What is the best book that creeped you out? Looking for something interesting and scary to read.
What is the best book that creeped you out? Looking for something interesting and scary to read.
157 Answers
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Loading Please wait
I don’t do scary but recently read misery… It wasn’t for me.. But it’s well written And really tight
Misery was a good book. I’ve already read through all the Stephen King books except his most recent ones.
I don’t do scary much either but I did read The Survivor by James Herbert, not especially scary but the porcelain dolls head on the front cover freaked me out so much that while reading it At night I would have to take it out of my bedroom so I could sleep ?
Lol I have never had that reaction to a picture but there was a ceramic owl in my room once that creeped me out and I had to cover it with a towel so I get it.
I don’t think I have heard of that one. Is it a Stephen king book?
Now do you see why it had to be out of my bedroom lol
Haha that is disturbing
Thanks for the recommendation. Will definitely check it out
I think I might own that one some where but never got around to reading it. Now I will. I have too many books. My house resembles a library
Now I really want to read it. Nothing scares me. I’m still searching for something that will. Well when I was younger “it” terrified me
I like to read folklore books and true ghost stories. There’s a series called “Haunted Liverpool ” by Tom Slemen that I really enjoyed. They don’t creep me out though, I find them intriguing.
I like folklore I will check it out. I’m currently reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It’s pretty good so far.
Are they different books ?? Does some recap stories he has in other books?? They sound great ..
Want to play? P J Tracy
I’ve never read anything by that author before. I’ll check it out.
P J Tracy books are very good
Tokyo by Mo Hayder
In some countries this has been renamed The Devil of Nanking. Mo Hayder is the absolute queen of horor! Her books are scarier than ant other I’ve read & I’ve read a lot of horror!
The Exorcist creeped me out more than any other book I read ever. The movie? I did not go see it, but it is well known. The book made me reconsider my view on evil in the world. It shocked me that a writer could create a realistic scenario for such horror. If a human mind could make this up, I decided the world was a far more frightening place then I had ever imagined. Make sure you are not alone when you read it.
I’ve never read the book but, as a kid, the movie was terrifying.
Rose Madder by Steven king is great
That’s one my favorite Stephen King books
House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski is great but I found it super creepy.
I own it but it keeps sitting in my “to read” pile maybe I’ll dive in
The troop by Nick Cutter. Also under the skin by Michael Faber.
The Song of Kali by Dan Simmons.
‘I can see you’. Bit scary going on the tube now ?
Hannibal
Stephen King’s Books …..
Her Fearful Asymmetry
The exorcist
‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. Scared me silly.
The historian
The shadow of the wind
I love the title. It’s creepy
Normally James Herbert
Midnight by Dean Koontz
Good one!
We Need to Talk about Kevin
I loved the movie, is the book worth reading after watching the movie?
almost gave up on this 100 pages in but kept with it as my friend said it was so good. Ended up a 5/5 xxx
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
Into the Darkest Corner
Amityville Horror
Recommend the original movie also xxx
Anything by John Saul has a creepy vibe to it. My fave is Nathaniel.
The wasp factory – Iain banks. Good book but bizarre
I read that years ago. Very strange book.
animal cruelty in this book so go in prepared xxx
Sarah Rayne books are great. Roots of Evil, A Dark Dividing to name a couple.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. And Dark Places by her as well
The Bone Clocks is creeping me out…. I know nothing about it. I haven’t even read the synopsis so I have no idea where it’s going ?
The magpies
Michelle Remembers
I like the title. Details please!
from Wikipedia
Michelle Remembers is a book published in 1980 co-written by Canadian psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and his psychiatric patient (and eventual wife) Michelle Smith. A best-seller, Michelle Remembers was the first book written on the subject of Satanic ritual abuse and is an important part of the controversies beginning in the 1980s regarding Satanic ritual abuse and “recovered” memory. The book has subsequently been discredited by several investigations which found no corroboration of the book’s events, while others have pointed out that the events described in the book were extremely unlikely and in some cases impossible.
I’m not religious and 10 years later I still have a virgin Mary statue next to my bed
It sounds like something I’d like. It will scare me, but, well, you know, I’ll like it anyway. Thank you
That sounds interesting. Going to check that out for sure.
.
Love your name. It always catches my eye when you comment or post here. I named my daughter, Heidi, she will be 4 next month. Not many with that name in our area. ?
Bird Box by Josh Malerman. Gave me nightmares.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
was so disappointed with this but I was very in the minority xxx
Pet Cemetery by Stephen King (years ago) and more recently Dark Matter by Michelle Paver and The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp.
I read the last 2 back to back while poorly the autumn before last and spent weeks after being scared to go to the loo or get a drink in the night.
The Girl With All The Gifts!! I loved it, but gave me some very strange dreams…..
Reminded me of the old black and white body snatchers xxx
I second this one! I remember I read it twice in a row.
VC Andrews books, especially the Flowers in the Attic series. I binge read them when I was 12-13 and they still are swimming around my brain freaking me out every now and again…
I watched that movie with my mom when I was little. I was always terrified that would happen to me. I’m sure the books are even better.
