Scary Books

[Susan]

Neville - i've never read Clive Barker (tho I like many of his films), are they worth the time?

Ash - I read 1408 this evening, very good one indeed. I almost wished I had read that when I went out of town and stayed in a hotel this christmas, just for the sake of atmosphere and all. Of course the idea of a haunted hotel room never crossed my mind while I stayed in one...the more haunting thing as I lay there under the covers in the dark is...just how many people used this room as their own personal bordello?

>>"The Boogeyman" is the goddamned scariest thing I've ever read in my life.<<

Glad to see another Boogyman fan in the house! Never saw the film, tho can't imagine it being as scary as my own imagination. I like authors who aren't afraid to tap into childhood fears...because as adults we often like to think that we have put those fears to bed. But in all actuality, how many of us could lay in bed in the dark, childhood fears fresh on our mind, and with confidence...slowly hang your leg off the side of the bed outside the safety of the covers? Or dangle your hand while reaching under the bed? There is that odd irrational thought....what if something reached back?



Post Edited (12-29-03 00:29)

[JohnL]

Add another vote for Ghost Story, and I'm not a Peter Straub fanatic. In fact, I've only read two of his books, this and Shadowland. You might also like Ghost House and Ghost House Revenge by Clare McNally. I'd also like to recommend a collection of classic short stories called Tales  to Tremble By, although I'm not sure where you can find a copy. A search only turned up three sites. There's some info here;

Tales to Tremble By

[Neville]

Susan wrote: "Neville - i've never read Clive Barker (tho I like many of his films), are they worth the time?"

Absolutely, specially his short tales. I think they are collected in several paperback volumes called "The books of blood". His long novels are good as well, but they tend to drag a little bit and  many are not exactly horror. If you want to read a long novel by Barker, I'd suggest "Coldheart Canyon", it may be his more balanced book. About the short tales, they rock, as simple as that. It seems to me that he wrote every single one of them with the purpose of shocking the readers. They are filled with blood, sex and wicked humour, and are also wildly imaginative. My highest recommendation.

Oh, and add my vote to Peter Straub's "Ghost story" as well.

[Grumpy Guy]

Out of King's work, The Shining springs to mind.  The book creeped me out badly.  The Boogyman and 1408 are also incredible.  I had to sleep with the lgiths on after Boogyman.  *shiver*

As a rule, books don't scare me, and I couldn't tell you why.  HP Lovecraft never scared me, although I usually enjoy his stuff just for his incredible mastery of the English language (there I go again...).  Same goes for Poe.  His words are beautiful, but his tales just don't scare me.

In any case, Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves is a strange, magnificent, and, ultimately, terrifying book.  House of Leaves.  Read it, if you haven't already.  It is nothing short of incredible, and it'll make you start measuring the rooms of your house.

BTW, you won't usually hear this kind of crap from me, but make sure you get the most expensive edition of the book you can lay your hands on.  There are little details and extra bits in the better editions.  For example, unless you get at least the two-color version, you'll miss out on the fact that the word "house" appears in blue everwhere it comes up in the book.  Weird, I know, but it's creepy as hell.  I promise you'll love it.

[Susan]

>>As a rule, books don't scare me, and I couldn't tell you why. HP Lovecraft never scared me, although I usually enjoy his stuff just for his incredible mastery of the English language <<

I think largely in part because alot of the tales told in "horror" books are beyond beleivable and don't put the reader in a position where they could imagine it happening to them. And few authors are probably afraid to tap into the primal fears that are associated wtih childhood because maybe it isn't sophisticated enough for the literary world. But I swear to god if someone wrote a book for adults about the dark, a thing that only appears when the lights switch out...that when you walk down a black corridore with one hand on the wall for guidance that you might..just might bump into it - i would be scared out of my wits! And perhaps they could write a passage daring the reader to put down the book a moment and test their bravery, before reading on they must at some point after midnight switch off their lights and walk about their home, reaching in closets and under beds and before passing by that bathroom, stand in the dark and recite bloody mary, i have your baby - or some such childhood rhyme. Perhaps instead of having one single character it could simply be a story about..urban legends or myseterious things that happened to people...in the dark, alone..or some such thing. Write a book with the sole intention of putting the reader at unease, of making them the central storyline of the book

WRiters are probably afraid of not being taken seriously with topics like above, or that they might be shelved in the children's section. But you know there is a popup book for adults with phobias that was popular, humerous albiet. I'll look up House of Leaves on amazon and read more about it ;-)



Post Edited (12-29-03 12:03)

[raj]

Never really been scared by anything I've read-- haven't read any King though.  I have gotten a bit creeped out by some Lovecraft, Poe, and Roald Dahl's "Tales of the Unexpected."

[George]

My wife swears by "The Yellow Wallpaper" as one of the scariest books she has ever read.  I personally haven't read it.

[The Burgomaster]

I think the following books are all pretty scary:

THE EXORCIST

SALEMS LOT

ROSEMARY'S BABY

THE SENTINEL (a very scary book made into a very silly movie)

[Susan]

>>THE EXORCIST<<

Do you think having seen the movie a million times might hinder the book's effectiveness in the scare dept? ;-)

I really should read it. Horror movies have an odd story in my family. My mother saw Rosemary's baby while pregnant with my brother and fell on her stomach that evening. (luckily he wasn't born with any problems except he's the devil's child).

Years later she read the book and saw the exorcist movie while pregnant with me. Something I noticed recently is a scene in Rosemary's baby where Rosemary is lying in bed pondering girls' names and she whispered "Susan...suuusaaan"

I'm sure my mother will swear up and down it's coincidence ;-)

[Jayson]

I have read alot of books-here are some that creeped me out (I also highly recommend these books if you can find them!)

1. The Skull...Shaun Hutson
2. Darkfall...Dean Koontz
3. Spawn of Hell...William Schoell
4. The Slugs..Shaun Hutson (Extremely graphic!!)

[Ash]

I too have read Darkfall by Koontz and it was pretty good.

That's the one about the voodoo witch doctor who conjures small demons from hell to take out his enemies....namely the main character and his kids.
The part where the little girl goes down into the school basement and the lights go out...leaving her in a black room filled with many sets of glowing eyes was truly creepy!

The only thing I didn't like about it was the sex scene....it was totally unnecessary spouting phrases like "When he finally spurted inside her velvety recesses" and other crap.  Ugh!
I haven't read that book in over a year and I still remember that ridiculous quote!  Probably because it was so bad.

Other than that, it was a good read.



Post Edited (12-29-03 17:59)

[JohnL]

>But I swear to god if someone wrote a book for adults about the dark,

In Tales to Tremble By, there's a story about a guy on an old-time passenger ship, who suspects that there's something strange with the passenger in the lower berth. He can hear them, but it's too dark to see. I believe at one point he reaches into the lower berth and encounters something cold, wet and clammy.