# Most horrorfying book you've ever read!



## Guest (Dec 9, 2010)

Hi everyone!

I'm a big fan of horror.  Can you please tell me and recommend to me the most horrifying, don't turn off the lights, disturbing book you've ever read?  Thanks!


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## Danielleqlee (Jun 21, 2010)

Pet Sematary, It, Carrie...hmmm...Stephen King all the way around, lol.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

That would probably be _Exquisite Corpse_ by Poppy Z Brite



I couldn't put it down even though I was disgusted throughout.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Carrie & It


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Salem's  Lot

what's  so  funny is  that I first read it 44 years ago.. couldn't sleep by myself.. and now  I have it on my Kindle and  can't  get myself to  reread it.. I'll eventually get brave enough.


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

The Exorcist
Misery by Steven King


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Geoffrey said:


> That would probably be _Exquisite Corpse_ by Poppy Z Brite
> 
> 
> 
> I couldn't put it down even though I was disgusted throughout.


This is the only book I've put down and quit reading because it disturbed me so much--I couldn't get through it. And I'm something of a macabre soul.


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## Steven L. Hawk (Jul 10, 2010)

bordercollielady said:


> Salem's Lot


Make that two of us... <shiver>


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## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

A definite 'yes' to Stephen King!

Also, I recommend Neil Gaiman, especially "American Gods".  Finally, there's Clive Barker, although he can kind of be hit or miss.  "Weaveworld" was pretty good, though.


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## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

_The House_ by Edward Lee. I'm still not even sure why I read it. It's disgusting and twisted and...disgusting.


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## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

sherylb said:


> Misery by Steven King


Misery definitely freaked me out a little.



Geoffrey said:


> That would probably be _Exquisite Corpse_ by Poppy Z Brite
> 
> 
> 
> I couldn't put it down even though I was disgusted throughout.





purplepen79 said:


> This is the only book I've put down and quit reading because it disturbed me so much--I couldn't get through it. And I'm something of a macabre soul.


I'm kind of intrigued by this book now. Is it offputting by how gross it is or is it just disturbing by how vile the characters are - if that makes sense? I can handle disturbing and I quite enjoy a story that gives me something to think about (even if it's not sunshine and rainbows) but not really keen on excessive gore.


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## catherinedurkinrobinson (Sep 3, 2010)

I'm halfway through Twilight. Does that count?


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

For me, it was also King's Pet Semetary.


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## James Roy Daley (Dec 10, 2010)

The Girl Next Door - Jack Ketchum


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## par2323 (Nov 22, 2010)

Scott Sigler's "Infected" made me feel infected while I read it--and even to this day whenever I think about it.

Patricia Rockwell


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## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

catherinedurkinrobinson said:


> I'm halfway through Twilight. Does that count?


LMAO!!!

It's more of true crime, but Patricia Cornwell did a book about who she thought Jack the Ripper actually was. I seriously felt like I needed a shower when I got done. Disturbing on a whole new level. I believe the title is Portrait of a Serial Killer.


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## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

IT, I think. So far anyway.



dnagirl said:


> _The House_ by Edward Lee. I'm still not even sure why I read it. It's disgusting and twisted and...disgusting.


Hmmm, is it odd that your description is making me go look at it  ?


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## paulab1594 (Dec 10, 2010)

The Survivor by James Herbert. TOTALLY freaked me out, I had to sleep with the light on. I am quite hard core and love Stephen King but this book really did give me the willies!!!


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## Dave Dykema (May 18, 2009)

James Roy Daley said:


> The Girl Next Door - Jack Ketchum


I was just going to add that. It is truly disturbing, but very well written. That was one of those books I wanted to throw across the room, but couldn't "harm" it because it was so good (in a bad way).


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

farrellclaire said:


> I'm kind of intrigued by this book now. Is it offputting by how gross it is or is it just disturbing by how vile the characters are - if that makes sense? I can handle disturbing and I quite enjoy a story that gives me something to think about (even if it's not sunshine and rainbows) but not really keen on excessive gore.


The gore isn't highly detailed - you don't get each drip of blood, but she does give some pretty broad strokes and let you fill in the splatter. Its a psycho-sexual thriller revolving around 2 serial killers in New Orleans and there is a pretty high body count.

I don't like slasher flics at all - but I love horror that messes with my mind. This definitely pushed up to the edges of my distaste for gore but never completely pushed me over - but it got close a couple times.


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## carl_h (Sep 8, 2010)

Most definately "Salems Lot" .... I still get the heebee jeebees when I remember reading it while alone in a room with the windows open and the curtains billowing .... first time a book ever scared me that way.  Beyond that type of horror, there are some gorey ones that threw me for a loop ... Konrath and Blake books come to mind for that category.


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## JA Konrath (Apr 2, 2009)

carl_h said:


> Beyond that type of horror, there are some gorey ones that threw me for a loop ... Konrath and Blake books come to mind for that category.


Thanks!

If you couldn't stomach GIRL NEXT DOOR, avoid RIGHT TO LIFE in his book OLD FLAMES. Ugh. Too much misery IMO.

For flat out scary, Graham Masterton's BLACK ANGEL (aka MASTER OF LIES) has the scariest, most disturbing first 30 pages of any book ever written. I got to interview Graham for an upcoming issue of Cemetery Dance, and just signed tip in sheets for TALES TOO EXTREME FOR CEMETERY DANCE which has one of my stories, one of Graham's, and also Ed Lee and Ray Garton.

Ed Lee is a trip. Nicest guy you'll ever meet, great sense of humor, but he writes stuff to intentionally try to make you sick.

