What is the scariest book you’ve ever read? I’m looking for a book that will make me afraid to go to sleep at night. A book that will wake me up and make me feel like something is in my room. I’ve read almost everything by Stephen King and I’ve seen a lot of horror movies. I love them, but never really scared completely.

I started reading The Exorcist, and wanted to relay while it’s still fresh in my mind, how it’s answering a question I’ve always had about the movie.

I’ve seen the movie a bunch of times. It’s probably still my favorite horror film. I’ve always felt it’s one of those movies that was just lightning in a bottle for Freidkin - he never directed anything on that level again.

But 1/4 in to the book it’s clear that the book did all the heavy lifting. The movie follows it word for word and scene to scene.

The perfect pacing and build up of dread is all Blatty. Freidkin just did a great job of visualizing it.

I never read the book because I’d already seen the movie a bunch, but I’m glad I picked it up. It’s amazing so far, even though I know exactly whats going to happen it has more weight and depth at this pace.

I was really excited when I first read about this book, children gone violently wild competing for survival after a natural disaster? Fantastic. Told in the format of interviews and articles about the event? Even better. I was expecting a natural descent into murder for survival and resources and the fall into madness as a result.

But I’ve just gotten to the part at the very start where the power goes out in the bunker, a completely normal and expected turn of events considering the conditions… and they’ve already lost the plot about it and started beating and killed three people? Interest lost. Seems less about the fight for survival and more just a bunch of psychopaths straight out the gate.

I have no problem DNFing books, there’s too many bangers out there for me to push through unnecessary bullshit, but I am wondering if this gets better from here? Should I keep going with it or is it going to continue on being less of a tale of survival and more of a “bunch of psychopaths trapped with each other” type of thing.

The Scarlet Ball by Nghi Vo was absolutely amazing. Nghi Vo has steadily delivered a lot of semi-unclassifiable novels and novellas somewhere on the boarder of fantasy and horror and The Scarlet Ball continues this pattern: It is a creepy examination of Power dynamics across class and race lines, using a steamy gaslight era alternat New York City, who's ruling class families marry their daughters off to powerful supernatural entities in exchange for power and privilege in our mundane world.

Nghi does a lot of worldbuilding in a small amount of words and delivers this steaming, semi erotic horror, semi BDSM historic-horror novel succinctly, giving it's protagonist a lot of room to range across the narrative, with a slow burn reveal of setting and character backstory that mirrored some of the novel's eroticisms.

Great stuff. Get it as soon as you can. Other standout horror works by Vo include their alternate silent-film-era Hollywood novel Siren Queen.

*this is the highest praise I can offer as I also recently finished Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones, which was phenomenal.

I swear I'm not AI, even though my request is quite specific. Ottessa Moshfegh's Eileen is one of the best and most disturbing books I have ever read. I'm not sure that it totally qualifies as horror but it is certainly horrifying. Oogh, I shiver just thinking about it. Can y'all think of books that are similarly disturbing, even and ideally involving prison or psychiatric institutions? Unpleasant narrators/MCs are a plus. (I have not read Lapvona, but it's on my list.) I don't think a book has ever made me feel as cold as Eileen did. I'm looking for that kind of atmosphere and quality writing.

Just finished and am wiping tears away. Make sure to listen to the author’s note at the end to hear the inspiration.
Just, wow. From the first chapter I knew this would be a wild ride. Very dark, very depressing. Not super scary in a traditional sense but in my opinion the scariest books of all expose the horrors of humanity.
Deeply complex characters and storyline. It kind of reminded me of that show Task on HBO
(which is amazing if you haven’t seen) but with a supernatural twist.
I’ve read fever house, the sequel, and coffin moon. Really enjoyed those but I think this book catapulted him to a level above. Feeling pure gratitude for amazing minds such as his to create these stories.

I just finished the book and I wanted more 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
anyway it’s absolutely amazing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just cannot get into The Paleontologist by Luke Damas. I love the idea of a Jurassic Park/Night at the Museum combo, but it's just not it for me. I'm also pregnant and emotional so not ready to read graphic child death which I feel like might be in it.

I'm not finding a full summary/ spoiler anywhere on what happens with the sister and the story in general. I really want to know what happens with Theo and Morgan, but can't finish. I'm 19% in and dnfing

PLEASE tell me what these twists are reviews keep mentioning 🙏

“August, 1986—After a summer that tested their friendships, five thirteen-year-old scouts walk into the woods of South Carolina for a hike that their leader hopes will bring the boys together. But on the steep and winding Obituary Trail, they find themselves in a desperate fight for survival when they encounter the most mysterious and dangerous creature of American myth and legend, in this searing coming-of-age novel from Grady Hendrix.”

So I know that Dracula (& Nosferatu) are based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Frankenstein is based on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, Modern Prometheus.

The Mummy is loosely inspired by Bram Stoker’s The Jewel of Seven Stars.

The Invisible Man is based on H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man.

But I have no idea what The Wolfman & The Creature of The Black Lagoon are based on, if they’re based on anything at all.

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I am curious about any books that retell, or adapt similar ideas from this set of Horror media.

