Five most scary books of all time?

[Rosewin]

So, books now?

I am not that well read in the horror genre. The scariest book moment for me thus far was reading the first book in the Wheel of Time fantasy series. When the Trollocs were attacking Rand's farmhouse. I was working alone in the middle of the night in a building with lots of glass. I kept looking at the windows and doors kinda scared the Trollocs were going to get me.

Not many other scary moments in that series though.

[UltraThunderMan]

You scare easily huh? The only book that ever unnerved me was the Exorcist, but I've never been scared by any of em. If you want a feeling of dread and foreboding, I suggest reading Algernon Blackwood. The Wendigo and The Willows grab you the entire way through, especially the latter.

[Rosewin]

Amazon has that book for seven USD so shall get it soon.

I do not scare that easily though

[Stormcrow]

I can't think of a book that actually scared me... There were a few that had a few gross-out moments, but I was never left like. Scared. I wish I could find a book that did. Stephen King's movies scare the living daylights out of me, but I've been through a few of his books and didn't feel the same way. Couldn't make it half an hour into The Shining, but I finished the book in a little under a week. So I dunno. I was told not to read Pet Sematary because it would scare me, but so far I'm not getting anything out of it either. x(

[Rosewin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6GzVCYqoyY

[AlternateRealm]

So, books now?

I am not that well read in the horror genre. The scariest book moment for me thus far was reading the first book in the Wheel of Time fantasy series. When the Trollocs were attacking Rand's farmhouse. I was working alone in the middle of the night in a building with lots of glass. I kept looking at the windows and doors kinda scared the Trollocs were going to get me.

Not many other scary moments in that series though.

First let me say that your decision to start reading The Wheel of Time series is.. for lack of a better word.... brilliant!!!! Such a fabulous series!

next, some books that have scared me aren't in the horror genre but are actually in the psychological thriller genre. First let me say that if you like being scared pick up the collection of stories HP Lovecraft wrote at barnes and noble, its 10 bucks. If you don't know who HP Lovecraft is, he is the creator of american macabre stories, and must be read. Steven King and others alike were heavily influenced by HP Lovecraft's work.

Now for books I would have to say my top 2 would be, Duma Key by Stephen King; One of his latest books, if you know him he is a very honorable writer with very twisted stories and Duma Key does not dissapoint. If you knew about Stephen King's car accident, it changed his writing for a short period of time but this book feels like his masterpieces like, The stand and Carrie. It's about a guy who got into a horrible construction accident, traumatized as he was, psychological problems present, he moves to an island off of Florida to recrouperate only to find out that this was more than he bargained for. Frenzied Chaos turns to Insanity and back again.

The Stand by Stephen King.. if you haven't read this, please do! It is arguably one of the best thriller books this past century.

[Wookietim]

So, books now?

I am not that well read in the horror genre. The scariest book moment for me thus far was reading the first book in the Wheel of Time fantasy series. When the Trollocs were attacking Rand's farmhouse. I was working alone in the middle of the night in a building with lots of glass. I kept looking at the windows and doors kinda scared the Trollocs were going to get me.

Not many other scary moments in that series though.

There are scenes in Stephen Kings "Cell" that actually disturbed me and left a mildly creepy feeling in my gut...

[...:::*ArorA*:::...]

The Goosebumps series!!!

This must have been like 15-20 years ago I reckon.

I use to get scared reading them!!

I think the most scariest were the headless ghost and the ghost next door……

aahahahah

[Funky Poacher]

Hounds of the Tindalos. And someone mentioned King's 'Cell' which had its moments.

[Snork]

I'm so lame for admitting this....

But Amityville Horror 2 freaked me out. I read it when I was in high school, and I remember being so scared of it I had to lock it in my cupboard for two weeks before I could bring it out again to read.

I'm pretty sure if I read it now it would be really lame!

[Mallet]

1. Dracula - Bram Stoker

2. The Shining - Stephen King

3. The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

4. Conjure Wife - Fritz Leiber

5. The House Next Door - Anne Rivers Siddons

or Hell House - Richard Matheson

or The Elementals - Michael McDowell

or Cold Moon Over Babylon - Michael McDowell

or The Other - Thomas Tryon

or Harvest Home - Thomas Tryon

or Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Jack Finney

or Burnt Offerings - Robert Marasco

or Salem's Lot - Stephen King

or IT - Stephen King

or Cujo - Stephen King

That fifth choice was really difficult. Pfssh!

[Mallet]

Nonfiction: The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

[msmike1]

I am a big Stephen King fan, and while entertaining, none really scared me. I guess the reason for this is the fact that I know they are purely fiction. I also read a lot of true crime books specifically relating to serial killers, and the such. That is whats scary. To know people like that reall walk this earth and to read about their horrific acts. I don't really know why I do it, other than to try and understand what makes someone like that.

Mike

[joanmak]

The Rising by Brian Keene is a good one, Trip Ellington's Zombie University, and The Walking Dead by Kirkman, of course.

[StarMountainKid]

"The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge", by Carlos Castaneda. Very scarey. After I read that one I didn't want to read any of the other books he'd written.

[Abramelin]

"The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge", by Carlos Castaneda. Very scarey. After I read that one I didn't want to read any of the other books he'd written.

Cool. Up to a week or so ago, I had a website all about Castaneda and his books. I have closed it now, after 6 years.

You should read "A Separate Reality": that was the first book I read from Castaneda, and I found it hilarious.

[Wookietim]

So, books now?

I am not that well read in the horror genre. The scariest book moment for me thus far was reading the first book in the Wheel of Time fantasy series. When the Trollocs were attacking Rand's farmhouse. I was working alone in the middle of the night in a building with lots of glass. I kept looking at the windows and doors kinda scared the Trollocs were going to get me.

Not many other scary moments in that series though.

I can only think of two...

The first is "The Mothman Prophecies" by John Keel. Just something about the testimony of the witnesses in that book unnerved me. Maybe not actually frightened me, but unnerved me.

The only other was one scene in "Cell" by Stephen King. There is one scene where the protagonists are in a house and wake up to find the whatever-they-are's just standing at every window and looking in at them silently... Just an eerie image that stuck in my head.

[+ouija ouija]

The last work of fiction that scared me was 'A Clockwork Orange' which I read when I was in my early teens. These days it's fact that frightens me. So in order of their shock/scare value for me:

1)(most shocking) 'Behold a Pale Horse' by William Cooper. A lot of it is not of interest to me, but the first chapter 'Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars' should be read by everybody over the age of 16 ....... seriously.

2) 'The Shock Doctrine' by Naomi Klein/'Free to be Human' by David Edwards, which are roughly on similar lines and expanding on #1

3) 'Not on the Label(what really goes into the food on your plate)' by Felicity Lawrence .... self-explanatory.

4) 'Vaccination, Social Violence and Criminality - the medical assault on the American brain' by Harris L. Coulter ...... again, self-explanatory.

5) '500 Nations - an illustrated history of North American Indians' by Alvin M. Josephy, jr'. This book has a lot of interesting and good stuff in it too ........ but the scary bits .........

[little_dreamer]

"Hostage to the Devil" - written by a former priest about exorcism cases. I'm not sure how much the author dramatized things, but it's not for the faint of heart. Plenty of objectionable content.

"Alone with the Devil: Famous cases of a courtroom psychiatrist" - It's a book about real murderers. Interviews and case studies. But really, any true crime book scares me so I had to stop reading them.

A book I read about ghosts as a kid. I don't know the title, but it had the Tulip staircase ghost photo on it.

It's a miracle I can sleep at all.

[StarMountainKid]

I forgot to mention "1984" by George Orwell.