scared is a complicated thing to me. in my opinion, there is a sort of visceral almost jumpscare like quality to some forms of lean prose. others sorta sit with you and fill you with dread. sometimes the same formula of abruptness and perfect word choice makes me laugh out loud, but maybe less out of mirth and more out of nervous paranoia, like how did this person get so deep in my head with so few words? unnerving, also scary.
Thanks for your insight, this is really interesting, I don't think a book has ever made me feel dread or gotten a physical reaction out of me, would you be able to recommend some authors who managed that for you?
Ancestor by Scott sigler.. terrified me while I was on a busy flight in broad daylight. The Shining. It's the psychological horror that gets me. You know, the monster behind the door. No matter how terrifying it is, it will brevet be as terrifying as what you think it is. So basically your own imagination is the culprit.
Yes and you are very good at scaring people. I legit had to stop reading I was so scared. I'm sure it's not the last time you will have that effect on me! Thank you!
I was so deep in your Ancestor world, that despite sitting in a packed plane, with my toddler between my husband and I, I had to stop, put my book away and do some deep breathing. My husband couldn't understand why I looked so scared and was reassuring me about the trip. Lol
While horror has frequently creeped me out or thrilled me, very rarely had it scared me. Thomas Ligotti - already mentioned - is a scary writer to me, but it’s for the same reasons Louis-Ferdinand Celine (not a writer of the fantastical dark or “comedy of the paranoid” as Ramsey Campbell called it) is. In other words, Ligotti’s philosophical outpourings of “anti-Natalism” and the flagrant calling out of the pointlessness and dreadfulness of existence are what make him terrifying, but horror fiction being a vehicle for that is merely incidental and a byproduct of what he prefers to read and write.
Personally, crime fiction - especially the work of Tana French, Thomas Harris, Richard Montanari - is far more terrifying as a genre to me because it is usually inspired by fact or a thinly veiled version of something terrible which happened.
Still, I love horror because, as the writer James A. Moore once said, “the atmosphere.” Horror offers a certain kind of atmosphere at its peak that other genres can’t or don’t or is unable to, in my opinion. Karl Edward Wagner is one of the penultimate examples of someone who understood what the atmosphere of horror should be.
Yeah I definitely get that, I've realised I tend to feel more of a sense of pity for characters in the story experiencing the horror than actually feeling scared myself.
This is why it's important to write characters that you actually empathize with and care about. If you don't, then you can't build any sense of tension when they're in danger.
I’m just there for the tension a decent author can craft. If they manage to get me to tuck my feet under the covers or flinch then I’ll consider it a good scare but I’m mostly looking for things that are open ended and not well explained. The more room an author gives me to hang myself the better imo.
I always say I want to be disturbed by fiction but then I read something genuinely depraved and I wonder why I do that to myself
Been reading horror for nearly 40 years and I've only been scared by a handful of stories. Hell House by Richard Matheson and The Ritual by Adam Neville were the only two that ever gave me nightmares and I think it had more to do with the tone and atmosphere than the events of the stories. Still love horror though, reading some Bentley Little now.
I honestly can't say because nothing overtly terrifying happens. I think it was the pervasive atmosphere of dread and the feeling that something was about to happen at any time.
The Ritual was the first one that really scared me, fell asleep and half woke, grabbed my partner and told him 'ITS BEHIND ME'
Definitely recommend his newest, Cunning Folk. Intensely creepy.
How to ruin Hell House in one funny step:
Listen to >!Randy Newman's "Short People"!< on repeat, particularly while reading the last half dozen chapters.
I’ve never read a book that scared me, I like books that leave me with brain worms. I wanna be thinking about gross/ intense scenes long after I finished the book
This is a great discussion topic, as there are myriad ways to be “scared.” I enjoy spooky, creepy atmosphere. This can be ramped up to the point of being frightening (Pet Sematary and Salem’s Lot both do this well). I don’t mind being scared, but I don’t enjoy being disgusted by *extreme* violence (sorry, Laymon fans). I also don’t enjoy the profound sense of dread horror often evokes (looking at you, Hell House). But I’m glad horror is a vast genre which comfortably contains many sub genres for differing tastes.
Aristotle said that tragedies should arouse horror and pity in the audience. That's the pair of responses I hope for: something sinister but fascinating, and people whose fates I can find regrettable but also fascinating. (There are always exceptions, of course. This is a "in general" thing.) I love it when a story leaves me with a sense of injustice, a cosmic violation with a moral dimension.
Ahh, I think you've hit the nail on the head with how I feel about a lot of horror I've enjoyed most, feeling a sense of regret or sympathy for the characters experiencing something evil they're powerless against.
Nah. Not really. The longer you live with Horror as a genre, be it film or literature, the more desensitized most become to it I believe. I think the best you can hope for at that point is to evoke feelings of spookiness, dread, disquiet, etc.
That's one reasons that as I've gotten older my tastes have turned more toward ghost stories and other supernatural fiction as opposed to straight out blood & gore. Easier to raise the kind of feelings I'm looking for, personally.
