It is once again time for our annual list of some great Christmas-themed horror short stories. This year I received a few suggestions for ones to include. “The Ghost of the Blue Chamber” was suggested by Stevie Walsh and “Granny’s Grinning” by none-other-than Ramsey Campbell himself. Last years article can be found at http://www.vintagehorror.com/node/144 ; the one before that athttp://www.vintagehorror.com/node/100 . The original article can be found athttp://www.vintagehorror.com/node/25 . Also, if you’d like to hear my short story, “Here He Comes A Wandering,” read by Mark Justice for last years Christmas Horror Story Contest, you can download the episode at http://www.horrorworld.org/horrorreader.htm . It is in the final 16 minutes of episode #58. Merry Christmas, and God bless us everyone!
1-“The Ghost of the Blue Chamber” by Jerome K. Jerome (1891) – A nephew insists on spending Christmas Eve night in the haunted room of his uncle’s house. Every year on Christmas Eve the ghost of a man who murdered several musicians at various times arrives in the room to battle the ghosts of those he callously murdered in life. Sure enough, the nephew finds the murderous ghost in the room, and the two chat. This is not so much a horror story as it is a dark comedy.
2-“Smee” by A.M. Burrage (1931) – A group plays a game on Christmas Eve. It’s similar to hide and seek but done without knowing who they are seeking. Each participant is given a folded piece of paper. Most are blank, but one has the word “Smee” on it. That person will be the hider sought by the other players. The lights are turned off, and the one designated Smee sneaks away to hide. When the signal is given, the search begins. Whenever another player is encountered they ask if they’re Smee. If they aren’t, they say so. If they are, they don’t answer, and the one that found them joins Smee while others seek them out. In this story it’s played in a darkened house, and they seem to have acquired an unknown extra player.
3- “The Chimney” by Ramsey Campbell (1977) – A skittish boy, attached to his dotting mother, at odds with his disapproving father, starts to think something ominous is moving around in his bedroom fireplace. It comes to a head one Christmas Eve when he witnesses a hideous thing emerging from it. Many years later, the bizarre events of that night will be given meaning. This story won the 1978 World Fantasy Award for best short story.
4-“Within the Walls of Tyre” by Michael Bishop (1978) – This is a dark, non-supernatural tale about an older woman whose life revolves around her work at a department store. She has lived alone ever since the love of her life died in World War II. Things change when a handsome young man arrives to try and sell merchandise to her store. His resemblance to her lost love is extraordinary, and despite their great age difference the man asks her out on a date. The story progresses as an odd love story, but darker things lurk just below the surface. Painful secrets have long been held by both involved which cumulates in an extremely bleak ending. This work was nominated for both the Locus Poll Award for Best Novelette and The World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction in 1979.
5-“Granny’s Grinning” by Robert Shearman (2009) – An ill-tempered grandmother comes to spend the holiday with her son and his family. She is opinionated and blunt until the kids open their presents, which are a werewolf and zombie costume that actually transforms their wearer into the beasts for real but with their mind in tact. The girl was hoping for a vampire but needed to play along to keep Granny happy. Indeed, Granny seems thrilled by the transformation. It’s easy to identify with these characters and I love the idea of costumes that make you into what they portray. The ending of the story is both touching and unsettling.
