The 100 scariest horror novels of all time horror novel. Horror, mystery, thriller, fantasy and psychological books have always been a favorite among us. Nothing you have ever read will prepare you for the insanity in this book. Told in alternating chapters that depict a group of aspiring writers voluntarily secluded in an unusual writer s retreat and the stories theyre writing, haunted not only contains one of the most disturbing short stories ever published guts, which caused several people to faint when palahniuk read it in public its also a deep dive into madness as the realitytv obsessed characters start sabotaging their experiment in a quest for fame. This book is super high up on my list of best horror books in terms of creativity. So herewith, the literary mans top ten scariest books of all time.
Ladies and gentlemen, we give you a list of the most disturbing books ever written. Dark vanessa, one of the most anticipated book releases for march 2020. From these writers and more, here are the ten most disturbing books ever written. I love scary stories and movies, but many are forgettable. And were not talking about bseries zombies, shockforshockvalue cheap literature. Ive got 21 terrifying books that are scarier than any horror movie ive seen. When the creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural maine, it all seems too good to be true. The scariest book ive ever read is the autobiography of my mother, by jamaica kincaid. So, without further ado, and with a little fanfare, we present to you the 30 scariest books ever written.
But if you ask me, the scariest thing in the whole wide world is a horror book. Ignore the existence of the horrendous, slapintheface film adaptation with brad pitt and simply read the book, because world war z is easily the best piece of zombie fiction ever written. The 9 most eerie books and grimoires of all time oddee. Danielewski has written the magum opus on wrong geometry, and i doubt anyone will ever best this. For me, the most frightening books are not about scary clowns or demons or witchcraft, but those that show the awful things humans are capable of doing to one another. So obviously this is a personal list, not any sort of final say on what the best scary books are.
This is probably the most frightening novel stephen king has ever written. What is the most terrifying book you have ever read. Oct 31, 2014 this is probably the most frightening novel stephen king has ever written. Imagine, if you would, catcher in the rye, if holden caulfield was really, truly, batshit insane and completely detached from reality. Unfortunately, even though ive read a lot of books, there are still some classic horror novels, and contemporary masterpieces, that i havent gotten to. Regardless of ones interests, one can find a book he or she finds engaging. The goriest books ever 352 books goodreads share book. And this year, were celebrating the 200th birthday of one of the most famous scary stories of all time. The scares come not just from the malevolent actions of a house. A few items of furniture were left there by the previous occupants. Top 10 creepiest and most bizarre books ever written. Simply stated, its about a house thats bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, whole hallways and rooms. Im sure there are many, many more creepy books that could make the scariest books of all time list.
This book is so terrifying it made it onto stephen kings list of the best horror novels ever written, which certainly makes it strong enough to earn a spot on the list of the most disturbing books. Shrivers well written, insightful story won the orange prize in 2005, which is a u. Oooooooh, those that ive read are definitely scary. It was fresh and new when it was written, and nobodys devil has ever topped it. Oct 30, 2017 of course, a story can be terrifying without necessarily being great art. Mar 30, 2020 so, without further ado, and with a little fanfare, we present to you our pick of scariest books ever written, the best horror books no matter what kind of horror you are into. When the author adapted his book to the screen two years later, it then became one of the most terrifying movies ever made. And i gotta say the bible definitely belongs up there. The shining by stephen king has far and away been the scariest book ive ever read. Its not just these scary stories that were so chilling, it was the epic artwork by. There is no scientific proof with which to bolster our claims. Were looking back through the scariest books of all timefrom chilling. We are going to show you some of the most bizarre books ever written.
If youre in the mood for a fright, here are some of the scariest books ever written. Not only does it discuss the terrors of corrupt religion, but it also deals with a mans existential crisis, whether he is predestined for heaven, and whether his new friend with the bible written. Its one of the most unsettling books ive ever read, partly because of how. Of all the books on the list, this is the one i have read most recently, even though it was released in 1984. But, after much voting, the pet sematary by stephen king is your top pick, and hell house by richard matheson comes in a close 2 nd. It has scenes of rape, death, and everything that can make you fear. The countless film adaptations and reimaginings have rendered those classics impotent in our amygdalas. Were talking intense, profound, lesser known literary gems.