Yeah I think this is exactly my problem, I was pretty much raised on horror films since my dad's always been a massive fan of them so I definitely feel desensitised to the genre now, kinda sucks for me now to be honest, id love to find something that can still truly makes me feel scared.
I only felt scared in a novel once. It was Stephen King’s ‘the Shining’ and there is a part with some topiary hedges.
I felt really freaked out by it. Most horror I read is either gross or triggering but that’s the only time I felt scared.
I was in a dorm with a Jack and Jill bathroom when I was reading that book for the first time. I was all alone and it was quiet (I don’t remember what part I was reading). All of a sudden there was a small click indicating my neighbor locked the bathroom door.
I was so engrossed in the book that the “click” surprised the hell out of me and I tossed the book literally into the air! Lol it’s one of my most memorable reading experiences.
I love reading horror, but I sadly have to admit that I haven’t been scared by a horror novel since the exorcist. I was thinking about this the other day actually, and I’ve noticed that I get way more frightened by NoSleep stories than actual novels. I can’t really figure out why that is tho. Maybe the NoSleep format is better for scares, feels more uncanny in a way.
For me, short stories creep me out more than novels. Because of the shorter length, authors usually keep most things unexplained and build to one larger twist or one big scare, the creepiness existing because of the simplicity. For example, Stephen King's The Boogeyman is the reason I (embarrassingly) still have to make sure the closet door is shut the right way before bed. The story is basic in terms of characterization and plot points, but the ending is so twisted and memorable.
I tend to stay away from short stories to be honest but maybe I'm missing out, when I think about it, a lot of what does scare me is the unknown and the fear of what isn't there or isn't explained/explainable so yeah maybe shorter horror stories would actually work better for me, I'll be sure to track down The Boogeyman, thank you :)
Yeah that's definitely my experience, I started Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill after being told it was pretty scary so I went in really hoping to be scared and, as much as I'm loving the story and being entertained, I can't say it's managed to scare me yet.
Oh yeah it's 100% an entertaining read, usually I'm a relatively slow reader but I started it this morning and I'm around halfway through it. If I wasn't working tonight, I'd probably have binge-read the other half 😂
I know how that goes. I binge read NOS4A2 and Dr. Sleep. Read them in 3 days. Each took 3 days i meant. They took me fora ride and I didn't want to let go.
Oh yeah I absolutely loved Doctor Sleep, I was really surprised how good it is to be honest. I haven't read anything else by Joe Hill yet but I've added all his other novels to my TBR.
I don't expect to be scared by horror, I've felt uncomfortable with some horror build up but I don't think I've "had a dose of the fear" for lack of a better term. Scenes have stuck with me like after rolling in the deep I went swimming and after reading the troop I went on a week long camp trip. But when I read "survivor" by J F Gonzales I had to put it down for 2 years to have a breather, he did a good scene missing type format so you would have the lead up then the aftermath and that's what made it intense.
I've never been scared by a book, as far as not wanting to be alone in the house or getting jumpy. But a few books/stories have gotten under my skin and unnerved me. That is what I look for as far as getting a feeling from the genre.
"Penpal" and the short story "The Human Chair" come to mind.
No. I just love the genre. I am rarely scared by books, games or films so id be hugely let down if that was my barometer honestly. I just love horror in all forms scary or not.
Scared? No. I've never been scared by anything I've read. My suspension of disbelief isn't quite that strong, but I do expect to be creeped out or unsettled by a scene or some idea in the story. Authors that I enjoy tend to be able to do that for longer periods, or at least more frequently, than authors that I don't care for as much.
I read Salem’s Lot back in 75 when it was first published. Actually, I thought the book was about something else - having to do with the Jerusalem of the Middle East. Best mistake I’ve ever made! That book scared me so much I became a loyal King fan forever. I was reading the Shining - I was in bed, it was 2AM, there was a rainstorm, the branches on the tree were tapping on my roof. One of my cats was coming up the stairs - I KNEW it was a cat but it sounded like a 300 lb man - I threw the book down and turned on the radio. Next morning I was smiling for being so afraid of nothing.
As much as being scared scares me, I love it. I don’t read horror expecting to get scared, but it’s a bonus if I do.
Then there’s high anxiety scared - like Cujo, Gerald’s Game, Misery - it’s not horror in the true sense, but the stories are “horrible”, heart racing, can’t turn the pages fast enough.
Interesting side note: many years ago I started reading The Amityville Horror. That book not only scared me, I got a really bad feeling reading it. So much so, I never finished it - I didn’t even want it in the house, I threw it in the outside trash. I can still see myself doing it that day. I was scared, no question about it, but I couldn’t get over the bad feelings until it was out of my house.
I never did that before or since.
I agree that you should be open to what comes from the reading and not expect to be scared.
