Stephen King's 10 Most Terrifying Short Stories, Ranked By How Scary They Are

Over the past 50 years, Stephen King has dominated the horror genre, both in books and movies, but some may be wondering which of King's short stories are the absolute scariest. Though King writes mostly horror, which is supposed to be terrifying, some of his writings are much scarier than others. Many audiences are likely desensitized to his more popular works like Carrie or The Shining, while his lesser-known stories could pack a much greater punch. Plus, scariness can be fairly subjective. However, the following ten books are those that countless King fans have labeled the scariest of all.

King may be most recognizable for his novels, but the author has written a significant number of short stories as well. King has between 60 and 70 novels under his belt, but he has written more than 200 short stories, many of which have been published in his seven short story collections. Not only are King's short stories special because they aren't as well known, but they also include some truly disturbing tales. From haunted hotels to nightmarish monsters, King can keep his readers up at night in well under 100 pages with these short stories.

10 The Mangler

A Laundry Machine Becomes Possessed

Based on the title alone, it should be no surprise that King's 1978 story, The Mangler, is one of his scariest. This story centers on John Hunton, a police detective investigating a freak accident where a woman working at an industrial laundry was sucked into a machine called the Mangler. The only problem is, the accident should have been impossible. As more injuries and deaths start piling up, Hunton must figure out what is wrong with the machine before even more people lose their lives.

Though a haunted machine may not sound too scary at first glance, the way King deploys this idea is incredibly disturbing. The laundry machine is not just killing its victims, but tearing them apart in increasingly disturbing ways. Even the victims who do not die are subject to horrific injuries that King does not flinch away from in his writing. Ultimately, The Mangler is a murder mystery that gets out of hand, leaving readers with the feeling that they may have to throw their washing machines away.

9 1408

A Horribly Haunted Hotel Room

When it comes to haunted hotels, King's most popular story is The Shining. Yet, he has another story about a haunted hotel, published in 1999, called 1408. In this story, a writer named Mike Enslin writes articles about haunted places. Because of this, Enslin visits what is considered to be the most haunted hotel room in America. Though he doubts the truth of this haunting, he soon discovers that the room is far more disturbing than he ever could have imagined.

The scariest part of1408 is how genuinely unexpected it is. When readers imagine a haunted hotel room, they may be expecting bleeding walls or ghosts, but this story does something entirely different. 1408 creates an atmosphere of confusion that is completely confounding and slowly horrifying. Just as Enslin's doubts slide away, so do the readers. Ultimately, 1408 offers some visuals that will stick with readers for a long time.

8 Gramma

A Young Boy Becomes Frightened Of His Grandmother

The horror genre often uses creepy old women as a source of scares, and King is clearly no different. In his 1984 short story, Gramma, King follows a young boy named George who is left with his ailing grandmother for an afternoon. George begins uncovering repressed memories about Gramma that scare him, and he soon forms a theory that she may be a witch with a horrific plan. George must escape her clutches before it is too late.

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What really works for Gramma is its overwhelming tension. As readers learn more about Gramma, there is a mounting sense that she is hiding a massive secret that could be catastrophic for the young protagonist. Even worse are George's interactions with Gramma, who is horrifying just to look upon. However, the biggest scare of this story is its ending. Some horror stories have happy endings, but Gramma's will leave many with a feeling of awful dread.

7 The Man In The Black Suit

A Child Meets A Horrifying Man

For those who love monsters, The Man in the Black Suit is the perfect story to pick up. Written in 1994, this King tale follows a 9-year-old boy named Gary who goes fishing one day. He falls asleep, and when he wakes up he finds that a man in a black suit is watching over him. The man has pale skin, claws for fingers, and a mouth of sharp teeth. He reveals disturbing premonitions to Gary before trying to eat him. Gary has to figure out how to escape this man and his warnings.

Based on the synopsis alone, The Man in the Black Suit is a chilling story. While possessions and ghosts can definitely be scary, true monsters are the true stuff of nightmares. Plus, Gary's encounter with the man in the black suit goes beyond just a coincidental run-in. Gary remains haunted by what he saw, and his fears end up seeping into the reader as well. It is a story about death and what waits for us in the great beyond.

