The whole of IT was almost more than I could take – it pushed me to my horror limit – but it’s still my favourite book! Oh, and I had my hands over my eyes for a lot of the film too, which you may remember if you happened to look over at me! ??? xxx
Good definitions here, sometimes they are more eerie and creepy than scary, not all try to be… But also I would say it’s the decade. As readers and viewers, our level of innocence or suspension of disbelief differs from person to person but in general, we are more experienced, exposed and even overdosed now than in the 70s and early 80s when when most emblematic works came out and became iconic for generations to come. I think it’s fair to consider the context.
Salem’s Lot scared the daylights out of me. I read it probably forty years ago, and I still remember being afraid to look out the windows of my house, even in broad daylight. ?
Some are not scary and were never meant to be. I remember when I first started reading his books – He has a wonderful way of beginning a story using interesting characters and pulling you into the super natural in a way that you didn’t realize it was happening. All of a sudden you find yourself believing in it. His understanding of the human condition is wonderful. He writes about people with flaws like we all have.
How many King books have you read? I’ve got to disagree and echo a lot of these comments that say ‘Salem’s Lot was (and remains) a very scary book that is difficult to read at night. I think the same can be said about Pet Semetary. His short story collection Night Shift? Please try reading “I am the Doorway” or “Grey Matter” and tell me you don’t get at least creeped out. And psychologically, The Stand is terrifying, in my opinion. But I am a huge King fan who comes from a line of King fans, sooooo…
I do like King a lot and think some of his works were scary but was actually disappointed about “Pet Semetary”, On the other hand my favourite by him probably is “Duma Key” so I have kind of an unusual taste?
Were you!? I thought it was very unsettling though I wouldn’t say it was “too scared to turn the light off” scary like ‘Salem’s Lot. I haven’t read Duma Key yet! I’m almost done with the Dark Tower series (on the last book) and keep putting off the end by reading other books instead. ?
@Samantha Speaking in goodreads it’s a 3/5 for me while King-books usually are a 4 or 5 to me. It’s not like a terribly bad book but as it seems to be considered one of Kings most popular works my expectations were too high. Oh, I never cared that much about “Dark Tower”. Do you think it’s a good read for a King fan who typically isn’t that much into fantasy?
That’s a hard question @Marie! I would liken the first novel, The Gunslinger, more as a spaghetti Western than a fantasy novel. I think if you can step away from “horror master” King and open yourself up to reading his magnum opus because you appreciate King as a novelist then they are worth it. ESPECIALLY if you’ve read a lot of the King back catalog because the references throughout the entire series are so so deep. (I’ve only caught some references to The Stand, IT, and other novels of his thanks to /r/thedarktower/ on Reddit!)
The more I think about it, I just don’t know if I would categorize them as fantasy at all. If you’re interested in the world King has created and read them like that is actually reality then the fantastical aspect is almost completely stripped back, IMO. 🙂
Samantha Starr Hm, I don’t know if I can say I read a lot … I read: “It”, “Duma Key”, “The dark half”, “Different seasons”, “Just after sunset”, “Desperation”, “Pet Semetary”, “Shining”, “Cell”.
The only book from your list that I’ve read is Pet Semetary. I just bought a copy of IT though and have been kicking my own butt for not buying a copy of Different Seasons I saw at a thrift store a few weeks ago.
It took me 3 different tries to get into The Gunslinger. A lot of people say the first sentence just hooked them, but it wasn’t the same for me. I wouldn’t even say I really liked them until The Drawing of the Three and then I was all in. 🙂 Give them a shot in the winter. I started them in November of last year and have taken breaks to read other novels, but the long dark days helped keep me focused.
Things can scare me in different ways. IT was creepy, but The Stand scares me more now than when I first read it. The idea of a pandemic is too possible to take forgranted. Even Christine has become more possible with self driving cars on our horizon. Cujo is pretty creepy. Any tale that is about kids at risk scares me.
YES to ALL of this @Susan! 🙂 I just finished my first read of The Stand and the first 200-300 pages were so creepy because they seemed so possible. And I didn’t even think about self-driving cars when I read Christine, but I sure loved it all the same. Talk about a King novel that picks up from page one and goes.
