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Original poster

What was the scariest/most chilling book you read as a child?

208 replies

VintageGardenia · 08/09/2009 19:42

And did you love it or hate it?

My ds is 11 and doesn't like reading scary books one bit - I hated them too when I was a child, I still do really. But the book that scared me most as a child was called Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr, I can remember every bit of it and it still gives me the creeps to pass a tall boulder.

Just wondering what other chilling books there were.

OP posts:
tothesea · 08/09/2009 22:25

Does anyone know of a book about a child who had a voice speaking to him in his head, the voice was called Enoch... that's all I can remember but I do know it was scary!

ZephirineDrouhin · 08/09/2009 22:24

Another one traumatised by The Owl Service. Ghost of Thomas Kempe gave me a few nightmares too.

neversaydie · 08/09/2009 22:13

I am a complete wuss about scary books and films. The Owl Service and Marianne dreams both terrified me.

Others not mentioned so far are the fairy tales by the brothers Grimm (especially the one about the dog with eyes as big as saucers, for some reason) and also a John Wyndham short story called 'Consider her ways' where a woman goes into a future where men have died out, and some women are stimulated into producing litters of babies by parthenogenesis. The Midwich cuckoos, also by John Wyndham was another one I found pretty frightening.

As I say, a complete wuss, with far too much imagination.

MermaidSpam · 08/09/2009 21:46

Judy Blume - Forever.
Was absolutely petrified about losing my virginity!!!

(Also kind of loved it )

janeite · 08/09/2009 21:40

Yes to The Owl Service. Need to re-read that now too!

Also one called 'Midnight Is A Place' which iirc was about tiny children working in the cotton factories, or something of that ilk. Stayed with me for a very long time - but not long enough to recall it properly now.

Wallace · 08/09/2009 21:07

The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston

Must go back and read it as an adult, but from what I remember there are some very spooky bits.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 08/09/2009 20:53

Yes, The Owl Service is really creepy. I was thinking about recommending to DD but decided I would get the blame for her nightmares.

tiredandgrumpy · 08/09/2009 20:47

The Owl Service by Alan Garner. Never finished it, but read loads of similar books. Seemed to have an overbearing sinister air to it which I really couldn't handle.

Tortington · 08/09/2009 20:46

JANEITE! yes exactly - never met anyone else who read it.

nymphadora · 08/09/2009 20:45

I was just thnking of 'children of the dust ' and couldn't remember its title. Thanks growlygus

Original poster
VintageGardenia · 08/09/2009 20:43

My worst bits were:

when she drew the eyes

when they noticed that They were getting closer

Oh Christ I won't be able to sleep tonight.

OP posts:
Original poster
VintageGardenia · 08/09/2009 20:41

I didn't find LOTR scary. I think because it felt impossible. Whereas there was a dreadful realism about e.g. Marianne Dreams (don't mean to harp on that one). Even though it was fantasy it had this sort of psychological accuracy or something and I think was very well tuned (do I mean attuned?) to the way tennish, elevenish people feel about things.

OP posts:
AnnieLobeseder · 08/09/2009 20:40

"Not the light! Not the light! Not the light!"

Still sends shivers down my spine! I can't have been older than 7 when I read it because I definitely read it before we moved to South Africa.

Seems I missed out on some other scary books though.... and I've always been a huge reader. But Marianne Dreams really stands out, perhaps because I was so young when I read it.

Original poster
VintageGardenia · 08/09/2009 20:38

Them

OP posts:
ReeBee · 08/09/2009 20:35

Completely agree with Marianne Dreams, Empty World and Children of Dust. All very unsettling and can't believe they've all been mentioned on here already!

I still have my childhood copies of all 3. MD was I think the scariest but I was very young when I read it. I can vividly remember the illustrations.

mollymawk · 08/09/2009 20:33

Now LOTR I found scary but in an okay way - like I knew all along it would end up fine.

dogonpoints · 08/09/2009 20:33

I bought a compilation of horror stories from The Chip Club at school. Had a Poe story in it about the bricked up cat. ALl the stories scared me witless.

dogonpoints · 08/09/2009 20:32

I bought a compilation of horror stories from The Chip Club at school. Had a Poe story in it about the bricked up cat. ALl the stories scared me witless.

Original poster
VintageGardenia · 08/09/2009 20:32

Was it the music that freaked you out bran?

OP posts:
bran · 08/09/2009 20:31

When I was very small (probably about 6 or 7) I picked up my Dad's copy of Jaws and only managed to read the first page before putting it down, terrified.

janeite · 08/09/2009 20:28

Beattie Bow - that was the one where the children sang a strange rhyme about a ghost-girl, yes? And then she appeared?

Tortington · 08/09/2009 20:27

lord of the rings

there was a book called 'playing beattie bow' which was a bit eerie - but not scary

Piffle · 08/09/2009 20:26

Under the mountain by Maurice Gee

AnnieLobeseder · 08/09/2009 20:25

Came on here to post Marianne Dreams, but see I've been beaten to it. Freaked me out but I read it again and again!

janeite · 08/09/2009 20:25

House Of Stairs - fab - I loved it! And his other ones, one of which I think was called The Interstella Pigs iirc.

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