Lordwalker28 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I know this has been done in other posts in the past but I am getting tired of battling the search function........SoI used to read a lot of books in the horror genre, like 10 years ago. I have read most of the "classics" and the back catalogs of the big hitters like King, Barker, Koontz, Lee, Ketchum, Keene, etc. About the most recent things I've read are Joe Hill's books, which I thought were very good.Anyway I would like to read something truly frightening that can give some genuine chills, not just a splatter book that has gore just to be "shocking". Maybe something more recent.Could anyone give me some good leads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dietl Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski has some frightening moments, but its not for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Have you tried the older stuff, like H.P. Lovecraft or William Hope Hodgson? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tears of Lys Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I remember Ghost Story by Peter Straub as being pretty frightening. Also, Shirley Jackson was a very well-respected writer of novels and short stories that were decidedly sinister and frightening.Neither of these authors were particularly gory, they just were good for satisfying chills.ETA: And, yeah, if you haven't dabbled in Lovecraft, you really should. Beware the Old Ones! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolverine Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Have you tried the older stuff, like H.P. Lovecraft or William Hope Hodgson?Lovecract is pretty cool. House of leaves is pretty weird and at times very annoying. Books are rarely actually scary for me. Movies can be scary as shit, but books just can't do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mosi Wanostracht Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Probably not what you're after, but one of the scariest books I've ever read was Nineteen Eighty Four. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raskolnikov Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I agree with House of Leaves and Lovecraft. You might also want to try Thomas LIgotti. Teatro Grottesco is a good starter. It's a collection of short stories though, not a novel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horselover Fat Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Ligotti is awesome, existentially scary to be sure. I think it really depends on your state of mind at the time. For instance, I read Pet Semetary when I was about 14 or so. I stayed up late into the night reading it and it scared the shit out of me. I doubt it would have the same effect on me now, or if I had read it during the day.I suggest to the OP that you read all of your horror books at midnight, by candlelight, in a forest or cemetery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordwalker28 Posted August 18, 2012 Author Share Posted August 18, 2012 Is it necessary to have a familiarity with Lovecraft before reading Ligotti.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Buck Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski has some frightening moments, but its not for everyone.House of Leaves is the only book I can think of that truly creeped me out. That being said, I've read very little actual horror, so I'm not the best example. But I agree that it's definitely not for everyone. It's probably the most "experimental" novel I've ever read. But it is damn interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castel Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan was scary as fuck,especially since you had no idea what you were facing (at least I didn't, I read it blind) and unlike it's sequels it didn't descend into silliness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Quizboy Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I think that while they are fantasy and not traditional horror novels, both Fellowship of the Ring and R. Scott Bakker's The Judging Eye achieved some truly frightening moments.I will assume that no one reading this needs spoiler tags for Tolkien and that if they do, they do not deserve them.I thought the Black Riders were awesomely frightening in a way that the more cartoonish Nazgul weren't quite so much. From the attack in Bree, to the sniffing on the road, to Weathertop...just amazing fiction, that.And then Moria...when they were reading the book of the last stand of the dwarves w/ the whole "they are coming" and "there is no way out"....just fabulous stuff.Then Bakker's Moria tribute was awesomely frightening.Shit yes, the Balrog scared the crap out of me as a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Hat Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Is it necessary to have a familiarity with Lovecraft before reading Ligotti.?It's not necessary, but it would likely help. Besides, Lovecraft is definitely worth reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elder Sister Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 This is a topic dear to my heart. I adore classic horror, like Guy de Maupassant. He wrote some outstanding stories, like Carmilla.I read a truly scary book recently called Those Across the River that scared me to death. It was a great read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sci-2 Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 IT, by Stephen King.eta: The end of White Luck Warrior - I don't know if scary is the right word, but you know some twisted shit is about to go down and then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khal Pono Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I'm fairly new to the horror genre, though I've become a fan of extreme-splatter pulp writer Edward Lee. But his writings are more like black comedy/satire to me than actually scary.I've never read Stephen King, but I was thinking of reading Salem's Lot. Should I? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WrathOfTinyKittens Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Start with The Shining, then if you like it read IT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khal Pono Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Start with The Shining, then if you like it read IT.Urgh, but I don't want to read the Shining because the movie has spoilt it for me. I could do IT I suppose--I like the premise--but I think I read a lot of spoilers about it already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Plissken Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 You could always try Skeleton Crew, a collection of short stories that really showcase the man's talents. The Mist, The Raft, and Survivor Type are three of the scariest stories I have ever read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khal Pono Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 You could always try Skeleton Crew, a collection of short stories that really showcase the man's talents. The Mist, The Raft, and Survivor Type are three of the scariest stories I have ever read.That sounds like a plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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