Halloween's Chill-Thrill Horrorfest Recommendation List! (2012)

[miguel1626]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Definitely The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson.

I really tried to like Haunting of Hill House, but unfortunately I couldn't (it felt more like a story about madness than supernatural horror).

Also Psycho by Robert Bloch and Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin.[/QUOTE]

Psycho is pretty good, I can second that (although if you've seen the movie, you're not missing much).

@OP: If I can recommend some quaint 19th century horror, check out Robert Chambers' The King in Yellow (first 4 stories only). And I greatly enjoy Clark Ashton Smith's short stories - pick a random story and see if you like his style.

[jhempel24]

I agree, Dracula from Brahm Stoker was boring as all get out.

20th Century Ghosts had maybe 2 stories that were scary or horror.

I've got some on my list for Halloween Reading though,

Harvest Home by Thomas Tyron
Midnight Movie by Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame)
Endurance by Jack Kilborn
The 13th by John Everson

[Japes]

Agreed on Haunting of Hill House. I found it quite boring, and not the least bit scary.

[Catlady]

I have to defend Dracula. I think it's a terrifically scary book. When I reread it some years back, I was quite surprised at just how atmospheric and suspenseful it was. Great book!

[ekster]

I'm split on Dracula. While I really loved the story and the idea behind it, I really could not stand the writing style of it. I don't know what it is, I've enjoyed slow books, I've enjoyed descriptive books, but something about Dracula just made it very hard for me to get into it and I had to force myself to keep reading.

[mewmartigan]

If you like Star Wars, you could try

Death Troopers and Red Harvest by Joe Schreiber.

I haven't read them yet but they are on the ever-growing list.

[BenG]

A good anthology that's available for the kindle is S. T. Joshi's American Supernatural Tales.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014...6YW3HWK55XCGG2

As Stephen King will attest , the popularity of the occult in American literature has only grown since the days of Edgar Allan Poe. American Supernatural Tales celebrates the richness of this tradition with chilling contributions from some of the nation's brightest literary lights, including Poe himself, H. P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, Ray Bradbury, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and-of course- Stephen King. By turns phantasmagoric, spectral, and demonic, this is a frighteningly good addition to Penguin Classics.

[Catlady]

Speaking of horror, there's a nice selection of free classic horror stories here.

[OtterBooks]

Haunting of Hill House wasn't scary, but it was delightful nonetheless. It was even genuinely funny at times; her characters are super charming.

Reading Matheson's Hell House right now and finding it kinda weak.

This month is all horror reading for me.

[Traye]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

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.

I've read one Nate Kenyon book and the name eludes me but it was good horror stuff.

I second Legion. I too haven't read it in years but I remember being pretty scared. I was lucky enough to pick up a hardback copy from a charity shop when I was 18 and I still have it now. (35)
I also love The Exorcist. Rosemarys Baby is probably my favourite book after Watership Down.
The Amityville Horror was a creepy book, I loved reading it in the dark. I like being scared (I'm weird).

I really rate Graeme Hague ( sometimes listed as G.M.Hague) too. His books were pretty creepy.

[Shopaholic]

This isn't horror in the sense of the genre but it scared the living heck out of me and is so far the only book I've chucked across the room & couldn't read for a period of time - Helter Skelter.

For me, it personifies the Truth is Stranger than Fiction adage.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Pookeysgirl

1. The Excorcist - William Peter Blatty

I'll second this book.

It holds a special place in my heart because it was the first book I read of my own accord.

[paulsalter]

Hopefully this thread is still relevant this year (apologies if I should have started a new one)

It's getting to this time of the year again and I am looking for some Halloween books, a good selection so far in this list to get started

a good small series I enjoyed last year was 'Horror at Halloween' 5 books in the series and under 100 pages each, different stories set in a small town called Oxrun Station

[Pookeysgirl]

I think I'm going to read The Exorcist again this month. Fantastic book, scared the crap out of me. Having a hard time getting into the Halloween spirit this year, hopefully this will do the trick.

[Dr. Drib]

I'll go ahead and update the year in the Subject heading.



Don
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