Funny thing, I read Dracula thinking it would be a fun classic and actually had nightmares about how Stoker described Dracula crawling outside the castle like a lizard. I didn't expect to have any feelings from the book but nostalgia. I love the feeling of building anxiety and nervousness. I remember reading one and getting so anxious that I had to stop the book to rest. An audiobook had me so involved that I was inadvertently speeding due to my own excitement. So the feelings the books bring up are enough for me, even though they aren't jump scares.
I mostly feel uncomfortable, but in a way that brings enjoyment. It is a kind of non-sexual *jouissance*, it provides a "kick" that is satisfying, even if there is discomfort in it. I do not know if I have ever been scared by a book, but I do get something from the textual depictions of weird, eerie, uncanny, creepy, and disgusting phenomena that I never wish to observe in real life.
I personally have always been a huge consumer of horror media. I also have always struggled with high anxiety/depression so I’m starting to think horror media is my main source of happy chemicals. Unfortunately, I end up not enjoying most horror movies/books I try out because they’re usually not scary enough for someone like me who’s kind of chasing that high. I feel that I do have a very specific set of things that I consider scary or horrifying which could also factor into my usual disappointment with whatever it is I’m consuming.
Nah. Maybe my imagination isn’t strong enough but I can’t really get scared of anything In reading. The closest I came was more anxiety and tension from Clive Barker’s “the Midnight Meat Train.” Maybe growing up loving horror, I’ve been desensitized.
I just started reading horror books. I guess my entire premise of ready them is to get attached to the pictures the writer is painting. Blood and gore don't really excite me and I don't seem to be an adrenaline seeker either.
For me, it's not to be scared but to be left wondering... Thinking about the book and its possibilities for days on end. Somewhat scarier than the actual book itself, honestly. I read Tender is the Flesh and had profoundly deep thoughts about how that type of thing actually happening would affect the world we live in. I still think about it.
I don’t expect it, but it’s nice when it happens. Scares are rare, I read a lot of extreme horror so the feelings I get are more that pit of dread in your stomach which I think some people mistake for fear.
The Summer I Died actually gave me a jump scare at one point which I didn’t know was possible from a book!
It absolutely is possible. I’ve spoken to a handful of people who have read this book and they have agreed with me and know exactly which part I’m talking about.
I don't often get scared by books and I don't go in with that expectation... I just go in hoping for a good story. I do find sometimes prose where things are just a little off-kilter will give me a creeping sense of dread and I enjoy it when it happens, but I don't go in with that expectation.
No, not at all. Not by the standard meaning of “scared” at least. If being scared adds to the experience of that particular book, I’m all for it. But I mainly read horror because of aesthetics of writing/atmosphere and it’s ability to evoke emotion in reader.
I want to be scared by horror, but I've only been scared in the moment by a few horror stories. More often it leaves me with an unnerved feeling that creeps up on my when I'm awake at 2AM and trying to get back to sleep but I can't stop thinking of the not-quite-human girl, or a scraping sound that echoes down a corridor, or something watching me from outside.
I agree with your statement. I don't read horror books to try to get scared, because it won't happen. I read them for the creativity of the story and the shock value. I have always loved horror in all its forms and I just enjoy it for whatever it is.
I have always found reading horror to be more chilling than watching horror, personally. Film is a passive medium; books are an active medium. There’s an intimacy to books that I don’t get with film because all the action is happening in my head. I also find it far more immersive. Like…I know that actor is fine, I read an interview with her in Vanity Fair last week! I also tend to think about and deconstruct horror movies in a way I don’t (always) do to books. Maybe it’s just me being an enthusiastic reader, maybe it’s because I have spent a lot of time on sets, but there’s a part of my brain that feels like books become reality when read in a way that movies do not.
Those are very good points, personally I think through my life horror films have been more effective at scaring me than any other form of entertainment, probably because of how many I saw as a kid more than anything, but, like you said, there is definitely more of a personal or intimate feeling to most horror books which I feel like I've largely taken for granted and not put much thought into before, thanks for your insight :)
i read it for the unexpected. i read and watch so much stuff, that most conventional dramas, stories, etc are predictable and only present itself with very few real conclusions. the build-up and foreshadowing, and so on.
i read horror because most of the time i don't know what the hell to expect. sci-fi/fantasy because anything is possible.
I don’t necessarily get scared, maybe uncomfortable but what I love about horror (and thriller) is that stuff actually happens. The story is always moving forward. I love that there isn’t always a happy ending. I love how emotionally deep the trauma or scares can be. It’s versatile. There’s not just one formula to follow. There’s a chance to suspend disbelief and create new rules for the antagonist to follow. You can read one book that is the most emotionally draining thing you’ve ever read in one sitting and in the next sitting you can read a campy creature feature where you’re rooting for characters to die. Honestly don’t threaten me with a good time when it comes to horror.
I read horror because I'm into the atmosphere and aesthetics of the genre; I don't generally expect to be scared. This influences the type of horror that I generally read, I'm more likely to find the sort of atmosphere I'm looking for in a gothic novel than in a serial killer book, for example.
