Season’s Bleedings: 13 Christmas Horror Anthologies with stories from Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Seanan McGuire, Neil Gaiman, and more!
Want a look at the scary side of Christmas?
Ah, Christmas—filled with loved ones, special food, and toasty nights in front of the fireplace. Or would you rather pull back the curtain to peak at some of the darker aspects of the holidays? From Krampus and ghosts to zombies and killers, the anthologies below offer dozens of authors raising a lot of questions about the season.
The list below includes collections with Christmas horror stories from Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Simon R. Green, Seanan McGuire, Neil Gaiman, Daphne du Maurier, Mercedes Lackey, Arthur Conan Doyle and more!
Take a look if you dare…
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13 Christmas Horror Anthologies
01 Wolfsbane and Mistletoe: Hair-Raising Holiday Tales
Want some werewolf holiday stories? The holidays can bring out the beast in anyone—particularly lycanthropes. Edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner, this hair-raising holiday collection includes 15 original tales—including an original Sookie Stackhouse story. Whether wolfing down a holiday feast (use your imagination) or craving some hair of the dog on New Year's morning, the werewolves in these frighteningly original stories will surprise, delight, amuse, and scare the pants off listeners who love a little wolfsbane with their mistletoe. Check out this collection featuring authors Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Keri Arthur, Carrie Vaughn, Karen Chance, Simon R. Green, J.A. Konrath, and several more.
Buy Wolfsbane and Mistletoe from Amazon
Further reading:
02 Hark! The Herald Angels Scream (Blumhouse Books)
Bestselling author and editor Christopher Golden shares his love for Christmas horror stories with this anthology of all-new short fiction from some of the most talented and original writers of horror today. Here are 18 stories of Christmas horror from bestselling, acclaimed authors including Scott Smith, Seanan McGuire, Josh Malerman, Michael Koryta, Sarah Pinborough, and many more.
That there is darkness at the heart of the Yuletide season should not surprise. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is filled with scenes that are unsettling. Marley untying the bandage that holds his jaws together. The hideous children—Want and Ignorance—beneath the robe of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The heavy ledgers Marley drags by his chains. In the finest versions of this story, the best parts are the terrifying parts.
You’ll encounter some terrifying retold classics and horrifying brand-new tales that you won’t be able to forget. (Book Riot)
Buy Hark! The Herald Angels Scream from Amazon
Further reading:
03 Ghosts of Christmas Past: A chilling collection of modern and classic Christmas ghost stories
A present contains a monstrous secret. An uninvited guest haunts a Christmas party. A shadow slips across the floor by firelight. A festive entertainment ends in darkness and screams…
Who knows what haunts the night at the dark point of the year? This collection of seasonal chillers looks beneath Christmas cheer to a world of ghosts and horrors, mixing terrifying modern fiction with classic stories by masters of the macabre. Including tales from authors Neil Gaiman, M. R. James, Kelly Link, Muriel Spark, E. Nesbit, Louis de Bernières, Muriel Spark, Frank Cowper, E. F. Benson, Bernard Capes, L. P. Hartley, Robert Aickman, Jerome K. Jerome, and Jenn Ashworth, there are stories here to make the hardiest soul quail—so find a comfy chair, lock the door, ignore the cold breath on your neck and get ready to welcome in the real spirits of Christmas.
Buy Ghosts of Christmas Past from Amazon
Further reading:
04 The Haunting Season: Eight Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights
Eight bestselling, award-winning writers return to the time-honored tradition of the seasonal ghost story in this spellbinding collection of new and original haunted tales.
Long before Charles Dickens and Henry James popularized the tradition of supernatural horror, the shadowy nights of winter have been a time for people to gather together by the flicker of candlelight and experience the intoxicating thrill of a spooky tale. Now eight bestselling, award-winning authors—all of them master storytellers of the sinister and the macabre—bring the tradition to vivid life in a spellbinding new collection of original spine-tingling tales.
