Tags
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Halloween, Henry Slesar, horror, mystery, Rod Serling, short story, suspense, The Right Kind of House
When it comes to almost any genre, but horror/mystery in particular, pulling off a compelling, convincing and chilling short story is a challenge. Short stories still need to hit all the complex highs of a long, elaborate tale, but in a very limited amount of space.
As an avid mystery lover, I bought a few copies of Ellery Queen when I was young, and I’ll be honest, it wasn’t often that I read a story and thought, “Wow, that was incredible.” I mostly liked them for their delicious, often borderline saucy, pulp art covers and catchy Nancy-Drew-esque titles.
While I certainly still enjoy a scary 600-page tome by Stephen King, or a 13-book supernatural series by Kelley Armstrong, sometimes I’d like to get my creepy fix in 20 minutes or less.
Short stories are making a comeback, and like anthologies on TV, I’m pleased about that.
I follow a great blog called Monster Magazine World, and recently, they featured a spooky little narrative, a real gem which I thought was perfect for sharing during All Hallows’ Eve month. Oddly enough, the plot doesn’t scream “Mystery and Horror!” Man wants to buy a house. Man feels the house is overpriced. Man visits house to try and convince the owner to sell for less. Seems pretty nondescript and boring, right? Oh, are you in for a treat. Continue reading
