing animals, and an unnerving sense of being watched—culminates in a climax that leaves much to the imagination, making it all the more frightening.
Why It’s Terrifying: The story preys on the fear of isolation and the unknown, suggesting that true horror lies in what we don’t see.
3. "The Autopsy" – Michael Shea (1980)
Nominated for a World Fantasy Award, Michael Shea’s The Autopsy is a masterclass in body horror. A small-town doctor is called in to perform autopsies on victims of a bizarre mining accident. What he discovers is far worse than any industrial mishap—an alien entity has been using human bodies as hosts, hollowing them out and wearing them like suits.
The story’s climax, in which the doctor performs an autopsy on a still-living victim, is one of the most gruesome and unforgettable scenes in horror fiction.
Why It’s Terrifying: The idea of something inhuman hiding inside a loved one’s skin is a primal fear, and Shea exploits it mercilessly.
4. "The House on the Borderland" – William Hope Hodgson (1908)
A precursor to Lovecraftian cosmic horror, Hodgson’s The House on the Borderland is a surreal and terrifying journey into the unknown. A recluse living in a remote Irish house discovers a strange manuscript detailing visions of otherworldly realms, monstrous swine-like creatures, and the eventual heat death of the universe.
The novel’s most chilling sequence involves the protagonist witnessing the rapid aging of the cosmos, as eons pass in mere moments—a concept that evokes existential terror on an unimaginable scale.
Why It’s Terrifying: The sheer scale of the horror—the insignificance of humanity in the face of cosmic forces—makes this one of the most unsettling works of early weird fiction.
5. "The Whistling Room" – William Hope Hodgson (1910)
Another Hodgson gem, The Whistling Room is part of his Carnacki the Ghost-Finder series. The story revolves around a room in an old castle that begins whistling—a haunting, tuneless sound that grows louder and more aggressive over time. When investigators arrive, they uncover a dark history of torture and a malevolent entity that has taken up residence in the very walls.
Why It’s Terrifying: The idea of a room itself being alive and hostile plays on fears of haunted spaces, and the whistling—described as "inhuman"—is deeply unnerving.
6. "The Screaming Skull" – F. Marion Crawford (1908)
A lesser-known classic, The Screaming Skull tells the story of a man haunted by the disembodied skull of a man he may (or may not) have murdered. The skull moves on its own, appears in unexpected places, and emits an ear-splitting scream when touched.
What makes the story particularly chilling is its ambiguity—is the skull truly supernatural, or is the protagonist losing his mind?
Why It’s Terrifying: The unreliable narrator and the relentless, unexplained horror of the screaming skull create a deeply paranoid atmosphere.
7. "The Hospice" – Robert Aickman (1975)
Robert Aickman, master of the "strange story," specializes in tales that unsettle without clear resolution. The Hospice follows a traveling salesman who takes refuge in a mysterious hospice where the guests eat endlessly but never seem satisfied, and the staff behaves with eerie detachment.
The story’s horror lies in its dreamlike wrongness—nothing overtly monstrous happens, yet every detail feels off, building to a conclusion that offers no answers, only unease.
Why It’s Terrifying: Aickman’s ability to evoke dread through ambiguity makes this a uniquely disturbing read.
8. "The Ash Tree" – M.R. James (1904)
M.R. James is a titan of ghost stories, but The Ash Tree is often overshadowed by his more famous works like Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad. In this tale, a man inherits an estate only to learn that his ancestor executed a woman accused of witchcraft. Now, something lurks in the ancient ash tree outside his window—something that comes out at night.
The final revelation, involving giant, crawling spiders emerging from the tree, is a masterstroke of gothic horror.
Why It’s Terrifying: The slow buildup and the visceral horror of the ending make this one of James’ most frightening tales.
9. "The Summer People" – Shirley Jackson (1950)
While The Lottery remains Jackson’s most famous story, The Summer People is a quieter, more insidious horror. A couple decides to extend their stay at their summer cottage past the usual season, despite warnings from the locals. As the days grow shorter, the townspeople’s behavior becomes increasingly hostile, culminating in an ambiguous yet deeply ominous ending.
Why It’s Terrifying: Jackson’s genius lies in her ability to make the mundane terrifying, and this story is a perfect example of societal horror.
10. "The Voice in the Night" – William Hope Hodgson (1907)
A shipwreck survivor in a lifeboat encounters a ghostly voice begging for food in the fog. The voice belongs to a man afflicted by a fungal growth that has consumed him and his fiancée, turning them into grotesque, mushroom-like creatures.
Why It’s Terrifying: The story’s body horror and the tragic fate of the couple make it one of the most disturbing sea-based horror tales ever written.