THE BIGHEAD and GOON can actually make you gag.

Back to scary, some of my faves include:

LEGION by Blatty

STINGER by McCammon (anything by Bob)

THE SPEAR and RATS by Herbert (anything by James)

My other fave Masterton's are FEAST, the MANITOU books, PREY, WALKERS, and SLEEPLESS.

THE TOTEM and CREEPERS by David Morrell.

My fave vampire book is VAMPIRE$ by John Steakley.

KOONTZ's best is still WATCHERS, King's is SALEM'S LOT and THE STAND. King and Masterton are also great short story writers.

Jeff Strand's PRESSURE is a real kick in the chops. So are DESERT PLACES and LOCKED DOORS by Blake Crouch.

I love F. Paul Wilson's stuff, but his scariest has to be THE KEEP or MIDNIGHT MASS.

Hard to find stuff: THE FLESH EATERS by LA Morse, FUNGUS and SLIMER by Harry Adam Knight, LET'S GO PLAY AT THE ADAMS by Mendal Johnson, HOGG by Samuel Delaney.

A warning on HOGG--you shouldn't read it. No one should. It's gag inducing like Ed Lee, but not tongue in cheek. It's really unforgettable.

If you like gross out stuff, try Wrath James White, JF Gonzalez, Bryan Smith, Monica J. O'Rourke, and Teri Jacobs.

DeSade's JUSTINE still packs a punch. That guy was nuts.

_--- edited. no self-promotion in the Book Corner, please..._


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## Patricia (Dec 30, 2008)

Joel Arnold said:



> For me, it was also King's Pet Semetary.


Me, too. My son was young at the time and it hit a nerve. Plus our power went out on a winter's night while I was reading it, and I had to continue by flashlight. I'll never forget it.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

It and Misery and Pet Cemetery by Stephen King. 

I gave my mother Misery years ago since she wanted to know why I kept reading King. She was so freaked out for a long time, she never touched another King every again  . Maybe I could have picked a better introduction  

Although I never really read a lot of Horror, other than King, I cannot and never will be able to read anything with eyeballs. I can't watch it either. Mess with eyeballs, and I turn green and go to my "special" place.


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## Pinworms (Oct 20, 2010)

R.L. Stine's Goosebump books, number 76.  That one was particularly frightening, with the monster and the parents not believing the kids.  Yup


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

I found _The Clockwork Orange_ very disturbing. But I think that's the point. I had to read it for a college class years ago.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

*I am Legend* by Richard Matheson. Unfortunately, it's not available as an ebook. By the way, the book is much better and much scarier than the movie version.

Try reading it at night while you're alone, then try to get to sleep!


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

I would say that Pet Semetary probably gave me the most chills of Steven Kings books. It's probably my third or fourth favorite of his, but it was the one that actually gave me the worst creeps.


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## bobdev (Dec 7, 2010)

Three way tie: Straub's Ghost Story, King's 'salem's Lot, and King's The Shining.


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## carl_h (Sep 8, 2010)

Jack Kilborn said:


> Thanks!


Oh, don't get me wrong Jack...I love your books! In fact, I'm currently engrossed in Draculas and have read all of your Jack Daniels series, Serial, and Trapped! Gory yes...but that's the point, isn't it?


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## velicion (Sep 22, 2010)

Shadows by Shaun Hutson was pretty sick.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

Stephen King's work by far has kept me up at night, which is funny because I really don't like horror movies but I have read and watched some of his movies. Go figure.

Also not really horror but Patricia Cromwell's work and some of Mary Higgins Clark's earlier work have both given me the creeps and made me want to sleep with the lights on.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Aravis60 said:


> I found _The Clockwork Orange_ very disturbing. But I think that's the point. I had to read it for a college class years ago.


If you ever want a weird experience (and this will only work if you haven't seen Stanley Kubrick's movie version of _A Clockwork Orange_) read the book before you watch the movie. The movie version is creepier than the book in my opinion, but it's particularly creepy if you read the book first, the reason being that the way Kubrick visualizes the book is so skewed and strange that it totally messes with your mind. Or at least it did mine. Kubrick follows the plotline almost exactly (with one major exception) but his visualization of the setting and characters deviated so much from the way that I had visualized them when I read the book that it gave me the creeps when I watched the movie. The book is fascinating--Burgess wrote half the words in this strange, sci-fi street slang, and it amazed me how fast I picked up the meanings of these made-up words from the context. Brilliant piece of writing.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

purplepen79 said:


> If you ever want a weird experience (and this will only work if you haven't seen Stanley Kubrick's movie version of _A Clockwork Orange_) read the book before you watch the movie. The movie version is creepier than the book in my opinion, but it's particularly creepy if you read the book first, the reason being that the way Kubrick visualizes the book is so skewed and strange that it totally messes with your mind. Or at least it did mine. Kubrick follows the plotline almost exactly (with one major exception) but his visualization of the setting and characters deviated so much from the way that I had visualized them when I read the book that it gave me the creeps when I watched the movie. The book is fascinating--Burgess wrote half the words in this strange, sci-fi street slang, and it amazed me how fast I picked up the meanings of these made-up words from the context. Brilliant piece of writing.


I thought Burgess' use of language was real horrorshow and I agree that I was amazed how quickly I picked it up.


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## yogini2 (Oct 27, 2008)

I'd have to agree with a few people that it would be Pet cemetery.  I stopped reading Stephen King for a decade or so because of it.  Hard to get happy after that one.


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## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

Misery for the description of what she does to his ankles. I can't think about it without my feet being in REALLY BIG PAIN. Like right now. *shudder* King's brain must be a scary freaking place.

