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

[MillyMoop]

Any suggestions?

Gerald's Game made me nearly puke in the bath, never mind being scared!
I have most of the Pan Horror series- some really gruesome stuff in there, graphic mutilation, torture, child murder even. However there are some real scary gems, including the Yellow Wallpaper which I will have to go and re- read!

Any book written by Poppy Z Brite.
Scared me witless.

Second The Exorcist. Much scarier than the film.

I could feel my bed shaking in the night for months after reading it...

I didn't like The Haunting Of Hill House. I wasn't scared and I thought the writing was pretty rubbish.

Not horror but The Lord Of The Flies is terrifying.

I really like the Haunting of Hill house, and thought it was brilliantly written.

It is so funny we disagree about so much BG (you hate the Piano too, don't you?) as I am truly passionately fond of Jane Austen.

Also think the Woman in Black very good, though less keen on her other stuff

Agree Lord Of The Flies is terrifying.

The film of THOHH is v good

Yet another vote for Let The Right One In. I read it on holiday in 44c of sunshine in Egypt and still shivered!

Pet Semintary... eeeek... not sure I'd actually read it again it was that scary!

Also.. The Strain - 1st of a trilogy. Cannot wait to get hold of the next episode.

I do indeed hate The Piano! I'm sorry. :)

I still haven't read The Woman In Black - they have NEVER got it in the library.

I think I expected more from THOHH because it is (I think) one of King's favourite books. Then again, he really rates HP Lovecraft too and I didn't get on with him at all.

I liked Let The Right One In but wasn't hugely scared by it. I read it on Kos in about 40 degrees!

Most things by Stephen King leave unsettling ideas in my head, but The Stand freaked me totally, because it seemed so possible- all those people trying in vain to escape that plague, images of cars full of dead people trying to escape- won't forget it in a hurry!

The other one of his that seemed to touch a spook-spot in me was Desperation- the cop who wasn't a cop featured in my nightmares for a while!

The Haunting of Toby Jugg is a leave-the-night-light on book. And if you want to lie awake all night listening to every little noise and imagining lunatics "creepy-crawlying" around your house, read Helter Skelter, the true story of Charles Manson!

Yes, King talks a lot about THOHH in Danse Macabre. That is why I read it, I wonder if I liked it so much because of this? I was rather heavily influenced by this book in my late teens.

I didn't like Lovecraft much either. Although I think King didn't think much of his writing style.

As for the Piano, I keep meaning to watch it again and see if I still like it.

James Herbert used to scare me silly when I was younger. I seem to remember The Others was especially unnerving - I read it just after moving into my house on my own, then had to get out of bed (about 2am when I finished reading it) and go into every room and turn on every light before I could go back to bed again!

Also second Misery by Stephen King and Moon by James Herbert too.

Was The Others made into a movie with Nicole Kidman in the lead role, Kirsty? The film was brilliant

Another vote for Rosemary's baby! Yikes.

I have put in a bid for The woman in black, on ebay.

For anyone with an iPhone who wants a copy of The Yellow Wallpaper, you can download it for free using the Classics app (which is a free app).

I found Anne Rice's Witching Hour really scary.

Pet Sematary, definitely. The Shining less so, but still good, though movie played on mind more.

The Devil Rides Out - Dennis Wheatley

I also liked The Little Stranger, and agree with the Daphne du Maurier suggestion -- I'd read Rebecca first. I can still remember how I felt reading that for the first time. Yikes.

Loved the House of Lost Souls and also his latest, the Waiting Room. He also happens to be a complete fox which is nice. Irrelevant. But nice.

I agree with a previous poster about Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill (Stephen Kings son btw). Its not 'jumpy' scary, but the essence of creepiness that pervades the book really gave me chills. Even thinking about certain scenes makes the hair on the back of my neck prickle.

I've recently read Horns by the same author which was much less scary, but one scene in a tree house made me nearly wet myself!

Didn't like House Of Lost Souls. I couldn't really see the point of it and wasn't at all frightened by it.

Quite liked Heart Shaped Box but mostly for the very pretty cover - can't actually remember much about it and don't think I was scared.

The library still hadn't got The Woman In Black today and then I stupidly forgot to order it.

Joe Hill is King's son? I had no idea of that! Could you remind me what the book is about without giving too much away for those who haven't read it?

Agree with all the early Stepehn King books

I also find the John Connolly series featuring Charlie Parker very unsettling!

It & Pet Cemetary - Stephen King

I gave up scary books & films about 15 years ago - couldn't take it anymore

Try The Prophecy by Sarah Luddington. It'll scare the life out of you!

Woman in Black is fantastic and Robert Westall is an excellent writer