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What is the scariest book you have ever read?
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Stabula
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Mar 29, 2013 03:04PM
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I'd have to say "IT" was one of the hardest to read in terms of "the squirms."
I hear that Cannibal Holocaust is deadly!!!!
"Ghost Story" has some truly creepy moments. "Pet Semetary" is probably the scariest of Stephen King's books, I'd say.
"House of Leaves" is one of the scariest books I've ever read.
"American Psycho" is the most horrifyingly disgusting.
Those are the ones that stand out in my mind at the moment.
"Cannibal Holocaust achieved notoriety as its graphic violence aroused a great deal of controversy. After its premiere in Italy, it was seized by a local magistrate, and Deodato (director) was arrested on obscenity charges. He was charged with making a snuff film due to rumors that claimed some actors were killed on camera. Although Deodato was later cleared, the film was banned in Italy, Australia, and several other countries due to its disturbing portrayal of graphic brutality, sexual assault, and animal violence. Some nations have since revoked the ban, but the film is still banned in several countries. Critics have suggested that the film is a commentary about civilized versus uncivilized society."
When I was younger, the scariest books ever were from the series Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The artwork coupled with the stories freaked me out.I'll have to consider what novel, as an adult, has been the scariest for me.
is the best, and the scariest, book I've ever read.
Exorcist when I was reading the book my walls would pop hiuse settling and it just made it creepy the water heater started sounding like footsteps
the short story "monkeys paw" . the atmosphere when the door knocks.. chilling !
I noticed a lot of people here said “IT” was the scariest they’ve read. I don’t find King scary at all, in fact, I’m not really a fan of his writing. The Stand (the movie) scared me as a kid/teen and I tried reading the book 15+ years ago, got halfway through, lost the book and never went back to it. I tried to read IT a few years ago, got 200-300 pages in, was bored to tears so stopped reading it.
I agree with Dean Koontz’s Intensity. I read that probably around the same time as The Stand, and I was glued to the book terrified at what was going on. I wish I could read it again and have that same first impression response to it. Nothing scares me like that did. I wish I could find another book that would get that reaction from me. I think seeing the movie of Intensity really ruined the book too.
Other then that, I’m glad to see some people listing books I already have on my way too long to-read list. like seed and house of leaves.
Oh, and we do “movie nights” on my horror website chat room. We don’t stream movies, as that would be illegal, but we all get together and sync up the movies and watch them together. It can be a lot of fun.
Cannibal Holocaust is….well, to me a horrible movie because it sucked. But the real animal killing and whatnot really got to me. Not all the rape and other weird stuff.
Keith wrote: ""Ghost Story" has some truly creepy moments. "Pet Semetary" is probably the scariest of Stephen King's books, I'd say.
"House of Leaves" is one of the scariest books I've ever read.
"American ..."
Hey, Keith! It's nice to 'see' you here!
Charlene wrote: "Keith wrote: ""Ghost Story" has some truly creepy moments. "Pet Semetary" is probably the scariest of Stephen King's books, I'd say.
"House of Leaves" is one of the scariest books I've ever rea..."
Charlene! Yeah, I've been trying to pop in over here on HA from time to time. This forum is so massive though, it's hard to know where to start!
It's a great group, but it is very big! Ghost Story was my answer. :)
When I was young, I remember reading The Exorcist and Amityville Horror and being afraid to shut out the lights when I slept. I think I got more jaded as time went on because Horror novels didn't scare me so much as I got older.
I'm one of the few who didn't think Totem was all that great.
I barely remember the story of Totem, just that I thought it was OK and gave it three stars. I also gave three stars to Creepers, but I remember enjoying that one even less than Totem. I doubt I'll read any more of his books. Oh, and I didn't notice anything macho about his writing, but like I said I don't remember them well.
The only Morrell I've read was Creepers, which I read poolside on a vacation. I remember thinking it was just average,
I liked Creepers, but while it was certainly CREEPY, I wouldn't say it was SCARY.I have the sequel, Scavenger, but haven't read it yet.
Mod
Gotta agree with Song of Kali. The best ominous description of setting I've ever read.
