# Are there Any contempory horror novelists writing truly scary books? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 4, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946 "2003-08-04T18:42:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/1 "2003-08-04T18:42:30Z")
I was thinking about this [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=202181) thread, and how I don’t usually find horror novels to be scary. Maybe I’m just reading the wrong people? Am I too sucked in by mainstream writers? If I don’t find the authors below scary, can you think of ones I might? Just contemporary authors, please (definitely more contemporary than Shirley Jackson, and preferably still writing) Just about any horror theme- be it monsters, hauntings or more psychological- is fine by me. Authors I read but find not to be really scary: Stephen King Peter Straub Clive Barker Anne Rice Dean Koontz John Saul Laurell Hamilton ( I haven’t read any non-series novels yet, however) Mark Danielewski (although I don’t realy think House of Leaves was horror) Dan Simmons (at least of what I’ve read of his) Elizabeth Hand (at least of what I’ve read of hers) Robert Mccammon ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/2 "2003-08-04T19:06:40Z")
I’m interested in the OP. I’m going to look into some works of the authors you listed. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/3 "2003-08-04T20:36:44Z")
Well, there’s an automatic problem with your quest. Horror, as a literary genre, isn’t very hot right now. As a result, there aren’t just a ton of recognized writers out there breaking new ground in the field. You might want to try some folks who have written horror in the past (and, frankly, who helped shape the genre into what it is today). Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, Robert Bloch, some of Harlan Ellison’s work … there’s good horror out there, if you know where to look. Of course, what is possibly the best horror novel of the past five years sits moldering in my desk drawer, because publishers just don’t recognize quality when it hits their slush pile. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/4 "2003-08-04T20:42:14Z")
Richard Mattheson is good. I didn’t think that “I Am Legend” was all that scary, but his short stories were quite suspenseful. “Dance of the Dead” and “Where Shadows Lurk” (er, I think that’s the title of it…too lazy to walk across the room and pick up my copy) stand out as being creepy. Robert Bloch’s short stories aren’t bad. But take that with a grain of salt, because I read them a few years ago, as well as his novel “Psycho.” I utterly loved that last one when I read it in high school. Recently, though, I reread–God, what was I on when I gave it that ringing endorsement? Also, if you like creepy, Roald Dahl’s adult books/stories are not to be missed. Although I agree, it is difficult to find something really scary these days. Sometimes the older stuff (horror and suspense) just feels better. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/5 "2003-08-04T21:04:41Z")
And I forgot to mention … even well-known, well-established writers miss the mark occasionally. So if you’ve read two or three books by, say, Stephen King, and dismissed him, you might not have gotten very good books to read. Personally, I think “The Shining” by King is one of the best horror novels around. I can remember reading it in high school and not being able to stop once I got to a certain point. I kept the light on and read until three in the morning. Your taste, obviously, may vary considerably. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/6 "2003-08-04T23:00:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sauron \* > \*\*And I forgot to mention … even well-known, well-established writers miss the mark occasionally. So if you’ve read two or three books by, say, Stephen King, and dismissed him, you might not have gotten very good books to read. > > Personally, I think “The Shining” by King is one of the best horror novels around. I can remember reading it in high school and not being able to stop once I got to a certain point. I kept the light on and read until three in the morning. > > Your taste, obviously, may vary considerably. \*\* Sorry, unless I said otherwise, I’ve read most of the books by the authors on that list. There are only 4 or 5 SK books I’ve never read. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/7 "2003-08-04T23:33:05Z")
What I’ve found is that a modern novelist choosing to work in the “horror” genre is fairly rare. Most modern novelists seems to staty away from the label, even though what they’re writing is almost definitely horror of one variety or another. It depends what “horror” you mean, really. However, if you’re looking for some scary stuff, here’s a few. Bear in mind that some of these are not necessarily by “horror” novelists _per se_. David Searcy’s [Ordinary Horror](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0452282969/qid=1060039330/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-5520179-5934517?v=glance&s=books) is definitely one of the creepiest books I’ve read in a while. Bear in mind that this is very psychological horror, not really supernatural monster horror (though it might be…). Neil Gaiman writes some good horror-ish stuff. His story in the last issue of the “Hellraiser” comic series was the best one of the whole run, and his new young-adult novel [Coraline](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380977788/qid=1060039957/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-5520179-5934517?v=glance&s=books) has some exceptionally scary moments. Stephen King never scared me much in general, though his book _Gerald’s Game_ had a part that made me very reluctant to turn out the lights when I finished it at 2 AM. James Lasdun’s [The Horned Man](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0393324389/qid=1060040116/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-5520179-5934517?v=glance&s=books) is another good example of modern psychological horror. It’s not boogeyman-scary, but it definitely kept me jumpy while I was reading it. Funny you mention Dan Simmons… I never saw him as much of a horror novelist. He’s written a few good horror novels, but most of them aren’t good because they’re scary. They’re good because they’re well-written, they tell a good story, and he does some genre-twisting tricks in them. He’s a good writer in general, and I’ll read anythng he writes, but he’s usually not very _scary_. That being said, there are some powerfully frightening images in his recent novel _A Winter Haunting_, which is a sequel to _Summer of Night_. The first book wasn’t very scary, in my opinion, while the second one really had some nice creepy moments. There are more, but that’s a good list to start with. To me, a truly scary book is pretty hard to come by. I can think of only a few that really do it for me… Shirley Jackson’s _The Haunting of Hill House_, for example, or some of Lovecraft’s work. They could hardly be considered “modern,” however. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/8 "2003-08-05T02:01:41Z")
