Stephen King Fans discussion
The Random - Discussion Threads
>
Scenes from King books that are difficult for you to read?
The only issues that I ever have with King's writing is when he likes to have people's fingernails ripped off. *shudder*
Mod
I have a hard time with the "dead baby" scene from Salem's Lot as well.I can't even think about Dreamcatcher without clenching my butt cheeks! LOL
The BBQ grill in Black House literally caused me to throw up in my mouth a little when I read it, and my stomach clenches when I think of it. (Like now)
Also, the description, in Lisey's Story-"The longboy with the piebald side" for some reason is terrifying to me. I don't have an understanding of why, since I grew up around horses, and hearing piebald would normally only mean horse to me.
The hobbling scene in Misery.
The falling out of teeth in Tommyknockers.
I think I could go on and on...
The falling out of teeth in Tommyknockers.I cannot stand this! I have never had a nightmare (before or since) about a book, but I had nightmares about my teeth falling out for weeks after I read it!
Not really difficult to read as much as irritating - I try to read around some of King's infamous gross-out scenes (often, without much luck). They are annoying and usually take me right out of the story. Maybe it's a guy thing, but I just don't find any use for a character pulling the wedgie out of his soiled crack - except maybe that it reminds me that it's S.K. I'm reading and that I should come to expect it from time to time... ...but I do a problem with bugs. Particulary big, fat, black roaches. (just typing the word gives me the willie's) I can't even watch that germaphob in the imaculately sterilized apartment on my Creepshow DVD.
I don't remember them entering the anus.They do EXIT the anus however.
Angie wrote: "What about books you've avoided? I have avoided Dreamcatchers because I hear the alien goes up through the anus! "
Yeah, it's the EXITING that makes me...blech!!!!!S@#T WEASELS
awh - teeth, bottoms, fingernails, littleluns in a bad way - easy peasy fer this tough Aussie chick (do i sound believable???) ... the short story "the boogeyman" is hard fer me to read - 'cos he's bloody well in there!!!!
The guy killing what's her face's dog in Needful Things. Made me so angry I almost threw the book across the room and i didn't pick it up again for two weeks.And the dog in the refridgerator in IT, guess i have a cruelty to animals thing.
The only thing that comes to mind is the last scene in The Dark Tower. SK stated, everyone was not going to like the ending. Well i'm one of those who wasn't thrilled with it. I seen (or read if you like) the one thing ( IMO ) that Roland forgot to bring with him to complete the task & save the tower.
This isn't a particular scene, but in Rose Madder, it really gave me a stomach ache to think of her husband beating her t the extent that she could control her breathing. I know it gave her a great career opportunity, but...God! how badly and often must you be beaten to learn to do that?
Oh, good ones, Rachel. Well, maybe good isn't the word I was searching for...
"Apt Pupil" from DIFFERENT SEASONS...pretty much the whole story!
You know I couldn't agree with you guys more about the kid scenes. I didn't like reading about the Mother in Salem's lot and how she abused her child, it ripped my heart up. Give me hardcore any day except for that. i could even read a child called IT, I read maybe part way through, threw that book across the room, and cried my eyes out for 2 hours, it hurt to read something horrible like that. So in the future Stephen King, please don't write about dead kids or child abuse anymore! Thanks!!!
Hmm someone asked what books i have avoided, none really, that were stephen kings, the mother scene in the book took me by surprise, I saw the tv mini series first before I read the book, and it was the boyfriend that sort of abused the baby, not the Mother, and it wasn't detailed. So everytime that part came up, i would skip it. Otherwise his writing doesn't bother me, and i read most of his books, and haven't avoided one. I know some of his writing makes me squimish, yes I admit when I saw Dreamcatcher, I did look in my toilet after the movie, for a poop weasel. hahahahah
I've never avoided any of his writing, but will readily admit to the "heebie jeebies", "willies" or just plain disgust, courtesy of Uncle Stevie at times;)
Rob wrote: "I've been flushing "poop weasels" all this time?"Apparently we all have! Maybe it's like chickens and eggs. Not all of them actually hatch! LOL
Mod
The scene of the dog swimming in the green liquid, turned into a canine battery,from Tommyknockers, now that really freaked me out. And most of Desperation. I promised myself I wouldn't reread it, but its been quite awhile since I read that book, and I can't remember clearly what was so disturbing about it!And yes, when innocent children end up in bad situations when they've done nothing to deserve it - too much like real life for me.
ok two more-one I think was already mentioned but there's a common theme.Tom beating up Beverly Marsh as she packs to leave in IT. Reading that scene today, had to put the book down.
The miscarriage scene that opens Rose Madder.
Chris wrote: ""A Very Tight Place" was pretty damn disturbing to me..."We go to a LOT of soccer games/tournaments for my daughter, and I am now a little
The hobbling scene in the MOVIE Misery really, really freaked me out, but that's my thing about broken bones again. The BOOK scene didn't bother me at all. Cut off the foot and then cauterize it with a blowtorch? No problem.
BREAK the bones with a sledgehammer? *shudder* No way. I have goosebumps just thinking about it.
The part in "The Raft" where the guy is getting sucked through the boards of the Raft ALWAYS makes me cringe. Ugh, what a painful way to go...
Yeah, he should have looked at the colors.
