Habitat For Horror

I recently completed reading “The Black Phone Stories” by Joe Hill. This book is a collection of short stories. While not all of the stories are filled with horror, most do have a paranormal theme to them. The name of the books author may not sound familiar but he is related to someone very well known in the horror genre. Joe Hill is actually the son of iconic author, Stephen King. He changed his name to Joe Hill out of a desire to make his own mark as an author.

The book was originally published under the name 20th Century Ghosts in 2005. Newer editions were published recently to coincide with the hit movie, The Black Phone, starring Ethan Hawke. You can read Habitat For Horror’s review of the film here: https://habitatforhorror.com/2022/06/24/movie-review-the-black-phone-2021/

I purchased the book because of my interest in The Black Phone, so I was excited to see all the other short stories inside. I don’t want to give too much analysis and spoil the stories for anyone who has not yet read the book. I will, however, provide a ranking of the stories from my point of view. These are ranked in order from favorite to least favorite.

The Black Phone Stories Rankings

1. The Black Phone Stories
2. 20th Century Ghost
3. Best New Horror
4. My Father’s Mask
5. The Widow’s Breakfast
6. Voluntary Committal
7. Scheherazade’s Typewriter
8. Better Than Home
9. Abraham’s Boys
10. In The Rundown
11. Last Breath
12. Bobby Conroy Comes Back from the Dead
13. The Cape
14. Pop Art
15. You Will Hear the Locust Sing
16. Dead-Wood

Do you agree or disagree with the rankings? Let us know in the comment section below.