Can you recommend the best old ghost ship stories for a spooky night read?

Sure. 'The Monkey's Paw' is a great choice. It's a short but very effective ghost story. The idea of the cursed monkey's paw that grants wishes but with a horrible price is really terrifying. Just three wishes lead to so much horror.

Sure. 'The Canterville Ghost' is a great pick. It's set in an old English manor during winter, and the ghost has some really funny and spooky antics. Another is 'Thurnley Abbey' which has a very chilling atmosphere, especially when the cold winter winds are howling outside. And 'The Mezzotint' is also a good one. It gives off a very eery feeling, much like a cold winter night.

Sure. 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens can be considered a ghost story. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come visit Ebenezer Scrooge and transform his life. It's a great story for a spooky night as it has that eerie element of the supernatural while also having a moral lesson.

Sure. 'Lights Out' is a great choice. It has a lot of bone - chilling ghost stories. Another good one is 'Suspense' which will keep you on the edge of your seat with its ghostly tales.

The Flying Dutchman is a ghost ship that is cursed to sail forever. The Mary Celeste was found with no sign of the crew. The Caleuche from Chilean folklore is another great one, with its spectral crew of the dead.

Sure. There's a story about a lighthouse that was said to be haunted. Supposedly, the ghost of a former lighthouse keeper still roams there. Another good one is about an old inn where guests have reported seeing the figure of a woman in a white dress wandering the halls at night.

Sure. 'Coraline' by Neil Gaiman is a top pick. It has a really creepy other - world filled with a sinister 'other mother' figure. Another is 'The Girl Who Drank the Moon' which has some ghost - like elements in its magical world. And 'The Witches' by Roald Dahl has some spooky moments that are suitable for middle - graders.

There's 'The Masque of the Red Death'. Poe's story creates a vivid and terrifying picture of a plague - like situation. The different rooms with their different colors and the final encounter with the Red Death itself is very spooky. Then there's 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'. Ichabod Crane's encounter with the Headless Horseman is a classic spooky tale. And don't forget 'The Girl with the Green Ribbon'. It has a simple yet very creepy premise where a girl always has a green ribbon around her neck, and the ending is quite chilling.

One of the well - known best old ghost ship stories is that of the Flying Dutchman. Legend has it that this ship is doomed to sail the seas forever. Sailors claimed to have seen it in the mists, a spectral ship with a ghostly crew. Another is the Mary Celeste. The ship was found adrift with no one on board, yet all the supplies and the ship itself were in relatively good condition. It's as if the crew vanished into thin air, giving rise to many spooky speculations.

One of the well - known best old ghost ship stories is that of the Flying Dutchman. Legend has it that this ship is doomed to sail the seas forever. It was cursed because the captain, Van der Decken, refused to turn back in a storm. Sailors claim to have seen this spectral ship over the centuries, often as a sign of impending doom.