It’s Halloween.
Of course, that means I want to know about your favorite horror novel.
Past or present.
Not the best horror novel —
This isn’t precisely about quality.
It’s about the ones you love. The ones you re-read.
The ones that scare the unholy ghost right out of your skin.
Start recommending.
(For the record, while I don’t know that it’ll count as my favorite, I’m finally reading Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill and that’s got a bonafide creepy vibe going for it. Really spooky stuff. You also can’t go wrong by reading, uhh, anything by Robert McCammon. But start with Swan Song, since we’re talking.)
Eileen Cook says:
Can’t go wrong with The Shining. Still scares the piss out of me.
October 31, 2012 — 12:22 AM
Marlan says:
I reread IT last month and I have to say I still dig that book. Read it first at 15 and now at 40. Just fun entertaining horror all around.
As far as deeply effective horror goes: I recently read HOUSE OF LEAVES. Now THAT book was a lot of work to get through, but boy was it a good payoff at the end. I am still a bit freaked out by it.
October 31, 2012 — 12:57 AM
Gabryyl Pierce says:
Cursed by Jeremy C. Shipp. Has a definite Wendig-oh! style.
October 31, 2012 — 1:24 AM
A Gentleman's Rapier says:
Rats by James Herbert
Just thinking of the monster mama rat at the end gives me the shivers.
October 31, 2012 — 3:22 AM
Melanie says:
I was going to say IT too. It’s the one I have read more than any other, the one that got worn out and fell to bits and the one I bought spare copies of for my kids to ‘borrow’. I’m still disappointed by the spider after everything that comes before though. The Shining gave me the creeps a bit, but I think that’s because I happened to read it in a grand old Italian hotel…which happened to be empty of guests except us. It had painted ceilings, gloomy corridors with (suddenly disturbing) fire extinguishers and and for added creepiness, a deserted swimming pool with bats swooping down to drink from it as I floated alone.
I always know it’s a good book for me when I get to the end and have to go back to the first chapter again.
October 31, 2012 — 5:30 AM
CjEggett says:
House of Leaves, by a mile. EVERYTHING is perfect in that book.
After that mile however I found I really enjoyed “Dark Matter” – I didn’t know I could get in to a ghost story in quite that way: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Matter-Ghost-Michelle-Paver/dp/1409121186
October 31, 2012 — 6:33 AM
Gru'ud says:
What, no spolier alert? ;-p
Yeah, I thought IT was spectacularly spooky, and was also terribly let down by the (booming voice) “alien spider from space” angle at the end. But the book is still damn scary.
For another great scary King book, try ‘Salem’s Lot.
Forget about the (almost) made for TV movie with Starsky (or Hutch, never am sure which) and any other movie bearing its name.
The book is the scary shiznit. 😉
And I’d say for me it’s a tossup between those two.
October 31, 2012 — 7:29 AM
DelilahSDawson says:
Pet Sematary, always.
Even worse now that I have children.
October 31, 2012 — 7:41 AM
Hunter Goatley says:
I just watched the 1979 SALEM’S LOT again last night. It’s one of the best King adaptations, IMO, though I agree the book is better.
The scariest book I’ve ever read is Robert McCammon’s THEY THIRST.
Hunter
October 31, 2012 — 8:15 AM
Paul Grignon says:
Great blog! Chuck, you are a hilarious fellow. I thoroughly enjoy your style.
As far as books, IT definitely is up there. I can’t pass a drain without thinking of Pennywise. I think King’s ‘Skeleton Crew’ or ‘Nightshift’ short stories scare the bejesus out of you. There are so many great passages in King’s books, like in Pet Sematary when he depicts the spirit of the Wendigo.
‘The Monkey’s Paw’, by W.W. Jacobs, ranks up there as well. Also, ‘The Thing in the Cellar’, by David H. Keller.
Keep up the great rants, and Happy Halloween!
October 31, 2012 — 8:32 AM
KimD says:
Hell House by Richard Matheson
I get nightmares easily and that one did the trick.
Right now I’m reading Salem’s Lot…good stuff.
October 31, 2012 — 8:36 AM
Corey Nagle says:
Not a horror novel, or really a scary story, but it was written by Stephen King so count it. The End Of The Whole Mess from Nightmares And Dreamscapes. What a great concept.
October 31, 2012 — 8:56 AM
Gregor Xane says:
The Throne of Bones by Brian McNaughton
October 31, 2012 — 9:00 AM
Elizabeth Poole says:
Yay for you reading Heart Shaped Box! I really enjoyed that one. Reminds me, I need to bump Horns up on my TBR pile…
Favorite horror novel…hmmm. That’s hard.
John Dies at the End by David Wong scared the crap out of me. Still does. But I don’t know if it beats out The Stand or Full Dark, No Stars both by Stephan King. The Stand isn’t as scary, but it’s where I first fell in love with the apocalypse genre.
