to have actually scared myself reading The Turn of the Screw last night?

[InMyLittleHead]

As it is on telly tonight, I was determined to re-read it before watching it. So I was reading it in bed at about 2am last night, finished it, and had realised that I had given myself the heebie-jeebies to the extent that I couldn't sleep. Silly, right?

The Woman in Black is the most terrifying film I have ever seen (still haven't got the balls to read the book, as I believe its far more terrifying)

I have to sleep with something over my eyes at night. Those that have seen the Woman in Black will know why.

I would love to watch it again but really do not have the guts.

If I remember rightly "the master" element has been rather overplayed in what I've seen so far. From what I remember he was merely absent (she was not lusting after him) - no doubt to increase her feelings of isolation.

And yes, Miles dies in the governess's arms.

never read any Hawthorne/Wharton I'm afraid so unable to comment.

I'm not too keen on Martin Amis as a person but he was part of my first year course and Money blew me away, I thought it was brilliant. I've read a few since then and I like Other People in particular.

On another note, I've also read the Woman in Black by Susan Hill and didn't find it scary or particularly interesting either. Maybe it's just not my style (or maybe it's the age I read them at) maybe if I revisited them I might change my mind.

I read this last year and thought it was creepy rather than terrifying. I'm not the biggest James fan but can see why some people love him IYSWIM.

I think there is a school of thought where it is governess herself haunting the children, she is suffering from a hysterical disorder brought on by the repression of her desire for the master and the 'ghosts' are merely manifestations of her subconscious. All very Freudian obv.

Have just finished The Exorcist, now that IS fucking scary.

nellynaemates actually I posted that I hated the book, yes found all the commas made it unreadable.

It's about 100 pp long and I had a week to read it for book group - oooh ages I thought - but I only just finished it in time.

I don't like Martin Amis either. Love Edith Wharton tho

I read this on Googlebooks last night after reading a bit of this thread and...

I really wasn't scared

(and I'm easily spooked - The Mist by Stephen King, gave me nightmares for consecutive nights - someone once told me the ending of the Blair Witch Project and I woke up with the screaming abdabs!)

Agree with those who said the sentence structure was cumbersome, made it very difficult to grasp the thread of what was going on, so perhaps I missed the sense of menace from deciphering the sentences?

Anyway, not knowing anything about it, I assumed that the governess was going slowly barmy and was very glad in the end that Mrs Grose got little Flora away from her before she did her harm!

I'm afraid that not knowing what exactly had gone on between Miles/Quint/Miss Jessel just annoyed me, but that's because I'm nosy...

Give me HP Lovecraft for unspoken, suggestible terror any day!

YANBU. Haven't seen the film of Turn of the Screw but I thought the book was scary.

I saw the play of The Woman In Black about 15 years ago. I had to go home to an empty house afterwards & it hadn't occurred to me to leave lights on...

I put on all the lights, checked all the locks & phoned my mother.

Man, you want scary, shit, I'm scaring myself now.

I'm a major insomniac (can't you tell? ) and have been since I was about 13.

'The Shining'.

As if that weren't bad enough, 'Dumas Key', same author.

Oh, FUCK!

I read that about Xmas last year, when it first came out in paperback and got way into it, because it is very well-written, about this time last year.

Was in the middle of the countryside/Scottish Highlands, no street lights, FA.

It was a loooonnngg night and I ended up finishing it about 4AM.

Shivers.

expatinscotland Seriously, The Shining is childsplay compared to Susan Hill's The Woman In Black.

I also find James Herbert's "Shrine" utterly terrifying. Haven't read any of his more gory numbers like Fog or Rats but... Shrine.... [shiver]

I saw the Woman in Black and actually screamed out loud in the bit when she appeared at the back of the auditorium and started to walk back towards the stage through the audience. Literally crapped myself with fear.

Have only read the Turn of the Screw (I always thought the name also referred the ratcheting up of the fear, a notch at a time until you are quite loopy with terror at the end, like the governess) once and from memory, scariest book ever. And I have read all of Stephen King and quite a bit of James Herbert. In fact I am a complete wuss, but didn't find "Salem's Lot", for example, frightening at all. I really enjoyed it, but wasn't scared.

My friend (in his twenties at the time) took his 60 yr old mother to see a matinee performance of The Woman In Black and at the point you mention, Georgiemama, he shouted out "Oh FUCK!" he was so scared.

The little old lady on the other side of him patted him on the arm and asked if he was okay...

I am such a dick for reading and watching it - will be spending the next week alone in the (old and creaky) house. Fool, Brahms, fool.