Hi! I’ve only recently gotten into reading, but one of the main genres I have been delving into was Horror/Thriller. I’ve been a fan of Horror in other media in recent years, but, without sounding like the oh-so-tough guy, nothing really scares me anymore. The genre itself has really lost its charm, and apart from movie jumpscares that might make you jump for half a second there’s nothing that actually affects me anymore, especially in the long term. Now that I’ve read a couple books, starting with King’s The Shining, and most recently The Fisherman by John Langan, I have a feeling that stories are a potent way to convey the feeling of horror and terror, but the titles I’ve read haven’t necessarily proven that statement to be true.
If there’s one thing I can conclude so far, it’s that horror books are more enjoyable than horror movies, even if you don’t actively get scared, because I feel like there’s a lot of other feelings to convey and qualities to look at when you read a properly written novel. But do you guys have any recommendations for me? Is there any book that genuinely scared you? Keep in mind that no matter which book you have in mind, no matter how famous it might be, I won’t have read it unless it’s one of the two books I mentioned above, lol, so feel free to hit me with some obvious answers!
by ginoo75
19 Comments
Veggie Tales. No wonder my mom didn’t want me watching/reading it as a kid
I’m not as much into horror, but I’ve read some creepy books that have truly given me nightmares, even if they seem pretty innocuous to begin with:
The Wrong Family, by Tarryn Fisher- the description does not do it justice of why this book is creepy, but there’s a plot point revealed early on that sends it in a creepy direction
Then She Was Gone and The Family Upstairs, both by Lisa Jewell- both have an unsettled feeling the whole book
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
It’s not a horror book or even fiction, but it has always given me the creeps. It does not read like non fiction, even though it is. It’s been decades since I read it and I still think about the absolute terror that family must have felt.
This for me is an easy one: Too Close To Home by Linwood Barclay, it was so unsettling that by the end of it for a couple of nights at least I was checking that all my windows and doors were securely locked tight.
And don’t get me started on Elevator Pitch by the same author after reading that I was warey every time I stepped foot in a lift, constantly observing the people that got on, that book really got to me as well.
Handmaid’s Tale. When you learn that everything in the book has happened sometime/somewhere in real life, it is terrifying
Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Imagine a Terminator robot from the Terminator movies, now imagine it with spikes all over it and inconsistent, unknowable behaviour except for it’s predilection for impaling people on a tree of spikes and feeding off their pain. Now combine that with a book that often makes you question your own morals and beliefs and you have Hyperion.
I’m gonna put all books that look promising enough on my backlog, thanks for the recs so far!
What the night knows – Dean Koontz
This book was genuinely scary to me. I was having such bad anxiety reading it, it took me a few weeks to get through it.
“Hot Zone” by Richard Preston. It’s basically about Ebola virus. Read it when I was like 16 years old and it terrified me. The fear of something like that stayed with me for years. Idk if it’s a good book or not as I have yet to reread it as an adult because it freaked me out that badly.
To be honest, the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.
Per Sematery by Stephen King, I read it once and never again
Fever Dream by Samantha Schweblin
“the road.”
for best effect, read it when your male child is the age of the kid in the book.
gerald’s game by stephen king. that might be light for someone who loves horror but omg this one scared me😭
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
Swan Song by Robert McCammon is excellent too! if you’re like me and the idea of nuclear war/the aftermath scares you, I think you would really find it terrifying & disturbing
Secret Smile by Nikki French. One of the only books that’s ever given me genuine creeps.
The Shining by Stephen King. Satisfaction guaranteed!
[**A Short Stay in Hell** by Stephen L. Peck](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13456414) gave me the worst existential dread i’ve ever experienced. this book gave me crippling anxiety and even when i was done reading it, it had me just sitting there staring at the wall contemplating my beliefs (or lack thereof) in real life. this book is horrifying, funny and warm-hearted at times, it has some a handful of sweet/beautiful scenes, but this book is 99.9% straight up fucking terrifying and i caught myself subconsciously holding my breath while reading it. this book took a lot out of me and i can’t say that about many books. this book is an experience and not a fun one.
with all that said, it was an absolute 5 star read and is just over 100 pages so it’s a QUICK read.
read this book if you truly want to be scared long after the book is over. also, read this book even if you don’t want to because it’s just a really really REALLY good book.
Annihilation