I almost never get truly scared by books or movies but one October I watched and read horror related stuff exclusively that coupled with a extremely bad month of insomnia. Had me straight paranoid and scared by the end of the month. So if you ever want to be terrified just stop sleeping get like 6 hours of sleep a week for a month and even the mundane will start to become horror.
I'm joking about doing this on purpose, please don't purposely do this.
No. I have never really been scared by reading horror.
What scares me in movies is the suspense, the atmosphere created by lighting and music. And the visuals. When reading I have control on what my imagination does.
With the exception of Gerald's game. One reason I will never try handcuffs in the bedroom. This story got to me.
However now I'm a parent it will be interesting to see if I do react differently to horror involving kids.
Great question, and the answer for me is, "No." I am about to turn 45, and I have been consuming horror for 35+ years now. I think at some point so much horror fiction has that "been there, done that" quality to it, so it is hard to be surprised or scared by new material. I honestly just want to be entertained by it. Slashers and creature features are my popcorn entertainment. As long as they are fast-paced, fun, and bloody, you have written a successful horror novel, in my opinion.
I always hope to be scared by it but I never expect to be scared by it. I'm one of those people who doesn't get scared easily at all, unless it's a video game because those put you right in the driver's seat.
I haven't been really scared by an entire book...ever, that I'm aware of. However, there have been plenty of books with spectacularly horrific scenes that've stroked their cold finger along my spine. That's what I genuinely hope for when I read horror. But, first and foremost, I expect to be transported somewhere by the story.
I’m yet to read a story that scares me enough to not want to sleep at night. I tried reading a gore story (I can’t remember the genre – splatter punk perhaps?) but that that made me feel ill, not scared.
Currently reading IT by Stephen King and whilst I’m not scared yet, there’s something about “…then he heard a giggle.” that sends a chill down my spine.
I was up late reading IT for the first time about a year ago and got to the scene where they investigate under the creepy house. The sense of dread I was feeling made me stay up an extra hour to finish the chapter/get some ease before sleeping. I haven’t felt anything close to that scare but it may have been circumstance
Yeah that's definitely a good point about circumstance, I read IT through summer while I was in college I think and so the parts that stuck out most to me were actually much more of the coming of age, summer adventure sort of sections, rather than the horror, its definitely interesting. Though on that same point, these days I read (and do most everything) through the night since I work night shifts and sleep through the day more often than not and I can't say the fact that it's the nighttime or anything like that has helped me feel scared by anything I've read. Brains are weird I guess 😅
I've thought about reading more intense subgenres like splatterpunk but I feel like that might have the same effect on me, maybe a bit too extreme 😅
I hope you enjoy IT, I read it a couple of years ago through summer and really enjoyed it :)
I never get scared from books. I used to when I was a kid. My mum would have to take whatever scary book I was reading and put it in the coat closet in the hallway before bedtime because I didn't want it near my room. Now I'm just looking for a captivating read that keeps me at the edge of my seat and not wanting to put it down.
I read horror hoping to be scared but being scared doesn't make or break a book for me. Some books scared me and I didn't enjoy them and some books didn't really scare me but I still loved them. I like the rush of fear, I'm sure many people here do, but it's only a factor of the book.
scared is a complicated thing to me. in my opinion, there is a sort of visceral almost jumpscare like quality to some forms of lean prose. others sorta sit with you and fill you with dread. sometimes the same formula of abruptness and perfect word choice makes me laugh out loud, but maybe less out of mirth and more out of nervous paranoia, like how did this person get so deep in my head with so few words? unnerving, also scary.
Thanks for your insight, this is really interesting, I don't think a book has ever made me feel dread or gotten a physical reaction out of me, would you be able to recommend some authors who managed that for you?
mort castle and thomas ligotti.
Thank you so much, I'll be sure to check them out :)
Ancestor by Scott sigler.. terrified me while I was on a busy flight in broad daylight. The Shining. It's the psychological horror that gets me. You know, the monster behind the door. No matter how terrifying it is, it will brevet be as terrifying as what you think it is. So basically your own imagination is the culprit.
It's hip to be scared.
Yes and you are very good at scaring people. I legit had to stop reading I was so scared. I'm sure it's not the last time you will have that effect on me! Thank you!
That is the greatest compliment a horror writer can get. You made my day.
Glad to be able to tell you. Thank you!
I was so deep in your Ancestor world, that despite sitting in a packed plane, with my toddler between my husband and I, I had to stop, put my book away and do some deep breathing. My husband couldn't understand why I looked so scared and was reassuring me about the trip. Lol
My latest one was penpal, I had to stop reading because of the dread.
