Three Scary Stories to Read Online

There is a lot of horror out there, to be sure. Movies, short films, novels, two-sentence horror stories, flash fiction, etc. I’ve realized that my favorite medium of horror on the printed pages is the short story. I absolutely loved Stephen King’s Nightshift anthology, and I am always on the lookout for those older, “classic” stories that were innovative for their time.

Thus, I have three scary stories for you that you can read online at your leisure. Shall we begin?

‘At the Mountains of Madness’ – H.P. Lovecraft – 1931

If you’re a fan of science fiction horror in the vein of The Thing from Another World, the Alien series and the Blog, etc, you will like where this story is coming from .

Briefly put, it’s the story of a group of explorers in the Antarctic, who discover the remains of a civilization that came from space, plus alien bodies. Now that you know what direction the story is going, go read it now. You won’t be sorry.

‘They Bite’ – Anthony Boucher – 1943

So you like weird westerns? Odd events in the wide expanse of the desert, where there is nothing but cacti and the sounds of your screams for miles? Then “They Bite” is for you. I first read this story in an Alfred Hitchcock magazine as a teenager. I will say, this story has stuck with me through the years, and even as I read it again, it’s still scary.

Such a simple premise: how greed and killing can lead to a very odd end.

Check it out here.

‘Patient Zero’ – Tananarive Due

I absolutely love stories like these. The premise is a little boy who is in the hospital. He’s also in isolation and those that deal with him have to wear what he calls “hot suits”. To say anymore would give the story away, so check it out here.

So there you are, three stories you can read online right now that are perfect for the spooky month of Halloween or anytime.

Enjoy!

Dahlia

Decorate for Halloween – Family Friendly Inflatables

Yes. It’s barely fall. It’s 75 degrees outside. I realize all that. But also realize, even as we still sip iced lemonade and eat salad for a dinner, the cool season of Halloween is right around the corner. Don’t get caught out. Even with one or two day shipping, some places might just run out of inventory by the time you’re wearing that awesome orange scarf and sipping mulled apple cider.

What I’m trying to say is the time to prepare is now!

What I like about inflatables is that they not only make a great impact on a lawn, but they are also easy to store for the next years. Deflate, pop it into a bin, and you’re done. I also like the ease of setup. Two or three inflatable can make your house look Halloween with a minimum of effort. They also range in scare factor; you can have a cute Halloween setup, or you can go full out scary.

Let’s take a look of some of my favorite Halloween decorations: inflatable edition.

Haunted Tree

I am partial to owls, and this is cute little decoration. Scary on a cartoon level, but nothing that may deter a little one from approaching your house. If you like kid friendly decorations, this is definitely one to start with.

Stack of Pumpkins with Cute Ghost

How cute is this? I have a picture of my daughter when she was only about six or seven at a Halloween party with this particular inflatable, so I suppose I’m partial to it. Click the picture to purchase!

Inflatable Spooky Cat

How cute is this? This will certainly be a great centerpiece for your front lawn Halloween decorations. Again, not too scary, so it’s family friendly. Click below to purchase.

Blogtoberfest – My Bloody Vampire Sangria

Hello again! So glad to see y’all along with me for the ride Halloween blogging, or, as I call it……BLOGTOBERFEST……..

Today’s recipe is not a mocktail, but a straight up liquor fest. It was a choice between this and chocolate martinis. I chose this because it looks like fruit punch. (What, me drinking? Nah, this is fruit punch.) And I love sangria.

You can find the basic recipe here, but I added my own twist.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 (750 ml bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja reds, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
Strawberry or Kiwi slices
3 Tbsp sugar
2 shots brandy
1 shot gin
2 cups ginger ale or club soda

Preparation:

Pour wine in the pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon and orange into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and add sugar and brandy. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving.

If you’d like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice.

Blogtoberfest – 10 Days of Zombie Movies

Keeping it simple for today. Here’s a graphic that give you ten of my favorite zombie movies. In case image doesn’t come through, here they are in no particular order.

REC
Dead Snow
Zombieland
Night of the Living Dead
Sugar Hill
Train to Busan
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Planet Terror
The Battery
The Horde

Blogtoberfest – Five Scary Movies – Mya Lairis

My top five scary movies are:

1. Trilogy of Terror– is my all time scary movie. There is just something about that damn doll, like maybe it gnawed my ankles off in a past life or something but I have only watched this film once. Trying to get up the nerve to do it again, but…that doll!

2. Squirm– I have no issue with snakes, at all…they are tasty in fact but earthworms, shrieking, no-eyes having, able to be cut into pieces and still live, burrowing under the skin…Hell naw.

3. Event Horizon– When I first saw this film it scared the crap out of me. Dimensional terrors usually hit home with the terror mark in me and that the space ship had breached the dimension to Hell and was inescapable…yeah. I have been able to watch this a few times however and still, its a shitty deal for those on board.

4. Evil Dead Remake– This was an excellent remake and one that I winced a couple of times at but enjoyed all the same. That razor blade though….

5. Beloved– Yup, actually now that I think about it, this could be one of the scariest films I’ve ever seen. The notion of slavery is frightening enough but this film did emotional damage to me as it made me question the notions of anger, vengeance, and self. Creatures are scary and all but the human psyche can be far worse.

Bio: Mya Lairis is a monster and kaiju fanatic who writes paranormal romance and erotica but who reads mostly extreme horror and heart racing cyber punk sci fi.

Website: www.myalairis.com