This series of short stories by Stephen King does explore some of the darker sides of human fears. He shows his mastery of ending the tale leaving you to really decide the final outcome but with enough direction to have a good feel of where it is going. Several of these stories I think could have been flushed out to full novels, but are fantastic short stories. If you want to dabble in his writings to get a feel for his style, this would be a good example. Adult discretion is advised.