Horror Aficionados discussion
Scariest book you've ever read
To be honest, I´m more-or-less impervious to most horror books (movies work better for me), so to scare me a book´s gotta really mess with my head. Only one that's done that is Misery, by Stephen King.
I am reading /Dracula/ by Bram Stoker.
I haven’t had the courage but They All Had Eyes: Confessions of a Vivisectionist would be number one.
Tyler wrote: "Hi, I'm new to the genre and really want something that will scare the corn outta my crap 💩"Okay, nothing scares me truly, anymore.....BUT... there are books that have their moments where I had to keep the light on.
'Salem's Lot. The Marsten basement!! Yikes...and Danny Glick. I hate creepy kids
The Exorcist. I don't play with God, and certainly not the devil. *shudders*
House of Leaves. Whenever you read the parts about the house, I was just over it. Lights on, closet door closed.
Night Shift. At least half the stories creeped me out.
NOS4A2. There is a killer amongst us.
Mod
I've read tons of horror and enjoyed most of it. But
had to be the scariest of them all.
I know it isn't a horror novel, but you asked. The most terrifying book I have ever read was "The Handmaid's Tale." I'm completely serious. Nothing has made me more afraid in my life, as a woman, than what happens in that book.
I guess I just don't find horror scary, but the idea of something like "The Handmaid's Tale" actually happening...That's just horrifying. Laugh if you'd like.
I guess I just don't find horror scary, but the idea of something like "The Handmaid's Tale" actually happening...That's just horrifying. Laugh if you'd like.
When I was younger, early 20's, I read Phantoms by Dean Koontz and it scared the day lights out of me. It is not so scary now, but back then it sure was.
I'll have to find the name of it but there was a short story I read about someone's apartment block slowly tilting. Noone noticed it except the one guy and it really made him feel strange. Small things like that creep me out, things that aren't quite right.
Stephen King’s “IT” was the one and only book that I can honestly say ever gave me a fright. Reading IT late at night made me think twice before going near any open drains. I wish I could find more books that had that effect on me. Dream Catcher and Desperation (same author) might have came close but I would say they inspired more fascination than actual fear. I saw someone mention “A Handmaid’s Tale”...haven’t read that one yet, but while its not a horror novel, I will say that Hosseini’s “A Thousand Splendid Suns” was pretty scary in its own way regarding domestic violence/abuse.
This book scared me, because it was 1. a true story, and 2. happened in my my state. While reading it I felt like she was in the room with me, I had told the girl I was dating at the time and she said "Stop reading that now!" I did, and never finished, just too surreal https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Here's the wiki on the crime:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_...
The one that has given the most nightmares so far is still Seed by Ania Ahlborn.
Mickey wrote: "This book scared me, because it was 1. a true story, and 2. happened in my my state. While reading it I felt like she was in the room with me, I had told the girl I was dating at the time and she s..."What a horrific crime! I wouldn't be able to read that book either.
There were so many books that scared me as a kid, but as an adult the ones that stick out as genuinely scary areSong of Kali - Dan Simmons - I'm not planning on another trip to India any time soon...
Dark Matter - Michelle Paver - Not heading to the Northern Arctic either....
The Mall - S.L. Grey - Shopping at the mall's not looking good....
The Ritual - Adam Nevill - Nope. Not camping.
And I often find a lot of short stories to be far more terrifying, try Ellen Datlow's 'Nightmares: A new Decade of Modern Horror'. This tends to have something for everyone.
Melanie wrote: "There were so many books that scared me as a kid, but as an adult the ones that stick out as genuinely scary areSong of Kali - Dan Simmons - I'm not planning on another trip to India any time soon..."
Dark Matter is one of my recent favourites - it's excellent. Very atmospheric.
Erin wrote: "Mickey wrote: "This book scared me, because it was 1. a true story, and 2. happened in my my state. While reading it I felt like she was in the room with me, I had told the girl I was dating at the..."Yeah, just awful
Mickey wrote: "This book scared me, because it was 1. a true story, and 2. happened in my my state. While reading it I felt like she was in the room with me, I had told the girl I was dating at the time and she s..."I am always looking for books that make it uncomfortable to read. I find the discomfort more scary than horror novels. This one sounds perfect for that "need".
