Alvin Schwartz is well - known for writing 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'. His ability to create short, impactful spooky tales has made his stories very popular among kids who like a bit of a scare. Neil Gaiman is also great. His 'The Graveyard Book' is filled with unique and sometimes terrifying ideas, like a boy living among the dead. R. L. Stine is another famous author. His 'Goosebumps' series has a wide range of scary stories for kids, with various monsters and creepy situations.
Definitely Alvin Schwartz. His collections of scary stories are full of classic spooky elements that have scared generations of kids. Shirley Jackson is also a great author for scary kids stories. Her story 'The Lottery' has a very disturbing and unexpected ending that can leave kids with a sense of unease. And don't forget Roald Dahl. While not all of his stories are strictly 'scary', some like 'The Witches' have elements that can be quite terrifying for kids, especially the way he describes the witches and their plans.
One of the best is Neil Gaiman. His works often blend the supernatural and the ordinary in a way that is both fascinating and scary. In 'The Graveyard Book', he creates a world that is both magical and full of danger for the main character. Another good author is Edgar Allan Poe. Although his works are more complex and often aimed at older audiences, some of his stories like 'The Tell - Tale Heart' can be adapted or told in a way that is suitable for kids and still very scary. And then there's M. R. James. His ghost stories have a certain elegance and creepiness that can be really appealing to kids who like a more refined type of scare.
Stephen King also writes some great short stories that are really scary. His story 'Survivor Type' is quite disturbing. It's about a surgeon who is stranded on an island and has to resort to extreme measures to survive. King has a knack for getting into the darkest corners of the human mind, which makes his short stories so terrifying.
Shirley Jackson is a great author of scary stories. Her story 'The Lottery' is a masterful piece of horror. Algernon Blackwood also wrote some very spooky tales. His works often explore the supernatural in a way that gives the reader chills. And Clive Barker is known for his extreme and often very disturbing horror stories. His 'Books of Blood' series contains some of the most terrifying short stories in modern horror literature.
Michael Crichton is the author of 'The Andromeda Strain'. His ability to create scientific and medical thrillers that are also scary is well - known. Arthur C. Clarke also has some works that can be considered a bit scary. For example, some of his stories about alien encounters and the vastness of space can give a sense of the unknown and fear. And Philip K. Dick, while not always strictly 'scary' in a traditional sense, has stories that are disturbing and thought - provoking, like 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' which has elements of unease and fear of the artificial.
One of the scariest kids stories is 'The Babadook'. It's about a mother and son haunted by a mysterious entity from a pop - up book. The dark, shadowy figure of the Babadook is really terrifying for kids. Another is 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'. It contains a collection of short, spooky tales like the one about the girl with the black ribbon around her neck, which has an unexpected and creepy ending. And 'Coraline' is also quite scary. The alternate world with the 'Other Mother' who has buttons for eyes is very unsettling.
Perhaps they are written by a group of local authors who are trying to share their unique perspectives. It could also be that a single author has created these 23 stories, each with a different theme but still part of a cohesive collection. Without more details, it's hard to tell.
The sense of isolation can be a scary part. In spooky kids stories, often the characters are alone when these strange things happen. Like in 'The Babadook', the mother and son are mostly on their own dealing with the presence of the Babadook. There's no one else around to help them right away, and this makes the situation seem more hopeless and scary.
In kids creepy stories, the unknown is often the scariest part. For example, in stories about haunted houses, not knowing what is making those strange noises or what lurks in the dark corners can be terrifying. Also, when there are unexplained movements like a doll that moves on its own, it gives kids the creeps. The feeling that something is watching them when there's no obvious source can be really frightening too.
R. L. Stine is quite famous. His 'Goosebumps' series has lots of elements of old - style kids horror. Another is Alvin Schwartz with his 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark' which was full of spooky tales.
The collection 'the best shadow stories' might have been compiled by an editor who sourced stories from different places. So the authors could be anyone from local folklore tellers whose stories have been passed down through generations and finally made it into this collection, to contemporary writers who are experimenting with the idea of shadows in a more fictional or even psychological context.
For 'Frankenstein', the author is Mary Shelley. She was a pioneer in the horror genre with this story. Bram Stoker wrote 'Dracula'. His detailed descriptions of the vampire made it one of the most iconic monster stories. For 'The Creature from the Black Lagoon', there were multiple creators involved in the movie which was based on a concept, not really a single author in the traditional sense.