# What books/authors have genuinely scared you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 22, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644 "2009-06-22T21:00:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Black\_Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@Black\_Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/41 "2009-06-23T19:01:54Z")
_The Exorcist_ and _The Amityville Horror_. A bunch of Lovecraft’s stuff. Richard Matheson’s _Hell House_ didn’t exactly scare me, but the depiction of the worship of evil just made me really uncomfortable. King’s “1408” is a doozy, too. When I was a kid, I got a book from the library called _Baleful Beasts and Eerie Creatures_. It has a story called “The Patchwork Monkey” that scared the holy hell out of me. It was so bad that my mom asked the librarian to get rid of it. It’s long out of print, but I bought it online a year or so ago. Not nearly as scary as it was when I was seven, but there’s still something unsettling about it. (Not to mention the fact that, hand-to-God, my cat gets puffy at it every time he goes near it.) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/42 "2009-06-23T19:11:40Z")
> [@Black\_Sunshine](#): > > It has a story called “The Patchwork Monkey” that scared the holy hell out of me. It was so bad that my mom asked the librarian to get rid of it. It’s long out of print, but **I bought it** online a year or so ago. That’s funny! Does your mom know? ---
**Author:** ![dubs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dubs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dubs)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/43 "2009-06-23T19:30:38Z")
_The Other_ by Tom Tryon. I read it quite a few years ago–it was published in 1971. Wow! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/44 "2009-06-23T20:00:06Z")
The work Alan Moore et alia did on Swamp Think 30 and 31. I read it in the daylight and got scared. The rest of the work Moore, Veitch, Totelben, Woods, et alia did on Swamp Thing was brilliant, but not as scary as those two issues. Anton Arcane is back and the whole world is in trouble. For books, _The Family_, a book about the Manson family, was so horrifying that I made sure all the doors and windows were locked. Other books that I found pretty frightening and/or creepy were \*The Talented Mr. Ripley \*by Patricia Highsmith, Harris’ first three Hannibal Lecter novels (\*Hannibal Rising \*sucks canal water), and \*Salem’s Lot \*by King. Fritz Leiber’s novel \*Conjure Wife \*had a helluva jolt at the end of Chapter 14. Generally, I think horror works best in shorter stories. M.R. James wrote some pretty scary ones, as did Poe, le Fanu, and Lovecraft and H. Russell Wakefield’s “The Frontier Guards” is the best horror story, IMO. Also, Ted Sturgeon may be most famous for his works about love, but he could scare the hell out of you when he wanted to; read “It” and "Bianca’s Hands.’ For movies, I would say the originals of _Psycho_ and _The Haunting_. _Silence of the Lambs_ is pretty good, too. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/45 "2009-06-23T20:17:13Z")
> [@Justin\_Credible](#): > > Oh my God, yes. It’s been about 15 years since I read those, but I can still visualize those pictures. The White Wolf was the worst for me, due to my fear of wolves and werewolves. Another one, I think it was for a story called The Haunt, still gives me shivers if I think about it. And the one with the spiders ahtching in the girl’s skin, blegh. Those stories were hit or miss, but the images were always scary as hell. There’s one with a woman with no eyes and long stringy hair. BLECH!!! And Harold. Oh, and this weird looking dumpy creature…okay, I can’t describe it, but they were all so off. Honestly, I’ve never seen pictures like that before. How did the illustrator achieve that effect? I love it, and am terrified by it…but how?! ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/46 "2009-06-23T20:54:22Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > There’s one with a woman with no eyes and long stringy hair. BLECH!!! Yeah! That was The Haunt. That one was particularly bad, and I can still picture it even today. I can’t believe these books were in the young readers section. [QUOTE=Freudian Slit] And Harold. Oh, and this weird looking dumpy creature…okay, I can’t describe it, but they were all so off. Honestly, I’ve never seen pictures like that before. How did the illustrator achieve that effect? I love it, and am terrified by it…but how?! [/QUOTE] I remember a weird, dumpy cat in the story called _When Martin Comes_, or somesuch. That one actually had kind of a comedic ending, but the picture was still freaky. I don’t know how he drew pictures like that. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/47 "2009-06-23T20:59:46Z")
Bugliosi’s _Helter Skelter_. It was just so…real. 😉 But really, as a kid (and even moreso no as an adult), the idea that people could torture and kill you just because some madman gave the word was just scary. StG ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@Black\_Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/48 "2009-06-23T21:06:40Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > That’s funny! Does your mom know? Yeah, she helped me find it! I’m 30 now, and married, so she didn’t have to worry about me sleeping in their bed for a month! ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/49 "2009-06-23T21:15:35Z")
