What book scared the pants off you? Am hankering after a scary read...

[MillyMoop]

Any suggestions?

The Woman In White and The Yellow Wallpaper - both terrifying but not in a gore and horror sort of way but in a men were bastards and it was so easy for them to get away with it then sort of way.

King's The Stand - totally compelling and believable.

I thought The Little Stranger was about as exciting and terrifying as a bowl of Cornflakes tbh.

I disagree, Ghoul - I found The Little Stranger seriously scary in parts. And unputdownable. Sarah Waters is a wonderful writer.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly was v scary and gripping in a weird sort of fairytale way!

Moon by James Herbert

"I'm not scared" is really really scary!! Really enjoyed but it's told from the perspective of a little boy which really up the freak out factor. I think I squealed out lot at the denouement!

Also "my cousin rachael" is An excellent Daphne du maurnier effort.

The Ka of Gifford Hilary by Dennis Wheatley read it at about 13 and can't be buried have to be cremated as a result...

Best scary books for kids are by Chris Priestley, just the right amount of gothic fear, Tales From the Tunnel Mouth is fab and Tales of Terror from the Black Ship. My six year old was terrified but couldn't put them down!

Gerard's Game by Stephen King actually made my tummy flip over with fright at one part

Also The Shining, the Dark Half, Pet Cemetary...SK usually does it for me if I want to be spooked

Have never really found any other author quite as scary as him, but will be orderng some of the ones mentioned here from the library

Oh, apart from the book of 'The Amityville Horror' - actually gave me nightmares

Sorry Toffee but we will have to agree to disagree. Have read two of hers now and thought they were both extremely dull. Won't bother with another.

Another vote for The Shining

Hawkesmoor by Peter Ackroyd.

There is a chapter where he describes how a young man loses his mind and becomes a tramp. His description of the madness overwhelming this character is the scariest thing I have ever read. Infact, I was reading it for the first time on a beach in Portugal when my friend was in the sea and I was so scared because I was alone that I had to put the book down until she came back. Got the hairs standing up on my arms even now .

Really namey? You must be far more clever than I am because I just didn't 'get' 'Hawkesmoor.' I kept waiting to see the light with it but failed.

Indeed, I am supremely clever and Hawkesmoor is in my all-time top five .

I am supremely stupid and can only manage four Jane Austens and a Stephen King in my top five! :)

But the Jane A's are not very scary, I must admit.

I'm with Fustyarse, the Amityville Horror gave me the heebeejeebees . Put me right off any horror books and haven't read one for years and years.

I found Hawksmoor pretty scary too - also some of Peter Ackroyd's others, especially The House of Doctor Dee. The Little Stranger scared me so much I couldn't get up for a piss in the night.

M R James stories are the scariest ever, but The Judge's House is Bram Stoker. Also very scary.

Awwww, give Hawkesmoor another go, Ghoul. It really is the most brilliant novel, imvvho.

Did he do the dreadful Frankenstein one too? The Strange Case Of Victor F or something?

That was him - not read it. Was it shite?

Dreadful.

I keot reading it thinking, 'He's not REALLY going to make it so preposterous is he?' - but he did.

Shame.

Another vote for the v scary Swedish vampire novel Let the Right One In and The Amityville Horror - which admittedly I read at 14 but it scare the bejezzus out of me and still does.

The Haunting of Hill House is seriously scary, and I second The Woman In Black.

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty kept me awake at night for about, oh, a year...still can't watch the film.

There's a Stephen King one I read fairly recently, to do with a guy who has an accident and becomes a brilliant artist...I loved it...that's it! Duma Key! That was a great book. Scared the living shite out of me.

OMG Agree with House Of Lost Souls. I only read because of a similar mn thread ages ago. It it Very scary. Imo.