M.A. Kleen

From creepy dolls and mysterious green ribbons to eerie boarding schools and spirit-infused thrillers, these stories left scars that linger to this day—read on if you dare!

We all have those books from childhood that left us emotionally scarred—often ones our teachers made us read. Bridge to Terabithia comes to mind, and I still get teary-eyed just thinking about Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya. No matter how tough you are, the image of those elephants pleading for food is heart-wrenching. But some books stuck with me not because they were sad, but because certain scenes or details were so terrifying that they remain vivid in my memory to this day, even if the rest of the story has faded.

Evil One (1991)

We all remember the children’s horror series of the 1980s and ’90s like Goosebumps, Fear Street, and Shivers. Phantom Valley by Kathryn Lance (1943-2022), writing under the nom de plume Lynn Beach, was my favorite. The nine book series takes place at a fictional boarding school called Chilleen Academy somewhere “out west” (the author is from Arizona). The first book in the series, Evil One, is about a new student named Monica Case who discovers a creepy doll hidden in her closet.

“Bringing her face even closer, she narrowed her eyes to study the darkness. At first the small space appeared to be empty, but then she saw something wedged into the back. Something light, limp, and unmoving. Something with a tiny, round face–the face of a girl.”

It probably wouldn’t be scary if I read this book today, but wow, did it scare me as a child. I remember reading it before bed and waking up in a cold sweat, feeling compelled to read more. I’m not pediophobic but dolls in certain situations definitely freak me out. I recall also being scared by a scene in the TV show Webster involving a child-sized doll. You can rent Evil One for free at Archive.org. A complete list of all Phantom Valley books can be found at GoodReads.

Afternoon of the Elves (1989)

This book has left an indelible impression on thousands of readers over the years, as its reviews attest. I owned the 1991 Scholastic, Inc. version of Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle but have since misplaced it. The pages were warped and cover abused from being carried around in a backpack for months. “This is one of the creepiest children’s books I have ever read,” Katie Fitzgerald noted, and I couldn’t agree more.

The story, about a girl named Hillary who befriends a weird outcast named Sara-Kate Connolly, struck a chord with me. Sara-Kate lives in a dilapidated old house with her mother who is never seen outside. She draws Hillary into an imaginary realm of elves who live in a village in her backyard. The village made of sticks and leaves is very real, but are the elves? Over time, Hillary begins to believe. The truth is far more depressing.

Lisle’s vivid storytelling draws you into Hillary’s world and forces you to see things as she does, and you’re never quite sure what is fantasy and what is reality. The scene when Hillary finally enters Sara-Kate’s house and walks upstairs still gives me goosebumps:

“Hillary crept upward, stair by stair. She moved slowly and made little noise. The stair boards are too old to squeak, she thought. She took shallow breaths to quiet the sound of her breathing and was lightheaded when she reached the top. Here, she paused, holding onto the banister. A dark corridor swept past her.”

In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories (1984)

Alvin Schwartz (1927-1992) published this book following the success of his Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1981). It follows roughly the same format but is intended for younger readers, with kid-friendly illustrations by German-born artist Dirk “Dizi” Zimmer. While the much creepier illustrations in Scary Stories scared me as a child, In a Dark, Dark Room left a stronger impression.

The third story, “The Green Ribbon”, still haunts me, and it is the only story that I can recall in detail. It is about a boy named Alfred who falls in love with a girl named Jenny who wears a green ribbon around her neck. Alfred tries to ask why, but she always replies that she will tell him when the time is right. The two get married, and as time passes, they grow old. Eventually, Jenny becomes deathly ill. She finally permits Alfred to untie the ribbon, and her head falls off.

The idea that a woman spent her whole life walking around with her head tied on by a ribbon freaks me out. The story is based on an old French folktale from the days of the guillotine, and the historical context makes it even creepier.

Spellbound (1988)

This book by Christopher Pike was among the few my sister owned and I used to sneak a reading here or there. Since I was younger than its intended audience, it felt like I was doing something wrong, like watching an R-rated movie without my parent’s permission. Spellbound has a convoluted plot involving an unsolved murder, an abusive boyfriend, and … African tribal magic?

While the specific plot details escape me, one thing remains fresh in my mind–that of a girl, Joni Harper, whose body is inhabited by the spirit of a vulture. Yes, you read that right, and it’s as creepy and weird as it sounds. “She was like a wild lamb, if there was such a creature. Her hair was long, black, and curly. He had stared into her eyes a half-dozen times and still wasn’t sure what color they were, only that they were dark.”

The book is full of spirit jumping and magic. Joni-the-vulture is not cartoonish, she is a cold, calculating creature that kills to remain human. There are a lot of books about human-animal fusions, but something about a vulture is particularly unsettling. They are predatory scavengers with no redeeming qualities. Even Joni’s attractiveness is just a means to an end for her to feed. It’s a concept that sticks with me even all these years later. Borrow it for free at Archive.org.