The scene in the topiary in _The Shining_ was absolutely terrifying. Great horror writing. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/9 "2003-08-05T02:12:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Avalonian \* > **Funny you mention Dan Simmons… \That being said, there are some powerfully frightening images in his recent novel _A Winter Haunting_, which is a sequel to _Summer of Night_. The first book wasn’t very scary, in my opinion, while the second one really had some nice creepy moments.** I didn’t think so, it was a little creepy, but not nearly enough. However, my overwhelming response that particular novel was disgust that he very blatently ripped off \*\* I’ll Be Seeing You\*\* by Peter Straub. There are _far_ too many similarities for it to be accidental Both books are about a man, who is going home to where a childhood companion died young, under mysterous circumstances (some people think the deaths were accidental, others convinced it was murder) to write a book. People avoid them because they’re not “right.” Both get into a lot of seemingly undeserved trouble with the local sheriff. Both are suspected of crimes that happened only after they arrived. Both confuse the living and the dead. Both get harassed by neo-nazi type punks. Both get into confrontations with who they think was the “real killer.” There’s a supernatural “return” of sorts of each dead kid… No wonder so many people at amazon who liked the first book- which I haven’t read- complain in the reviews of it this book not being a good fit as a follow up. The narration style is the only big difference between the two books! However, I do like Gerald’s Game and The Shining. They were really creepy. Wish more books were. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/10 "2003-08-05T02:17:38Z")
Dammit. I know, if you’re going to rant, at least get the title correct, right? I _meant_ **If You Could See Me Now**. I’ll Be Seeing You is a horror movie. \ ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/11 "2003-08-05T03:45:32Z")
I hadn’t read _If You Could See Me Now_, **elfkin** , so I’ll take your word for it. However, the difference in narrative style you mention makes a big difference for me. I never enjoyed one of Straub’s books, while I enjoy almost all of Simmons’ work. However, if he did indeed rip off Straub so blatantly, I’m a bit disappointed. I really liked _A Winter Haunting_. ---
**Author:** ![Grousser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Grousser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grousser)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/12 "2003-08-05T06:54:33Z")
I can’t understand why some works had produced me true horror in certain stages of my life. Here are a few short stories: Window - by Bob Leman Adjustment Team - by Philip K. Dick The Death Hound - by Agatha Christie The Xipehuz - by J Rosny-Aine The Autopsy - by Michael Shea Some people shiver, some people don’t. What is horrifying for one is not for others. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/13 "2003-08-05T07:08:24Z")
[Jonathan Carroll](http://www.jonathancarroll.com/indexframes.html) isn’t a horror writer but has written some horrible stuff. His stories all present a metaphysical world as a given and many of his books are deeply unsettling. I bought _Land of Laughs_ secondhand many years ago and dug up most of his early stuff cheap. Although notionally a fantasy author his books are much more than that. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/14 "2003-08-05T07:28:46Z")
Having been reminded of Carroll I was browsing around and found a review of his _The Panic Hand_ at this terrific horror site [DarkEcho](http://www.darkecho.com/darkecho/web/best_horror.html#best) and their list of best books. Hope it helps and check out the rest of the site. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/15 "2003-08-05T11:36:00Z")
_The University_ by Bentley Little. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/16 "2003-08-05T11:39:52Z")
Maybe **Bentley Little**? He’s written several books like _The Mailman_ and _Night School_. His books got a bit gross for me, so I’ve not read his more recent ones. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/17 "2003-08-05T15:17:15Z")
**Avalonian** , I tried **Ordinary Horror** but put it down about halfway through. I’m definitely okay with low-key, creepy, psychological horror, but this one didn’t work for me. About the third or fourth time he put lemons in the garbage disposal, I gave up. I haven’t found anything “truly scary” in horror fiction for quite awhile. The new writers (most of them) are so over the top, they’re almost laughable. You find yourself going “ew” or “gimme a break” when you should be going “ahhhhh”. I was very creeped out by a scene in a fantasy book I’m reading now, **The Hidden Warrior** , sequel to **The Bone Doll’s Twin** by Lynn Flewelling. One of the characters has encountered a ghost (not for the first time). There was no lengthy atmospheric buildup to the scene, and all the ghost did was turn around and look at the character, “face shifting to an angry mask”, and I was outta there. What made that scene work for me was that this ghost is a mystery. We don’t know what she’s up to, whether she’s evil or misunderstood, whether or not she has the power to hurt anyone even if she wanted to. The new writers are all out describing and explaining everything – they’re not giving their audience any credit at all. I do have to admit that I don’t care for most of the contemporary horror novelists, so they could be writing scary stuff and I’m missing it. There were good scares in **The Shining** , like everyone says. Also **Ghost Story** by Peter Straub and **The Haunting of Hill House** by Shirley Jackson will make you turn on the lights. Oh, and **Burnt Offerings** – the one by Robert Marasco. not the Laurell Hamilton. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/18 "2003-08-05T18:25:02Z")
I don’t know about scary, but Poppy Z. Brite is definitely disturbing! ---
**Author:** ![noddygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/47e85d/32.png) [@noddygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noddygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-contempory-horror-novelists-writing-truly-scary-books/192946/19 "2003-08-05T20:51:49Z")
I’m a big fan of Thomas Ligotti. He writes short stories, not novels, and perhaps they’re more creepy than scary…in that existential, Lovecraftian way. But I think he’s one of the most talented writers alive, in any genre. Two contemporary novelists I would recommend are Stephen Gregory and Patrick McGrath, but again they’re more gothic/creepy than scary…although if you like Shirley Jackson, I think you’d certainly appreciate them too. Personally I find psychological horror much more satisfying and disturbing than your vampires, zombies etc.–at least in literature.