Dracula question

The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story is easily the scariest book I've read. A fantastic ghost story!

(edited because I can spell but can't type!!)

Here are five books that actually DID invoke a state of lurking FEAR in me upon/after reading them:

Relic
Reliquary
Phantoms
(Between the above three books, I was actually scared of the dark for about a year in the late '90's.)
Pet Sematary (It's true: it is THOROUGHLY creepy.)
The Dreams in the Witch House and Other Weird Stories (Do NOT read the first half of this story late at night, go to sleep, then wake up & finish it in the middle of the night!)

Oh, and when a writer shows how deadly human fault can be (such as Needful Things by Stephen King), it can also be quite disturbing.

Realism is usually more terrifying than fantasy or horror. If it is believable, then it usually has more of an impact than if it is so out there it is impossible to believe.

I would reccommed "Fiends" by John Ferris- that book is the only one Ive ever read that actually made me jump when my cat moved--- it may be hard to find

I'd like to recommend some Edgar Allen Poe stories - I developed a habbit of reading a collection of his works late at night - the ones I particularly remember staying with me long after I put the book down were; 'The Fall of the House of Usher', 'The Oval Portrait', 'The Masque of the Red Death', 'The Pit and the Pendulum', 'The Murders of the Rue Morgue' and 'The Raven'.

Merja wrote: "Please recommend a REALLY SCARY horror book for me - I want to be so scared off my mind that I won't start thinking of my own scary life LOL... no, seriously - I am looking for good thrillers or sc..."

Try The Passage all my posts seem to be about this book at the moment (I swear I'm not on commission - though would like to be lol).

I read it over the Xmas hols, needless to say I missed Xmas entirely, I had nightmares, daymares and it still haunts me to this day.

I've reviewed it somewhere in the ether, but basically it's end of the world vampire stuff and none of your black hair, velvet wearing vampires either. Think the boat arrival in Dracula tension and multiply it by a hundred.

From the reviews I've read, The Woman in Black, which has recently been made into a film starring Daniel Radcliffe is very scary. One reviewer said that after reading it, she kept the lights on for the next few nights.

Try "Ghost" by Noel Hynde, this title tends to slip under the radar, but it's a great book.

There's always the classic 'The Exorcist' by William Peter Blatty

Richard Laymon wrote some fun horror novels also.

The Rats in The Walls, and The Dunwich Horror by HP Lovecraft are so creepy that I left the lights on and peeked over the edge of my blanket. Stephen King's short story, The Mist is so creepy that I locked my door, stuffed a towel under it, closed the windows and it was August.

The Shining. I haven't read it, but every one I know that read it said it was very creepy. Same with the book It by the same author.

Merja wrote: "Please recommend a REALLY SCARY horror book for me - I want to be so scared off my mind that I won't start thinking of my own scary life LOL... no, seriously - I am looking for good thrillers or sc..."

One of the scariest books I've ever read is "Phantoms" by Dean Koontz - slept with the lights on for weeks.

You might try The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy The Shocking Inside Story. I agree with the poster that anything about serial killers is much scarier than fiction.

Merja wrote: "Please recommend a REALLY SCARY horror book for me - I want to be so scared off my mind that I won't start thinking of my own scary life LOL... no, seriously - I am looking for good thrillers or sc..."

I thought that In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is really scary and considered to be the best true crime novel ever written.

The Strain trilogy is pretty good. First is better than the second, third isnt quite out yet. But I do def recommend them.

The Shining by Stephen King; also The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

For a creepiness factor without any blood-shedding, I would recommend Shirley Jackson's the Haunting of Hill House. In fact, just get Shirley Jackson: Novels and Stories (The Lottery / The Haunting of Hill House / We Have Always Lived in the Castle). When not creepy, her work is always unsettling & stays with you.

The only book I've read that actually frightened me in any real sense of the word was Pet sematary by Stephen King.

I might have a strong stomach when it comes for being scared though. Some enjoyable horror novels I've read that have the potential to be scary:

* Drood by Dan Simmons - Great historical fiction with an occult supernatural twist
* The passage by Justin Cronin - A very different look on the vampire novel
* I am Legend by Richard Matheson - More Vampires but again very unique.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
:[)

The Snowmanscary from the first page,The Woman in White

It depends on what scares you, if you don't mind reading SF you should give Man-Kzin Wars IV a try - but I have to warn you, the first half of the book is boring, pure character set-up, but the end truly is haunting.

(Or try Courtship Rite from the same author, although I haven't read that yet myself, so...)


Clark Ashton Smith is a great scare writer in the tradition (and Universe) of H. P. Lovecraft.

I Am Legend, Selections from Skeleton Crew, Salem's Lot, It, and early Dean Koontz.

Early Patricia Cornwell with the Scarpetta series, just because serial killers are creepy in general and she really tries to get in their minds... yuck!

The Monster Men

Anything by Bentley Little, but be prepared. He has a sick imagination and I love it. Start with "The Mailman" or "The Association".

Anything by Edward Lee. He's hardcore horror and I admit, the most disgusting author I have ever read anything by but man, he's the master. "Flesh Gothic" is a good one to start.