The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out

The books in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series were an enormous part of my childhood. When we got a new copy of one into the class library at my elementary school, I was always the first kid to snag it. I would read and reread the stories until my time was up and it was the next kid's turn to be scared out of their mind. My friends and I would read the stories aloud at all of our sleepovers and made up our own inspired by the ones in the books. 

The stories themselves are pretty creepy, even today. Alvin Schwartz compiled a great many unnerving yarns from folklore and urban legends and retells them in a very straightforward unflinching way. Some stories seem to be left partially unfinished, making them even more likely to stick with you and wake you up in the middle of the night. The story "Harold" was the complete worst in the entire series. Thinking about it still scares me. I bet if you asked anyone today, that read these books as a child, who Harold was - they would remember. 

But the stories were not the reason these books were so popular. These books were so legendary because of the illustrations inside by Stephen Gammell. Gammell's drawings are truly chilling and actually deeply disturbing.They are also amazing and even beautiful in a grotesque sort of way. I, and everyone else I've ever talked to about these books, always considered the drawings to be the best, and absolute worst, part of the series. I remember seeing, through the page I was reading, the dark shape of a drawing after the next page turn. Being terrified to turn to it, I would catch my breath - preparing myself for what lay ahead. I would stare at the drawings, repulsed and fascinated and unable to look away. These drawings blew my little child mind and still influence my aesthetic sensibility. I was thinking of Gammell while working on my banner up top.

"The Haunted House" - Stephen Gammell
"Bess", "The Dead Man's Hand" - Stephen Gammell


"Aaron Kelly's Bones" - Stephen Gammel

Gammell's drawings were the reason all of my classmates wanted to read these books! They were probably also the main reason the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series have been some of the most challenged childrens' books on library shelves. So... guess what dear readers - with the book's 30th anniversary, Harper Collins decided to re-release the series, with Entirely. New. Illustrations. And - even worse, the old versions, with Gammell's drawings, are now out of print.

Baby Goth W weeps.

P.S. Check out that shirt. Chambray button up with black velvet collar? Have mercy.

Dedication page - Stephen Gammell

Here's a great article comparing the new drawings with the originals.

"What Do You Come For?" - Stephen Gammell



"The Wolf Girl" - Stephen Gammell



"The Dream" - Stephen Gammell

When I heard the terrible news, I immediately ordered the box set including all three books with Gammell's artwork. This set, the 25th anniversary edition, has pretty cool holographic covers. They're fun but I do miss the freaky black and white covers of the first editions a bit. They were a much clearer warning of the horrors awaiting inside the pages.

It's so sad to think of all of the children of the future that won't get the chance to pee in their pants from fright because of these drawings. Poor kids.

"The Girl Who Stood on a Grave" - Stephen Gammell

You can still find the out-of-print versions at Amazon. Make sure it's specified that Gammell is the illustrator. I think it's also safe to say that every thrift store in America has at least one copy of an original book on its shelves at all times. Don't let your future bloodthirsty grandchildren miss out on these nightmares! They won't sleep for weeks!


"Oh, Susannah!" - Stephen Gammell

"You May Be the Next..."


-W