Does a story that’s been turned into a play count? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/50 "2009-06-23T21:17:40Z")
> [@Black\_Sunshine](#): > > Yeah, she helped me find it! I’m 30 now, and married, so she didn’t have to worry about me sleeping in their bed for a month! But after that month was over, Black Sunshine’s mom got quite the surprise. ---
**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:** [June 23, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/51 "2009-06-23T21:22:27Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > Does a story that’s been turned into a play count? Sure. Which play/story are you thinking of? ETA: I google imaged Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and as soon as that…that LADY thing from the Haunt came up, I could not suppress a shudder. I own these stories, I’ve seen them hundreds of times. She will never stop making me shudder. Also, the Thing? Do you guys remember [this](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tUzRAhpJFjc/Rf4aAig-UDI/AAAAAAAAAzA/d1K2H8pD5Yc/the-thing.jpg)? I hate that I can’t look at it for too long without getting uncomfortable. I’m not seven anymore! ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@Black\_Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/52 "2009-06-23T21:25:40Z")
> [@Justin\_Credible](#): > > But after that month was over, Black Sunshine’s mom got quite the surprise. Nicely done. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/53 "2009-06-23T21:41:33Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > _House of Leaves_ has to be mentioned. I haven’t read that yet but from the things I’ve heard it would be a definite contender. I’m thinking Communion really gave me the creeps, although it’s possible I’m transferring some of the movie experience onto the book. Some King novels creeped me out, especially Tommyknockers, It, and the Dark Half. I went through a Koontz phase too, but I don’t remember how scary they were. I think Swan Song was pretty scary or suspenseful. ---
**Author:** ![Vimp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vimp/32/4186_2.png) [@Vimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vimp)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/54 "2009-06-23T22:00:53Z")
> [@Labdad](#): > > **Ghost Story** by Peter Straub scared the bejesus out of me! This was one of the scariest for me too. Something about the winter setting, and all of the ice and snow, seemed to contribute to the malevolent feeling. Also, _ **The List of Seven** _ - especially the part where the heroes are trapped underground, and the mummies are coming after them … ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/55 "2009-06-24T03:46:04Z")
I’m currently reading The Little Stranger and am disturbed. Very, very disturbed. I can’t read the spoilers upthread, but it’s nice to know I’m not the only one creeped out by this book. ---
**Author:** ![judikium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@judikium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/judikium)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/56 "2009-06-24T04:06:54Z")
Stephen King’s [Gerald’s Game](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald's_Game) is the only book I can remember truly scaring me. When Jessie finally escapes in the car and sees the “Space Cowboy” in the back - whoa, that was chilling. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/57 "2009-06-24T04:55:45Z")
I’ll second _World War Z_, _Ted the Caver_, and _The New Mother_. While Richard Matheson’s _Hell House_ didn’t scare me per se, the accounts of what MADE the haunted house haunted… well… HAUNT me. It certainly kept me up most of the night after reading the book. In a similar vein to the Caver story, _The Dionaea House_ had a creepifying effect on me when I first read it. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/58 "2009-06-24T12:11:01Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I’m currently reading The Little Stranger and am disturbed. Very, very disturbed. > > I can’t read the spoilers upthread, but it’s nice to know I’m not the only one creeped out by this book. Me too! ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/59 "2009-06-24T12:19:30Z")
Scared isn’t exactly the right word but only one book has contained a passage that made me put the book down and walk away. It was the torture scene in William Goldman’s “Marathon Man”. I did go back to the book after a short break. ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@Black\_Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644/60 "2009-06-24T12:29:44Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > In a similar vein to the Caver story, _The Dionaea House_ had a creepifying effect on me when I first read it. Thank you! I’ve been trying to remember the name of that for ages - it’s what led me to read _House of Leaves_. I’ll add my vote to _Communion_, too. I’m inordinately scared by aliens, though, so it may just be me, but it creeped me out so bad that I didn’t finish it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-authors-have-genuinely-scared-you/500644.md?page=4)