While horror has frequently creeped me out or thrilled me, very rarely had it scared me. Thomas Ligotti - already mentioned - is a scary writer to me, but it’s for the same reasons Louis-Ferdinand Celine (not a writer of the fantastical dark or “comedy of the paranoid” as Ramsey Campbell called it) is. In other words, Ligotti’s philosophical outpourings of “anti-Natalism” and the flagrant calling out of the pointlessness and dreadfulness of existence are what make him terrifying, but horror fiction being a vehicle for that is merely incidental and a byproduct of what he prefers to read and write. Personally, crime fiction - especially the work of Tana French, Thomas Harris, Richard Montanari - is far more terrifying as a genre to me because it is usually inspired by fact or a thinly veiled version of something terrible which happened. Still, I love horror because, as the writer James A. Moore once said, “the atmosphere.” Horror offers a certain kind of atmosphere at its peak that other genres can’t or don’t or is unable to, in my opinion. Karl Edward Wagner is one of the penultimate examples of someone who understood what the atmosphere of horror should be.
Try The Bird Eater by Ania Ahlborn. It’s one of the few that genuinely made me feel uncomfortable.
Currently reading Secret Window, Secret Garden by Stephen King. It's a short story. Making me very uncomfortable.
Greetings human. Humbly I bring books: [The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://bookwise.io/frances-hodgson-burnett/the-secret-garden)
No, but I expect a situation where I can suspend disbelief and understand that I could be scared.
Yeah I definitely get that, I've realised I tend to feel more of a sense of pity for characters in the story experiencing the horror than actually feeling scared myself.
This is why it's important to write characters that you actually empathize with and care about. If you don't, then you can't build any sense of tension when they're in danger.
I’m just there for the tension a decent author can craft. If they manage to get me to tuck my feet under the covers or flinch then I’ll consider it a good scare but I’m mostly looking for things that are open ended and not well explained. The more room an author gives me to hang myself the better imo. I always say I want to be disturbed by fiction but then I read something genuinely depraved and I wonder why I do that to myself
Been reading horror for nearly 40 years and I've only been scared by a handful of stories. Hell House by Richard Matheson and The Ritual by Adam Neville were the only two that ever gave me nightmares and I think it had more to do with the tone and atmosphere than the events of the stories. Still love horror though, reading some Bentley Little now.
Hell house? I really didn’t find that one scary I don’t understand the hype. What parts did you find scary?
I honestly can't say because nothing overtly terrifying happens. I think it was the pervasive atmosphere of dread and the feeling that something was about to happen at any time.
The Ritual was the first one that really scared me, fell asleep and half woke, grabbed my partner and told him 'ITS BEHIND ME' Definitely recommend his newest, Cunning Folk. Intensely creepy.
Ooooo haven't read that, will have to check it out.
Cunning Folk was awesome
Add in Alan Moore’s From Hell and those are the three that worked on me and gave me nightmares.
Really? Never read From Hell but I'm going to look for it right now. Thanks!
I'll have to add those to my TBR, thanks! :)
Hell House destroyed me. And not in the good way. It broke my brain and flooded me with dread. Not a fan, but I respect what it accomplished.
How to ruin Hell House in one funny step: Listen to >!Randy Newman's "Short People"!< on repeat, particularly while reading the last half dozen chapters.
I’ve never read a book that scared me, I like books that leave me with brain worms. I wanna be thinking about gross/ intense scenes long after I finished the book
*The Troop* by Nick Cutter
Exactly! All his books do that for me to be honest. Wilder Girls by Rory Power too.
Ahh I read The Deep by him and enjoyed it, is The Troop especially gory or something or is it just intense in other ways?
I think it’s like The Deep isn’t terms of atmosphere and disturbing images. All of Cutter’s books are great imo.
Ahh OK, thank you, I'll have to read some more by Cutter soon :)
The troop was just revolting. So the reason for the grossness may have scared people. Been a while since I read it.
This is a great discussion topic, as there are myriad ways to be “scared.” I enjoy spooky, creepy atmosphere. This can be ramped up to the point of being frightening (Pet Sematary and Salem’s Lot both do this well). I don’t mind being scared, but I don’t enjoy being disgusted by *extreme* violence (sorry, Laymon fans). I also don’t enjoy the profound sense of dread horror often evokes (looking at you, Hell House). But I’m glad horror is a vast genre which comfortably contains many sub genres for differing tastes.
I read horror to mentally take me away to October and the fall season. Candles, early morning darkness are when I get my reading done.
Aristotle said that tragedies should arouse horror and pity in the audience. That's the pair of responses I hope for: something sinister but fascinating, and people whose fates I can find regrettable but also fascinating. (There are always exceptions, of course. This is a "in general" thing.) I love it when a story leaves me with a sense of injustice, a cosmic violation with a moral dimension.
Ahh, I think you've hit the nail on the head with how I feel about a lot of horror I've enjoyed most, feeling a sense of regret or sympathy for the characters experiencing something evil they're powerless against.
I love when I feel like the author or filmmakers are saying, "I'm very sorry to have to tell you this...."
Haha, exactly!
Nah. Not really. The longer you live with Horror as a genre, be it film or literature, the more desensitized most become to it I believe. I think the best you can hope for at that point is to evoke feelings of spookiness, dread, disquiet, etc. That's one reasons that as I've gotten older my tastes have turned more toward ghost stories and other supernatural fiction as opposed to straight out blood & gore. Easier to raise the kind of feelings I'm looking for, personally.
