the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out...

[theophile]

some person from the internet took the time to post almost-complete scans of the old Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books, which means I had the opportunity to find what was, at the time I read it, the most frightening story I'd ever come across:

Comments

[shotfrog]

Oh hey, and the artwork still makes me want to fling myself off of something.

[theophile]

wait, in a good way or in a bad way?

[shotfrog]

In the way that the art is too terrifying to contemplate.

[lapsedmodernist]

this reminds me not of me telling a joke thankyouverymuch, but rather of the short pieces by Daniil Kharms

like this one:
A Fairy-Tale from the North

An old man set out to go into the woods, although he didn't know what for. Then he came back and said:
-- Hey, old woman, you!
The old woman fell straight down. Since then, the hares are white in winter.

or this one:

The Artist and the Clock Serov, an artist, went to the Obvodny Canal. Why did he go there? To buy some india rubber. What did he want india rubber for? To make himself a rubber band. And what did he want a rubber band for? In order to stretch it. That's what for. And what else? This is what else: the artist Serov had broken his clock. The clock had been going well, but he picked it up and broke it. What else? Nothing else. Nothing, this is it, in a nutshell! Keep your filthy snout out when it's not needed! And may the lord have mercy on us

[theophile]

you see, the point of the joke was he has a big penis.

[lapsedmodernist]

you are never ever going to let me live that one down, are you?

[theophile]

anyway, it's funny because the black guy has a big cock.

[bradleysands]

I am the Viper and I have come to vipe your vindows.

[theophile]

BLOODY FINGERS

[panda_of_evil]

And she was spittin' and yowlin' just like a cat!

My brother and I actually played that "Ghost in the mirror" game found in the second book. It worked, and it was really horrifying. People wonder if we were imagining things but I insist there is no chance of it.

[nightspore]

So I was just reading "The Call of Cthulhu," which I'm teaching tomorrow, and I thought of you.

[theophile]

I find that terribly flattering. I hope it's not just because of the Unfortunate End of Professor Angell.