Dear Friends & Spooks!
Want a few pleasant shivers? Read some classic ghostly short stories during the Halloween season!
I love classic ghostly fiction because, basically, it’s spooky! I think the best ghost stories thrill readers because these tales transform the "terrifying unknown" into an exploration of human emotion and memory.
While modern ghost stories can lean heavily on violence and gore, classic ghost stories by authors like E.F. Benson, M.R. James, Shirley Jackson and Edith Wharton are masters of the art of the subtle, slow-burning chill. My favorite kind of story!
That’s what I tried to accomplish when writing my recent Victorian ghost story, “The Spectre of Eleanor Sutton."
Over the years, I’ve written shorter ghost stories, but in this one, my goal was to build atmosphere, isolation and tension using things like a story set at midnight, foggy weather and the sound of crashing waves on the cliffs below. And at the heart of it is a love story.
Most traditional ghost stories also use elements like creaking floorboards, shifting shadows, and grand, decaying estates to make the setting itself feel creepy and ominous. My favorite of all the classic ghost stories are those that are set in a haunted house where lots of things happen that you can’t see. But maybe you can hear them, or smell them, or feel them.
There is an almost cozy pleasure in getting a fright where the horror relies entirely on suggestion. Is the haunting real, or not?
A classic ghost can represent many things — unfinished business, lingering grief, unpunished crimes, or deep-seated psychological guilt. As I also write short mystery fiction, the ones that are based on a past crime are especially interesting to me.
Reading these tales allows us to confront our worries about death and what lies beyond. All wrapped in a comforting layer of vintage charm and sophisticated prose. In my story, I purposely veered away from my everyday, folksy style to lean into the Victorian. What great fun that was! I hope I accomplished it.
Ultimately, classic ghost fiction appeals to our desire for mystery, and perhaps a few pleasant shivers, reminding us that the most haunting secrets are not hidden in the dark, but deep within our minds.
Happy reading and Happy Halloween!
bobbi c.
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