Taking you from the frosty fens of the English countryside, to the snow-covered grounds of a haunted estate, to a bustling London Christmas market, these mesmerizing stories will capture your imagination and serve as your indispensable companion to cold, dark nights. So curl up, light a candle, and fall under the ghostly spell of winters past…
Authors include Bridget Collins (The Binding), Imogen Hermes Gowar (The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock), Kiran Millwood (The Mercies), Andrew Michael Hurley (The Loney), Jess Kidd (Things in Jars), Elizabeth Macneal (The Doll Factory), Natasha Pulley (The Watchmaker of Filigree Street), and Laura Purcell (The Silent Companions).
Bleak and brutal, these tales will appeal to historical fiction readers and horror lovers alike. (Publishers Weekly)
It is not often you will find a collection of ghost stories that will make the bestsellers charts, but this is exactly what The Haunting Season achieved. Just like any novel, it is the characters that drive these stories and they are all unique without giving anything away about the stories themselves. (The Last Word Book Review)
05 Bah! Humbug! An anthology of Christmas Horror Stories
Matt Shaw has called upon some of the biggest names in horror to put together an anti-Christmas anthology of horror and weirdness! Including work from Terry M. West, Daniel Marc Chant, Mark West, Kit Power, Wrath James White, David Owain Hughes, Lisa Lane, Kealan Patrick Burke, Billie Sue Mosiman, Jaime Johnesee, J.R Park, Duncan Ralston, Gary McMahon, Michael Bray, Duncan P. Bradshaw, Mark Cassell, Jack Rollins, Mason Sabre, Matt Hickman, Jim GoForth, Charlotte Bond, Sam West, Andrew Freudenberg, Thomas S. Flowers, and Matt Shaw.
This anthology includes both reprints and original stories. Over 100,000 words, and more than 400 pages!
Christmas definitely deserves to be lampooned, chopped up, massacred and strewn in brightly coloured segments over all and sundry, and therefore Bah! Humbug! was spawned in unholy nativity. Twenty five authors comprise this mammoth beast…these are both some of the best names in the business, as well as many who will be, and the stories (and poems) contributed run the gamut from all out splatterpunk and horror extremity to tongue-in-cheek irreverent pieces. (Jim GoForth Horror Author)
06 Krampusnacht: Twelve Nights of Krampus
For bad children, a lump of coal from Santa is positively light punishment when Krampus is ready and waiting to beat them with a stick, wrap them in chains, and drag them down to hell—all with St. Nick’s encouragement and approval. Krampusnacht holds within its pages twelve tales of Krampus triumphant, usurped, befriended, and much more. From evil children (and adults) who get their due, to those who pull one over on the ancient “Christmas Devil.”
From historic Europe, to the North Pole, to present day American suburbia, these all new stories embark on a revitalization of the Krampus tradition. Whether you choose to read Krampusnacht over twelve dark and scary nights or devour it in one nacht of joy and terror, these stories are sure to add chills and magic to any winter's reading.
Featuring stories by Cheresse Burke, Guy Burtenshaw, Jill Corddry, Elise Forier Edie, Patrick Evans, Scott Farrell, Caren Gussoff, Mark Mills, Jeff Provine, Colleen H. Robbins, Lissa Sloan, and Elizabeth Twist.
“Krampusnacht proved a departure from my usual fairy tale publications,” noted editor Kate Wolford, editor and publisher of Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine. “Sure, fairy tales are stuffed with horror and bizarre creatures, but the darker side of Santa? I had to explore.”
07 A Midnight Clear
Winner, Anthologies, 2020 International Book Awards
Six stories of not-so-merry Yuletide whimsy. A woman so cold she hardens to ice on a winter’s eve. Risen from his grave before his time, a winter god alters the balance between seasons. A wolf’s holiday season is interrupted by a strange curse. From a murder at the Stanley Hotel to demons of Christmas past, present, and future, and a mad elf and Santa’s Candy Court, these authors share their love for winter holidays in this collection of dark winter tales, destined to chill your bones and warm your heart for the Yuletide season. Edited by Lindy Ryan, A Midnight Clear includes stories from Sam Hooker, Alcy Leyva, Laura Morrison, Cassondra Windwalker, Dalena Storm, and Seven Jane.
