Keep in mind this are all subjective opinions. There’s not a specific order of which is better or worse, all are great and may or may not be more for you depending on your taste.
1. I have no Mouth and I must Scream, 1976- Harlan Ellison
Its premise: 106 years after humanity’s complete grueling destruction, supercomputers were put in control because they’d be more efficient than humans, but everything goes wrong. The artificial intelligence becomes self-aware and begins vast genocide until the only survivors of humankind are three men and one woman. The short story takes the reader into a horrifying tale of the four survivors being tortured by a supreme artificial intelligence.
2. The Whisperer in Darkness, 1931-H.P. Lovecraft
Premise: Yet, another great blend of H.P. Lovecraft’s mix of Horror and Science-Fiction, The Whisperer in Darkness follows the character of Albert N. Wilmarth, a professor of literature, who becomes engrossed with the strange sightings of supernatural beings during the historic Vermont flood. Wilmarth through investigating, later exchanges letters with a man known as Henry Wentworth Akeley. One evening, Akeley convinces Wilmarth to come to his home only to reveal a terrifying truth….
3. The Birds,1952-Daphne Du Maurier
Premise: Flocks of sea-birds attack a farm hand and his family along with the whole town of Cornwall. Fun fact: This short story served as the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, which in general is tamer, different, but also a great movie to watch once you’ve read the short story. The short story is full of fantastic descriptions that will up the level of suspense in this story. It will make you nervous at the sight of a bird watching you outside your window.
4. The Jaunt, 1981- Stephen King
Premise: In this world teleportation is known as “jaunting,” and anyone can go from anywhere far and wide to anyplace. A father begins to tell the tale of how “jaunting” works to his family, since his children are curious before their journey to be “jaunted” to their new home on Mars. He explains to be “jaunted” to another place the person must be put under anesthesia or risk dying or going insane. The father of a family re-accounts several instances where things had gone wrong and how the process of jaunting even became a thing. By the end of his explanation, it’s the family’s turn to be jaunted to their new home.
5. Dracula, 1897-Bram Stoker
Written in the style of letters, notes, and diaries this classic tale continues to inspire and scare our modern generation. The story follows Count Dracula and several instances portraying his “appetite” for blood. Dracula later becomes obsessed with a previous victim’s fiancée’s best friend, Lucy. Preventions are made to stop Dracula, but through several attempts, she too becomes a vampire. Four friends decide to hunt her down and wage a war against Count Dracula.
6. Not After Midnight, 1971- Daphne Du Maurier
Another one of Daphne Du Maurier’s works. Not After Midnight is a collection of several short stories. In one of her stories Don’t Look Now John and his wife travel to Venice for a vacation. At the time they arrive there have been numerous murders in Venice. John becomes acquainted with two twin sisters, one of which is psychic and says that he must leave Venice to avoid dire circumstances...More would give too much of the story away. Don’t Look Now has been adapted into the 1973 film of the same name, directed by Nicolas Roeg, and has been voted the third best horror movie ever by the British The Guardian newspaper.