Scary Stories Folklore Books

[andy546]

Anyone know of any books on scary stories from folklore or based on folklore? I am writing an essay on scary folklore for my college class and am in need of research material.

I already know about Alvin Schwart's excellent Scary Stories trilogy, but I am seeking more books in the same vain.

[Muerte]

  The original stroies of Grims Fairy tales.  Before they were tamed down they were actually quite brutal.

[KubeSix]

Yeah, the Grimm brothers are as good as it gets if you're looking for scary folklore, as far as I know. Cinderella's stepsisters cut off their toes and heels to fit in the glass slippers, Snow White has to do more than just clean the dwarves' shack, if you know what I mean, and much much more. You may also want to look at the earlier versions, from before the Grimms' interpretations. The Little Red Riding Hood, for example, was not saved by a hunter before they modified it. (That's the Charles Perrault version, which the Grimm brothers based theirs on.)

There's also something in Snow White about the queen eating animals' organs, thinking they're Snow White's, to gain her beauty or something of the sort. We were asked to read it in 10th grade... Without the joyful, colorful Disney touch, they're actually a really good read. They're cautionary tales to the core.


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You might also want to check out the stories relating to Elizabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess. She was bats**t insane and tortured, raped and murdered (something about cannibalism too, I recall) her "protegees". After being caught, you'd expect her story spread throughout the folklore. (Not mentioning when factual tales have inspired parts of games like Diablo II, you know they're bound to be creepy as hell. If you've ever played the game, you probably remember the Countess quest... well that was Miz Bathory for ya. (The real-life one didn't drop any good loot, though. ))

[Raziel]

Now there's a scary thought...... A few hundred years into the future where a conservative media trend had taken over. We'd be reading stuff like The little tentacle monster that could........ or even *gasp*


the life and times of Nevada-tan..... Toned down and re-written of course.