It for making me get rid of my clown collection.

Coraline for making me seem like a really really good mom *laugh*

Dismember by our own Daniel Pyle for making me paranoid.


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

I am realizing how rarely horror stories horrify me. Here is the most recent intriguing horror that I've read:



King _fils_, of course.


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## MiniDave (Nov 30, 2010)

This is a great topic and I think I'd like to throw in my two cents.

I must admit I'm a limited reader, I'm so frugal I want to stick with authors I know I've enjoyed before. (I'm now looking into joining a book club to expand my horizons)  So most of the works I've read have been by either Stephen King, Michael Crichton, or Dean Koontz (Koontz probably being my favorite author).  

For me Dean Koontz Phantoms is a great read, there is a constant air of suspense.  (If you've seen the movie they left far too much out)

For Stephen King I've not read many of his "scary" books so I can't say which are the best.

Michael Crichton's book Prey was a creepy read.

However I'm most scared by things that can potentially happen.  Robin Cooks Vector is about neo nazis creating bioweapons that they want to release on a major city.  This one creeped me out because of how normal it all seemed.  Although to be fair I'm fairly certain I read this just a few months after 9/11.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Just want to say thanks to you all -- I'm making a good list of books to never read. 

(I really _really_ don't like being scared . . . . .)


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## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

MiniDave said:


> For me Dean Koontz Phantoms is a great read, there is a constant air of suspense. (If you've seen the movie they left far too much out)
> ...
> 
> However I'm most scared by things that can potentially happen. Robin Cooks Vector is about neo nazis creating bioweapons that they want to release on a major city. This one creeped me out because of how normal it all seemed. Although to be fair I'm fairly certain I read this just a few months after 9/11.


Phantoms is one of my favs of his. I agree very creepy and full of suspense.

I like Robin Cook and Toxin made me not eat fast food for a very, very long time. Blech.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Geoffrey said:


> I thought Burgess' use of language was real horrorshow and I agree that I was amazed how quickly I picked it up.


  Smeck, smeck, o my brothers. _A Clockwork Orange _ is pretty twisted. The odd words Burgess created make me want to laugh because they sound funny. But he's using these funny words to describe such awful acts that the reader is uncomfortably caught between laughter and horror. Kubrick definitely caught that element in the film--when I hear "Singing in the Rain" now, I cringe.


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

I can't think of the names of any books with this theme now, but I've read some about being buried alive.  The very thought of that keeps me awake at night.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

Big thumbs-up on _I Am Legend _ and _Pet Sematary_.

_The Andromeda Strain _ scared me as did _The Hot Zone. The Hot Zone _ moreso because it's not fiction.

_The Relic _ was much better than the movie (as was _I Am Legend_, three times).

I liked Dean Koontz's _Watchers_, too, but you pretty much have to love dogs!


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

I guess it comes to the difference between being scared and being horrified. The Shining is scary. And Stewart O'Nan's A Prayer for the Dying is horrifying. But Elie Weisel's autobiographical Night is more horrifying of all.

Scott Nicholson


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## AshMP (Dec 30, 2009)

There is a little known Chicago author, Gillian Flynn, who writes REALLY scary novels.

1. Sharp Objects
2. Dark Places

They are psychological thrillers.  Very little blood, guts and gore.  But you get that "bump in the night" feeling as you unravel the twists and turns are a serial killer or an unsolved life long mystery (respectively).  Both available on Kindle, both spine tingling.


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## Teinouji (Dec 13, 2010)

James Roy Daley said:


> The Girl Next Door - Jack Ketchum


I do enjoy Jack Ketchum, and this story is sick!


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## MiniDave (Nov 30, 2010)

Jan Strnad said:


> *I liked Dean Koontz's Watchers, too, but you pretty much have to love dogs!*


That is true of most of his works, the man loves dogs, golden retrievers in general.


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## Pinworms (Oct 20, 2010)

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> I can't think of the names of any books with this theme now, but I've read some about being buried alive. The very thought of that keeps me awake at night.


Hmm! I read alot of books/short stories about being buried alive, or being kept alive in deprivation/isolation. Those can get pretty horrifying I guess. I think the most horrifying stuff I read is about cannibalism. Not the "Alive" style where you are forced to eat for survival, but eating people for pleasure/sexual gratification. There is a surprising amount of literature on this subject.

For some reason, when I read things in books, I never get horrified enough to stop. Movies on the other hand, I can't make it through many horror films.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

Add my vote for Salem's Lot, by King.


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## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

MiniDave said:


> That is true of most of his works, the man loves dogs, golden retrievers in general.


That book is the reason I ended up with a Golden my Jr year in HS. I had him for 11 years. I actually wrote Koontz a letter after he passed telling him that because of that book I ended up with a Golden. I got a very nice letter back from him.


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## Manley (Nov 14, 2010)

This is starting to sound like a broken record, but I guess that shows how great he is... I'm talking about Stephen King, of course. But I choose Cujo for most horrifying. I read it many years ago, and the ending still haunts me.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

On a non-horror tip, American Psycho is pretty disturbing (if only for the musical taste of the main character...)

Horror-wise, I think some of Dan Simmons gives King a run for his money: Summer of Night, Carrion Comfort, Song of Kali.
Also the short stories of Ramsey Campbell.


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## Thayerphotos (Dec 19, 2010)

Stephen King's Cycle of the Werewolf, freaked me out as a young teen, partly due to Bernie Wrightson's *AMAZING* artwork, and partly due to the story itself.  This was the first "real" book I ever read and started me down the road of life long love of reading.

