CLASSIC HORROR STORIES TO CHILL YOUR BONES

One could call these stories classics, or possibly old chestnuts, but if they're sometimes overly familiar, they’re still of high quality. So are most of the readings, though some recordings seem archival, and some have been used before. Unfortunately, narrators are rarely noted. Uncredited readings such as “The Monkey’s Paw,” “Smee,” and “The Willows” are among the best of a fine lot, generating chills through effective pacing and good acting. Simon Vance is fine on Conan Doyle’s creepy, if predictable, “The New Catacomb,” and Grover Gardner hams it just enough for “The Cask of Amontillado.” But Patrick Lawlor’s amiable everyman’s voice is a bad fit for Poe, especially “The Masque of the Red Death.” This book might be useful for schools, to engage reluctant readers. W.M. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2011]