Happy October! The Best Horror Literature

If you didn’t know, or couldn't recognize from my pseudo-banner at the top of this blog, The Crypt of Horror is based off Tales from the Crypt—not just the show, but the comic series. Horror literature is my thing. I’ve always read it, will probably always read it; I write it, and plan on writing it for as long as I can. (My first book, a collection of horror short stories, Predilection, was released last year).

To celebrate Halloween, most blogs are doing a month-long feature. My blog will focus on the greatest pieces of horror literature. When I can, I’ll try to provide some text with each feature, but school and work are pretty crazy, so a few pictures or a video might be the best I can do.

For the first entry, I’ve chosen my favorite piece of literate of all time: Clive Barker’s Books of Blood series, six volumes of short stories. First, let’s talk about the movies that have been made from these stories. The Book of Blood is based off of the two stories that begin and end the series. It’s not really a good movie, but the stories are fabulous. The Midnight Meat Train is next—that movie is pretty great. Book two features Dread, one of the best movies I have ever seen (the picture to the right is artwork from the film); it’s also my favorite story in the series, save “Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament.” I cannot recommend Dread enough. The story is supreme, the acting is spot-on, and it is actually scary. It gets under your skin. Book three’s standout, “Rawhead Rex,” was made into a film but it is so bad Clive has disowned it and I can’t even find a copy to watch it. Volume five of the series has “The Forbidden,” which was adapted into Candyman; I maintain that movie is a poetic masterpiece. Volume six has the near-novella “The Last Illusion,” which Clive adapted into his third film The Lord of Illusions. Of all Clive’s films this one is the best—complex story, great special effects, and Clive managed to merge a horror film with a detective drama with ease. Anyway….

OH MY GOD this is the best collection of short stories I have ever—EVER—read. Take a chance and read them; you’ll enjoy it. Clive did a special series of paintings to serve as the covers for the 1986 reprint (the second from the bottom, of the woman with skull earrings and spirits in her hair, is the adaptation of “Jacqueline Ess,” which hangs proudly on my wall).