Other King books that freaked me out a bit, Pet Cemetery, IT, The Stand, and Cell

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris actually horrified me.

The Passage by Justin Cronin was intense and made vampires scary again.  No shiny skinned mopey angst ridden d bags here.


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

yogini2 said:


> I'd have to agree with a few people that it would be Pet cemetery. I stopped reading Stephen King for a decade or so because of it. Hard to get happy after that one.


when my dad and cousin saw this movie, my dad (who worked @ a federal prison) could not sleep that night b/c he was so scared and my cousin (who was in his 20s) slept w/ a rusty shotgun!


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## Glen Krisch (Dec 21, 2010)

The Road
The Girl Next Door
The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2010)

I have a pretty strong stomach and I don't read a lot of horror, but that one plastic surgery scene in Palanuik's Invisible Monsters got to me. Yuck!


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## Lambert (Nov 12, 2010)

*Salem's Lot* was a scary book to read as your imagination goes wild. The movie was really good too. My wife and her daughter *jumped *and almost hit the ceiling in that first scene that really showed the vampire. _What a pretty face_.

I really got a kick out of that.

Lambert


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## PhantomReader (Dec 26, 2010)

Not too many books frighten me, and I read a lot of psycho-serial killer books. The one that did was Hannibal. I had trouble sleeping for about a week. That's what I get for reading before bed!


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## kcmay (Jul 14, 2010)

I agree with Pet Cemetery by Stephen King. The book terrified me. 

Cujo was scary too, but for me, the book wasn't nearly as frightening as the movie. The movie was so scary, it made my knees literally knock. My husband and I had to sit in our seats for a few minutes after it was over and the lights were turned on, just to gather the strength to stand up.

My brother keeps telling me to read Endurance by Kilborn/Konrath. He says it scared the tar out of him. I plan to read it, but if it scared my brother that badly... I'm not sure I can handle it!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

In the fiction genre, it would have to be 'Salem's Lot, which I consider to be among the best books I have ever read. (Following that, I read King's Needful Things, which was pretty darned creepy, but not as scarynas 'Salem' Lot.)

In the true crime genre, it will proabably always be Ann Rule's book, The Stranger Beside Me, about Ted Bundy, who worked alongside Rule (and walked her to her car every evening when they worked together) in a Seattle crisis clinic where they worked the late shift manning a suicide hotline. The book was extremely horrifying because, in some respects, Bundy seemed like someone we all might have known in our lives.


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## Moi_Ici (Dec 27, 2010)

bordercollielady said:


> Salem's Lot
> 
> what's so funny is that I first read it 44 years ago.. couldn't sleep by myself.. and now I have it on my Kindle and can't get myself to reread it.. I'll eventually get brave enough.


Paperback - black cover, lone drop of red blood - no one was safe - crosses didn't work - finished at 3 in the morning & would NOT turn off the light. Funny? - not very!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Moi_Ici said:


> Paperback - black cover, lone drop of red blood - no one was safe - crosses didn't work - finished at 3 in the morning & would NOT turn off the light. Funny? - not very!


That's the way I was. I finished it about 2 a.m. I had to read it in the bathroom that had no windows, but then I couldn't even glance in the mirror on my way out of the room!


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

Hey, I remember that Salem's Lot cover! One drop of blood... 

My dad picked it out from his bookshelf when I was pestering him for something to read (I guess I was about 15). First Stephen King I ever read.


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## Dave Dykema (May 18, 2009)

That's the version I own! I love that book.


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## taufour (Dec 14, 2010)

I think Peter Straub's GHOSTSTORY has got to be up there somewhere; read this in broad daylight and still had trouble with sleeping that night. The film version was a joke; the book is terrifying. 
VJ WAKS


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

I think it's important to distinguish between horror and thriller, monsters (the supernatural kind) and serial killers, scary suspense and gore.  

Thomas Harris' "The Red Dragon" and Val McDermid's "The Mermaids Singing" scared the crap out of me.  They are both serial killer thrillers.


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## SidneyW (Aug 6, 2010)

King's Night Shift collection is pretty scary in toto with Graveyard Shift and some of the other chillers in there. Lansdale's The Night Runners is a tough one too then there's The Silence of the Lambs.


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## Figment (Oct 27, 2008)

taufour said:


> I think Peter Straub's GHOSTSTORY has got to be up there somewhere; read this in broad daylight and still had trouble with sleeping that night. The film version was a joke; the book is terrifying.
> VJ WAKS


I totally agree with this one. Pet Cemetary made me want to vomit, but Ghost Story (unfortunately no yet available for Kindle) TERRIFIED me!!!


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## davidhburton (Mar 11, 2010)

I was a huge King fan as a teenager. I read anything he put out. I suppose of what he wrote, Pet Semetary and The Dark Half were the creepiest of the bunch for me. That said, I had to stop reading Rose Madder - I couldn't deal with the domestic violence aspect. So for me, that one was the most horrifying.


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## LaFlamme (Dec 9, 2010)

There's a book called The Testament by David Morrell that's pretty horrific. It's not creatures crawling out of the sewer or dead kids with razors. It's more of a concept horror story. Hard to describe without giving away the crux of it. Survival cannibalism at its nastiest.
Gotta get my votes in for "Pet Sematary" and "The Pink Room," too.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

LaFlamme said:


> There's a book called The Testament by David Morrell that's pretty horrific. It's not creatures crawling out of the sewer or dead kids with razors. It's more of a concept horror story. Hard to describe without giving away the crux of it. Survival cannibalism at its nastiest.
> Gotta get my votes in for "Pet Sematary" and "The Pink Room," too.