I agree with your distinction about different types of being scared. Psychologically, The Stand probably scares me most because I can actually see a superbug wiping most of us out
I agree there are some that are not very scary (Green Mile, Shawshank, Eyes of the Dragon, to game a few). However, Salem’s Lot scared me – a lot (ha ha, see what I did there?)
King is all over the map for me. I have never loved and hated an author as much as I do him. Some of his works are amazing and others bore the heck out of me. He also annoys me with how long winded he can be. Unfortunately, I have to keep reading King because I don’t want to miss out on a book I might love! ?
Stephen King has a way with making his characters come alive. That’s why I read his books. I can’t imagine being scared by a book, but I can enjoy reading about (and empathising with) characters who are scared in them.
I don’t think they are scary per se, I do think he has very good insight into the more twisted side of the human mind. That is kind of scary. The man does have an incredible imagination.
Yeah,but they might have to pick a different location than Boulder unless they can afford housing. “My life for you” does have a contemporary ring, doesn’t it?
The first book to ever scare me, like, I had to stop reading RIGHT NOW (and it was in the middle of the day!) was a Stephen King book; The Shining. Now, to be completely fair, I WAS only in 10th or 11th grade, but still…..
In the middle of a sunny afternoon, in Chicago, in my bed, on the third floor I felt the fear of Salem’s Lot vamps so strongly I had to stop. Scary enough for me.
my mom absolutely loved reading his novels but not me, the few that I’ve read did nothing for me, maybe it’s cz I’ve read and seen too much that I’m immune to horror lol
Sometimes when you read, its not all that scary. Some people cannot visualize as vividly as others. So it really is about one’s own imagination. I would agree that some of King’s books are not scary. Not all his books are meant to scare anyway. But King is a master in character development. I love his books because the characters have so much depth to them they seem to be so real.
I read Salem’s Lot 37 years ago and it scared the ? out of me. Maybe it was because I was so young. But it has stayed with me all these years as the scariest thing I ever read.
It’s not necessarily about being scary in terms of a fixed idea of the word. There are many different ways that people can experience horror or horrific situations; from the classic haunted hotel horror of The Shining to the situational and psychological horror of Gerald’s Game. The horror of being imprisoned for a crime you didn’t commit as per The Shawshank Redemption or the horror of discovering your husband is wicked and your child damaged, as in Delores Claiborne. All valid and all genuinely intriguing to explore. But I am biased – I really love Stephen King!
Agree
I’m a huge fan because of his writing. Not all books are my favorite, though.
I find them creepy but not scary.
I’m not really a big fan of his, I’ve read several too.
I want to love them, but I haven’t been able to finish one. His writing style isn’t for me.
For some reason or other I can’t help but find him terribly boring… Another unpopular opinion, I know 😀
Some of them are, but not all of them are supposed to be scary. He also writes mystery, fantasy, science fiction . . .
He’s more creepy than scary. The depravity of society
Creepy and disturbing.
He writes multiple genres so yeah they’re not all meant to be scary.
A lecturer told me once his formula for all horror is to turn an object or thing into something crazy. A simple formula but it worked!
I agree its more of the creep factor.
Unpopular opinion: Stephen King’s books aren’t all they’re made out to be.
I wouldn’t know. Never read one. Not my genre. ?
You know, King writes across multiple genres: horror, suspense, fantasy, science fiction, mystery . . .
@Steve, I am aware. But none of his books have interested me. I even saw he had written at least a couple YA books too
None of those are really what I read.
They’re scary but not the way people expect them to be, it’s not about monsters and ghouls really, it’s either something you get or you don’t.
I can’t imagine a book being scary in general
I really liked The Stand and The Shining. The Shining was definitely scary.
I have coulrophobia so parts of IT were scary for me ??
The whole of IT was almost more than I could take – it pushed me to my horror limit – but it’s still my favourite book! Oh, and I had my hands over my eyes for a lot of the film too, which you may remember if you happened to look over at me! ??? xxx
I remember it vividly! I also remember feeling conned by you when, at the end of the film, it said “End of Part One” ???
Just depends on which ones you’re reading.
Good definitions here, sometimes they are more eerie and creepy than scary, not all try to be… But also I would say it’s the decade. As readers and viewers, our level of innocence or suspension of disbelief differs from person to person but in general, we are more experienced, exposed and even overdosed now than in the 70s and early 80s when when most emblematic works came out and became iconic for generations to come. I think it’s fair to consider the context.
