The Scariest Illustrations From 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'
For a lot of kids, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is their first foray into horror. The series of three books, written by Alvin Schwartz with illustrations by Stephen Gammell, is a starter block that can lead to Goosebumps, Richard Matheson, and Stephen King.
The stories, first published from 1981 to 1991, might be less frightening as kids grow up, but the illustrations can still send a shiver down a spine. It's hard to put a finger on what makes these illustrations so terrifying to this day. Some are ominous landscapes with a dark figure in the distance, while others are odd depictions of animals, but all are surreal. Long after the stories fade from young readers' minds, the accompanying drawings stick around for years.
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The Haunted House
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The Bride
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The Thing
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The Dream
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Somebody Fell From Aloft
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The Red Spot
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One Sunday Morning
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Oh, Susannah
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Clinkity-Clink
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Is Something Wrong?
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T-H-U-P-P-P-P-P-P-P
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What Do You Come For
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No Thanks
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Wonderful Sausage
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The Girl Who Stood On The Grave
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Me Tie Dough-ty Walker
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Aaron Kelly's Bones
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The Dead Man's Brains
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The White Wolf
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Like Cat's Eyes
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The Big Toe
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Cemetery Soup
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A New Horse
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The Viper
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