One of the most popular and horrifying tales of all time, frankenstein was the. The 20 scariest books of all time do yourself a favor. Jun 03, 2016 10 of the creepiest books of all time. The most disturbing books weve ever read, with alice clarkplatts podcast read more on the beach by nevil shute, about a spreading radioactive cloud, is the most disturbing thing i have. Jul 16, 2018 the scariest book ive ever read is the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson. Nov 04, 2019 8 of the most genuinely terrifying novels ever written. For me, the most frightening books are not about scary clowns or. I know scary books are possible and would be really good, but im yet to find anything thats had me wanting to. The 10 scariest books of all time read at your own risk.
The 50 scariest books of all time piercing, ryu murakami. Told in alternating chapters that depict a group of aspiring writers voluntarily secluded in an unusual writer s retreat and the stories theyre writing, haunted not only contains one of the most disturbing short stories ever published guts, which caused several people to faint when palahniuk read it in public its also a deep dive into madness as the realitytv obsessed characters start sabotaging. Bret easton ellis has haunted some of our readers for days, and on the books desk were still getting over certain depictions of dangerous obsessions and. The 10 scariest goosebumps books of all time glamour. Jul 25, 2014 the scariest books horror authors have ever read. The haunting of hill house is simply the best haunted house story ever written. American psycho was the sivkeat book ever, no doubt, but unlike snuff the story kept me going until the end.
May 27, 2014 widely considered to be one of the most mysterious manuscripts in the history of time as perceived by mankind, this book contains a ciphered unknown alphabet written on vellum calfskin and depicts bizarre plants, original astronomical charts, and odd interconnected bathtubs with tiny naked people. Sep 22, 2017 21 scary books that are more terrifying than any horror movie. Theyre so much creepier than the movies because you cant chalk the most horrifying moments up to. But, as readers, we love the sensation of being scaredit is adrenalineinducing and addictive. When the creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural maine, it all seems too good. Oct 08, 2019 but if you ask me, the scariest thing in the whole wide world is a horror book. I suggest house of leaves house of leaves without spoiling the plot, there are three nested stories, of which the core is about the finding of a set of documents and videos about a house that becomes slightly longer on the inside than the outs. One item was a great big bookshelf in the basement which remained laden with their old books. Top 10 creepiest and most bizarre books ever written top 10 clipz. Oct 16, 2018 its a trope that we keep returning tothis week, netflix launched a new series based on the classic shirley jackson novel the haunting of hill house, and the results are truly terrifying if at a bit of a remove from the book. If you find that you are one of those people who gets great joy out of reading horror novels, then this is the place for you. As if i could leave off the creepiest book ever given to children. Aug 22, 2006 the funniest, and scariest, book ever written writer charles baxter offers praise for flann obriens the third policeman, which can be confusing, comical and harrowing. Has anyone here found a book so scary you almost had to stop reading it.
Inspired by a true story of a child who was possessed by demons in the 1940s, blatty created a novel that focuses on regan, an 11year old girl who has the same fate. Without a doubt, its the most unsettling thing ive ever read. Isolating the 10 scariest novels of all time is essentially impossible. The best horror books of all time penguin random house. Written from the perspective of the killers mother, the book is about a. If your goal is to be so terrified of a book that you put it in the freezer and book a hotel room for a few days, here are twentyfive books that might not necessarily be the best horror novels, but are certainly the scariest. Oct 09, 20 here, for your horrifying pleasure, are 50 of the scariest books ever written in the english language, whether horror, nonfiction, or speculative futures you never want to see. In celebration of sleepless nights, here are some of the freakiest, scariest stephen king books.
Pick up this novel written by stephen kings oldest son before the movie comes out, and you can only picture daniel radcliffe as the newly horned. This is the scariest type of horror, horror of the heart. I know scary books are possible and would be really good, but im yet to find anything thats had me wanting to hide under the covers. Theyre so much creepier than the movies because you cant chalk the most horrifying moments up to special effects. And there is nothing better than a spooky, scary, spine chilling horror story. Without further ado, i give you a handful of my favorites, though, when i say favorites, there are a few selections here that id only tackle once. When originally published in 1971, the exorcist became not only a bestselling literary phenomenon, but one of the most frightening and controversial novels ever written. I read it one night next to my sleeping wife and found myself unable to move, unable to go to bed, unable. And, by all means, if theres a king book that somehow scared you even more than these did, tell us about it in the comments. Featured image by zacarias pereira da matashutterstock. The scariest books horror authors have ever read bookish we asked nine horror aficionados including charlaine harris, jack ketchum, mira grant and fangoria magazine to choose the one book. We recently asked subscribers of the buzzfeed books newsletter to tell us about the most suspenseful book theyd ever read and they totally delivered. What is the scariest or creepiest book you have ever read. Horror most terrifying books of all time hewlettwoodmere.
