Truly scary novels

[Dagon Blackiron]

i say lovecraft, he is my favourite writer and he is good, just try to avoid his fantasy stuff, it isnt worth the time. if you want some storys to start with "the rats in the walls" "a shadow over innsmouth" "the colour out of space" "call of cthulhu" and the good thing about lovecraft is that almost all his storys are shortstorys so you'll be through with them pretty quick.

also algenon blackwood has some really good creepy storys, like "the listener" "the wendigo" is supposed to be good, but sadly i have no money to buy books.

some stephen kings storys are also good, like the boogey man, very creepy. its in the collection book night shift.

[Stark Revenge]

When we talk about scary stories i assume that we're talking about ghosts, demons the undead and all that. Are there any books that could be considered scary without involving the supernatural or not?

[Gillio]

When i was 11 or 12 i read "on the Beach" in the late 60s that was scary

(null)

[Aerys Blackfyre]

L O V E C R A F T ! the rest are just imitations

[Spockydog]

I've tried Lovecraft on many occasions, but have never been able to get beyond the impenetrable prose. As someone just said on my twitter feed, 'I want to get lost in your story - not your sentences.'

Just finished Adam Nevill's Banquet For the Damned. One of the few books I've read as an adult that has had me genuinely scared of the dark.

Few believed Professor Coldwell was in touch with an unseen world—that he could commune with spirits. But in Scotland's oldest university town something has passed from darkness into light. Now, the young are being haunted by night terrors and those who are visited disappear. This is certainly not a place for outsiders, especially at night. So what chance do a rootless musician and burned out explorer have of surviving their entanglement with an ageless supernatural evil and the ruthless cult that worships it? This chilling occult thriller is both an homage to the great age of British ghost stories and a pacy modern tale of diabolism and witchcraft.

[wolverine]

When we talk about scary stories i assume that we're talking about ghosts, demons the undead and all that. Are there any books that could be considered scary without involving the supernatural or not?

Sure lots of them. I have found certain "thrillers" about psycho serial killers or something scarier than anything else. I think a lot of Poe's scary shit does not actually involve the supernatural.

Also there is stuff about nature that can get pretty scary without being supernatural.

[SeanF]

Sure lots of them. I have found certain "thrillers" about psycho serial killers or something scarier than anything else. I think a lot of Poe's scary shit does not actually involve the supernatural.

Also there is stuff about nature that can get pretty scary without being supernatural.

The Cask of Amontillado is one of the most horrible stories I've read, and that doesn't involve the supernatural.

[UVA]

Not wishing to start a new thread, I wanted to bump this to query thoughts about whether I ought to allow my 11-yr old daughter to read The Exorcist. I've not read the book but, of course, have seen the movie. It's my understanding that the film closely aligns with the book. I'm not particularly concerned about the more adult scenes or the book's premise. She's mature, detached about seeing horror films and reading stories (although I've drawn the line at creepypasta) -- she really enjoys the genre. Husband is critical of this, however, but unless there are scenes of sexual assault or sexualized torture I don't have an issue if she's googling info on Pazuzu.

.

[maarsen]

Not wishing to start a new thread, I wanted to bump this to query thoughts about whether I ought to allow my 11-yr old daughter to read The Exorcist. I've not read the book but, of course, have seen the movie. It's my understanding that the film closely aligns with the book. I'm not particularly concerned about the more adult scenes or the book's premise. She's mature, detached about seeing horror films and reading stories (although I've drawn the line at creepypasta) -- she really enjoys the genre. Husband is critical of this, however, but unless there are scenes of sexual assault or sexualized torture I don't have an issue if she's googling info on Pazuzu.

.

Go with Poe or Lovecraft for scary stuff without the sexual assault stuff.

[Balerion the one eared cat]

I'd recommend The Passage by Justin Cronin... i'm not easily scared but that book had me huddling under duvets and steeling myself to read it... at some points in the story I wouldn't read unless someone else was in the house with me. The creatures in the story seem to lose their fear factor in the sequel, probably because we find out more about them and how to defend against them.

Still, pretty terrifying...

[3CityApache]

I second the opinion of The Terror by Simmons. It is scary alright, though it's first of all suggestive as Hell. Wouldn't start reading it not hidden under a warm blanket, with a mug of hot sweet tea if I had a second chance.

[buff daddy]

When we talk about scary stories i assume that we're talking about ghosts, demons the undead and all that. Are there any books that could be considered scary without involving the supernatural or not?

Oh yeah. In Cold Blood was probably the first time that a book's shook me enough to keep me up at night and that was non-fiction.

Anyway, I'm glad this thread exists because I'm jonesing to read some good scary books this time of year and it's not easy finding books that are genuinely frightening, creepy or unsettling, even when they're labeled as horror.

The Troop by Nick Cutter is a recent novel I've read that managed to be truly unsettling and scary with some great pscychological- and body- horror. I'd be reading it again this month if I hadn't just read it a short time ago, but I'll definitely be adding it to my scary Halloween reread list next year.

The Ruins by Scott Smith and Damnation Game by Clive Barker are a couple others I found actually scary.

I saw Adam Nevill's Last Days mentioned earlier and I second that one as truly creepy and scary. There's just something about cults that I find extra unsettling and engrossing and I would be very interested if anyone knew of any other scary books that featured them.

[Nerolunar]

I thought Pet Sematary was creepy without being scary. It is also good at playing with your feelings and morals.

[kimim]

The Descent - Jeff Long

omg, this one gave me nightmares. To this day, I can't sleep in a basement.

[WrathOfTinyKittens]

I didn't like "The Ruins":

The whole time I was thinking, 'wow I hope this doesn't just turn into a weird unexplained snuff book' and then sure enough it did.

[Ice Queen]

Has anyone mentioned Swan Song by Robert McCammond yet?

You'll never look at "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush" the same way again.

[Night's_King]

I picked up Return Of The Sorcerer: The Best Of Clark Ashton Smith again and it is as great as I remembered. CAS will always be my favourite of the big three.

[Spockydog]

So, anyone read any good Horror recently?

That last decent horror novel I read was The Devil of Echo Lake by Douglas Wynne. A modern take on the legend of Robert Johnson, this was more atmospheric than scary. Still, really well written and kept me on edge until the end.

The blurb:

Billy Moon would have given his life for rock 'n' roll stardom, but the Devil doesn’t come that cheap.

Goth rock idol Billy Moon has it all: money, fame, and a different girl in every city. But he also has a secret, one that goes all the way back to the night he almost took his own life. The night Trevor Rail, a shadowy record producer with a flair for the dark and esoteric, agreed to make him a star. . . for a price.

Now Billy has come to Echo Lake Studios to create the record that will make him a legend. A dark masterpiece like only Trevor Rail can fashion. But the woods of Echo Lake have a dark past, a past that might explain the mysterious happenings in the haunted church that serves as Rail’s main studio. As the pressure mounts on Billy to fulfill Rail's vision, it becomes clear that not everyone will survive the project.

It's time the Devil of Echo Lake had his due, and someone will have to pay.

[Adam de Felden]

A truly scary novel, Dark Matter by Michele Pavier.... ghost story set in the arctic winter.... chilling.... in both senses.

[Spockydog]

A truly scary novel, Dark Matter by Michele Pavier.... ghost story set in the arctic winter.... chilling.... in both senses.

Looks interesting. Thanks!