Dung Beetle wrote: "Yeah, he should have looked at the colors."That's true. Just dived right in!
well i like the dreamcatcher except for the fart n there was cell it such a slow read unlike dreamcatcher
Mod
That dog scene sounds crazy!
cujo, maybe cos i read it when i was younger but the part where we bumps the car window and his phlegm is dripping....
wow! so many! where do i start! The one that springs to mind first is a scene in the Library Policeman (short story in Four past Midnight) where this poor little kid is sodomised by this creepy fella! That was very heard to read... then there's The Dark Tower when Oy is impalled to a tree... really King (does he have to be so gruesome after making you fall in love with the characters)... in the Stand when Nick dies (that I couldn't handle) then Larry dies! (so wrong!!!)... many many more
Yeah! And I remember the Raft and that really creepy part where the character would be hypnotised by the colours and fall in and then King would describe how they'd die....(shudder!)
Yeah, it seemed that Stephen tried to follow his formula:Horror
Terror
Fear
Gross out.
A very good formula for him to stick to.
in the book"dreamchacher" there a part where beav is standing outside trying land the choper that was the hardest as i could hear the sond of the roter and the wind and feal cold
I hate any scenes where animals are hurt, especially when he makes sure you like the animal before it happens. The dog in Tommyknockers was heartbreaking for me; poor Cujo was a good dog before he got rabies; the dog in Needful Things; Clover and Audrey dying in Under The Dome... Even when you don't "know" the animal it's awful for me. Like in Apt Pupil, the cat in the oven made me so angry I couldn't finish the story. Or in Dark Tower 4, when those brats gave a steak with a firecracker in it to a starving dog. I can't handle it, man.
Damn i've read all those books (all but UTD havn't started it yet) and your right about the animals. I know i read every scene you described, but seeing them all together like that is shocking.
I'll agree with Heather. Any animal torture scenes are difficult for me to read, most especially those in Apt Pupil. Speaking of which, I just got that on DVD.
aw crap. I couldn't avoid this thread, it was intriguing, until I saw someone did a spoiler for "The Stand". Damn. :-( At least it's not in details! Regardless, next time I'll pay more attention to "BEWARE SPOILERS BELOW! - especially about stuff coming out of anuses!"OH well..you live and learn...can't wait to keep reading more SK books after "The Stand". I love it!
I have to agree with most of the animal lovers, although the VERY hardest scene for me to read was in "Needful Things" - not a huge fave for me, but when the dog is killed in that scene for "payback", it just tore me apart. I remember, my son took me to the movie (not that great) - and he leaned over and whispered to me, "is the dog gonna die?" - when I said yeah, He buried his head in my shoulder, to avoid seeing it.
Chris, BTW, is that a "flying V" that you're standing next to in your pic?
Why did I think reading this thread during lunch was a good idea? My worst is IT, an evil clown hiding in the sewer still makes me shudder.
Stephen King is a genius in making people's skin crawl.
Mod
It's the late Dimebag Darrell's guitar at the Hard Rock Casino.
Here's a link to more specific details: http://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/1...
There were no parts of any of SK's stories that I 'skipped over' because they were 'too scary' or 'too gross'. Nor did I avoid reading a book for the same reasons. I'm a glutton for punishment lol, even if they give me nightmares. I love to be scared silly, and grossed out occasionally.I have to agree with Chris on "A Very Tight Place", that was just...unbelievably disgusting, but I read it anyway.
I found the 'shit weasels' in "Dreamcatcher" very disturbing as well.
"Survivor Type" was cringe-worthy
"Misery"....*cringe*
"The Moving Finger" ugh!
there's more, but I think I've blocked them out of my mind lol
would I read them again? yes.
Becky wrote: "The hobbling scene in the MOVIE Misery really, really freaked me out, but that's my thing about broken bones again. The BOOK scene didn't bother me at all. Cut off the foot and then cauterize i..."
that one is mine. Reading about Annie doing that really bugged me and made me sick. I can't really think of anything else that upsets me though.
Oh man, I haven't read UTD yet. Shit. Now I'll be waiting for that. =\
A few people mentioned the hobbling scene in Misery. I just re-read it last week, and that scene didn't bother me nearly as much as when she cut his thumb off! (Maybe it's because I remembered the hobbling and was expecting it, but had totally forgotten about the thumb so it surprised me.) But, all in all, I'm with Tanya - I love it. That's one of the reasons I like reading King so much. I couldn't bear to skip over all of the good stuff!
I'm getting entirely too many reminders of scenes in Misery that I've totally forgotten [old age:]! MUST re-read.
The "de-gloving" scene in Geralds Game. I had to stop for a moment and cringe when I read it.
I'm tackling 'Just After Sunset' right now. So I'd say; "A Very Tight Place" was pretty difficult to get thru w/o gagging or holding my breath. -Yuck
Stephen King Fans
Books mentioned in this topic
Gerald's Game (other topics)Gerald's Game (other topics)
I skip the scene in Salem’s Lot where the girl finds her baby dead, but puts him in his high chair and tries to feed him chocolate pudding. :(
There are lots of parts of Pet Sematary that break my heart. Apparently I have issues with the thought of children dying. There’s a line that says something about the universe making no more sense than a little boy in a cowboy costume with his guts and his Halloween candy spread out all over a mile of interstate highway.
Ugh, nice punch in the gut, Steve!