10-03-2011, 09:56 AM | #1 |
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Halloween's Chill-Thrill Horrorfest Recommendation List! (2012)
I love to read scary books and with Halloween coming soon, this seems like a good time to have a healthy reading list of delightfully wicked and evil stories and novels to dig into when alone in a graveyard.
I'd like to start off by recommending P. S. Gifford's collections of short stories. (I bought mine from Fictionwise.) Many of his stories are very O'Henryesqe, in that many have a surprise, startling ending. Obviously, some are more memorable than others. He uses a corny framing device (like an old-time radio show), of introducing each story utilizing an imaginary character which some readers may find intrusive, but which I find hilariously demented and corny - which I feel is the whole purpose. The stories are deliciously wicked, and I love his writing. So.....what are your suggestions? Last edited by Dr. Drib; 10-04-2012 at 03:42 PM. |
10-03-2011, 10:29 AM | #2 |
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My Halloween go to book has always been H. P. Lovecraft's collection. His stories are not really the scariest, most of the time I laugh more than get scared... but there's just something about his writing and stories that always pulls me in.
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10-03-2011, 02:58 PM | #3 |
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I must say, Burial to Follow by Scott Nicholson. I re-read it a couple of weeks ago, and I still get goosebumps when I think about it.
I plan to pick up a bunch of horror short stories in Swedish that a publisher have started to sell for 1.99. ( Unfortunately, they list the reading time instead of wordcount. I had to look at Fictionwise to get an idea of how long the stories were. ) |
10-03-2011, 03:12 PM | #4 |
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There are 2 books I want to read this Halloween
1. The Excorcist - William Peter Blatty http://www.amazon.com/Exorcist-40th-...7668976&sr=1-2 The 40th anniversary edition is being released tomorrow. I've never read the book but I've watched that movie every halloween since I was 12. Scares the crap out of me, I love halloween! 2. Hell House - William Peter Blatty http://www.amazon.com/Hell-House-ebo...=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC |
10-03-2011, 05:00 PM | #5 |
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Definitely The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson.
Also Psycho by Robert Bloch and Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. |
10-03-2011, 05:32 PM | #6 |
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since Blatty was mentioned i'll add Legion (sequel to The Exorcist), one of the scariest and most creepy books i've ever read.
i'd also put Sparrow Rock by Nate Kenyon on the list. its about a group of survivors trapped in a bomb shelter and stalked by mutant insects after a nuclear war. its depressing, scary as hell and has a great ending. |
10-03-2011, 06:24 PM | #7 |
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I didn't find The Haunting of Hill House to be remotely scary.
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10-03-2011, 06:48 PM | #8 |
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Too bad we could not have had this thread before the October book club's nominations/vote. The book that won is not really scary. It's odd and slightly creepy (not that much).
I've got Rosemary's Baby on reserve at the library. I plan on reading it. I'm hoping it will be scary enough to satisfy. |
10-03-2011, 07:16 PM | #9 |
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Oh THANK YOU for this thread!! I just bought The Exorcist & Legion from the Sony Store. Squee!!
I really loved the Haunting of Hill House. When I was a kid the movie scared the living bejeepers out of me. I watched it recently and the hubby just laughed. It doesn't have the same effect as watching it as a 13 year old, in a big house, in the dark (alone hehehe), at 2am as watching it on a bright sunny Sunday afternoon. Nope. Not the same thing at all. LOL I enjoyed Rosemary's Baby. I don't know if I'd call it scary. I found myself watching the movie as I was reading it. It was one of the first books I read that the movie followed almost exactly. I was quite impressed. It's creepy & a good read but I don't know if I'd say scary. I'm such a Halloween geek I got married on Halloween. In a black dress of course. White was not allowed! |
10-03-2011, 10:31 PM | #10 |
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The Ones That Got Away by Stephen Graham Jones
20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill Phenomenal collections from current authors. |
10-03-2011, 10:37 PM | #11 | |
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Quote:
the film version of Legion is highly underrated as well. theres a scene in there that startled me so badly that i had to stop the movie and go have a cigarette until i calmed down. and i'm a pretty seasoned horror fan so thats saying something. it usually appears in the horror film bins at walmart and target this time of year, usually for $5 or under and its definitely worth watching. Last edited by xg4bx; 10-03-2011 at 10:41 PM. |
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10-04-2011, 10:09 AM | #12 |
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Ghost Story by Peter Straub
*Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (Stephen King's son) *Rudyard Kipling's Tales of Horror and Fantasy edited by Stephen Jones Books with a Halloween setting: A Night In the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury *Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie The October Game by Ray Bradbury (short story) *The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving *Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween by Richard Chizmar (ed.) *The Mammoth Book of Haunted House Stories by Peter Haining (ed.) *The Mammoth Book of Modern Ghost Stories by Peter Haining (ed.) *an ebook edition is available Last edited by BenG; 10-04-2011 at 11:15 AM. |
10-04-2011, 09:34 PM | #13 |
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"Salems Lot" by Steven King was one of his first novels and the first book that made me want to sleep with the lights on.
And if you have never read the original Brahm Stokers "Dracula" - you are in for a treat. |
10-04-2011, 09:34 PM | #14 |
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I have this and haven't read it yet. Halloween reading you think?
His Heart-Shaped Box was quite chilling at the start although it faded as the story progressed. Hopefully his short stories hit the spot. I really liked Ghost Story and Koko by Peter Straub. Koko isn't necessarily a Halloween book, but it certainly scared me in certain scenes. Keep 'em coming. I'm very rarely scared by books and I'd definitely like to be so I'll be checking in on the progress. |
10-04-2011, 09:50 PM | #15 |
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