October 31, 2012 — 9:10 AM
Sara Taylor Woods says:
I listened to HEART-SHAPED BOX on audio–especially because I only listen to audiobooks in the car–and holy crapballs, did it scare the shit out of me. It is, to date, the only book to ever actually scare me. I will say that when Nancy A. Collins is on the ball, she’s the next closest. I love those Sonja Blue books.
October 31, 2012 — 9:22 AM
Terry says:
The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson. Hands-down.
October 31, 2012 — 9:30 AM
Kelly Hitchcock (@KellyHitchcock) says:
Rosemary’s Baby always gets me. Everything by Ira Levin does, but especially Rosemary’s Baby.
October 31, 2012 — 9:33 AM
Jessica McHugh says:
“American Psycho” is the only book that has made me vomit, so I’ll go with that one. Say what you want about Bret Easton Ellis, but he created a very disturbing character in Patrick Bateman.
October 31, 2012 — 9:53 AM
Scott Harrell says:
Oh crap, which one to choose? I re-read The Talisman often, not sure it really counts as a full-blown horror novel, but it and Black House are among my favorites. Dan Simmons’s Fires of Eden and Carrion Comfort are rad as well.
On the subject of Joe Hill, the titular story from his collection 20th Century Ghosts is one of the most achingly beautiful supernatural shorts I’ve ever read.
October 31, 2012 — 9:58 AM
Tyler says:
Got about 100 pages through it and was bored stiff. Alternating between the footnotes and the main story was really frustrating, the writing went off the rails repeatedly. I don’t have a clue why people get so worked up about this book.
John Dies at the End is my rec.
October 31, 2012 — 10:18 AM
Tyler says:
^ Was referring to House of Leaves, my post didn’t come out right. Oops!
October 31, 2012 — 10:19 AM
Nathan Sisk says:
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H.P. Lovecraft. I love the whole anthology that gets packed with, but this one is my favorite by Lovecraft.
October 31, 2012 — 10:20 AM
Stephen says:
+1 for American Psycho – I’m not a horror fan so haven’t read widely in the genre – but that is one disturbing book.
October 31, 2012 — 10:24 AM
Jen Zeman says:
IT by Stephen King. Made me fear clowns!
October 31, 2012 — 10:31 AM
ganymeder says:
Frankenstein.
I know its old, but its a classic for a reason!
October 31, 2012 — 10:31 AM
Rogue Reader says:
We nominate Peter Straub’s GHOST STORY. But it’s tough to not be thinking about Chase Novak’s latest, BREED, which is the most disturbing novel we’ve read this year. There’ a scene with a hamster 50 pages in that you won’t soon forget. bit.ly/RogueFB
October 31, 2012 — 10:42 AM
Scott Zachary says:
McCarthy. The Road. Maybe it’s not a “horror” novel, per se, but it’s the one that makes me lose sleep.
October 31, 2012 — 10:46 AM
Molly Dugger Brennan says:
The first horror book I read was Salem’s Lot by Stephen King when I was a teenager. It occupied my mind so thoroughly that after I finished the book, I ceremoniously burned it. That didn’t release it’s hold on me, I still had nightmares for weeks.
October 31, 2012 — 11:08 AM
Doyce Testerman says:
From a Buick8. Despite or because no one ever agrees with me.
October 31, 2012 — 11:25 AM
Jessica says:
I’m not sure it counts as horror, but a book I loved as a child was Marianne Dreams. It’s about a girl who gets a magic pencil which causes her to dream about whatever she draws. There are various boulders in the picture and at one point, when she’s angry, she draws eyes on them. From then on, these rocks with eyes are really creepy monsters that terrified me when I was little.
October 31, 2012 — 11:33 AM
Alex Washoe says:
“Ghost Story” by Peter Straub. “Salem’s Lot” by Stephen King.
October 31, 2012 — 11:35 AM
Nicki Hill says:
I got bored with From a Buick 8. It’s the only King book I’ve ever tried to read, and…nope. Couldn’t finish it.
My hands-down favorite author ever is Poppy Z. Brite, who started out writing horror and then transitioned into more realistic fiction. The first book I read was The Lazarus Heart, which was written as part of a publisher’s call for works inspired by The Crow. Being a HUGE Crow fan, I snatched it up and devoured it and then was so enamored of her unflinching style that I went on a quest for more of her stuff. My absolute favorite, though not her creepiest, is Drawing Blood, with Lost Souls pulling a close second. Her most gory is Exquisite Corpse, which I couldn’t even bring myself to read because it’s THAT deranged. Her writing style is exquisite; her characters (most of whom are gay/bi/trans/otherwise sexually flexible but unlabeled) are beautiful and ethereal, yet real and larger-than-life; and she plummets headlong into the taboo with no apologies. Highly, highly recommend checking her out.
