What a great thread
I don't read scary books anymore so will probably not take up anyone's recommendations here for the sake of my peace of mind. When I was younger though, I loved to scare myself silly. The Shining stands out in my memory as being too frightening not to read further and yet wanting to close my eyes to block out the scenes. I believe I probably cheated a few times and skipped some chapters till everyone was safe again. It was great.