Sounds good - another one onto the evergrowing list of books to read before I snuff it.

Re. Ghost Story I really liked it, but found the ending (the bit with the wasp on a beach) a bit weak...


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## kcmay (Jul 14, 2010)

LaFlamme said:


> There's a book called The Testament by David Morrell that's pretty horrific. It's not creatures crawling out of the sewer or dead kids with razors. It's more of a concept horror story. Hard to describe without giving away the crux of it. Survival cannibalism at its nastiest.
> Gotta get my votes in for "Pet Sematary" and "The Pink Room," too.


Testament sounds interesting, but there's no Kindle edition.


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

kcmay said:


> Testament sounds interesting, but there's no Kindle edition.


It might be coming. Someone could correct me, but I seem to recall that Morrell is doing a Kindle-only book.


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## SidneyW (Aug 6, 2010)

unknown2cherubim said:


> Someone could correct me, but I seem to recall that Morrell is doing a Kindle-only book.


I think it's The Naked Edge that's Kindle only.

Morrell's Creepers is a good scary story also, not, to me, outright horrifying but really good.

I have always heard good things about The Totem by Morrell but have never read it.


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## LaFlamme (Dec 9, 2010)

Sorry about that. I should have checked. I heard Morrell was all over the Kindle scene and assumed Testament would be up there.
And while I'm at it: The Legend of Hell House, Richard Matheson. It's been a few years, but I recall this one as among the scariest of them all. One of those books that seems to fill your room with darkness when you open it up.


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Italiahaircolor said:


> There is a little known Chicago author, Gillian Flynn, who writes REALLY scary novels.
> 
> 1. Sharp Objects
> 2. Dark Places
> ...


I read both of these. I liked them very much, though I found them more suspenseful than scary.


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## LaFlamme (Dec 9, 2010)

From my lips to a movie executive's ear – I mentioned The Legend of Hell house in this thread just yesterday, tonight it's on FMC. Funny because I hadn't thought of that book/movie in years.


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

The Shining gave me nightmares.  I've only read it once, that was enough.

Pet Sematary has the scariest last page of any book I've ever read.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> I can't think of the names of any books with this theme now, but I've read some about being buried alive. The very thought of that keeps me awake at night.


Yes! "The Premature Burial" scares the crap out of me!


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## Jasonmh (May 7, 2009)

carl_h said:


> Most definately "Salems Lot" .... I still get the heebee jeebees when I remember reading it while alone in a room with the windows open and the curtains billowing ....


Definitely. I am 37 and I still get creeped out when I read Salems Lot.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Jasonmh said:


> Definitely. I am 37 and I still get creeped out when I read Salems Lot.


So do I, but I still read it around Halloween every 2 or 3 years (NOT in front of a window or facing a mirror).


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## Lillybutton (Jan 3, 2011)

"The Road," by Cormac McCarthy.  Creepy, desperate, intriguing, stomach-turning, and downright depressing.  But man, can he write.  I had to do "happy" things for a week after I read it.


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## strawhatbrat (Aug 20, 2010)

Lillybutton said:


> "The Road," by Cormac McCarthy. Creepy, desperate, intriguing, stomach-turning, and downright depressing. But man, can he write. I had to do "happy" things for a week after I read it.


I agree. So sad.


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## Thayerphotos (Dec 19, 2010)

Lyndl said:


> Pet Sematary has the scariest last page of any book I've ever read.


This may be the truest statement in this thread,


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## Emmalita (Feb 24, 2009)

Anyone read



House of Leaves? This book really freaked me out for most of it. The ending was a little anticlimactic, but I there were times when I was afraid to turn pages throughout.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

Emmalita said:


> Anyone read
> 
> 
> 
> House of Leaves? This book really freaked me out for most of it. The ending was a little anticlimactic, but I there were times when I was afraid to turn pages throughout.


Hi,

House of Leaves is great, but I didn't find it massively scary in the true horror sense; it was a bit too tricksy for that (they're _good_ tricks, mind).


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

DYB said:


> I think it's important to distinguish between horror and thriller, monsters (the supernatural kind) and serial killers, scary suspense and gore.
> 
> Thomas Harris' "The Red Dragon" and Val McDermid's "The Mermaids Singing" scared the crap out of me. They are both serial killer thrillers.


I see your point, and maybe my mention of "The Stranger Beside Me" doesn't really fit most people's definition of "horrifying." At the tike that I read the bok, my daughters were in their pre-teen and early teen years, and I found it to be truly horrifying to think that someone as "normal" in appearance as Ted Bundy was so adept at luring young women into deadly situations. I had nightmares for a long time after reading the book.


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## Dee_DeTarsio (Oct 26, 2010)

You really can't go wrong with Stephen King...whether it's horror or suspense, he is the master! Check out his Full Dark, No Stars, which is four "short" stories (that actually seem like a gift of four amazing books!). Don't forget to read all the way to the end, where he explains how/where he got the ideas for the stories, genius!


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" to me is the pinnacle of true, creeping horror. I keep searching for anything that even comes close. Some of Stephen King's, particularly "The Shining" are good. In fact, I'd say my number one book is "The Haunting of Hill House" and a close second is "The Shining".

I love a good creepy horror story that doesn't devolve into a gore-fest. And I'm thrilled to see this thread as now I can pick through the other entries to see if I can find more books that fulfill my need for shivers.

