When the weather outside is frightful, scary stories are even more delightful. And this holiday season, the horror is bountiful.
Grab your favorite blanket and warm drink because these stories are guaranteed to give you thrills and chills while you wait for Santa.
With stories from all your favorite horror writers, here are nine Christmas anthologies to keep you awake all night long.
The Darkest Night: A Terrifying Anthology of Winter Horror Stories by Bestselling Authors, Perfect for Halloween
Award-winning author and anthologist Lindy Ryan has compiled a chilling array of stories from some of the biggest names in horror. From cabin terrors to awful Christmas parties, lonely highways and second chances, there’s something to terrify everyone.
This collection is complete with an introduction by George C. Romero and art by Mister Same Shearon.
Christmas and Other Horrors: A Winter Solstice Anthology
Ellen Datlow knows horror. And this Christmas, the Hugo Award-winning editor is bringing you the most terrifying holiday traditions from around the globe.
Featuring stories by powerhouse authors like Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu, and more, these seventeen stories bring to life the heart and horror of the winter holiday season.
The Scary Book of Christmas Lore: 50 Terrifying Yuletide Tales from Around the World
Saint Nick wasn’t always so jolly. And in some parts of the world, the dancing sugar plums were naughty kids who risked getting snatched from their beds.
Tim Rayborn explores folklore and stories from all over the world, bringing you some of the most sinister and frightening Yuletide tales that have been scaring children for generations.
The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures
You’ve heard of Santa Claus, but what about Krampus? What are the fearsome horseheads of “hoodenings”? And what do the candle-crowned young witches of Finland’s St. Lucy Festival really want? Sarah Clegg is an Oxford-trained historian who investigates the fascinating, strange, and sometimes bizarre folklore and traditions at the heart of Christmas in Europe.
Hark! The Herald Angels Scream
Even the most beloved Christmas stories have a streak of darkness running through them. And Christopher Golden wants to share his love of Christmas and horror by shining a golden light on the most terrifying parts of Yuletide cheer.
This collection of 18 stories sets out to not just scare and delight, but show that sometimes the best parts of the story are the most terrifying.
A Very Frightful Victorian Christmas
Holiday horror stories have been part of the literary world since the Victorian age.
As the snow blusters and the lights flicker, travel back in time as Anna Alice Chaplin, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Catherine Crowe whisper their ghostly tales of body-snatchers, haunted dolls, and vengeful spirits.
Ghosts of Christmas Past
You might sing about the twelve days of Christmas, but the Ghosts of Christmas Past bring you thirteen stories from some of the most fiendishly brilliant storytellers in horror.
From presents with secrets to festivities that end in darkness and screams, by the time you’ve finished reading this collection, you won’t be able to ignore that icy chill that runs down your neck as the spirit of the holidays comes to greet you
Wolfsbane and Mistletoe: Hair-Raising Holiday Tales
Who says holidays aren’t for lycanthropes? Charlaine Harris, that’s who.
This collection features a collection of fifteen delightful holiday stories—all with a werewolf twist. It even has an original Sookie Stackhouse story.
Readers who want a little wolfsbane with their mistletoe won’t want to miss this incredible lineup.
Bah, Humbug!
If you like your holiday horror a little on the weird side, this anthology is for you. Made up of 24 stories that are a mix of reprints and original stories, these stories don’t just push boundaries, they drown them in eggnog and stuff them in fruitcake.
If you ever wanted the ghosts to win and hoped the elves might secretly be a little evil, this collection is for you.