Mickey wrote: "This book scared me, because it was 1. a true story, and 2. happened in my my state. While reading it I felt like she was in the room with me, I had told the girl I was dating at the time and she s..."Ugh, I am also a Hoosier and this story never ceases to turn my stomach.
That and also The Girl Next Door, which happened in my city!
(While Jack Ketchum's story is fiction, it is based on a very real story of Sylvia Likens)
I find true stories or stories inspired by them to be the most unnerving, but like many in this group I don't get particularly scared by books anymore.
I am looking forward to reading I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer soon and have heard this really frightened readers, but of course this is 100% real.
The movie The Girl Nextdoor scared me away from reading the book. The scariest book I've ever read was Off Season by Jack Ketchum. Pet Sematary is right up there too.
Jesse wrote: "It, The Shining, The Exorcist and Ghost Story left their marks on me."Seconding these and Pet Sematary by King.
I'm sorry if this sounds facetious, but it really depends on what scares you in general to find what scares you in literature. I wouldn't exactly call Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy a horror novel, but the character known as the Judge is deeply disturbing.
When I was in my teens and reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson for the first time late one night, a scene late in the book had me looking over my shoulder. But Jackson's was a quiet voice, almost soothing, which is why the scene worked so well.
Along with what others here have suggested, I'd offer the work of Thomas Ligotti as a someone who rarely works in gore (if you don't like violence, avoid MY WORK IS NOT YET DONE; it's a solid collection, but it is violent) and is able to disturb all the more because of the odd reality he implies. "The Frolic" and "Les Fleurs" are two of my favorite horror stories just for that reason. His collection Grimscribe: His Lives and Works is good and a few of the stories in it, like "Vastarian" are excellent.
Oh, yes, Thomas Ligotti writes some highly disturbing stuff! Agree.
I remember a B horror novel from when I was 12. It was about dolls sucking the life out of people. Including one boy, who died. It left my heart pounding. Only book that ever scared me. If anyone could tell me the title of said book I would be ever so grateful. As it stands, I doubt that any other book could scare me. Even horror movies don't scare me. :(
Sherri,
Is the book “Baby Dolly” by Ruby Jean Jensen?
Is the book “Baby Dolly” by Ruby Jean Jensen?
Some of the scariest books I have read, off the top of my head:
It, by Stephen King—This one scared the crap out of me. I still am creeped out by those drains and all sorts of situations have that book still coming into my mind.
The Long Walk, by Stephen King—It isn’t what I would normally consider horror but it disturbed me greatly.
The Shining, by Stephen King—Scary scary scary
Cujo, by Stephen King—The intensity of this one had my heart racing
Pet Sematary, by Stephen King—Really disturbing
Bag of Bones, by Stephen King—Creepy
Unwind series, by Neal Shusterman—This YA series took me a bit to get past the premise and into the story, but once I did it inspired an absolute terror in me. Something about this story just really got to me and I still remember many parts of it so clearly and how very much it disturbed me.
The Faithful, by Jonathan Weyer—This is a little known Christian horror novel which definitely is one of the books which scared me the most.
It, by Stephen King—This one scared the crap out of me. I still am creeped out by those drains and all sorts of situations have that book still coming into my mind.
The Long Walk, by Stephen King—It isn’t what I would normally consider horror but it disturbed me greatly.
The Shining, by Stephen King—Scary scary scary
Cujo, by Stephen King—The intensity of this one had my heart racing
Pet Sematary, by Stephen King—Really disturbing
Bag of Bones, by Stephen King—Creepy
Unwind series, by Neal Shusterman—This YA series took me a bit to get past the premise and into the story, but once I did it inspired an absolute terror in me. Something about this story just really got to me and I still remember many parts of it so clearly and how very much it disturbed me.
The Faithful, by Jonathan Weyer—This is a little known Christian horror novel which definitely is one of the books which scared me the most.
and
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The Akasha Demon by Robert Davis and Skin Medicine by Tim Curran. Skin Medicine is scary just because of the way he describes normal things that are now just totally messed up.
The scariest book I ever read, undoubtedly, Michael Crichton's "Sphere". A group of highly intelligent people dealing with an entity that is more intelligent and powerful than them was a terrifying concept! Crichton added all the right flavors: fear of the unknown, the ticking time bomb, isolation and even a dash of humor."Jesus Christ, we contact an alien from outer space, and he says his name is Jerry."