BTW--hopefully this isn't inappropriate--but I'm such a fiend for creepy horror and ghost stories that on Jan 20th, my blog at http://amycorwin.blogspot.com will be asking authors of ghost stories to leave blurbs as comments. I'm hoping to find some new stories to buy, as well as offering other authors a place to get their ghost stories noticed.

So now I have this thread, plus anything I can winnow out of the comments on Jan 20, so I hope to be a happy Kindle camper very soon with a new crop of ghost stories to read!
Thanks!


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## libbyfh (Feb 11, 2010)

Pet Cemetary was really bad... but so was a book by Deen Koontz (an early-ish book) about computers melding physically with man. I still get chills about that one. Anyone remember the title?


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## Lisa M. (Jun 15, 2010)

Thayerphotos said:


> Lyndl said:
> 
> 
> > The Shining gave me nightmares. I've only read it once, that was enough.
> ...


O.M.G. So true!! I read that book when it came out, and could never pick it up again! And I know exactly what you are talking about.

*"Darling."*

*shudder* *shudder* *shudder* *shudder* *shudder*


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## Iwritelotsofbooks (Nov 17, 2010)

I read King's "Salem's Lot" in the midlde of a sunny day in Palm Springs by a pool with dozens of people around and still got freaked out.  Have never read a scary book since.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

Amy Corwin said:


> Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" to me is the pinnacle of true, creeping horror. I keep searching for anything that even comes close.


Amy, I agree 'The Haunting of Hill House' is brillant; funnily enough yesterday I found a new (to me) Shirley Jackson import in the local bookshop - her books aren't all available here in the UK, either on paper or electronically. So I'm looking forward to starting that - it seems to be a bit of a mismash of stories, a half finished novel, and some essays.

A haunted house story that reminded me somewhat of 'Hill House' is 'The House Next Door' by Anne River Siddons. I don't think she normally writes horror, and this one is as much about the psychological effects - there is really a haunting as such. But it's great and very creepy in places.


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

James Everington said:


> A haunted house story that reminded me somewhat of 'Hill House' is 'The House Next Door' by Anne River Siddons. I don't think she normally writes horror, and this one is as much about the psychological effects - there is really a haunting as such. But it's great and very creepy in places.


Thank you! I'll have to pick up "The House Next Door". I haven't read that and it sounds like one I'd enjoy.
Thanks so much for the recommendation!


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

Pet Semetery for sure.


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## marshacanham (Jul 30, 2010)

Easy answer. Salem's Lot.  I read that sucker 30 years ago and it still sticks out in my mind.  I remember reading it while my husband was away on a business trip, and for 5 nights afterward, I left all the house lights on. Every room.  

Coming in second was Coma, Robin Cook...read that puppy a week before I went in for knee surgery, Duh. *snort*

M


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

marshacanham said:


> Easy answer. Salem's Lot. I read that sucker 30 years ago and it still sticks out in my mind. I remember reading it while my husband was away on a business trip, and for 5 nights afterward, I left all the house lights on. Every room.
> 
> Coming in second was Coma, Robin Cook...read that puppy a week before I went in for knee surgery, Duh. *snort*
> 
> M


I'm with you on 'Salem's Lot. Great book. He paints such vivid pictures that I could have sworn I felt cobwebs and smelled the mustiness of the basement. Scared me, but I still read it every couple of years.

Coma before knee surgery You're a much braver soul than I would be.


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## Sean Cunningham (Jan 11, 2011)

Use of Weapons by Iain M Banks horrified me to my toenails. It remains the only Culture novel I've never re-read.

I have to admit, if I ever read a book with a buried-alive scene in it, that will probably step up to first place.


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## Thayerphotos (Dec 19, 2010)

I've noticed Stephen King's name mentioned a lot in this thread, so I'd like to recommend Joe Hill's novels.

Heart Shaped Box was a lot of fun to read,creepy nasty ghost story that it was.

And I'm 2/3rds of the way through Horns and loving every word.

The apple didn't fall far from that tree


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## VivianMarie (Jan 9, 2011)

Okay, this one isn't really in the same vein as everyone else's, but a LONG time ago R.L. Stine wrote a series called Fear Street. In one of them, I think it was the trilogy he wrote ending the series, there is a scene where this guy's hand gets caught in the garbage disposal and when he pulls it out...

Well, R.L. Stine wrote the description in detail--I'll let you imagine it for yourself. I read that about 15 years ago, and I still can't be around a garbage disposal without checking and rechecking to make sure it's off (seriously!). And I can count on one hand the number of times I've put my hand into a garbage disposal since then.


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## Oh2Read (Jan 10, 2011)

libbyfh said:


> Pet Cemetary was really bad... but so was a book by Deen Koontz (an early-ish book) about computers melding physically with man. I still get chills about that one. Anyone remember the title?


I'm thinking you're thinking of "A Werewolf Among Us"..a PI that melds with a computer is the main character.

For myself, straight horror would have to go to "It" and "Pet Semetary", from a psychological standpoint.. "The Shining" also "Icebound" and "From the Corner of His Eye" by Koontz. I love both authors, hard for me to pick! I feel almost guilty not mentioning "The Stand" or "Black House" (Sequel to The Talisman..Straub & King..wish they'd do more!).


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## lonestar (Feb 9, 2010)

Rosemary's Baby


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## Midnight Writer (Jan 4, 2011)

Wow, Pet Sematary is high on the list for many. It's at the top of my list, too. A parent's worst nightmare. I think most of us would make the same choice even knowing it probably wouldn't end well.

