What is the scariest book you've ever read??

[ElektraLOL]

For me it's got to be The Shining. It's way scarier than the book! Especially the bit with the Dog Man 😨

The book "Intensity" by Dean Kootnz is a good one. It's a page turner, for sure, and very creepy.

Koontz. Sorry

Dracula actually, it really is very,very scary (in an old fashioned way)

Duma Key - completely got in my head

Usborne ghost book. Every child of the 1980s was terrified by this book

Ooh, interesting thread! I’m not sure, I shall have a ponder

Pet Semetary. I can smell the earthy smell from the ones who come back. The Rats as well.

The Matrix by Jonathan Aycliffe
Night of the Seventh Darkness by Daniel Easterman (both the same author; couldn't finish the first one I was so terrified)

Misery

Omg I remember that book MissParple! It was scary because it had that awful picture of the really tall monk looking ghost near the church alter. Shudder.

Sorry what I meant in my op is that the book is scarier than the film!

By reason of insanity

Naomi 's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe.

That Usborne book, and I also had a Reader’s Digest book of the unexplained with which I used to shit myself up on a regular basis.

The Rats left me with a lifelong phobia.
The Exorcist triggered my anxiety.
Pet Semetary was cracking.
I found Lord of the Flies pretty horrific too.

Yes, that's one of the pictures that sticks in my mind, @TheVandalsTookTheHandles! I would post it but I don't want to trigger long suppressed terror in either of us

Probably for the best MissParple

I loved the shining, and yes much better than the film!
I think the scariest book I've read was called the birthing house, but I was pregnant at the time!

Laska I found Dracula terrifying too. I studied it at uni and called my brother at 2am because I was so disturbed by it.

The scariest I've read is probably Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. So well written.

Jonathan Aycliffe is one of my favorites! In addition to the ones already mentioned can I add The Vanishment and The Talisman. Pet Semetry also scared me when I was younger but not a fan of Stephen King generally.

The Amytiville Horror by Jay Anson. Love a scary book, not been scared by many but love that one

The birds - ug

I agree with you about the book (the shining) being scarier than the film. Although pre babies I did go to a late night screening at my local picture house, to see the shining and it was bloody intense on the big screen. Interestingly Stephen king wasn’t best pleased with the movie, he especially didn’t like the casting of Shelley duvall as Wendy Torrance. (The boys mom)

I found Pet Cemetery hard to read also. I don’t know if I will see that film...the trailers look to Hollywood.

Grouchy I also studied it at Uni! (where you at a South coast uni 1993-6?)

The Exorcist. But I was too young when I read it and I also was reading books about the occult etc at the same time as my dad was really into unexplained phenomenon. I couldn't sleep for weeks.
As an adult, House of Leaves. Not really scary in itself but I found it extremely unsettling.

IT for me. That scene that they refused to shoot for the film (with good reason) absolutely made my blood run cold. I feel a bit sick just thinking about it tbh.