With Thanksgiving right around the corner, and the Halloween season coming to a close, it is officially fall. This exciting time of year calls for pumpkin patches, haunted houses and most importantly, scary stories. Whether you are sitting around a fire sharing spooky campfire stories, or just laying in bed, it is certainly the time of year to get scared.
This year, Spotify released a playlist called “Scary Stories” in which they feature a handpicked selection of the scariest stories known to man. From classics to lesser known spooky tales, the playlist has it all. Below, I have listed some of the most noteworthy stories to listen to this season. Continue with caution!
- “The Raven” written by Edgar Allan Poe narrated by William Dufris
In this Halloween classic, narrated by William Dufris, Poe describes a late December night in which a man is drifting to sleep while dreaming about his love. He hears a knock on his front door, but when he goes to see who it is, no one is there. Eventually, the man slowly loses his sanity.
2. “Dracula” by Bram Stoker narrated by Christopher Lee (Parts 1-4)
Dracula is a well known fantasy character used for Halloween costumes quite frequently. However, most people do not know the real story behind the 1897 horror novel. In this four part series, Jonathan Harker, a lawyer, and Count Dracula, a nobleman, meet to discuss real estate. What seems to be an insignificant interaction, leads to the discovery of a blood hungry vampire.
3. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving narrated by Boris Karloff
This “gothic” story written in 1820 by Irving describes a slightly twisted love story. Ichabod Crane comes to the small town of Sleepy Hollow, New York in hopes to find a new teaching job. He quickly realizes that the town is a little off. The citizens are slow and tend to believe in the supernatural. However, Crane stays busy with his new love interest, his eighteen year old student, Katrina Van Tassel. Shortly after Crane becomes interested in Tassel, the horror story truly begins.
4. “The Ash Tree” by M. R. James narrated by Ghizela Rowe
In addition to spooky stories, spooky poems are also mentioned in the playlist. The Hag is narrated by Ghizela Rowe and is a short, yet fascinating poem. It is a great poem for modern Halloween, though it was written in the 17th century prior to the commercialized holiday. While the poem itself is great, the narration by Rowe is especially scary. If you are looking for a scary poem for this time of the year, this is it.
5. “To Build A Fire” by Jack London narrated by Bart Wolffe
Another classic Halloween tale is “To Build A Fire” written by London and narrated by Bart Wolffe. This short story was written in 1902, but has become a timeless work of literature. The story begins with an unknowing man heading into the Yukon territory, despite being told not to. The temperature slowly creeps towards seventy-five degrees below zero. He quickly receives extreme frostbite and begins to panic. The story develops into a man fighting to survive in severe conditions.
Whether you are a fan of the extreme drop in temperature and somewhat over said phrase of “spooky season,” hopefully these scary stories can get you in the Halloween spirit.
Spotify Playlist: Scary Stories Playlist