Lanette


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## Thayerphotos (Dec 19, 2010)

VivianMarie said:


> Okay, this one isn't really in the same vein as everyone else's, but a LONG time ago R.L. Stine wrote a series called Fear Street. In one of them, I think it was the trilogy he wrote ending the series, there is a scene where this guy's hand gets caught in the garbage disposal and when he pulls it out...
> 
> Well, R.L. Stine wrote the description in detail--I'll let you imagine it for yourself. I read that about 15 years ago, and I still can't be around a garbage disposal without checking and rechecking to make sure it's off (seriously!). And I can count on one hand the number of times I've put my hand into a garbage disposal since then.


I had something similar happen, I read the novelization of Friday the 13th part 6 and there was a scene in the book (that was not in the movie) where a young Jason Vorhees telepathically makes a school bully stickhis hand in a garbage disposal and turn it on. There a lot of times when I use garbage disposals now and I often flash back to that scene .


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## readforlife (Nov 11, 2010)

These are four that have "stayed" with me for quite a while after I finished reading them.  

Misery  by Stephen King,  (the hobbling scene got to me)
Heart-Shaped Box  by Joe Hill
Afraid  by JA Konrath  
Vicious  by Brandon Massey


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## William Meikle (Apr 19, 2010)

gregruns said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> I'm a big fan of horror. Can you please tell me and recommend to me the most horrifying, don't turn off the lights, disturbing book you've ever read? Thanks!


Hands down it has to be Naiomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe. In over forty years of reading horror this is the one that gave me the heebie jeebies and made me keep the lights on. A terrifying ghost story about the loss of a child.


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## pianoforte (Sep 13, 2010)

williemeikle said:


> Hands down it has to be Naiomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe. In over forty years of reading horror this is the one that gave me the heebie jeebies and made me keep the lights on. A terrifying ghost story about the loss of a child.


shame it's out of print and not available on kindle.


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## Jimbo72 (Dec 31, 2010)

Well Salem's Lot is on my list, my mom read it and watched the Movie and it freaked her out, so I think it would be fun.

There was a book I read awhile ago Named Shattered by Dean Koontz.  That book scared the hell out of me, I have a fear of this actually happening to myself.

James


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Jimbo72 said:


> Well Salem's Lot is on my list, my mom read it and watched the Movie and it freaked her out, so I think it would be fun.
> 
> There was a book I read awhile ago Named Shattered by Dean Koontz. That book scared the hell out of me, I have a fear of this actually happening to myself.
> 
> James


'Salem's Lot is fantastic, Jimbo. You'll probably never forget it.


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## Jimbo72 (Dec 31, 2010)

Thanks Cindy!
Downloaded and started it already.  So far so good.  When I was a kid we lived in Maine(Military brat) so this should be fun.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Jimbo72 said:


> Thanks Cindy!
> Downloaded and started it already. So far so good. When I was a kid we lived in Maine(Military brat) so this should be fun.


That should give you an added dimension to your reading experience. Fasten your seatbelt. It's going to be quite a ride! Can't wait to hear what you think of the book.


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## ReneAZ (Jan 1, 2011)

First thing that always comes to mind when this topic comes up is -- *The Amityville Horror*! 
I remember reading it before I went to bed, and not being able to look in the bathroom mirror, I was so freaked. 
No other book ever made me feel like that! I've read all of King's (early) books, and none  made me feel that way.
I will always remember that feeling! Pretty scary.


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## Dave Dykema (May 18, 2009)

_Amityville Horror_ came out at while I was in junior high and everyone was reading it. It did cause me some sleepless nights.

The time 3:15 a.m. still sticks with me. If I wake up and it's on the alarm clock I always either look around the room first before closing my eyes or smile at the humor of it, depending on my mood.

One scene that creeped me out back then, though it seems rather absurd now, is when they hear a marching band tromping around. I used to envision them coming up the stairs to my bedroom and it would freak me out.


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## Thayerphotos (Dec 19, 2010)

Wow, reading this thread makes me think I might be the only Stephen King fan who HASNT reand Salem's Lot.  May have to amend that this year, anyone know where I can get a copy ?


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## K.Reid (Jan 14, 2011)

I do love Stephen King but a book that gave me the willies was Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. Very popular story...freaked me out that a mom would lock her kids in an attic for almost 2 years just so she could regain her inheritance. The grandmother was psychotic too. I'm a tad bit claustrophobic too so the idea of not being able to go outside for years gives me the shivers.


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## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

_The Exorcist_ -- hands down.

I'm a religious person so anything with Satan, or the "devil," has a very realistic and personal meaning to me -- because I believe he exists. Even though I'm not a Catholic, The Exorcist dealt with religion and the devil and I feel there's a strong connection between the two and reading the book spooked me for months afterward.

Salem's Lot spooked me a bit while reading it but I can't get into vampires or zombies.


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Mask of the Red Death" scared me almost to death when I was 8. Many nights I was sitting in my bed for hours unable to sleep, staring at the glass door, imaging I could see a red shadow moving behind it, faceless and horrifying... And you know, I haven't read it since.


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

I've a competitor.

I'm in the middle of:



Everybody's tastes differ but I'm genuinely creeped out by the book. First one in a long time and I read it with a fair amount of feeling horror. I see he's being compared to Stephen King. He's not, his writing is more flowery, but he's got the scares and solid plotting down pat. I love this book. Here is my review.

_ETA: never read your old posts over again because you might see grievous English usage mistakes. 
_


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

anguabell said:


> Edgar Allan Poe's "The Mask of the Red Death" scared me almost to death when I was 8. Many nights I was sitting in my bed for hours unable to sleep, staring at the glass door, imaging I could see a red shadow moving behind it, faceless and horrifying... And you know, I haven't read it since.