Definitely The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum. This book just really disturbed me. There should be a "Warning" label on this book! LOL
Off Season, Offspring, The Woman, The Girl Next Door - Jack Ketchum Pet Semetary - Stephen King
The Extinction Saga - Nicolas Sansbury Smith
I have a tie:The Ruins by Scott B. Smith
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
I was in 9th or 10th grade when I read Ghost Story. I could not go into our basement for weeks or maybe months after reading it. In fact, at one point, my mom came in my bedroom and I screamed and must've jumped a foot off the bed!!
Joshua wrote: "Off Season, Offspring, The Woman, The Girl Next Door - Jack Ketchum Pet Semetary - Stephen King
The Extinction Saga - Nicolas Sansbury Smith"
Really, I've wondered what The Extinction Saga was like.
Honestly, frightening. Sansbury Smith was a Emergancy Threat Analyst for the Department of Homeland Security so the realism is not just believable but accurate. I was an Army Ranger for a little over 8 years and the details were so spot on I occasionally had to put the series down and come back to it.Each one was amazing, it just had so many twists and turns and so many good branches off the main plot. The best part is... he writes very well. They are shocking, gruesome, and down right scary.
The Rakasha Demon and Skin Medicine. More grotesque and gross than scary but still an element of scary nonetheless.
Kimberly wrote: "I know it isn't a horror novel, but you asked. The most terrifying book I have ever read was "The Handmaid's Tale." I'm completely serious. Nothing has made me more afraid in my life, as a woman, t..."I am reading it now and I agree with you, its definitely horrifying. Not so much because I am woman, as I am now divorced and my child is about to become an adult, but because its possible to conceive of such scenarios. Also her portrayal of wives and mistresses, her focus on sex, reproduction, mockery of religion, are all disturbing.
Sonya wrote: "The shining"I read that one this year, loved it!
I would definitely have to say
by Jack Ketchum. Not that this is to say a horror novel, but what makes this book so scary is the extremes that a human being would go to to make another human being suffer. This book immediately went to the scariest book I ever read once I, about half way through, found out that this was based on a true story... I almost lost my lunch!
The girl next door is a book in a club on a group I belong to, looking fwd to reading it!
I am adding in yet another one that I just read and this one did give me bad dreams.
by Tom LewisThis is not a true haunting book, but it mirrors one.
Dark Gods by T.E.D. Klein. Without question. Short story collections tend to have the most impact with me.
As a kid, I read The Wolfen and it scared me badly. So badly in fact, that I've never gone back and tried it again. And I was a kid who read voraciously- lots of horror. Maybe I will go back now that it's 35 years gone by 😒.
The scariest books that I've ever read were The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty and Off Season by Jack Ketchum. The latter novel creeped me out but was also a huge inspiration and template for how I write my horror fiction stories.
"I AM LEGEND," by Richard Matheson. I firmly believe this was the grandfather of all "Walking Dead" fiction, or "Zombie Apocolypse" stuff.
The scariest books I've read were mostly non-fiction, but when it pertains to horror novels, The Mist is definitely among the top of my list as well as The Reanimator from H.P Lovecraft, but then again, when it comes to fiction, I don't scare very easily.
Skin Medicine, the gore was scary enough to make me jump a bit. Also The Akasha Demon, nothing like eating someone randomly out of nowhere to scare you half to death.
Pet Semetary, The Shining and IT were the holy trinity that I as a young lad were traumatized in the best way possible by. And on an unrelated note, thanks to all who provided some good suggestions to hunt down to get scared even more by. Cheers!
The isolation and desperation for a companion in I Am Legend. Hell House
Full Dark, No Stars
Sorry, I can’t link cause I’m on my phone :(
Horror Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
Midnight (other topics)Night Shift (other topics)
Broken Monsters (other topics)
Dark Places (other topics)
Misery (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Stephen King (other topics)Gillian Flynn (other topics)
Stephen King (other topics)
Dan Simmons (other topics)
Stephen King (other topics)
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I must be one of the few people whose yet to find any novel by Joe Hill remotely scary. Entertaining?without a doubt, especially NOS4A2. Scary? Not even close...especially not Heart Shaped Box.