I'm pretty sure I won't care for Scavenger as much as the first... but I'll probably still read it, as the completionist in me wouldn't like to leave the main character hanging! haha
I asked this question of several authors long ago when I edited a magazine called "The Tome." - The book that author Elizabeth Massie chose, also stickes with me: Harvest Home - by Thomas Tryon. Not so much the supernatural as the crazy, and the total lack of control on the part of the protagonist... There are a couple of scenes from that one that just wont' let go.In the NAVY I know one guy who would say The Shining - because he was reading it late at night. We snuck up to his rack late at night and (Navy racks have a "bunk bag" where you can stow shower shoes, etc. outside your locker, dangling over the edge) we filled that bag with orange peels and snuck away. About ten minutes later he started smelling them while reading and he came SLAMMING out of that bunk (lol)
Jonathan wrote: ""Song of Kali" sounds interesting. And I've never read "The Touch", but F. Paul Wilson has written some great short stories (see "Soft and Others")."Jonathan, LOVED Soft!
David wrote: "I asked this question of several authors long ago when I edited a magazine called "The Tome." - The book that author Elizabeth Massie chose, also stickes with me: Harvest Home - by Thomas Tryon. N..."I need to read Harvest Home. It's not available as an ebook for some reason. The Other is, but not this one.
I bought the Kindle version of The Other with a holiday gift card and I thought it was awesome.
Song of Kali definitely brings the dark - but it left me feeling...unclean (lol)
Mod
If you liked the story "Dat-Tay-Vao", you'll love The Touch.
The scariest book I ever read was The Tommyknockers by Stephen King. It was more a matter of circumstance, but at the time I read it I believed in aliens strongly, and one night, about half way in, I was alone in the house reading this book when I saw a green flash of light across the street and all the lights when out in the neighborhood. In the book, there is something to do with a green glowing light, so immediately I was frightened out of my mind.
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy sticks with me. Though not strictly horror, it is certainly horrifying and often 'difficult' to read. Emotionally draining.
I must be among a serious minority who found the whole big stink about "The Road" to be a little odd. It's a good post-apocalyptic story...it's tough, gritty - I hated the ending - just like The Stand, and it irritates me a bit that Cormac just waltzes over the line from mainstream to horror, and suddenly critics and reviewers are going ape-shit over it... meh. I didn't think it was all that remarkable.
I like The Road but I don't think of it as horror. Or even science fiction.
What did you hate about the end?
What did you hate about the end?
Sharp objects by Flynn is very creepy. I was thinking about it for days after I was done with it.
The Shining got inside my head like few other books ever have, and is one of the only times a book has carried over into bad dreams. For pure visceral scares though, I love the Books of Blood. Some of Barker's creatures will straight up rip a d*** off and laugh while they eat it.
Mod
Should have ended with the survivors all waking up with runny noses and surrounded by radioactive rats.
A little more apocalypse, a little less posturing.
Stephen King is often talked about and even if he's among my favorite horror writers his books don't really scare the shit out of me.I guess we have to look more among King's masters - because he has some, he has his own influences.
One of them is Richard Matheson.
I am Legend is one really scary book. Let's not forget that George Romero's Night of the Living Dead - for me, the scariest film in history - is based on it.I would also include James Herbert's The Rats.
I'm currently reading Lovecraft's stories. Just finished The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, pretty good, scary, one of the darkest things I've ever read. Chtulu, Dagon... wait for me!
(I know you guys don't read French but you should try a French novelist called Julia Verlanger, a great dame who wrote horrific science-fiction novels just as L'autoroute sauvage, a post-apocalyptic story which came out in France in the mid-70's, before Mad Max and Escape from New York).
Hey Shannon! I didn't know you were a member here too :)
Others by james herbert freaked me out so much, no other book has the unsettling feeling this book gave me. Although Hybrid by Shaun hutson had some scary moments that made me affraid to look out my window
Penpal, really tripped me out. It was one of those times where i was literally disturbed for a few days after.
The Shining by Stephen King. No lies. I am not usually fazed by horror stories/movies. While reading the Shining, I didn't become afraid or paranoid. At the end of the book I actually thought to myself, "Wow, that is one good book, but damn, I am awfully disappointed. I could have read a better horror book." For few nights after competing the novel I ended up having nightmares about the dude in the dog costume and woke up screaming.
Now that's a good horror novel. -_-
At the Mountains of Madness by the master HP Lovecraft. The perfect horror story, and scared the beegeezus out of me the first time I read it. I've been hooked on the man's stories ever since. Haven't read anything since that has gotten to me like that story did.
Some of King's books have produced shivers, depending on where I was with my family. The Shining really got to me because my son was the same age as Danny Torrance.But I'll have to add Naomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe as possibly the most frightening genre novel I've ever read.
I have three.Covenant, John Everson
Dark Harvest, Norman Partridge
Infected, Scott Sigler
Horror Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
The Other (other topics)The Shining (other topics)
The Rats (other topics)
Haunted (other topics)
The Jewel of Seven Stars (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Stephen King (other topics)Julia Verlanger (other topics)
