What is the most chilling book you've ever read?

Slade House by David Mitchell

Oh yes, We Need to Talk About Kevin is a fantastic book. The whole book is written in the first person as letters to her husband. It's brilliant and a tough read, yet a page turner.

John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster... well, if you know about John Wayne Gacy, the nice community guy, involved in local politics, ran a very successful business but in his spare time, killed 30 young men and buried them underneath his house, you'll understand that this was not an easy read. But it was written with integrity by his defence lawyer. It was totally fascinating reading it from his defence lawyer's point of view. And he really does not indulge in gratuitous shock value. I was worried about this. I did not want to be terrified (kinda hard not to be considering the actual events). It's a gruesome story, told with respect for the reader and the victims. There's lots of legal stuff which I liked but some readers may find dull.

We Were Liars by E Lockhart.

It's a YA book but it chilled me to the bone.

Ooh I've just downloaded Naomi's Room now but I'm afraid to start reading it

I'm one of the minority who didn't like Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House at all! Just found it dull and full of unlikeable characters. Much preferred the (almost unrelated) TV series.

Fellside by MR Carey.
The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin.
The Woman In Black by Susan Hill.
Pet Semetary by Stephen King.
Duma Key by Stephen King.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty.

Midwinter of the spirit or anything else by Phil Rickman

The Collector by John Fowles. It's not scary, but it is chilling. I can't seem to manage to find a way to describe it without spoilers - but having first read it as a teenager, it's stayed with me. And beautifully written in an awful sort of way.

I've just finished The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell. Having casually picked it up on the cheap in Tescos I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was but it gripped me immediately - a real gothic Victorian chiller with some truly stomach lurching moments of horror. I kept realising as I was reading that I'd inadvertently tensed, hairs on the back of my neck kind of thing.

James Herbert stuff is fairly nasty scary

The Birds Daphne du Maurier (it is actually a series of short stories)
Edger Allan Poe's short story "Premature Burial" "Red Death" "Pit & the Pendulum"
slow moving sad but quite scary Nevil Shute's "On the Beach" (there is a 2010 Australian film adaption - which although its in several parts is definitely worth watching - one small bit has slight issue with sound) on You tube - If you haven't read it or seen the old film (heathens!!!!) its takes place in Australia after nuclear war in the north & they are waiting for the radioactivity to reach them - brilliantly done I prefer this film version to the older one &the book although dated in style & attitudes (written in the 1950's) is still brilliant.

"Dark Matter" - Michelle Paver. I actually felt like crying I was so scared in a few places. She wrote one called "Thin Air" too and that was also very good but Dark Matter had the edge.

@MrsMaryBOOface that was my thread I’ve been working my way through the suggestions

Dr sleep has a descriptive scene in it that haunts me, and I’m disgusted in a ‘how could he even imagine and write that scene’ way (which I love).

I have to agree with all the posters who have recommended We Need to Talk About Kevin, because it is sublime. I've read it over and over and take something different from it every time.
But, for a proper winter's night treat, you need The Turn of the Screw.

Dracula! Bloody terrifying. I had to ask my mum to put it in the fridge (was about12) also made the mistake of reading roald Dahls tales of the unexpected when I was about 11 😱.

Stephen King & James Herbert books.

I read IT as a young teenager years ago and when I watched the trailer for the new IT film I had to race up the stairs all ninja like and hide under the duvet.

I agree about Kevin. I remember thinking every parent and every educator should read it, to try and understand why these things happen.

Often mentioned on these threads are Dark Matter and the Silent Companions. Both left me waiting for the "boo!" but that never actually came.

I find Mo Hayder's books a bit too gratuitously violent and she disturbs me in the way women are written in her books. I think she's calmed down a bit yhough- in her last couple there wasn't the "slash movie" violence that she used to write.

Ooh yes. Forgot about Cujo. Totally freaked me.

The Fog by James Herbert

Cujo by Stephen King.

Yikes! Naomi’s Room. I read it when I was 15 and then again a couple of years ago.

The Wasp Factory

I really don't recommend it OP

Grim

I know DowntonCrabby
Gives me shivers now when I think about it. I honestly don't know how anyone can think up a story like that.

Typos!!
reread it countless times*
stay with me the rest of my life*

Still life with crows. Or pretty much anything by Doug Preston and Linc Child. Love me some Pendergast. Think modern Sherlock Holmes with supernatural twist with a southern American accent.

We need to talk about Kevin is my favourite book of all time. I’ve reread it countless (no exaggeration - half my pages have fallen out) It is disturbing, but so incredibly well written. Not sure if it’s just me, but it’s not as disturbing as to stay with me with rest of my life - just unnerving. Regarding animal cruelty, there’s one small incident involving a hamster. However, it hints as to what happens and never actually explains it in any sort of detail.