What was the scariest book you've read and why??

[caleb72]

I wonder how much is influenced by where we are and whom we're with.

For books, I recall my strongest reactions were at times that I was alone. I'm not sure if the effect would have been the same if every hour someone popped in and asked if I wanted a cup of cofee etc...

However, I guess if I really had to choose between the intensity of a good scare and marital bliss, I would choose the latter. At least we can both get scared watching a movie together.

Regards
Caleb

[Fbone]

I don't read books that look scary. Never read Stephen King.

I have been fooled on occasion when the author sneaks a scary scene in the middle of the novel.

[wvcherrybomb]

Originally Posted by ApK

Gerald's Game by Stephen King. No kids or animals in that one. I was reading certain disturbing scenes while in a near-deserted small airport in the middle of the night. The plane could not get there fast enough for me.

I had never heard of this one so I went and checked it out. I have to say that while reading the synopsis I was . It reminds me of an episode of Seinfeld.

Most of the reviewers agree that it's terrifying so there must be much more to it than what is revealed.

[Nyssa]

It -by Stephen King kept me up at night in high school. I couldn't close my eyes without seeing certain images from the book.

[Squirsier]

For me it was The Exorcist. I read it in my teen years, and I can still remember FEELING that the devil was hiding in that book... It played with my mind so much, had trouble sleeping... The movie was something but the book was something else!

[Xanthe]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

It -by Stephen King kept me up at night in high school. I couldn't close my eyes without seeing certain images from the book.

I never got past the opening pages in that one - played in the street around sewer grates too much as a kid for that not to make me feel sick. I sooo did not want to know what was going to happen.

Though I think that Kids-In-Jep is a really easy way to creep people out, speaking as a woman and knowing the way I'm hard-wired to respond to that type of thing. It almost seems a cheat, and I find that when authors open up their stories with that type of a beginning, unless there's something else happening that intrigues me, I most times than not, won't continue to read the book. I just avoid reading Stephen King, and only know the storylines of The Stand and The Shawshank Redemption because I saw the movies.

I think "The Haunting", the movie version of the Jackson book, is one of the scariest I've ever seen, mainly because it allowed my imagination to fill in the blanks, rather than trying to out-gross me with blood and gore. I actually bought the tape of it but have never watched it. I start it up, and then Julie Harris' character starts to make me too anxious and I stop - lol. I originally saw the movie as a kid, watching it on TV with my sister. It scared the s**t out of both of us; I don't think that my sister has ever watched it again. I don't think that I could make myself read the actual novel.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Squirsier

For me it was The Exorcist. I read it in my teen years, and I can still remember FEELING that the devil was hiding in that book... It played with my mind so much, had trouble sleeping... The movie was something but the book was something else!

The problem with the written word is you can make your mind see all sorts :shudders:

[jhempel24]

I was looking for this in eBook format, does it exist?

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by jhempel24

I was looking for this in eBook format, does it exist?

A quickie using addall.com suggests not ....

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

I never got past the opening pages in that one - played in the street around sewer grates too much as a kid for that not to make me feel sick. I sooo did not want to know what was going to happen.

Though I think that Kids-In-Jep is a really easy way to creep people out, speaking as a woman and knowing the way I'm hard-wired to respond to that type of thing. It almost seems a cheat, and I find that when authors open up their stories with that type of a beginning, unless there's something else happening that intrigues me, I most times than not, won't continue to read the book. I just avoid reading Stephen King, and only know the storylines of The Stand and The Shawshank Redemption because I saw the movies.

I think "The Haunting", the movie version of the Jackson book, is one of the scariest I've ever seen, mainly because it allowed my imagination to fill in the blanks, rather than trying to out-gross me with blood and gore. I actually bought the tape of it but have never watched it. I start it up, and then Julie Harris' character starts to make me too anxious and I stop - lol. I originally saw the movie as a kid, watching it on TV with my sister. It scared the s**t out of both of us; I don't think that my sister has ever watched it again. I don't think that I could make myself read the actual novel.

I'm actually not a fan of horror, especially scary movies. The music gets me every time (much more so than whats on the screen). I also hate a lot of gore - I can't stand to see any type of dismemberment.
I went through a mini-Stephen King phase, however. I only managed to complete It and the The Stand (which I found disappointing). I started and stopped, Dolores Claiborne, The Tommyknockers, Gerald's Game, & The Talisman. I watched the Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile, both of which I loved. I also watched The Shining and Pet Cemetery. I will never watch the latter again!

Edit: I was just reminded of The Eyes of the Dragon which I heard King wrote for his daughter. It was a nice change of pace for him.

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

I think "The Haunting", the movie version of the Jackson book, is one of the scariest I've ever seen, mainly because it allowed my imagination to fill in the blanks, rather than trying to out-gross me with blood and gore.

They're making a film of Woman in Black at the moment (with Daniel Radcliffe) and I hope they keep it as subtle as the book and play and not make a "typical" Hollywood version because that would ruin the story IMHO.

[doodah617]

Originally Posted by jhempel24

Oh I don't know....Under the Dome was fantastic to me, and his latest Full Dark, No Stars was vintage King, and reminded me of his older work.

I'll have to check out Legion, is the Exorcist book any better/worse than the movie? Was the movie based on the book? I really don't know, LOL.

I was wondering why nobody had mentioned "The Exorcist" - King's work is creepy, but both "The Amityville Horror" and "The Exorcist" scared me so much while I was reading late at night that I had to stop reading them after dark. I read "The Exorcist" long before I saw the movie, and it was MUCH better because I had to use my imagination to visualize. But I don't know whether that would be true for you if you've already seen the movie - you already have the images from the movie in your head.

[wvcherrybomb]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

I watched the Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile, both of which I loved.

Okay, I must retract my earlier statement. Call me uninformed, but I never knew either of those were Stephen King books. I have only watched the movies and I also loved them both, especially the former.

Back to the topic of scary books, one of my true crime documenteries last night was about a case I was unfamiliar with. If there is a book about it, it should be truely frightening. I am going to look and maybe will be able to report back with a scary read.

[carld]

I always thought King's novella The Mist was probably his scariest work. It wasn't outright terror-inducing like IT, but it was an extremely effective tale, very disquieting.

[issybird]

I have a hard time choosing between James Dickey's Deliverance and Capote's In Cold Blood. One's a novel, one is true crime, but the bottom line for me is that both are based on what people do to people. No supernatural element. That to me is scarier than anything paranormal. Ordinary people aren't safe.