I know what you mean. I read every Poe tale and poem that I could get my hands on when I was young, and many were terrifying. (Love "Annabelle Lee" and "The Raven," and wasn't terrified by them, of course.)


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## JimJ (Mar 3, 2009)

Thayerphotos said:


> Wow, reading this thread makes me think I might be the only Stephen King fan who HASNT reand Salem's Lot. May have to amend that this year, anyone know where I can get a copy ?


I'm a huge King fan and still haven't gotten around to reading that one. Seeing all the praise for it I think I'll be reading it soon. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever read Pet Semetary either, though I have the seen the movie.

The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum is probably the book that's effected me the most, though I don't know if "horrified" is the right word. Really disturbing and the fact that it's loosely based on a true story makes it worse.


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## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

Thayerphotos said:


> Wow, reading this thread makes me think I might be the only Stephen King fan who HASNT reand Salem's Lot. May have to amend that this year, anyone know where I can get a copy ?


TO be honest I didn't find it all that scary nor did I like it very much. *shrug*


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Labrynth said:


> TO be honest I didn't find it all that scary nor did I like it very much. *shrug*


Really? I think it's one of the best books I've read. To each his own.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Labrynth said:


> TO be honest I didn't find it all that scary nor did I like it very much. *shrug*


I really need to get up my nerve to reread it. Its sitting on my Kindle staring at me. Maybe after 36 yrs it won't scare me so much - but I have a feeling it will.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

bordercollielady said:


> I really need to get up my nerve to reread it. Its sitting on my Kindle staring at me. Maybe after 36 yrs it won't scare me so much - but I have a feeling it will.


I think that the reason I consider the book to be so scary is that King's descriptions are extremely vivid. I could almost feel the cobwebs in the basement and smell the mustiness, all the while never knowing who or what was going to turn up suddenly. Maybe I found it so scary (in a horrifying but good way) because it was near Halloween, I was in my living room with windows lining the east wall, and was in the mood to be creeped out. For whatever reason, I loved (and still do) 'Salem's Lot. I don't care for most of King's other books, as they're too demented/weird for me, but 'Salem's Lot is the one that I consider to be a gem. I prefer his earlier works to the later ones that I've read. (I have to confess that I haven't read all of the later ones.)


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## spidermanfan (Dec 28, 2010)

Anything about Sarah Palin.


On a more serious note Salem's Lot.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Cindy416 said:


> I think that the reason I consider the book to be so scary is that King's descriptions are extremely vivid. I could almost feel the cobwebs in the basement and smell the mustiness, all the while never knowing who or what was going to turn up suddenly. Maybe I found it so scary (in a horrifying but good way) because it was near Halloween, I was in my living room with windows lining the east wall, and was in the mood to be creeped out. For whatever reason, I loved (and still do) 'Salem's Lot. I don't care for most of King's other books, as they're too demented/weird for me, but 'Salem's Lot is the one that I consider to be a gem. I prefer his earlier works to the later ones that I've read. (I have to confess that I haven't read all of the later ones.)


I am not sure (maybe I don't remember) why it scared me so much. I have read many of King's novels and none of them made that much of an impression. What I remember is having to sleep with the light on for quite awhile after I read it. Then I saw the movie which was a real let down. The book is so much better. I really plan to reread it this year.. really.. lol..


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

bordercollielady said:


> I am not sure (maybe I don't remember) why it scared me so much. I have read many of King's novels and none of them made that much of an impression. What I remember is having to sleep with the light on for quite awhile after I read it. Then I saw the movie which was a real let down. The book is so much better. I really plan to reread it this year.. really.. lol..


Your attitude toward Stephen King sounds much like mine. I agree with you about the movie. I expected it to be really good, but the book was so good that the movie seemed even cheesier than it would have had I not read the book.


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## K.C. Neal (Jan 5, 2011)

'Salem's Lot (Stephen King) scared the poo out of me when I was a teenager, and it remains at the top of my scariest reads list!


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Cindy416 said:


> Your attitude toward Stephen King sounds much like mine. I agree with you about the movie. I expected it to be really good, but the book was so good that the movie seemed even cheesier than it would have had I not read the book.


Ok - just finished Vince Flynn's Pursuit of Honor (I took two vacation days from work) - and I'm going to reread Salem's Lot. Its time and I'm really curious what it was that bothered me so much. Will report back in later!


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## melissalwebb (Dec 20, 2010)

It would have to be *It* by Stephen King. I've always had a thing about clowns. Also, I just finished *What The Night Knows* by Dean Koontz. I'd have to say it was pretty creepy.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I read _IT_ probably 10x my 9th grade year.. I loved the whole story.


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## Kelly Haven (Jan 20, 2011)

On the gore side, Jack Ketchum's Off Season made me want to vomit a few times, and on the fright side, I'd say The Exorcist is by far one of the scariest I've ever read.


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## Patrick Skelton (Jan 7, 2011)

American Psycho by Brett Ellis was horrible in every sense of the word....


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

I swear somebody here recommended Naomi's Room but I couldn't find it when I searched.  I've just got it, a cheap paperback through Inter-Library Loan so I'll see if it is really horrifying.


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## crash86 (Oct 8, 2010)

James Everington said:


> Hey, I remember that Salem's Lot cover! One drop of blood...
> 
> My dad picked it out from his bookshelf when I was pestering him for something to read (I guess I was about 15). First Stephen King I ever read.


Got the same copy, it was my mothers and I read it when I was 10! I got lucky that I got Stephen King to sign that battered old copy for me, a prized possession!


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