Can you recommend some of the best modern horror short stories?

Definitely. H.P. Lovecraft has some that could be considered modern in a sense. 'The Call of Cthulhu' is a well - known one. It involves an ancient and powerful cosmic entity that drives people to madness. 'The Outsider' is another, where the protagonist discovers a horrifying truth about himself. And Clive Barker's 'In the Hills, the Cities' is a strange and disturbing short horror story about two men who witness an impossible and terrifying sight.

Sure. One of the scariest could be the story about the haunted house where every night strange noises and apparitions appear. It builds a great sense of dread with its detailed descriptions of the creaking floors and cold spots. Another good one might be the tale of the cursed object. When people touch it, they start to have nightmares and then things from their nightmares start to invade their real lives. And there's also the story of the lost souls in the forest. People who enter the forest get lost and are haunted by the wailing voices of the souls that never found their way out.

Well, there could be a story in there about a cursed object. Maybe a doll that seems to move on its own and brings misfortune to those around it. The suspense in these stories is what makes them so engaging.

One of the best modern short stories is 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson. It's a chilling tale that exposes the dark side of human nature within a small community. The story builds tension gradually until the shocking end.

One of the best horror short stories is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's a chilling tale of a man's descent into madness as he is haunted by the vulture - like eye of an old man he lives with. Another great one is 'The Monkey's Paw' which has a dark and foreboding atmosphere as a family makes wishes on a cursed paw with disastrous consequences.

One great short horror story is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's about a narrator who is driven mad by the old man's vulture - like eye and ends up murdering him. Another is 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson, which has a shockingly dark ending in a seemingly ordinary small - town setting. Also, 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman can be considered a horror story as it delves into the psychological horror of a woman's descent into madness.

Well, 'The Masque of the Red Death' by Edgar Allan Poe is a great short horror. It shows a prince trying to escape the plague by locking himself and his nobles in an abbey, but death still finds them in a very macabre way. 'August Heat' by W. F. Harvey is another. A man has a strange premonition about his future through a drawing he sees, and the events that follow are quite spooky. And 'The Cone' by H. G. Wells, where a man discovers his wife's infidelity in a most gruesome way.

Sure. 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe, though not strictly modern but still highly influential in the horror genre, has been a source of inspiration for modern horror short stories. In modern times, 'The Girl with All the Gifts' by M. R. Carey is quite famous. It combines horror with a post - apocalyptic setting and a unique take on the zombie - like creatures. Also, 'The Thing on the Doorstep' by H. P. Lovecraft, an oldie but a goodie that has influenced modern horror, features his signature Lovecraftian horror elements.

Sure. One story could be about a haunted mirror. A girl moves into an old house and there's a large, ornate mirror in her bedroom. Every night, she sees a figure in the mirror that gets closer each time. Eventually, it reaches out from the mirror and she's never seen again.

One great new horror short story is 'The House on the Hill'. It has a really spooky atmosphere, with a decrepit old house as the main setting. The characters start to experience strange noises and apparitions, and the sense of dread builds throughout the story.