6 Gray Matter

A Group Of Men Discover A Shocking Secret

King may be the best of the best when it comes to horror, but his writings tend to bend genre as well. This is exactly what happens in 1973's Gray Matter. In this story, a group of men at a convenience store meet up with the son of a reclusive man in town. The young boy tells them that he is concerned about his father, who seems to be changing in strange ways. When the men go check on the recluse, they find something truly detestable.

Though Gray Matter doesn't completely delve into sci-fi like other King stories, it definitely has a flavor of the alien and grotesque. Those who tend to be squeamish may want to sit out this story, as it gets into the nitty-gritty of a disturbing transformation. However, this is really what makes it so scary. The descriptions King writes in this story are hard to forget. Plus, this is one of King's earliest writings, published even before Carrie.

5 N.

A Circle Of Rocks Haunts Its Visitors

Some of the scariest things are those that will never be understood. In King's 2008 novella, N., this is most definitely the case. N. follows a woman named Sheila who is concerned after her brother commits suicide, seemingly due to one of his patients known as N. N suffered from OCD and had become obsessed with a circle of rocks in the forest that he believed led to a terrifying monster. After N's suicide, it seems that Sheila's brother followed in his patient's footsteps.

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N. may lack the gruesome violence of other King stories, but that doesn't make it any less haunting. In fact, it is the realism within the story that often sticks with readers. N's OCD, for instance, can feel way too real for those who have mental issues. Furthermore, N's obsession with the rocks is chilling because it is unclear what truly lies beyond the "doorway." Readers are forced to imagine this monster and its intentions, and sometimes, the imagination is even scarier than reality.

4 The Raft

Four Teens Are Attacked By A Mysterious Substance

One of King's most horrifying stories is his 1982 piece, The Raft. The tale follows four teenagers who swim out to a wooden raft on a Pennsylvania lake before the arrival of winter. However, they soon spot an oily substance in the water that intends to maliciously kill all of them. Thus, the teens are stuck with no hope of rescue, or survival.

The Raft has just about everything you could need from a horror story. There's a strange monster, rising tensions, and some truly vicious gore. Though the premise of The Raft isn't anything special, the story goes to various extremes to make its characters suffer. Watching the creature's attacks is genuinely sickening, especially as they intensify in increasingly awful ways. There is one moment in particular having to do with a character's hair that definitely makes The Raft a stand out among King's catalog.

3 The Boogeyman

A Man Recounts His Childrens' Tragic Fates

A story that gets to the core of human fears is The Boogeyman. Published in 1978, the story revolves around a man named Lester who arrives at his therapist's office with a horrifying story to tell. Lester recounts how all three of his children have been murdered by a horrifying presence. Lester is convinced the monster is tracking him down, and soon enough, he discovers that his hunch may be correct.

Although The Boogeyman dials in on the story of Lester, it is really his childrens' deaths that make this story so devastating. In reality, this story gets to the root of all human fears. Countless people spent their childhoods fearing the monster under their bed or in their closet. In this way, The Boogeyman brings to life all the horror stories that readers believed in as children.

2 Crouch End

A Monster Hides In A London Neighborhood

Another story that is a favorite among King readers in Crouch End. Set in a real London neighborhood, the 1980 story centers on two police detectives who are investigating a case of a woman who claims her husband was eaten by a monster in Crouch End. In fact, she offers up a wild story about the neighborhood becoming completely alien and strange. Though one detective doubts these claims, the other is not so sure.

It is the atmosphere of Crouch End that is truly terrifying. While other stories on this list have monsters, Crouch End does not just create a scary villain, but an entire parallel world of horrors. The fear of the victim is completely palpable, and because of Crouch End's true existence, it seeps into its readers for a long time afterward. The idea of being sucked into an entirely new dimension is enough to give anyone the creeps.

1 The Jaunt

A Family Takes A Terrifying Trip

Finally, what is often considered to be King's scariest story is The Jaunt. This 1981 story follows Mark, a man living in the distant future who is preparing to teleport with his children and wife. In this distant future world, teleportation is known as the Jaunt, and Mark explains its history to his children. However, in a horrifying turn of events, Mark and his family's Jaunt goes terribly wrong.

The Jaunt is so scary because of the hypotheticals it raises. When Mark describes the Jaunt, it may seem like a convenient and exciting prospect. However, when readers learn about the deeper history, it becomes a much scarier endeavor. This horror only increases by the end of the story, when readers realize what has happened. Ultimately, this is a Stephen King story that pulls on heartstrings in a disturbing way.