I’m thinking about getting into horror. Where should I start?
I don’t want just mindless horror like most horror movies where it’s all jump scares and tits. I want stuff that makes you think, that reaches in to our deepest fears, that’ll keep me at night.
I suppose the default answer would be Stephen King! Try **Misery** if you like human antagonists/mental illness, **The Shining** if you like ghost stories, **The Stand** if you like apocalypses/magic, and **The Green Mile** if you want to cry.
conjoe1999 on
The deep by nick cutter was pretty good
SweetHomeAlexandra on
I’m thinking of ending thing by Iain Reid is a short read, but very creepy and psychologically disturbing
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh is a bleak, medieval roller coaster of a story. Very gross, weird and depressing
Sphere by Michael Crichton is a deep sea sci-fi horror, major page turner
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King is everything you want in a vampire story
The Fisherman by John Langan if you’re more into creepy folktales
Misery or Gerald’s Game by Stephen king because they’re just good reads
ilyKarlach on
Chuck Palahniuk is great
withawhy7 on
Bird Box, by Josh Malerman
This book really fucked with my head. It does a good job of letting your mind fill in the purposeful gaps he leaves, to make the monsters turn into whatever would be scariest for you.
novel-opinions on
I’m not a horror fan. I picked up {{A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck }} based on a different recommendation. It’s classified as horror, and I suppose it is, but definitely more the kind that makes you think. It’s a short read too; I read it twice in one day.
Antique-Lakeside on
Some more contemplative horror I’ve read recently are:
“Whalefall” by Daniel Kraus – survival horror, grief over a parent, bad relationship with a parent
“Looking Glass Sound” by Catriona Ward – this is a book about a guy who spends a couple summers as a teen in a beach town that has a serial killer, then tries to write about it, but is also really about books, stories, and who owns them.
“Linghun” by Ai Jiang – a novella about a neighborhood where people buy houses because you’re supposed to be able to see the ghosts of lost loved ones there. Lots of thoughts about grief.
opposingkings on
Clive Barker’s ‘Books of Blood’ is a collection I recommend for its groundbreaking range of horror stories. Barker’s imagination knows no bounds, and this compilation showcases his ability to terrify and fascinate with tales that are both visceral and evocative.
lovingevermore on
Into the Drowning Deep – Mira Grant
From Below – Darcy Coates
Underwater horror
Hunted – Darcy Coates
Forest horror
Slade House – David Mitchell
Spooky house horror, but not ghosts
Imaginary-Theory-552 on
Pet Semetary by Stephen King is a good starting point. It explores death and grief and is pretty eerie too.
opposingkings on
If you’re looking for horror that creeps under your skin with the mundanity of evil, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ by Ira Levin is a novel I often recommend. The slow burn of the plot and the eventual reveal of the horror lurking in plain sight is brilliantly executed.
11 Comments
I suppose the default answer would be Stephen King! Try **Misery** if you like human antagonists/mental illness, **The Shining** if you like ghost stories, **The Stand** if you like apocalypses/magic, and **The Green Mile** if you want to cry.
The deep by nick cutter was pretty good
I’m thinking of ending thing by Iain Reid is a short read, but very creepy and psychologically disturbing
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh is a bleak, medieval roller coaster of a story. Very gross, weird and depressing
Sphere by Michael Crichton is a deep sea sci-fi horror, major page turner
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King is everything you want in a vampire story
The Fisherman by John Langan if you’re more into creepy folktales
Misery or Gerald’s Game by Stephen king because they’re just good reads
Chuck Palahniuk is great
Bird Box, by Josh Malerman
This book really fucked with my head. It does a good job of letting your mind fill in the purposeful gaps he leaves, to make the monsters turn into whatever would be scariest for you.
I’m not a horror fan. I picked up {{A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck }} based on a different recommendation. It’s classified as horror, and I suppose it is, but definitely more the kind that makes you think. It’s a short read too; I read it twice in one day.
Some more contemplative horror I’ve read recently are:
“Whalefall” by Daniel Kraus – survival horror, grief over a parent, bad relationship with a parent
“Looking Glass Sound” by Catriona Ward – this is a book about a guy who spends a couple summers as a teen in a beach town that has a serial killer, then tries to write about it, but is also really about books, stories, and who owns them.
“Linghun” by Ai Jiang – a novella about a neighborhood where people buy houses because you’re supposed to be able to see the ghosts of lost loved ones there. Lots of thoughts about grief.
Clive Barker’s ‘Books of Blood’ is a collection I recommend for its groundbreaking range of horror stories. Barker’s imagination knows no bounds, and this compilation showcases his ability to terrify and fascinate with tales that are both visceral and evocative.
Into the Drowning Deep – Mira Grant
From Below – Darcy Coates
Underwater horror
Hunted – Darcy Coates
Forest horror
Slade House – David Mitchell
Spooky house horror, but not ghosts
Pet Semetary by Stephen King is a good starting point. It explores death and grief and is pretty eerie too.
If you’re looking for horror that creeps under your skin with the mundanity of evil, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ by Ira Levin is a novel I often recommend. The slow burn of the plot and the eventual reveal of the horror lurking in plain sight is brilliantly executed.