Whether it’s a very creepy book based on a frightening Vampire like the character Dracula/Nosferatu. (Side note: Nosferatu is my favorite depiction of Dracula for sheer Horror factor, in all three adaptations Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, Nosferatu: The Vampyre, & Robert Egger’s Nosferatu)

A good Mummy Horror story.

Something with a Fishman Monster like Gill-man.

An essential Werewolf Horror novel.

Or a more messed up take on The Invisible Man. (I want to like Hollow Man, but I like ideas in Hollow Man more than the actual movie)

I just finished Playground, Maeve Fly, I Know a Place, and Fantastic Land. I have 3 books on my TBR. Seed, My Ex the Antichrist, and The Eyes are the Best Part.

I’m open to other recommendations as well, but those are just the books I have physically right now. So if you guys have any other recommendations, I would love that.

Have any of you fine people read this? Is it good? I really, really, REALLY loved Rekt but for some elusive reason I can’t bring myself to start Wind and Moss

Loved the premise and the gore. Wouls love to read more books like that

If what I'm looking for is too specific, please don't dismiss me, let's have a conversation about what reallly is out there that you know of that might be the closest equivalence. Nothing is set in stone here.

What I'm looking for is:

-an author that puts out more than a dozen books that are middle grade or ya horror set at a certain town,

-and almost every book is about a different cast of characters, with a big part of the appeal being the plot reveal near the end.

-and each book is well paced, and under 300 pages. I'd prefer it be under 200, but I'm probably asking for too much.

To be clear, I don't mean horror novels for children (though I wouldn't be opposed if they hold up extremely well for older readers as well), I mean "Never really experienced horror media firsthand and isn't really sure what I'm comfortable with or would actually like".

I have technically engaged with horror media a little bit, mainly the horror audio drama The Magnus Archives (and a bit of The Magnus Protocol but it's still actively being updated and I fell off listening to it for a bit), the four short stories directly tied to the King in Yellow mythos, and I've played a bit of FAITH: The Unholy Trinity but kind of forgot about it (not the fault of the game, just what happens when you got a senior in highschool with ADHD, aka me). Also, SCP stuff is really cool as are horror ARGs and unfiction projects.

If it also helps with context, some novels that I'm planning to read are Frankenstein, Dracula, House of Leaves, Carrie, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. (I currently own House of Leaves and it's probably what I'll read next).

I’ll start.
The Judge from Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.

"His feet are light and nimble. He never sleeps. He says that he will never die. He dances in light and in shadow and he is a great favorite. He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die”

The title says it all. Please give me your recommendations for creepy, unsettling, with well developed characters. I'm not looking for gore, just a feeling of WTH did I just read. The last book I read was A Lonely Broadcast by Kel Barton. It wasn't scary, but the story was engaging and you cared about the characters. I want to up the creepy factor. Thanks!

Sirens freak me out and I want to be deeply disturbed. No Stephen King, please.

I recently went on the Laird Barron reddit to get some recommendations for spooky season, and the name Brian Evenson came up as a writer that Laird thought very highly of, and after spending the afternoon devouring this selection of short fiction, I can see why. This is quickly shooting up toward the top of the list of best books that I have read this year. Every piece is dripping with an air of something that is amiss, always just around the corner or waiting on the periphery. The stories were all superbly written and there was a fairly diverse selection on offer, from the straight up body horror stories like "Leaking Out" and "Shirts and Skins" to the more generally weird and vaguely Lovecraftian stories like "The Glistening World" and the titular offering.

The surprise standout, at least in my opinion, is "Lord of the Vats," a story that has a really heavy "Dead Space meets the first two Alien movies" kind of vibe, and the atmosphere and tension is quite palpable. Being a fan of those two franchises, I thought this story was brilliant and a pleasure to read.

Sadly, not every story sticks the landing. Stories like "Menno", "A Disappearance", and "Wanderlust" didn't have the same impact as some of the scarier selections. Thankfully, however, every story is told in a very brisk pace that keeps the plot moving while maximizing the ever-present dread and sense of unease.

All in all, I'm really glad I checked out this collection. Mr. Evenson is right to be in the conversation with Mr. Barron and Thomas Ligotti, and his fiction scratches that itch for things that go bump in the night.

I used to love reading and was pretty much addicted to it throughout middle and high school, but I haven't really read anything in years. I'm 29 now and really miss it, so I want to get back into reading, and what better time than October!

Horror was always one of my favorite genres, and I'm looking for something that'll really hook me and pull me back into reading. I'd prefer something that isn't too long and is a standalone rather than part of a series.

I'm open to pretty much anything horror related, so what are your favorite books that you'd recommend to someone trying to get back into reading?

It can be anything! Alien plants, sea monsters, haunted woods. Anything and everything natural horror! Its my favroite genre

I am putting together some trivia questions for my spooky club to play at our meeting this month. It is going to focus specifically on horror literature, not horror films. Do you have any interesting horror lit trivia that I could incorporate? The questions will get progressively harder, so looking for any difficulty. (really trying not to use chatgpt) thanks!