How the whip-poor-will became an iconic bird of American horror

In one of the most haunting scenes of Stephen King’s 1975 novel Salem’s Lot, a gravedigger named Mike Ryerson races to bury the coffin of a local boy named Danny Glick. As night approaches, a troubling thought overtakes Mike: Danny has been buried with his eyes open. Worse, Mike senses that Danny is looking through the closed coffin back at him. A mania overcomes Mike. Prayers run through his head—“the ways things like that will for no good reason.” Then more disturbing thoughts...