Good point
Salem’s Lot scared the daylights out of me. I read it probably forty years ago, and I still remember being afraid to look out the windows of my house, even in broad daylight. ?
I love King but the only book of his to actually scare me was The Shining.
Every time i walk past a drainpipe, i get a little scared. “They float. They all float down here.’
Who do you consider scary?? Just looking for suggestions! Haha
Some of them are not supposed to be. The Dark Tower series is quite entertaining, though not scary.
Maybe you’re not reading them right? ? I’m just kidding! Have you tried Duma Key?
Some are not scary and were never meant to be. I remember when I first started reading his books – He has a wonderful way of beginning a story using interesting characters and pulling you into the super natural in a way that you didn’t realize it was happening. All of a sudden you find yourself believing in it. His understanding of the human condition is wonderful. He writes about people with flaws like we all have.
Maybe you’re so scared you don’t even realize you are making such an effort not to be scared.
How many King books have you read? I’ve got to disagree and echo a lot of these comments that say ‘Salem’s Lot was (and remains) a very scary book that is difficult to read at night. I think the same can be said about Pet Semetary. His short story collection Night Shift? Please try reading “I am the Doorway” or “Grey Matter” and tell me you don’t get at least creeped out. And psychologically, The Stand is terrifying, in my opinion. But I am a huge King fan who comes from a line of King fans, sooooo…
I do like King a lot and think some of his works were scary but was actually disappointed about “Pet Semetary”, On the other hand my favourite by him probably is “Duma Key” so I have kind of an unusual taste?
Were you!? I thought it was very unsettling though I wouldn’t say it was “too scared to turn the light off” scary like ‘Salem’s Lot. I haven’t read Duma Key yet! I’m almost done with the Dark Tower series (on the last book) and keep putting off the end by reading other books instead. ?
@Samantha Speaking in goodreads it’s a 3/5 for me while King-books usually are a 4 or 5 to me. It’s not like a terribly bad book but as it seems to be considered one of Kings most popular works my expectations were too high.
Oh, I never cared that much about “Dark Tower”. Do you think it’s a good read for a King fan who typically isn’t that much into fantasy?
That’s a hard question @Marie! I would liken the first novel, The Gunslinger, more as a spaghetti Western than a fantasy novel. I think if you can step away from “horror master” King and open yourself up to reading his magnum opus because you appreciate King as a novelist then they are worth it. ESPECIALLY if you’ve read a lot of the King back catalog because the references throughout the entire series are so so deep. (I’ve only caught some references to The Stand, IT, and other novels of his thanks to /r/thedarktower/ on Reddit!)
The more I think about it, I just don’t know if I would categorize them as fantasy at all. If you’re interested in the world King has created and read them like that is actually reality then the fantastical aspect is almost completely stripped back, IMO. 🙂
Samantha Starr Hm, I don’t know if I can say I read a lot … I read: “It”, “Duma Key”, “The dark half”, “Different seasons”, “Just after sunset”, “Desperation”, “Pet Semetary”, “Shining”, “Cell”.
Maybe I’ll check them out at some point.
The only book from your list that I’ve read is Pet Semetary. I just bought a copy of IT though and have been kicking my own butt for not buying a copy of Different Seasons I saw at a thrift store a few weeks ago.
It took me 3 different tries to get into The Gunslinger. A lot of people say the first sentence just hooked them, but it wasn’t the same for me. I wouldn’t even say I really liked them until The Drawing of the Three and then I was all in. 🙂 Give them a shot in the winter. I started them in November of last year and have taken breaks to read other novels, but the long dark days helped keep me focused.
Duma Key was very good, the Shawshank redemption and the Green Mile were good and not scary
Things can scare me in different ways. IT was creepy, but The Stand scares me more now than when I first read it. The idea of a pandemic is too possible to take forgranted. Even Christine has become more possible with self driving cars on our horizon. Cujo is pretty creepy. Any tale that is about kids at risk scares me.
YES to ALL of this @Susan! 🙂 I just finished my first read of The Stand and the first 200-300 pages were so creepy because they seemed so possible. And I didn’t even think about self-driving cars when I read Christine, but I sure loved it all the same. Talk about a King novel that picks up from page one and goes.
