# Scariest Book You've Read **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 6, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504 "2000-06-06T00:52:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lablonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@lablonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lablonde)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/1 "2000-06-06T00:52:16Z")
I’m looking for things scary, not gory. Best I’ve read so far is Peter Straub’s “Ghost Story”. Title, Author, and brief storyline appreciated 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Milossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Milossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milossarian)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/2 "2000-06-06T01:17:25Z")
Stephen King has had two or three collections of short stories. One was about the scariest I’d ever read; the other one or two didn’t do much for me. Can’t remember the name of the one I really liked, but I particularly remember one short story in it: “The Jaunt.” The premise was, in the future, technology had advanced to where people could be transported light years away instantaneously, but the catch was, they had to be asleep. One young, curious kid faked being anesthetized so he could see why. When they got to the other side, the kid’s family was shocked to see he had become a drooling madman. Turns out that if you aren’t asleep, your consciousness travels the distance of your body in real time in some parallel plane. So he’d been in the nothingness of space sort of in solitary confinement for a few million years or so, unable to kill himself. Yeesh. ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/3 "2000-06-06T01:19:53Z")
“Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert M. Pirsig. The SOB tells me A: he is even smarter than me and B: Think More… (taking a slug from a bottle of rot gut gin). Jesus, what a sadist 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/4 "2000-06-06T01:39:24Z")
On a serious note - Pet Sematary (sp) by the afore mentioned S. King. Made the hair on my arms stand up… could sleep for two friggin’ days. Scary stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/5 "2000-06-06T01:40:23Z")
I’m with Milossarian. Earlier works by Stephen King: _The Dead Zone, Salem’s Lot…_ and my own personal not-for-reading-after-dark favourite, _IT_. _Shudder_ Ancient evil awakens periodically to feed… and you’ll never look at clowns the same way again… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/6 "2000-06-06T01:46:21Z")
IT was bad, but the last line of Sematary was absolutely evil. BTW - anybody else creeped out by the short story about the blood thirsty dry cleaning machine (echo’s of Christine)? ---
**Author:** ![lablonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@lablonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lablonde)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/7 "2000-06-06T02:00:15Z")
I’ve read most Stephen King, and Dean Koontz for that matter. Lighting and Watchers being two of my favorites. I’m looking for a new source. Any lesser known masters of the genre out there? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/8 "2000-06-06T02:03:59Z")
H.P. Lovecraft. Read the fun stuff, like “At The Mountains Of Madness”, “The Horror At Red Hook”, and, my favorite, “Herbert West - Reanimator”. ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/9 "2000-06-06T02:12:26Z")
Clive Barker - the dude is SICK!!! 🙂 (think he’s responsible for the “Hell Raiser” films) ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/10 "2000-06-06T02:17:22Z")
The story referenced by Milossarian was _really_ scary! HP Lovecraft, “The Haunter in the Dark”. Karl E. Wagner “Sticks”, and “In the Pines” (although I really liked “River of Night’s Dreaming” Hmmmm lesbians, horror, and Robert Chambers…). ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/11 "2000-06-06T02:19:57Z")
Shirley Jackson’s Haunting of Hill House. Original movie made in the early 60’s (I think) was terribly scary - remake done about a year ago was just terrible. Ditto on King’s It - damn clown. ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/12 "2000-06-06T02:29:30Z")
Anthracite, Damn!!! Too Bad you prefer girls 🙂 Clive Barker did this thing called “The Weave” or something like. Scared me back to reading Heinlein. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/13 "2000-06-06T02:32:02Z")
Steve King’s _The Langoliers_ disturbed me in a “that-could-just-possibly-be-true” sorta way. ---
**Author:** ![Rosebud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rosebud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rosebud)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/14 "2000-06-06T02:34:20Z")
Gotta agree about _It_. There are also elements of _The Stand_ that really get to me-- more so the potential reality of a Captain Tripps than the Walkin’ Dude. I thought the mini-series version of the book was pretty good, fwiw. BigJoe-- I think the King short story you’re referring to is “The Mangler.” And yeah, it creeped me out as well! lablonde, you might want to check out Ellen Datlow & Terry Windling’s “Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror” collections. I’m not sure that they’re precisely annual, but the one volume I was given some time ago had some major scary stuff in it. One about a deranged dentist (some gore there, but not tons), some very strange stories about circus “freaks” and other unusual folks. Of course I don’t have the book in this apartment, but with an anthology like that you often get turned on to up and coming authors. ---
**Author:** ![Fillet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/2acd7d/32.png) [@Fillet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fillet)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/15 "2000-06-06T02:39:52Z")
Pet Sematary scared me so badly that I had to keep putting it down every few pages until I got my courage up again. I also stupidly read Salem’s Lot one night while I was home alone… I swear, I was afraid to get up to answer the phone because the light wasn’t on in that room. Big Joe - you’re talking about The Mangler! Creepy, yes… so were the other stories in the “Night Shift” collection. I highly recommend “Night Shift” to anyone who hasn’t read it yet - great stuff! Clive Barker is good too, but his stories definitely have more of an unworldly air than Stephen King’s. I’ll never forget a couple of Barker’s subway-related short-stories - the one about the doors being fitted with blades that would cut you in half if you didn’t get off the train fast enough had me spooked for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Rosebud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rosebud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rosebud)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/16 "2000-06-06T02:43:28Z")
Fillet, the 9 trains are actually like that. That’s why the only use 'em during rush hour-- thins the slow-moving from the herd 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/17 "2000-06-06T02:46:13Z")
_It._ I went through a horror phase when I was about 15 or so, and except for the really stupid ending, _It_ was the scariest book I ever read. _Pet Sematary_ didn’t scare me at all - but I liked it because one chapter starts off with “The last happy day of Louis Creed’s life was March 24, 1984.” My little sister was born on March 25, 1984, so I found that rather amusing. ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/18 "2000-06-06T02:49:45Z")
“The Mangler” - sounds right - definately scarey stuff. “Night Shift” is nearly certainly the collection. btw - how about “I’ll tear your soul apart!” for a sig - I’m thinking it mucho flame attraction. (lol) ---
**Author:** ![Fillet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/2acd7d/32.png) [@Fillet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fillet)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/19 "2000-06-06T02:51:09Z")
Rosebud, I _knew_ there was a good reason why I only rode the East Side IRT. 😉 Taking the 3 to Brooklyn reminded me of Barker’s other short story about the subway, where some poor sap gets transported into some hellish trainyard with fiends that had teeth like knives, IIRC. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504/20 "2000-06-06T02:55:14Z")
Ditto with the King, especially _'Salem’s Lot_. _The Shining_ was pretty scary also. His short story _The Boogeyman_ (also in _Night Shift_) really creeped me out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scariest-book-youve-read/21504.md?page=2)