This collection of short stories starts off strong with the iconic title story “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” The tale of a man witnessing a creature sabotaging a plane’s engine while no one else believes him sets a high bar for the rest of the collection. 

 

There are several standouts here: “Disappearing Act” explores the unsettling idea of a person’s life vanishing from existence; “The Distributor” is a chilling portrait of a man who creates friction everywhere he goes; “The Children of Noah” explores the terror of being a prisoner in a strange town; “First Anniversary” provides a haunting twist on a love story.

 

Nightmare at 20,000 Feet: There are few settings more terrifying for a horror story than an airplane. Being suspended thousands of feet in the air, confined to a metal tube, you feel the blood rushing through your veins and skin prickling with the knowledge that if something unnatural happens, there is no escape. Matheson takes it one step further by exploring the psychological terror of seeing something that no one else does. Was the creature real, or was Mr. Wilson going mad? The ending is a bit ambiguous, but damn is the journey one thrilling ride. ★★★★★

 

Dress of White Silk: An almost overly subtle monster story told from the perspective of a young girl. I admit that I had to read this one twice to appreciate it. Though the author leaves a lot to the imagination, the story is beautifully told. And that ending is just perfect. ★★★★★

 

Blood Son: A very dark tale about a troubled young man obsessed with vampires. I found this one a little too bleak. ★★☆☆☆

 

Through Channels: A story told in the format of an interview transcript, which, though an interesting choice, was a bit annoying. Despite my irritation with the epistolary style of this story (swish click), Matheson’s ability to tell a rich yet creepy story in such a minimal way is impressive. ★★★☆☆

 

Witch War: A war story, where young girls are used as weapons against invading forces. I found this to be one of the weakest stories in this collection. I felt pretty uncomfortable with the indifference of the girls to the graphic violence they are causing, so I guess it was an effective horror story, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it. ★★☆☆☆

 

Mad House: The story of a regular man’s descent into madness. This is one of the longer stories in the collection and beautifully written, but it took me a while to feel any sympathy for the protagonist. He seems like a clumsy man with an extremely short fuse until you realize what’s going on. I wish the ending was less tragic, but it was a good read. ★★★★☆

 

Disappearing Act: The diary of a man who realizes his life is slowly disappearing before his eyes. This felt like a proper Twilight Zone episode, which makes sense as it was adapted into 1959’s “And When the Sky Was Opened.” Again, Matheson is the master of a good ending. ★★★★★

 

Legion of Plotters: A man believes the people around him are participants in a conspiracy to irritate him to death. Much like the main character in Mad House, Mr. Jasper comes across as a bit too pedantic for me to sympathize with him, though I suspect that’s the point. I feel like this story was the result of the author seeing a headline in the news and imagining a chain of events that could lead up to such an insane act. ★★★☆☆

 

Long Distance Call: An aging invalid begins receiving disturbing calls, but no one will believe her. This was another story later adapted into a Twilight Zone episode, 1959’s “Night Call.” Satisfyingly creepy, though I felt the ending could have been more interesting. ★★★☆☆

 

Slaughter House: You know that if you buy a place called “Slaughter House” no good will come of it. But two brothers decided to ignore the whispers about ghosts and fix up the dilapidated house, unaware that they are descending into a nightmare. This was similar to “Mad House” with a more traditional haunted house plot. ★★★★☆

 

Wet Straw: A man is haunted by the smell of wet straw, which brings with it the ghost of his dead wife and her whispers of “till death do us part.” I struggled to get through this one and found the ending to lack the shock value of many of the other stories in this collection. ★★☆☆☆

 

Dance of the Dead: A teenage girl joins a group of friends an unforgettable night out. This is possibly the weirdest story here. The narrative style made it confusing to understand what was happening, with definitions of strange terms and song lyrics randomly peppered through the story. Everything is explained near the end, but my inability to properly follow the story as it was being told prevented me from enjoying it. ★★☆☆☆

 

The Children of Noah: Returning home after an underwhelming trip through New England, a man finds more than his share of excitement when he is imprisoned in a strange town. I love a good story about a creepy small town, and this one was a fun ride. I did feel a bit uncomfortable with the racist vibe though, so I can’t give it a perfect score. ★★★★☆

 

The Holiday Man: A day in the life of a seemingly ordinary man as he struggles with the idea of returning to a horrifying job. This story had a really unique concept, and I realized just how good it was after reading it a second time. ★★★★★

 

Old Haunts: A man revisits his home from days past and is haunted by a very familiar presence. Not one of my favourites, though it really captures the terror of a midlife crisis. ★★★☆☆

 

The Distributor: When a strange man moves into a seemingly perfect suburb, the residents begin to experience increasingly disturbing events. The almost light tone of the narrative, along with the lack of a proper motive for the antagonist, makes this story even creepier. ★★★★★

 

Crickets: A couple is enjoying a relaxing vacation when they meet a strange man who challenges their perception of what they should be afraid of. While the story itself was a bit laughable, I loved how it ended. The terror really begins on the final page, in the idea of something so ordinary and seemingly harmless suddenly turning malevolent, closing in with unimaginable numbers. ★★★☆☆

 

First Anniversary: On their first anniversary, a man seeks psychological help as his perception of his wife begins to change. I thought I knew where this was going, but the ending still took me by surprise. This one was fun. ★★★★★

 

The Likeness of Julie: A college student’s infatuation with a girl in his English class bleeds into a dark obsession. This story had a surprising twist at the end that I had to read a second time to understand. It was well-written (it is a Matheson story, after all) but I found it too dark to really enjoy. ★★☆☆☆

 

Prey: A young woman is terrorized by a cursed doll she bought as a gift for her boyfriend. The conflict with her mother adds depth to this story and the ending is good. However, I couldn’t imagine Amelia being terrorized by the little doll without finding it laughable, and it’s possible the author couldn’t either: “She tried to visualize the doll. Was it hanging from the knob by one arm, using the other to probe inside the knob lock with the knife? The vision was insane.” ★★☆☆☆

 

In his introduction to this collection, Stephen King writes that Matheson’s work was one of his biggest influences. He tells the reader that “…when you close this volume he will leave you with the greatest gift a writer can give: He will leave you wanting more.” He wasn’t wrong. Though I liked this collection of Matheson’s slightly less than “Button, Button,” it was overall a solid collection of horror stories and I found myself excited to read more of his work. I would say that it’s a must-read for anyone who likes unsettling Twilight Zone-style speculative fiction. Just be prepared for a journey that delves deeply into the darker side of the human psyche.