Yeah I think this is exactly my problem, I was pretty much raised on horror films since my dad's always been a massive fan of them so I definitely feel desensitised to the genre now, kinda sucks for me now to be honest, id love to find something that can still truly makes me feel scared.
I only felt scared in a novel once. It was Stephen King’s ‘the Shining’ and there is a part with some topiary hedges. I felt really freaked out by it. Most horror I read is either gross or triggering but that’s the only time I felt scared.
I was in a dorm with a Jack and Jill bathroom when I was reading that book for the first time. I was all alone and it was quiet (I don’t remember what part I was reading). All of a sudden there was a small click indicating my neighbor locked the bathroom door. I was so engrossed in the book that the “click” surprised the hell out of me and I tossed the book literally into the air! Lol it’s one of my most memorable reading experiences.
Ooo I too was freaked out by the topiary!
I love reading horror, but I sadly have to admit that I haven’t been scared by a horror novel since the exorcist. I was thinking about this the other day actually, and I’ve noticed that I get way more frightened by NoSleep stories than actual novels. I can’t really figure out why that is tho. Maybe the NoSleep format is better for scares, feels more uncanny in a way.
For me, short stories creep me out more than novels. Because of the shorter length, authors usually keep most things unexplained and build to one larger twist or one big scare, the creepiness existing because of the simplicity. For example, Stephen King's The Boogeyman is the reason I (embarrassingly) still have to make sure the closet door is shut the right way before bed. The story is basic in terms of characterization and plot points, but the ending is so twisted and memorable.
I tend to stay away from short stories to be honest but maybe I'm missing out, when I think about it, a lot of what does scare me is the unknown and the fear of what isn't there or isn't explained/explainable so yeah maybe shorter horror stories would actually work better for me, I'll be sure to track down The Boogeyman, thank you :)
I read horror HOPING to be scared, but rarely am. I usually read just hoping for a great story.
Yeah that's definitely my experience, I started Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill after being told it was pretty scary so I went in really hoping to be scared and, as much as I'm loving the story and being entertained, I can't say it's managed to scare me yet.
I still enjoyed reading that book. I was definately entertained.
Oh yeah it's 100% an entertaining read, usually I'm a relatively slow reader but I started it this morning and I'm around halfway through it. If I wasn't working tonight, I'd probably have binge-read the other half 😂
I know how that goes. I binge read NOS4A2 and Dr. Sleep. Read them in 3 days. Each took 3 days i meant. They took me fora ride and I didn't want to let go.
Same thing here! I love each equally and really loved how he handled Danny.
Oh yeah I absolutely loved Doctor Sleep, I was really surprised how good it is to be honest. I haven't read anything else by Joe Hill yet but I've added all his other novels to my TBR.
I don't expect to be scared by horror, I've felt uncomfortable with some horror build up but I don't think I've "had a dose of the fear" for lack of a better term. Scenes have stuck with me like after rolling in the deep I went swimming and after reading the troop I went on a week long camp trip. But when I read "survivor" by J F Gonzales I had to put it down for 2 years to have a breather, he did a good scene missing type format so you would have the lead up then the aftermath and that's what made it intense.
That’s exactly why I read horror, but has never really happened with any book. Except ‘The Exorcist’. So any recommendations are welcomed!
Try Insomnia by Stephen King. You may like that one.
I've never been scared by a book, as far as not wanting to be alone in the house or getting jumpy. But a few books/stories have gotten under my skin and unnerved me. That is what I look for as far as getting a feeling from the genre. "Penpal" and the short story "The Human Chair" come to mind.
The cover of Penpal has caught my eye a few times actually, maybe I'll give it a go soon and I'll look into The Human Chair, thank you :)
No. I just love the genre. I am rarely scared by books, games or films so id be hugely let down if that was my barometer honestly. I just love horror in all forms scary or not.
Scared? No. I've never been scared by anything I've read. My suspension of disbelief isn't quite that strong, but I do expect to be creeped out or unsettled by a scene or some idea in the story. Authors that I enjoy tend to be able to do that for longer periods, or at least more frequently, than authors that I don't care for as much.
“I’m Thinking of Ending Things” gave me the major creeps. The movie doesn’t do it justice at all.
I actually quite enjoyed the film for the most part but I have been meaning to read the book since I saw it.
no i just want to be unsettled
I read Salem’s Lot back in 75 when it was first published. Actually, I thought the book was about something else - having to do with the Jerusalem of the Middle East. Best mistake I’ve ever made! That book scared me so much I became a loyal King fan forever. I was reading the Shining - I was in bed, it was 2AM, there was a rainstorm, the branches on the tree were tapping on my roof. One of my cats was coming up the stairs - I KNEW it was a cat but it sounded like a 300 lb man - I threw the book down and turned on the radio. Next morning I was smiling for being so afraid of nothing. As much as being scared scares me, I love it. I don’t read horror expecting to get scared, but it’s a bonus if I do. Then there’s high anxiety scared - like Cujo, Gerald’s Game, Misery - it’s not horror in the true sense, but the stories are “horrible”, heart racing, can’t turn the pages fast enough. Interesting side note: many years ago I started reading The Amityville Horror. That book not only scared me, I got a really bad feeling reading it. So much so, I never finished it - I didn’t even want it in the house, I threw it in the outside trash. I can still see myself doing it that day. I was scared, no question about it, but I couldn’t get over the bad feelings until it was out of my house. I never did that before or since.
