I want your best, pant wettingly scary novels please

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

I've run out of scary books. I've read all of Stephen King's work. So come on, share your scariest, most memorable books here

I know that he divides opinion on here (Remus!) but I've just read FG Cottam's new one, Brodmaw Bay , and it's absolutely brilliant. Scariest so far. Echoes of the Wicker Man yet completely different. I just think he writes wonderfully and more intelligently than a lot of his contemporaries. Definitely worth it if you've liked his other stuff.

Mendal Johnson's Let's Go Play at the Adams. Be prepared to be severely psychologically disturbed...!!

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver - isolated out in Spitzbergen in the Arctic night with 'something' there in the dark.

How about Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist - Even better than the film - in fact, best vampire novel since Dracula. Really emotionally engaging horror - exactly what Stephen King excelled at when he was at his peak.

Ooh yes! Loved 'let the right one in'. Fantastically scary and dark. Anyone read any of his others?

Second Michelle Paver's Dark Matter! Even DH admitted to not want to read it alone .

Banshee by Michael Scott. Read it as a teenager and scared the living daylights out of me. Picked it up when I was in adulthood thinking it wouldn't terrify me being all grown up now. I not too big to admit I slept with the lights on for a couple of nights.

Blindness. Truly chilling. Battle Royale for horror with a strangely uplifting love story.

Pig Island by Mo Hayder.

Although, it's probably more disgusting that scary in a 'ghosty' sort of way. Gave me nightmares though!

I'm reading Michael Prescott's Stealing Faces at the moment (only £1.49 from the Kindle store), and I've had to put it down for the night because I am bloody terrified.

Two people have mentioned books I was going to: Nocturnes, especially for the Charlie Parker novella, which introduces The Collector, and The Book Of Lost Things, which was marketed at teenagers, but is genuinely eerie. The Black Angel is one of the best thrillers ever. XW introduced me to John Connolly, buying me Every Dead Thing as a present. Yes, I have thanked her for it by introducing her to Steinbeck.

The house of leaves gave the creeps. I would also recommend h.p lovecraft his stories are strange and very disturbing and linger in the mind. Probably the scariest book I have read though is the exorcist. Anything with demon possession gets me! Also the merrily Watkins series of books are great, a blend of crime, mystery and the supernatural.

"Bastard out of Carolina" by June Allison. Scary as in based on her life, horrific detail. I nearly passed out reading it (the last chapter). Can't say I enjoyed it.

Thanks to this thread, I have ordered Naomis Room. I was surprised to see that you can't buy a new copy from Amazon so I bought a used one for £5.88 and someone is selling one for £345

Great thread though. I've got some of the others in mind too.

Yes to, 'Let The Right One In' except for the ending which is pretty stupid. I read another of his though and it was absolute rubbish - will try and find out what it was.

This one. It was dreadful. I only finished it to play spot the (badly translated) Smiths lyrics.

Just bought Naomis Room too because of the recommendations on here, don't quite know what I'm letting myself into. I love scary stuff but can't usually do anything involving children getting hurt, but its got such good reviews on it being the scariest book people had ever read (not just on here)I just had to get it.

I recieved my copy of Naomis Room today. It looks good though I'm scared to read it.

Although everyone has seen the film, Silence of the Lambs is proper scary. I stupidly read it when DH away on business trip and me at home for several nights alone with newborn DS. Very well written!

Pig Island by Mo Hayder - very disturbing

I finally got round to reading Naomis Room. Shudder.

Has anyone already suggested Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell? It's the first Kay Scarpetta's book and I think it's fab.

And Ian McEwan's The Comfort of strangers

Coming out of lurk to recommend by William Gay. He is an American writer who is often named 'Southern Gothic' along with Cormac McCarthy. I came to him via a short story called 'The Paperhanger' which is one of the scariest things I've ever read.

Twilight is great for a proper scare. Interested to know if anyone else reads it and marking my place on the thread. Some great suggestions here.

Also second, American Psycho, Clockwork Orange.