Get spooked with the newest event in American Shorts Reading Series

By CHRISTINA CANN

Does the thought of reading the works of Edgar Allan Poe or Stephen King delight you? Are… Does the thought of reading the works of Edgar Allan Poe or Stephen King delight you? Are you unable to live without regularly being scared witless by creepy ghost stories? Are you in the Halloween spirit and searching for a way to be scared out of your mind?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re in luck. The newest installment of the American Shorts Reading Series, “Ghost Stories,” will be held at Chatham College, the small women’s college in the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, not far from Pitt. Anybody who enjoys gathering around a campfire and listening to devilish escapades will be in his or her glory tomorrow.

Chris Josephs and Patrick Jorden, both City Theatre and Civic Light Orchestra veterans, will be lending their vocal talents to the event. Josephs will read Edgar Allan Poe’s tale of revenge, “The Cask of Amontillado,” and Jorden will bring to life H.P. Lovecraft’s “In the Vault.”

Two American filmmakers will also join in the fun. Martha Coleburn’s short “The Evil of Dracula” – a montage of old-school horror images, footage and advertisements – is guaranteed to creep you out. And Stan Brackhage’s film “Dead,” which was shot in a Paris graveyard, will be shown. Its stark black-and-white images will surely haunt you for days to come.

If you’re one of those people who enjoys having all the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, you’d be missing out by not attending “Ghost Stories.”

So run, don’t walk to Chatham College – if you dare.

American Shorts Reading Series, “Ghost Stories,” will take place tomorrow at the Mellon Mansion on the Chatham College Campus. Reading begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets at the door are $3.