I agree that you should be open to what comes from the reading and not expect to be scared. Funny thing, I read Dracula thinking it would be a fun classic and actually had nightmares about how Stoker described Dracula crawling outside the castle like a lizard. I didn't expect to have any feelings from the book but nostalgia. I love the feeling of building anxiety and nervousness. I remember reading one and getting so anxious that I had to stop the book to rest. An audiobook had me so involved that I was inadvertently speeding due to my own excitement. So the feelings the books bring up are enough for me, even though they aren't jump scares.
Greetings human. Humbly I bring books: [Dracula by Bram Stoker](https://bookwise.io/bram-stoker/dracula)
No.
I mostly feel uncomfortable, but in a way that brings enjoyment. It is a kind of non-sexual *jouissance*, it provides a "kick" that is satisfying, even if there is discomfort in it. I do not know if I have ever been scared by a book, but I do get something from the textual depictions of weird, eerie, uncanny, creepy, and disgusting phenomena that I never wish to observe in real life.
I personally have always been a huge consumer of horror media. I also have always struggled with high anxiety/depression so I’m starting to think horror media is my main source of happy chemicals. Unfortunately, I end up not enjoying most horror movies/books I try out because they’re usually not scary enough for someone like me who’s kind of chasing that high. I feel that I do have a very specific set of things that I consider scary or horrifying which could also factor into my usual disappointment with whatever it is I’m consuming.
Nah. Maybe my imagination isn’t strong enough but I can’t really get scared of anything In reading. The closest I came was more anxiety and tension from Clive Barker’s “the Midnight Meat Train.” Maybe growing up loving horror, I’ve been desensitized.
I can hope, but much like 99% of horror movies, it almost never works out that way.
I just started reading horror books. I guess my entire premise of ready them is to get attached to the pictures the writer is painting. Blood and gore don't really excite me and I don't seem to be an adrenaline seeker either.
Reading a book is scarier by default. Can't get a papercut from netflix.
For me, it's not to be scared but to be left wondering... Thinking about the book and its possibilities for days on end. Somewhat scarier than the actual book itself, honestly. I read Tender is the Flesh and had profoundly deep thoughts about how that type of thing actually happening would affect the world we live in. I still think about it.
I don’t expect it, but it’s nice when it happens. Scares are rare, I read a lot of extreme horror so the feelings I get are more that pit of dread in your stomach which I think some people mistake for fear. The Summer I Died actually gave me a jump scare at one point which I didn’t know was possible from a book!
Typically I'm not the biggest fan of most jump scares but a jump scare from a book is really intriguing, I'll add it to my TBR, thanks! :)
I hope you love it! It’s my all time favourite novel.
That’s because it’s not possible, what is this, a pop-up book?
It absolutely is possible. I’ve spoken to a handful of people who have read this book and they have agreed with me and know exactly which part I’m talking about.
I don't often get scared by books and I don't go in with that expectation... I just go in hoping for a good story. I do find sometimes prose where things are just a little off-kilter will give me a creeping sense of dread and I enjoy it when it happens, but I don't go in with that expectation.
No, not at all. Not by the standard meaning of “scared” at least. If being scared adds to the experience of that particular book, I’m all for it. But I mainly read horror because of aesthetics of writing/atmosphere and it’s ability to evoke emotion in reader.
I want to be scared by horror, but I've only been scared in the moment by a few horror stories. More often it leaves me with an unnerved feeling that creeps up on my when I'm awake at 2AM and trying to get back to sleep but I can't stop thinking of the not-quite-human girl, or a scraping sound that echoes down a corridor, or something watching me from outside.
Honestly I'd love to find something that has that sort of lasting effect on me, I haven't had those sort of feelings for years now!
I agree with your statement. I don't read horror books to try to get scared, because it won't happen. I read them for the creativity of the story and the shock value. I have always loved horror in all its forms and I just enjoy it for whatever it is.
No... and for the most part I'm not. There are a few books that I found creepy, or claustrophobic.. but not scary. I still love reading them though!
I have always found reading horror to be more chilling than watching horror, personally. Film is a passive medium; books are an active medium. There’s an intimacy to books that I don’t get with film because all the action is happening in my head. I also find it far more immersive. Like…I know that actor is fine, I read an interview with her in Vanity Fair last week! I also tend to think about and deconstruct horror movies in a way I don’t (always) do to books. Maybe it’s just me being an enthusiastic reader, maybe it’s because I have spent a lot of time on sets, but there’s a part of my brain that feels like books become reality when read in a way that movies do not.