October 31, 2012 — 11:45 AM
Claire says:
The House With a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs. It’s written for middle-schoolers, but still the scariest book I’ve ever read. Its sequels are equally chilling.
October 31, 2012 — 11:52 AM
Beth Christopher says:
The Shining, by Stephen King. *shudders*
October 31, 2012 — 11:55 AM
Lynn says:
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
Carrie by Stephen King
20th Century Ghost by Joe Hill (not a novel, I know, but a story I can’t stop thinking about)
October 31, 2012 — 12:04 PM
churnage says:
“The Rats” by James Herbert. Another favorite is “The Terminal Man” by Michael Crichton.
October 31, 2012 — 12:24 PM
Laurie says:
Another vote for Shirley Jackson’s Haunting of Hill House (though I’ll second John Bellairs’ House With a Clock in its Walls, and Hell House by Matheson is also pretty good).
Also, if you don’t mind Victorian prose, the ghost stories of M R James are marvelous – try out Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad.
October 31, 2012 — 12:25 PM
Tom Delano says:
“The Road” by Cormac McCarthy for me too. Not a horror, but definitely a chilling book to read.
My response might be different, though, if I read more horror. Nice to see the responses, some great suggestions for me to start!
October 31, 2012 — 12:34 PM
Bozo Buttons says:
Anything by Richard Laymon, but something in his Beast House series would be ideal.
October 31, 2012 — 12:50 PM
Nat Master says:
More short story than novel, but Shirley Jackson’s collection (‘The Haunting of Hill House’, ‘The Lottery’, ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’) are creepy as hell.
October 31, 2012 — 2:09 PM
Julia says:
I’ve read little in the horror genre (I’m kinda wimpy/don’t like gore), but recently I read Infected by Scott Sigler. AMAZING. Again, horror n00b here so YMMV, but it was good enough that I’m going to read the other two in that series, and probably more by him.
October 31, 2012 — 2:18 PM
Jeff Patterson says:
Ghost Story by Peter Straub. The tape recorder scene in the Psychiatrist’s office. That book taught me that a monster is just someone or something who finds a way around the rules that govern us. Also Kill Riff by David Schow and Lumley’s House of Doors. Also like the McKammon about the town sealed off by the alien.
October 31, 2012 — 2:21 PM
Bob Bois says:
The Exorcist – I like the movie too, but I read the book first (so many years ago) and it’s still a go-to book when I want to get the creeps
October 31, 2012 — 2:28 PM
Steve says:
Song Of Kali by Dan Simmons – Bleak and Gruesome.
October 31, 2012 — 2:32 PM
Soy says:
King’s “It.” This book has scared me literally since before I was born (my mother read it while pregnant with me). The ending sucked, but the rest of the book was fantastic. I still have to put the book down and go do something happy before getting into the mummy scene…
October 31, 2012 — 2:42 PM
Leah Rhyne says:
So, I read IT by Stephen King when I was 13. It took me the entirety of my 7th grade school year to read it. I’d read a chapter, get scared, hide the book….find it…read a chapter, get scared, hide the book….and so on.
Earlier this year I grabbed a new paperback copy of it, just to see if it would still scare me.
Oh, but it does.
I read a couple chapters…currently the book is hidden (I’m not sure where). When I find it, I’ll read some more….and so on.
October 31, 2012 — 2:57 PM
Brandi says:
I’m surprised I haven’t seen the King of Macabre mentioned yet. Books of Blood by Clive Barker. That man could make eating pancakes something to dread. “The pancake screamed as flesh, and the strawberry filling congealed like blood on my tongue.” <— Ya know, except he'd write that better. I'm just saying, the man can make your skin crawl.
October 31, 2012 — 3:02 PM
Jarred says:
Snooki: A Shore Thing….(Shudder)
October 31, 2012 — 3:09 PM
Jess Haines says:
I have a few. NEEDFUL THINGS, TOMMYKNOCKERS, JOHN DIES AT THE END, and THE THIEF OF ALWAYS. Those books are on my re-read shelf and never fail to freak me the hell out.
<3,
-J
October 31, 2012 — 3:29 PM
Jonathan L. Howard says:
Hard call. As a boy, the Three Investigators novel, “The Secret of Terror Castle” put the wind up me, especially the hanged woman in the mirror.
More recently, Susan Hill’s “The Woman in Black.” The film’s fun, but lacks the slow burn and growing unease of the novel.
The best book, rather than novel, that I keep coming back to, year after year, is the collected ghost stories of M.R. James. I try and read them on or around Hallowe’en every year, and this year’s no exception. I’m just up to “The Treasure of Abbot Thomas.” Oh, Mr Somerton, look what curiosity and perhaps a little cupidity have brought you to. Oh, dear.
October 31, 2012 — 3:36 PM