I agree with your distinction about different types of being scared. Psychologically, The Stand probably scares me most because I can actually see a superbug wiping most of us out
I agree there are some that are not very scary (Green Mile, Shawshank, Eyes of the Dragon, to game a few). However, Salem’s Lot scared me – a lot (ha ha, see what I did there?)
They really aren’t ??♀️
i enjoy his psychological thrillers.
Not a fan of his at all.
i don’t like his writing at all
Not a fan of his writing style
He isn’t..just the story telling alone will keep you in suspense..
They usually aren’t… just bizarre. And that’s good, too.
Agree, especially in 2018. In 1980, definitely scarier.
.. not all.. at all..particularly his early books and many of his short stories..
King is all over the map for me. I have never loved and hated an author as much as I do him. Some of his works are amazing and others bore the heck out of me. He also annoys me with how long winded he can be. Unfortunately, I have to keep reading King because I don’t want to miss out on a book I might love! ?
^ yes it’s the long windedness that gets to me
The Firestarter made me look over my shoulder the whole time I was reading it.
Truth
Stephen King has a way with making his characters come alive. That’s why I read his books. I can’t imagine being scared by a book, but I can enjoy reading about (and empathising with) characters who are scared in them.
Maybe he’s listening to us fans who have been begging for non horror stories.
I tried to read his latest, but I just can’t listen to talk of violence to children.
I don’t think they are scary per se, I do think he has very good insight into the more twisted side of the human mind. That is kind of scary. The man does have an incredible imagination.
Did you see him on Colbert’s show? He’s a hoot.
That’s why I want to read The Outsider. I haven’t read anything by King except his book On Writing.
11/23/63 is wonderful, a love story.
The Stand could really happen, baby.
Yeah,but they might have to pick a different location than Boulder unless they can afford housing. “My life for you” does have a contemporary ring, doesn’t it?
Agreed
most of them are hilarious.
The first book to ever scare me, like, I had to stop reading RIGHT NOW (and it was in the middle of the day!) was a Stephen King book; The Shining. Now, to be completely fair, I WAS only in 10th or 11th grade, but still…..
Yep, read it cover to cover started around 7 at night. Alone in my apt at 17. Scared the hell out of me!
The scariest King book I’ve read us Gerald’s Game. But it’s a different scary…it messes with your head.
For sure. That could happen!
In the middle of a sunny afternoon, in Chicago, in my bed, on the third floor I felt the fear of Salem’s Lot vamps so strongly I had to stop. Scary enough for me.
Some are…and some aren’t….Cujo terrified me.
Cujo scared me to death, that could happen.
@Bonnie yup;(
Agreed
You didn’t think Pet Cemetery or The Shining were scary? I mean some are more suspenseful or trippy, but to me those two were spooky
my mom absolutely loved reading his novels but not me, the few that I’ve read did nothing for me, maybe it’s cz I’ve read and seen too much that I’m immune to horror lol
The movies are way scarier!
Sometimes when you read, its not all that scary. Some people cannot visualize as vividly as others. So it really is about one’s own imagination. I would agree that some of King’s books are not scary. Not all his books are meant to scare anyway. But King is a master in character development. I love his books because the characters have so much depth to them they seem to be so real.
Yas.. You’re basically creating your own nightmare in your mind
@Janmarco precisely.
I agree. They are absolutely intense, but not what Id consider scary.
I read Salem’s Lot 37 years ago and it scared the ? out of me. Maybe it was because I was so young. But it has stayed with me all these years as the scariest thing I ever read.
I’ve never been scared by any of his books and I’ve read them all except the last two. I just love his great storytelling ability.
they were scary when published, but horror writing has changed. i am 62, those books scared me and on reread theu still do
Did you read the first books he wrote. They were much better then the ones he puts out now
Scared the scrap outta me when I was younger. Some are still scary.
Physiological scares are worse than visual ones, in my opinion. King scares me more every time!
Psychological is what I meant.
Some are, some aren’t. I think the earlier ones are scarier.
Okay
It’s not necessarily about being scary in terms of a fixed idea of the word. There are many different ways that people can experience horror or horrific situations; from the classic haunted hotel horror of The Shining to the situational and psychological horror of Gerald’s Game. The horror of being imprisoned for a crime you didn’t commit as per The Shawshank Redemption or the horror of discovering your husband is wicked and your child damaged, as in Delores Claiborne. All valid and all genuinely intriguing to explore. But I am biased – I really love Stephen King!