Pre-20th Century Horror Fiction Reading List
By many expert opinion (and perhaps a little non-expert opinion as well) this list explores the most influential works in the style and content of modern horror writing and filmmaking. The following books and short stories are must reads for any serious fan of the genre:The Monk, by Matthew Lewis (1796) The Monk depicts the downfall of a well-respected, god-fearing, law-abiding monk, establishing a theme that can be traced all the way up to today’s horror films. So prevalent is the general storyline, it is almost considered a horror clich to have the central protagonist portrayed as the epitome of purity and upstanding moral fiber only to be lured down the path of sin and into an underworld of treachery.Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley (1818) Trivia buffs out there might know that in Shelley’s story, Frankenstein was actually the name of the doctor who created the monster, not the actual monster who was brought to life (referred to instead as Frankenstein’s monster or Frankenstein’s creation). This is only one of many stark differences between Shelley’s original and today’s reinterpretations, which makes reading the 1818 version like finding eye-opening pictures of parents in their teens/early 20s.Dracula, by Bram Stoker (1897) Through the countless reincarnations of Dracula both on paper and on-screen a touch of the original is often lost. Before vampires were restricted to the shade, the original Dracula was much more powerful enjoyed shape-shifting powers and some scholars even speculate Count Dracula may have been among the world’s first werewolves (finally offering a compromise for the whole two-sided Twilight debate).Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson (1886) Stevenson’s tale helped lay groundwork for the modern psychological thriller, lending itself to both the supernatural potential for mental disorder and the ability to house two distinct characters in one bodily entity.The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, by Edgar Allen Poe (1843,1843,1839, respectively) While The Tell-Tale Heart and The Fall of the House of Usher are must-reads in that they are two of the most famous often alluded to works of arguably the greatest horror writer of all time, The Pit and the Pendulum is unique in that it follows the typical dos and don’ts for the genre at the time, but applies it with no supernatural element, with just the sheer fear of terror and torture driving the narrative. This short story allowed for more realism in novels and films to follow (i.e. Saw and The Strangers).