Here is a collection of classic stories that deserve to be celebrated, and others that are less well known but deserve recognition from modern readers. Some of these stories have practically defined the horror genre, such as "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs, one of the most frequently anthologized English-language stories of all time. Also included are two stories by Edgar Allan Poe: "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" and "The Cask of Amontillado."

Others are "The Damned Thing" by Ambrose Bierce, "The Mummy's Foot" by Théophile Gautier, "The Night Wire" by H. F. Arnold, "At Abdul Ali's Grave" by E. F. Benson, "The Secret of the Growing Gold" by Bram Stoker, "The Story of the Brazilian Cat" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "In the Vault" by H. P. Lovecraft, and many, many others.