The funniest, and scariest, book ever written writer charles baxter offers praise for flann obriens the third policeman, which can be confusing, comical and harrowing. Its one of the best ghost story books in history because it contains so many highquality passages and tales. The ten scariest books of all time strand magazine. It really unsettled me for a long time and even now i cant properly think.
Almost anything written by stephen king and some of edgar allan poes work has been known to cause nightmares also. This book contains perhaps the scariest idea of all time. Now you may have watched quite a few scary movies but heres a list of the scariest books ever written. Theyre so much creepier than the movies because you cant chalk the most horrifying moments. This terrifying psychological horror book is your basic demonic occult narrative, and as terrifying as they come. This book always feels extra scary at this time of year. Ive got 21 terrifying books that are scarier than any horror movie ive seen, so people like me can enjoy bustle 21 scary books that are more terrifying than any horror movie.
If your summer months are more for scary stories around the campfire than breezy first love, happily ever after tales, this list of 10 of the creepiest books of all time will fulfill all your warm. What are the most frightening books youve ever read. Its categorized as literary fiction, but its a horror novel, too. These forms of lists are comprised of books that leave a burning trail of fear in our hearts. Oct 16, 2015 the 10 scariest goosebumps books of all time. Aug 17, 2016 brand new platform download all of my affirmations here. And it has the added bonus of the most memorable dance scene of all time. Feb 21, 2019 on the beach by nevil shute, about a spreading radioactive cloud, is the most disturbing thing i have ever read. Best scariest horror books of all time cosmopolitan. Not that i give two shits what people say about the bible, there are some pretty awesome books that are extremely disturbing. Space is so absolutely petrifying, its surprising that more scifi novels dont dig deep into the possibilities it presents for a good horror yarnbut those that do exist are truly scary, including these seven books, which stand with the most terrifying scifi novels ever written.
This novel is easily numbers among the scariest psychological horror novels ive ever read, despite its being published three hundred years ago. Whatever it is, theres no denying that stephen king knows what scares usand hes not afraid to deliver. Jul 23, 2016 top 10 creepiest and most bizarre books ever written. Being the dog person that i am, it makes sense to me that one of the scariest horror books includes a possessed cat that, in turn, possesses its human owner. One of the scariest books i ever read thats not on the list was it by stephen king. Horror books have been part of the literary world for years, but it seems like horror in all. Some authors really appeal to the gore lover, the thrillseeker, and the horror junky, such as cormac mccarthy, bret easton ellis, and stephen king. For me, so far, pet sematary is the scariest ive ever read and im not even done yet im about 150 pages from being done. Please continue reading because this page is all about the top ten scariest books ever written. And if they get to be a little too much, just do what i do. Oct 21, 2015 10 scary books that will seriously keep you up at night.
The ten scariest books of all time as a seasoned horror author, im often asked not only what books i find the scariest, but also what novels have inspired me the most. Brand new platform download all of my affirmations here. No less an authority than stephen king declared hell house to be the scariest haunted house novel ever written. Feel free to grab your free reading challenge checklist and read through them all. What most people miss, though, is the inconclusive cliffhanger plot. Jul 18, 2019 whatever it is, theres no denying that stephen king knows what scares usand hes not afraid to deliver. The exorcist is one of the scariest books of all time and remains one of the most controversial novels ever written. The book was fascinating, well written, and terrifying af. Jun 25, 2018 although this book is a work of fiction, grace marks was a real person, and her storythe truthiness of itwill haunt you. Dahl collected his 14 favorite supernatural books and put them all in his book of ghost stories. And after all, the primary task of a scary novel is to scare. If weve missed the book that kept you up for a month, add your suggestions at the bottom. Its surprising that he also penned one of the scariest horror books you could ever hope to read, but here we are. This story focuses on four characters, one of which is on a mission to.