Frightening Reads With a Supernatural Bent

[Steelgrave]

I read a lot of Koontz about 20 years ago...he still has it?

I have a hardcopy of The Historian...it's got some awesome reviews and a few not so great ones. It looks like a big commitment...is it a quicker read than it appears?

Koontz has been a sellout for a few years now...and I don't mean that in the good way. He kicks out a novel a year because he has a contract and besides, it's still going to be a best seller. He connects now and then (maybe every third book), but nothing like his heyday years with Lightning, Strangers, Watchers, & Dark Rivers of the Heart.

The Historian is not a quick read, however it flows well, seldom gets bogged down and the payoff is worth it. There's a lot of foreplay before you get to the really good part, but its all the better for it.

But hey, if you're looking to finish a novel or two in time for Halloween, stick with the shorter McCammon novels. There's plenty of scares there for ya!

[BanzaiCat]

Flowers in the Attic (VC Andrews)
Piercing (Ryu Murakami)
The Exorcist
Ghost Story (Peter Straub)
Hell House (Richard Matheson)
The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)
Dawn (Octavia Butler)
Also, Steven King's 'The Mist' is a terrifying little read. The movie sucks compared to the story, but that's the way it usually is. I think it's a short story though and I'm not sure which collection it's in, offhand.

[Gusington]

I've been wanting to read The Exorcist forever. There's a hard over edition of it bound with the sequel (Legion) that originally sold for 50.00 and I didn't buy it when it was released. Now it sells for 250.00 :/

I've read The Haunting of Hill House and Hell House...I remember Hell House scaring the crap out of me...even the cover was creepy.

[Steelgrave]

Ghost Story....excellent choice! Read it years ago, has an odd twist at the end but the scare factor is huge all the way through.

"dance with me, you little toad"....

[mirth]

Salems Lot is the only book that ever made me go get the washing off the line in the dark with a bread knife in my hand

Salem's Lot is by far the scariest book I've ever read. Living about 40 miles from where "The Lot" was supposed to be located kicked the fear factor up a notch.

Read The Strain trilogy. if you haven't already. Surprisingly good (far better than the tv show) with some genuinely scary moments.

[undercovergeek]

Salems Lot is the only book that ever made me go get the washing off the line in the dark with a bread knife in my hand

Salem's Lot is by far the scariest book I've ever read. Living about 40 miles from where "The Lot" was supposed to be located kicked the fear factor up a notch.

Read The Strain trilogy. if you haven't already. Surprisingly good (far better than the tv show) with some genuinely scary moments.

Seriously?

2 bread knives!

[Gusington]

I've wanted to read Salem's Lot forever but honestly have been afraid of it...there is an illustrated version available too, IIRC. Scariest book you've ever read eh?

[undercovergeek]

It was for me.... just don't supplement it with the david soul film

[mirth]

I grew up in Central Maine and some of the towns King mentions in the area of Salem's Lot were near my home town. A few were places I new well. I read the book when I was about 10 years old and it scared the bejeezus out of me.

It's still quite frightening to read as an adult. Especially on a gusty fall night when the tree branches are scratching against the house.

[Steelgrave]

Maine....Maine....good God, how could I not list John Connolly's Charlie Parker series??? I must be getting senile!!!

Charlie Parker is an alcoholic NYPD detective whose wife and child are slaughtered by a serial killer while he is boozing it up in a bar. After losing his job and nearly his mind, he reappears sober in Maine carrying a PI badge. The supernatural bent starts early as Charlie starts to see his dead wife and child. Later books go full-bore supernatural/horror with the deep, dark woods of Maine serving as a playground for the dead, undead and ancient demonic spirits which we all know haunt those forests  ;)  Add two of the best sidekicks ever and it's a helluva series.

One of the creepiest authors out there. Seriously, Gus....if I only had one recommendation to give, the Charlie Parker series is it. Start with Every Dead Thing and read 'em in order.

With a light on.

[Gusington]

^Nice, I think we've hit pay dirt! Now I have to choose...Salem's Lot, Every Dead Thing or The Historian...

[Steelgrave]

^Nice, I think we've hit pay dirt! Now I have to choose...Salem's Lot, Every Dead Thing or The Historian...

You can knock off both Salem's Lot and Every Dead Thing before Halloween, or go with The Historian and finish it by New Years   ;D

[Steelgrave]

Oh and just for fun....

Book 3 in the Charlie Parker series has some of the most...disturbing...scenes with spiders ever written. Creepy doesn't begin to describe it. Simply reading the first chapter would leave anyone with a spider phobia a shivering, drooling mess with scenes burned into their brain that would deprive them of sleep countless nights. Made me jumpy as hell and I'm not arachnophobic.

Of course, we don't know anyone with a spider phobia...... bwahahaha!!!!!

[Gusington]

It couldn't be any worse than the torture described in The Keep...thanks for the above Steelie, I like my reads to be quick, if possible. But if the Historian is really that good will I mind that it's 650 pages?

[Steelgrave]

It couldn't be any worse than the torture described in The Keep...thanks for the above Steelie, I like my reads to be quick, if possible. But if the Historian is really that good will I mind that it's 650 pages?

I think The Historian is well worth your time to read, Gus. However, the tone of your thread made me think you wanted to get "in the mood" for Halloween and you've said before that you aren't a fast reader like to savor your reading. With that in mind, you could likely read two or three of the other novels mentioned before Halloween, get that delicious frightful chill, and read The Historian at a later date.

But every novel mentioned in this thread covers your bases nicely. I'm going to re-read the Connolly books (and another is soon to be published) because now I'm in the mood for a little supernatural thrill myself.

You can't go wrong whichever way you jump, m'friend. But do yourself a favor and eventually read 'em all.