This book is a delightfully decadent descent into Yuletide madness and horrors that were hilariously imaginative and chilling…in essence, the perfect Christmas tales. Each author in this anthology takes their own twist on a popular Christmas time figure or story and turns it inside out and upside down. (The Nerd Daily)
08 Dark X-Mas Holiday Drabbles: 100 Word Holiday Horror Stories (Holiday Horror Collection Book 1)
The holiday season isn’t all fun and games. Dark X-Mas Holiday Drabbles features 100-word holiday horror stories from dozens of authors. From dark and disturbing, morbid humor or guts and gore, these stories have it all. How will you celebrate the holidays?
With drabbles from: Eleanor Merry, Cassandra Angler, Scott Deegan, Josh A. Murphy, Stephen Cords, David Bowmore, Tina Merry, J.B. Wocoski, James Lipson, Shawn M Klimek, Morgan Adams, Steven Bruce, RJ Roles, Belinda Brady, James Pyles, Sea Caummisar, Trisha McKee, Nerisha Kemraj, Benjamin Langley, Mike Ennenbach, Dawn DeBraal, Aaron Bader, David Simms, R.E. Sargent, Angela Glover, Chris Miller, David M Donachie, Kerri Jesmer, Wendy Cheairs, David M. Donachie, Terry Miller, Jacek Wilkos, Stuart Conover, P.J Blakey-Novis, Kevin J. Kennedy, N.M. Brown, Sharon Frame Gay, Gabriella Balcom, Jay Bower, Thomas Sturgeon Jr, Gabor Eichammer, D.J Elton, Alanna Webb, Marie Chambers, and Drew Starling!
09 Horror Stories to Ruin Christmas: Serenity Falls Forever
Why isn’t one murder enough?
The first day of Christmas was when the town started to fall apart.
The second day of Christmas was when people started to die.
By the thirteenth day of Christmas, it was too late to go back. Or was it?
Twenty-six authors from Reddit’s NoSleep community combined their talents to tell the horrifying story of Serenity Falls, Wisconsin. Piece by piece, the unsettling truth is revealed, culminating in a dark secret far bigger than any single writer’s imagination. Hope and despair are doled out in unequal measures as the town’s citizens struggle to discover the painful truth.
One day at a time.
Including stories from P. F. McGrail, Tobias Wade, Blair Daniels, Kyle Harrison, Jacob Mandeville, Chris Thompson, R. C. Bowman, Matt Dymerski, and E. Z. Morgan.
10 The Best of Indie Horror: Christmas Edition
There’s no better way to celebrate the end of the year than with a seasonal mixtape with The Best of Indie Horror: Christmas Edition! Whether you love it or loathe it, Christmas brings out the best and worst in many people the world over—thus, lighting a fire in the bellies of storytellers who wish to strike warm fuzzies or tantalizing terror in reader’s hearts. You won’t find the warm fuzzy feeling here; that’s not what we do!
This anthology will dance readers through an array of styles and horror sub-genres, including bizzaro through the looking glass of unique Christmas ornaments; such treats always come with a price. Discover the dark secrets between the Claus’ and Krampus that you’ll never forget. There’s a touch of sci-fi when a lone worker discovers a hidden department in a derelict store. There are family horror tales of obsessive tradition, reunion, and mayhem. This edition promises something festive to satisfy a cornucopia of horror pallets.
In this invite-only anthology, KJK Publishing presents 11 new tales of frightful festive horror shenanigans from: Matthew V. Brockmeyer, Eric Butler, Matthew A. Clarke, David Owain Hughes, Lex H Jones, Kevin J. Kennedy, Zoltán Komor, Patrick Reuman, RJ Roles, Veronica Smith, and Steve Stred.
Don’t forget the milk and cookies, and be good kids—someone is always watching. Those damn elves are not to be trusted!
