This summer, I have decided to go back to my late adolescence and read some horror literature (what better way to deal with terrorism that to read about ghosts and demons while walking down Broadway?). A friend of mine recommended a couple of books that I have just finished reading: "A Heart Shaped Box" by Joe Hill, and "A Good and Happy Child" by Justin Evans. My rule with scary books (and films) has always been this: if they can give me one good scare -- one adrenaline sting, one good, old-fashioned hair rising – they've made the grade.
Although I must admit that both books have their moments, neither one managed to make me look over my shoulder or check for noises in the kitchen. What has happened to horror literature? When will the next Stephen King -- let alone the next Lovecraft or Poe -- come along to make us really afraid again? Do PostGlobal readers have any suggestions for this fright-starved blogger?
While we wait, let me recommend one particular collection of stories that I really enjoy: "The 13 Best Horror Stories of All Time" edited by Leslie Pockell. The reader will notice that there's no King, Clive Barker or even Ramsey Campbell in the collection, but that's fine with me. The best horror tales come from the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, and that's what Pockell has put together here. Especially wonderful is "The Willows," Algernon Blackwood's unsettling wilderness tale. I was first introduced to this story by the great Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro. After you follow the characters' paranoia and weird crisis management, our world will seem a whole lot clearer.
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