1. Macbeth - William Shakespeare
Double, double, toil and trouble, fire bake and cauldron bubble. Eye of newt and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog. Yep, Shakespeare really knew how to do spooky! A bloody tale of murder featuring three witches and their Goddess of darkness, Hecate, Shakespeare's Macbeth is more than just what your high school English teacher assigned for homework. First published in 1623 Macbeth has gone on to become one of Shakespeare's greatest plays and certainly one of the best tragedies of all time. The plot surrounds Macbeth - a general of King Duncan who is persuaded by his wife to murder the King after he is told of a prophecy by the witches. One could surely enjoy any of Shakespeare's works on Halloween. His plays are filled with murder, ghosts, blood, and supernatural forces but none ache with Halloween imagery so much as Macbeth does. The modern depiction of the "Halloween witch" comes directly from the play and "eye of newt" has been being used in magic spells since. Shakespeare is great for any occasion so make your Halloween unique this year and act out the play with some friends. If you're not into something so educational just pick out any of the terrifying tales featured on the list. When trick-or-treating is done and your jack-o-lanterns have burned out traverse the night of spooks and spirits with a good book rather than the annual Michael Myers marathon. Trust us, you'll be glad you did. Do you incorporate reading into your Halloween traditions? Leave us a comment telling us your favorite horror classics and let us know what you think of the list. Happy Halloween from WhatCulture.com!