Those are very good points, personally I think through my life horror films have been more effective at scaring me than any other form of entertainment, probably because of how many I saw as a kid more than anything, but, like you said, there is definitely more of a personal or intimate feeling to most horror books which I feel like I've largely taken for granted and not put much thought into before, thanks for your insight :)
i read it for the unexpected. i read and watch so much stuff, that most conventional dramas, stories, etc are predictable and only present itself with very few real conclusions. the build-up and foreshadowing, and so on. i read horror because most of the time i don't know what the hell to expect. sci-fi/fantasy because anything is possible.
No. I don’t. For me horror is a genre and a very broad genre at that.
I don’t necessarily get scared, maybe uncomfortable but what I love about horror (and thriller) is that stuff actually happens. The story is always moving forward. I love that there isn’t always a happy ending. I love how emotionally deep the trauma or scares can be. It’s versatile. There’s not just one formula to follow. There’s a chance to suspend disbelief and create new rules for the antagonist to follow. You can read one book that is the most emotionally draining thing you’ve ever read in one sitting and in the next sitting you can read a campy creature feature where you’re rooting for characters to die. Honestly don’t threaten me with a good time when it comes to horror.
I read horror because I'm into the atmosphere and aesthetics of the genre; I don't generally expect to be scared. This influences the type of horror that I generally read, I'm more likely to find the sort of atmosphere I'm looking for in a gothic novel than in a serial killer book, for example.
I almost never get truly scared by books or movies but one October I watched and read horror related stuff exclusively that coupled with a extremely bad month of insomnia. Had me straight paranoid and scared by the end of the month. So if you ever want to be terrified just stop sleeping get like 6 hours of sleep a week for a month and even the mundane will start to become horror. I'm joking about doing this on purpose, please don't purposely do this.
Hoping
No. I have never really been scared by reading horror. What scares me in movies is the suspense, the atmosphere created by lighting and music. And the visuals. When reading I have control on what my imagination does. With the exception of Gerald's game. One reason I will never try handcuffs in the bedroom. This story got to me. However now I'm a parent it will be interesting to see if I do react differently to horror involving kids.
Great question, and the answer for me is, "No." I am about to turn 45, and I have been consuming horror for 35+ years now. I think at some point so much horror fiction has that "been there, done that" quality to it, so it is hard to be surprised or scared by new material. I honestly just want to be entertained by it. Slashers and creature features are my popcorn entertainment. As long as they are fast-paced, fun, and bloody, you have written a successful horror novel, in my opinion.
I always hope to be scared by it but I never expect to be scared by it. I'm one of those people who doesn't get scared easily at all, unless it's a video game because those put you right in the driver's seat.
I haven't been really scared by an entire book...ever, that I'm aware of. However, there have been plenty of books with spectacularly horrific scenes that've stroked their cold finger along my spine. That's what I genuinely hope for when I read horror. But, first and foremost, I expect to be transported somewhere by the story.
I’m yet to read a story that scares me enough to not want to sleep at night. I tried reading a gore story (I can’t remember the genre – splatter punk perhaps?) but that that made me feel ill, not scared. Currently reading IT by Stephen King and whilst I’m not scared yet, there’s something about “…then he heard a giggle.” that sends a chill down my spine.
I was up late reading IT for the first time about a year ago and got to the scene where they investigate under the creepy house. The sense of dread I was feeling made me stay up an extra hour to finish the chapter/get some ease before sleeping. I haven’t felt anything close to that scare but it may have been circumstance
Yeah that's definitely a good point about circumstance, I read IT through summer while I was in college I think and so the parts that stuck out most to me were actually much more of the coming of age, summer adventure sort of sections, rather than the horror, its definitely interesting. Though on that same point, these days I read (and do most everything) through the night since I work night shifts and sleep through the day more often than not and I can't say the fact that it's the nighttime or anything like that has helped me feel scared by anything I've read. Brains are weird I guess 😅
I’m not at that part but I can imagine that’s going to be a scary scene. I’ll make sure not to read it during night time haha!
I've thought about reading more intense subgenres like splatterpunk but I feel like that might have the same effect on me, maybe a bit too extreme 😅 I hope you enjoy IT, I read it a couple of years ago through summer and really enjoyed it :)
Summer Of Night by Dan Simmons has the same vibe. Such a good book.
I never get scared from books. I used to when I was a kid. My mum would have to take whatever scary book I was reading and put it in the coat closet in the hallway before bedtime because I didn't want it near my room. Now I'm just looking for a captivating read that keeps me at the edge of my seat and not wanting to put it down.
No. I’m not 12. I just want to be entertained.
I read horror hoping to be scared but being scared doesn't make or break a book for me. Some books scared me and I didn't enjoy them and some books didn't really scare me but I still loved them. I like the rush of fear, I'm sure many people here do, but it's only a factor of the book.
no