Pleasant Dreams: Nightmares

Pleasant Dreams: Nightmares is a 1960 collection of fifteen horror and fantasy short stories by Robert Bloch, published by Arkham House. The collection features Bloch's Hugo Award-winning story "That Hell-Bound Train" alongside fourteen other tales that first appeared in various magazines from 1946 to 1958. The stories range from supernatural horror to dark fantasy, with one tale ("The Lighthouse") written in collaboration with Edgar Allan Poe. The collection includes stories about witchcraft, haunted houses, musical instruments, and supernatural bargains. The book represents Bloch's mastery of short-form horror fiction and his ability to blend psychological tension with supernatural elements. His exploration of human nature and its dark impulses forms a central thread throughout the collection.

Readers comment that this collection of horror short stories is uneven in quality. The standout stories mentioned most often are "The Movie People," "Picture," and "The Model." Readers noted: - Clever twists that don't feel forced - Dark humor throughout - Fast pacing and short story length works well - Mix of psychological and supernatural horror Common criticisms: - Several stories feel dated or predictable - Writing style can be simplistic - Some endings perceived as anticlimactic - A few stories drag in the middle sections Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (114 ratings) Amazon: Not enough reviews for average rating LibraryThing: 3.5/5 (12 ratings) One reader on Goodreads noted "The stories range from excellent to mediocre, but even the weaker ones are worth reading for Bloch's sardonic wit." Another mentioned "About half the stories hit hard, while others feel like filler."

Night Shift by Stephen King A collection of short horror stories that combines psychological terror with supernatural elements, featuring tales about possessed machinery and cursed places.

Dark Forces by Kirby McCauley An anthology of horror fiction containing stories about dark bargains and supernatural encounters from multiple authors who share Bloch's interest in psychological horror.

Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos by H.P. Lovecraft A compilation of interconnected horror stories exploring cosmic terror and supernatural entities that matches Bloch's blend of psychological and otherworldly horror.

Cold Hand in Mine by Robert Aickman A collection of strange tales focusing on subtle supernatural horror and psychological unease that mirrors Bloch's approach to horror fiction.

Prime Evil by Douglas E. Winter An assemblage of horror stories from different authors featuring themes of supernatural bargains and dark human nature similar to those found in Bloch's work.

🗯️ Robert Bloch famously penned "Psycho," which became the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's legendary 1960 film of the same name. 🏛️ Arkham House Publishers was founded specifically to preserve H.P. Lovecraft's work in print, and Bloch was actually one of Lovecraft's literary protégés. 📝 "The Lighthouse," included in this collection, was based on an unfinished fragment by Edgar Allan Poe that consisted of only about 800 words. 🏆 "That Hell-Bound Train" won the 1959 Hugo Award for Best Short Story, making it one of the earliest horror stories to receive this prestigious science fiction award. 📚 Bloch began his writing career at age 17 by corresponding with H.P. Lovecraft, who encouraged the young author and even featured him as a character in his story "The Haunter of the Dark."