101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered

by Sadie Hartmann

Stephen King has made a huge impact on my life. Of all the influential celebrities and famous people out there in the world, Stephen King is the one. My hero. Reading his books formed all of my future preferences in literature and influenced all of my biases toward very specific tropes and storytelling styles. He is the reason I gravitate toward horror centered around child protagonists: Danny from The Shining, The Loser’s Club from IT, the brothers in Eyes of the Dragon, Jake from The Dark Tower series, Jack from The Talisman, and the friend group in The Body—which was adapted into my all-time favorite movie, Stand by Me.