By Jilles
Our own horror-loving Jilles has some thoughts on what makes a book scary. And came up with an amazingly horrific list of the 10 scariest book he’s ever read.
What makes a book scary? Is it when you’re reading in bed and are afraid to turn out the light? When you wake up at night and are sure the monster you read about before bed is in your closet? Or maybe it’s reading while the sun is shining and you’re too afraid to turn the page? Maybe you’re one of those people who loves books that give you a gut punch so shocking it basically ruins your happy vibe?
Well, here we have a list to scare the bejesus out of you during the daytime or when night has fallen and the monsters are coming out of the woodwork.
Let’s start with the king of horror and two of his books that made this list: The Shining and Pet Sematary, by Stephen King.
The Shining. Nothing scarier than going to a hotel full of unexplained things, creepy, ghostly things going bump in the night, combined with a young boy who can see ghosts and a father who is an alcoholic and has fantasies about killing his wife and son. Can it get any worse than that? Yes, especially when an old fire hose hanging on the wall might attack you.
Pet Sematary. Nothing is as horrible on a visceral level then parents losing their young child. This book is about that loss and the possibility of bringing the dead child back to life. This is a parent’s worst nightmare that King tells in a way that gets under your skin for a long time.
(Sorry, that’s it; Salem’s Lot and The Stand didn’t make the cut…but still good tips).
The House Next Door by Ann Rivers Siddons
Haunted houses don’t need to be old, which makes this 1978 book so freshly disquieting.
Thirty-something Colquitt and Walter Kennedy live in a charming, peaceful suburb. They watch a new family move into the newly-built property next door, only for tragedy to unravel their lives. There isn’t a history of murder, nor a single disturbed grave, just a random evil that suggests modern walls are no guarantee of safety. Stephen King called this book one of the best horror novels of the 20th Century.
The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
This supposedly true story is a chilling account of the four weeks of terror experienced by the Lutz family after moving into a house in which a particularly gruesome mass murder had been committed. Strange creepy things happen that slowly take you in their deadly grip.
The first paperback edition actually had flies on every chapter page, and they multiplied…just like in the book.
The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson
If you like Thinner by King, you will love this book from the author of I Am Legend, another classic.
What would your life be like if you started shrinking and shrinking? Told from the perspective of a very tiny Scot Carey, who is fighting a monstress house spider, thinking back on his journey, seeing his family turn into unreachable giants, the family cat becoming a predatory menace, and a man trying to pick him up, thinking he is a boy he can abuse. This is horror on all fronts.
This is a non-fiction book about the author, horror writer Whitley Strieber, who finds out there are weird things happening during the night in his house, almost like an invasion without proof. What is it? He finds the same pattern in the books he has written. Slowly he uncovers that he and his family are visited by aliens who use them for experiments. True or not? Then one night he wakes up and his son is gone, kidnapped. No clues are found. Strieber knows who did
it, but how to make others believe? And how to get his son back?
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
How about this brain-twisting novel? A young family invites a reality TV film crew into their home to film their daughter Marjorie’s potential demonic possession. The story is told in flashback, as well as through blogposts that deconstruct the TV show. As a result, everything is compromised by memory and media. With so many layers of misdirection and doubt, this book becomes a self-questioning and very creepy nightmare.
This is horror as literature, a ghost story within a ghost story within a ghost story. But let the word literature not fool you: this thick book is full of scares, but does some other more cerebral tricks too, making it into something more than just a scary novel.
This master did the same with his thrillers The Throat and Koko, both masterpieces in their own right.
Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
This is a wild ride for your moral compass. It is not so much a book to enjoy, but one that overwhelms and destroys you. Set in a dystopian future where humans can no longer eat animals, they move on to human flesh. This is an exploration of the depths of depravity and a cruel satire of the meat industry and humans’ abilities to abuse others. This is for readers with a strong stomach.
You can also read a book review written by colleague Matty.
Some of these titles might no longer be in print but can be ordered through our second-hand supplier. Get in touch with us in one of our three stores and we can help you find what you’re looking for.
