Most of Syd's scary stories come from literature. Here are a few of his favorites:
- The Tell-Tale Heart
- The Poe classic about a man with a guilty conscience
- The Cask of Amontillado
- Poe's tale of revenge in dank catacombs
- Hop Frog
- Poe's mistreated dwarf and his fiendish revenge
- The Facts in the Case of M. Valdermar
- Poe's story about halting the process of death
- Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
- An Ambrose Bierce Civil War tale
- Beowulf
- The first monster story
- The Pardoner's Tale
- Chaucer's warning about the result of greed
- Taily-Po
- Swamp monster lurking nearby