11 Sunless Solstice: Strange Christmas Tales for the Longest Nights (Tales of the Weird)
Another festive edition to the Tales of the Weird series, following on from Spirits of the Season and Chill Tidings.
A unique selection ranging from the spooky haunted houses of Victorian Christmastime to experimental twentieth-century horrors. It offers a truly international scope of stories, from the pine forests of Canada to the peaks of the Alps.
Like any other boy I expected ghost stories at Christmas, that was the time for them. What I had not expected, and now feared, was that such things should actually become real.
Strange things happen on the dark wintry nights of December. Welcome to a new collection of haunting Christmas tales, ranging from traditional Victorian chillers to weird and uncanny episodes by twentieth-century horror masters including Daphne du Maurier and Robert Aickman. The collection also includes Frederick Manley, Lettice Galbraith, Elia Wilkinson Peattie, W.J. Wintle, E. Temple Turston, Hugh Walpole, Margery Lawrence, H. Russell Wakefield, Muriel Spark, and James Turner.
“The stories in this collection, presented in chronological order, were published from 1893 to 1974 and feature some writers who may seem immediately familiar,” it says in the book’s introduction. “Bringing both the well-known and undiscovered authors together in this volume gives us a rich tapestry of winter stories.”
Lurking in the blizzard are menacing cat spirits, vengeful trees, malignant forces on the mountainside and a skater skirting the line between the mortal and spiritual realms. Wrap up warm—and prepare for the longest nights of all.
As is the case with the other books in the British Library Tales of the Weird series, it’s a true delight reading the work of past masters of the strange. The editors of Sunless Solstice have certainly done their research in putting together this book, leaving their readers with enough scary chills and weirdness to take them through the Christmas holidays, but as always, you don’t need to limit yourself to the season to find joy in the reading. Very nicely done, and of course, definitely recommended. (Oddly Weird Fiction)
12 The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories
The first-ever collection of Victorian Christmas ghost stories, culled from rare 19th-century periodicals
During the Victorian era, it became traditional for publishers of newspapers and magazines to print ghost stories during the Christmas season for chilling winter reading by the fireside or candlelight. Now, for the first time, 13 of these tales are collected here, including a wide range of stories from a diverse group of authors, some well-known, others anonymous or forgotten. Readers whose only previous experience with Victorian Christmas ghost stories has been Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol will be surprised and delighted at the astonishing variety of ghostly tales in this volume.
The anthology includes Walter Scott, Elizabeth Gaskell, John Berwick Harwood, Ada Buisson, Ellen Wood, W. W. Fenn, Margaret Oliphant, Arthur Conan Doyle, and F. Marion Crawford. The book also includes a number of anonymous stories.
Buy The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories from Amazon
13 A Cosmic Christmas
Joy to the world...or, joy to the worlds! Let heaven and nature—and also the supernatural—sing. A Cosmic Christmas presents twelve stories of Christmas in very unusual circumstances, ranging from vampires to robots, from the hills of Appalachia to a high orbit space station, all celebrating the holiday in their own, off-beat ways.
New York Times best-selling author Larry Correia sends his popular tough guy detective and magicwielder, Jake Sullivan, on a special case at Christmas time, while visions of tommy guns dance in the heads of the thugs he’s up against.
Mark L. Van Name’s Lobo, an A.I. housed in a pocket battle starship, drops his usual cynical pose to help a troubled family at Christmas time.
Nebula Award-winner Catherine Asaro tells of a romantic Yuletide weekend that turns into a mystery in a futuristic high-tech house.
New York Times best seller Mercedes Lackey offers a Christmas ghost the likes of which Scrooge never encountered.
George O. Smith, a star of the Golden Age of science fiction, is on hand with an episode from his classic Venus Equilateral series, in which a Christmas celebration on a gigantic space station is interrupted by the arrival of a ruthless interplanetary criminal, who didn't drop by to hand out presents.
And much more, in a holiday package that any fan of science fiction and fantasy would be delighted to find under their tree, on any planet.
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