“The Summer People” is a disturbing story by the acclaimed American author Shirley Jackson, published in September 1950 in the magazine Charm. The story explores the story of an elderly couple, the Allisons, who, after years of spending their summers in a quiet country cottage, decide to extend their stay beyond the usual season. However, this harmless decision triggers a series of unexpected events.
The Death of Malygris is a story by Clark Ashton Smith, published in April 1934 in the magazine Weird Tales. Set in the mythical Poseidonis, it explores the mystery surrounding the fate of the fearsome sorcerer Malygris. King Gadeiron summons the most powerful magicians of Susran to confirm whether the sorcerer is dead, because although no one has seen him move or speak in a long time, his presence continues to inspire terror. Using forbidden arts, and knowing the dangers to which they are exposed, the conjurers try to unravel the enigma surrounding the sorcerer.
“The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” by Edgar Allan Poe narrates a disturbing scientific experiment. A hypnotist, fascinated by the boundaries between life and death, decides to try to hypnotize a person at the moment of their death. To do this, he recruits Ernest Valdemar, a terminally ill man. With the help of doctors and assistants, the narrator undertakes this audacious experiment, exploring unknown territories of the human consciousness. As the process advances, the participants face inexplicable phenomena that challenge their understanding of reality and death. The story combines elements of psychological horror with a pseudo-scientific approach, creating an atmosphere of growing tension and mystery that keeps the reader in suspense until its surprising conclusion.
The Masque of the Red Death, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in 1842, immerses the reader in an allegory about the inevitability of death. Set in an indeterminate time plagued by a devastating plague known as the Red Death, the kingdom’s prince decides to isolate himself in his fortified abbey along with other nobles, seeking to escape the disease. He organizes a luxurious masked ball in his refuge, ignoring the suffering ravaging the outside world. However, some guests do show up, even if they are not called.
In “The Nameless City,” a story by H. P. Lovecraft published in 1921, the protagonist recounts his terrifying exploration of an ancient and forgotten city lost in the Arabian desert. Despite local warnings and fears about this cursed place, whose history is lost in antiquity, the man ventures into its ruins. He discovers vestiges of an unknown and deeply disturbing civilization that practiced strange rites and venerated reptilian beings there. As he explores underground temples and descending passages, he is confronted with evidence of a chilling reality that defies human comprehension.
“The Hound” is a horror story by H. P. Lovecraft, published in 1924. The narrative follows two fans of the macabre who seek extreme emotions to relieve their boredom. Both are collectors of esoteric artifacts and practice grave robbing to obtain rare and mystical objects. During one of their expeditions to a Dutch cemetery, they unearth an ancient amulet shaped like a winged hound linked to dark and nefarious rituals described in the Necronomicon. The moment they possess it, a wave of supernatural events is unleashed around the two friends.