6 Awesome Stephen King Short Stories For This Halloween

If you’re pressed for time but want an engaging horror story to entertain your brain with, here are 6 awesome short stories by Stephen King with 6 different themes that will hit the spot.

I was never into short stories until I listened to their audiobook versions. Since then, I’ve learned its appeal, especially if Stephen King wrote it.

His short stories read like an old friend telling a ghost story by a fire or somewhere cozy – there’s just something about his writing voice. As some of you would agree!

I kept the synopses brief to avoid spoilers!

1. Crouch End

Synopsis: American tourist Doris Freeman turned up at a police station at Crouch End, a suburb in London. Terribly shaken, she reported to police officers that her husband had gone missing and related her terrifying experience at Crouch End.

Have you ever been to a foreign place and found yourself lost at dusk, and this sense of unease settles over you? If you have, you’ll appreciate this story even more.

Originally published in New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, this story was meant to have a Lovecraftian edge to it.

It’s a great choice for fans of H. P. Lovecraft and travel-lovers. Stephen King created an otherworldly and creepy atmosphere in this short story, it’s gorgeous.

Crouch End can be found in Nightmares & Dreamscapes:

2. One For The Road

Synopsis: Booth was at Tookey’s bar during a horrible blizzard, when Gerard Lumley stumbled in, cold and frostbitten. Lumley’s car had become stranded 6 miles North of their town, right outside of Jerusalem’s Lot. His wife and 7-year-old daughter were still in the car waiting for him to get help.

When they couldn’t reach the sheriff, Booth and Tookey realized they’ll have to be involved.

Have you read Salem’s Lot? This story takes place after events at The Lot. It’s told in a traditional manner that made me feel like I’m at a bar listening to Booth. I think the highlight of the story is the friendship between Booth and Tookey. It makes you fear for their lives.

If you love vampires or a classic creepy tale, this one’s for you.

This story can be found in Night Shift:

3. Survivor Type

Synopsis: When the cruise ship he was on sank, Richard Pine, a surgeon who was smuggling heroin, found himself stranded on a tiny island. With little resources, two big bags of heroin and no food, he has to figure out how to stay alive till help arrives. If it arrives…

You’ll have to be comfortable with gore if you want to read this story. This is a harrowing experience, and difficult to stomach even for a (self-proclaimed) horror veteran.

The story makes you think about how strong the desire to survive could be. I particularly like how he sets up Pine’s life story and show you what it meant by being a “survivor type”.

So if you like stories about people trying to survive shitty situations, this one’s for you!

Survivor Type is published in Skeleton Crew:

4. Big Driver

Synopsis: After a last-minute speaking engagement at a library, writer Tess Thorne took a shortcut recommended by the librarian to get home.

Somewhere along her journey, her car rolled over something that punctured her tire. Shortly after a big man pulled over and offered to help her change her tires, Tess realized she’s in trouble.

If you’re a fan of Stephen King, you’ll be familiar with the intricate way he crafts a person’s mental landscape. This story will take you on a rollercoaster ride of fear, anger, triumph, and pain.

I love that Stephen King doesn’t hesitate to include strong women in his stories, and Tess is definitely one of them. This is for all of you who love a good revenge story.

Big Driver is published in Full Dark, No Star.

5. Willa

Synopsis: A group of stranded travelers waited at a train station for the next train to take them on the rest of their journeys. Realizing that his wife wasn’t at the station, David Sanderson proceeded to look for her. He found her in a local bar, where she helped him to understand the gravity of their situation.

This one is for fans of ghost stories with a dash of romance.

This is a very beautiful and moving story. It’s been years since I read it, but I still remember the wistful feeling it evoked in me. Even though I’m not a fan of romance, I enjoyed this one.

Willa is published in Just After Sunset:

6. The Gingerbread Girl

Synopsis: Following the death of her baby girl, Emily Owensby picked up running as a way to cope with her grief. When her marriage fell apart too, Emily found herself at her dad’s house at Vermillion Key, trying to pick up the pieces of her life.

Little did she know, she’s going to stumble upon something nasty at Vermillion Key.

I absolutely love this story. When I listened to the audiobook of this story when it was available on YouTube, I instantly got sucked into it. I didn’t see the story coming, so when it unfolded into a genre I really enjoy, I was really thrilled.

Oh yeah, it’s an absolute thrill ride, but it’s also a poignant story of the grieving process.

By the way, Emily is also an incredibly strong woman.

Guess what, you can find the story here!
It’s also published in Just After Sunset:

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What do you think of this list?

Stephen King has written over 200 short stories according to Wikipedia – I haven’t read all of them and I forgot half of what I’ve read. I can’t say these are the best Stephen King Short Stories, but I’ve enjoyed all of them.

I would include Shawshank Redemption too, but I never thought of it as a horror tale. 1922, A Good Marriage, Children of The Corn are all great, but you probably know about them already!

If you’ve read these short stories already, please let me know what you think in the comments! If you have other recommendations, please feel free to share them too!

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