Reading the revelation by bentley little. Its definitely scary.
Geralds Game by Stephen King. It’s creepy, but warning… disturbing too
The movie was excellent too
Pet Semetary by Stephen King. I nightmared after watching the movie based on the book! Only movie that ever caused me nightmares too, and I love my horrors!
That was one of my favorite movies
Me too. Terrifyingly brilliant!
My mum loves Jonathan afflicted and Susan hill. Both very creepy
Sorry that should be Jonathan afcliffe, damm auto correct!
Ghost story by Peter Straub
One of my all time favorites!
Isn’t he Stephen King?
No but Stephen king likes his books. Richard Bachman is Stephen King
They wrote the Talisman and Black house together. Great books.
Bird Box – Josh Malerman
I heard he has a new book out.
It’s on my TBR but I haven’t gotten to it yet.
Yup I agree fully…. creeped me out ?
Hell House by Richard Matheson and Bird Box by Josh Malerman both brilliantly scary
Following
The Stand
It
Butterfly Garden
Bird box by Josh malerman
So old school but flowers in the attic creeped me out
Their mother ??♀️
*? lol
Creeper me out too..like 35 yrs ago..lololol
Creeped
Heart shaped box.
@Brooke, what were the books you got for your birthday?
It and Misery by Stephen King. I’ve been told some of mine are disturbing but I don’t see it. What’s a little psycho between friends
It, The Shining, Pet Cemetery,
And yes, Misery. Stephen King in those days was excellent. Also his novellas written while at college. I remember he wrote some under his own name and some under the name Richard Bachman. All good.
The shining. Took me 2 months to read because I read alone at night when the kids are in bed. I would end up scaring myself silly and have to stop every chapter or so ?I’m normally a really fast reader.
I’ve seen all versions of the movie but haven’t read the book yet. Is it much different?
VERY! Book is so much more in depth (Jacks psychological breakdown ect), and some of the book didn’t make it to the movie.
Awesome. I have that one sitting on my shelf just never picked it up as I get bored when books are the same as the movie and I already saw the movie.
Pretty sure the ending is slightly different as well.
The book is a lot better than the movie.
Before I sleep
When I was about 15 I read ‘flowers in the attic’ and the follow on books by V C Andrews they really scared me!!
Perfume
Following
Full dark no stars – a collection of short stories by Stephen King – still haven’t quite got over it!! ??
Rosemary’s Baby. I found the book much creepier than the film.
Definitely the scariest book I’ve ever read is The Treatment by Mo Hayder. I starting reading Stephen King & Dean Koontz when I was 12, specialised in gothic & modern horror at university, and used to read nothing but horror, but nothing gave me nightmares or messed my head up like this one did! I had to stop reading horror after reading it, because it messed up my head so much! I’m still terrified of loft (attic) spaces & I have had to have a lock put on my loft hatch!
Well I will definitely have to check that out then 🙂
Mo Hayder is the queen of horror imho!
I have never read her books
Ooh, if you like horrow, definitely give her a go! Her books are detective fiction / horror, so it’s even more horrifying than fantasy based horror!
Yes I find things that could happen definitely scarier than things that have no way of happening.
Me too! Another book of Mo Hayder’s, Birdman, I studied for my modern horror module at uni, and that one is pretty harrowing as well! But it was The Treatment that really messed me up! Lol!
All these books are now on my to read list. I love your enthusiasm over this author so I will read them for sure.
I think she writes really terrifying books, although I can’t bring myself to read them anymore! I’d love to know what you think, if & when you get to read them. I think she should be more well known! But she’s a British writer & they often don’t get the same level of publicity. I have a connection to her in fact, as my dissertation supervisor at university also supervised Mo Hayder’s dissertation! My (very tenuous) claim to fame! Lol!
Oh that’s awesome. I will definitely let you know what I think. Assuming I can find them. Sounds like they may be hard to come by.
Possibly, I’m not sure, but I would’ve thought Amazon would stock them!
I just checked and Amazon does have them. Decently priced as well.
Yay! I hope you enjoy them if you do decide to invest! xx
Thanks I’m sure I will 🙂
That was indeed a very creepy book.
The lost by Jonathan Aycliffe a modern take on Dracula seriously chilling stuff . And I’m not one to scare easily.
That sounds good. I will check it out
It is just don’t read it alone on a stormy winters night in a haunted house.lol
Lol I wish I had a haunted house near by to go read books in
Haha depends what you read. I was in a haunted house a couple of weeks ago I wouldn’t read the lost in there lol.
Was it a castle?
No a very old hotel
11th and 14th century very spooky
That sounds awesome.
Yes its in Rye in Sussex
Is that England? I’m from Canada. We have very few cool old buildings here.
Oh yes England I thought you were in England. We have a lot of them.here but this particular building is extremely old with lots of tunnels and hidden corridors a at least 6 rooms are haunted with guests regularly seeing ghosts and poltergeists. It called the Mermaid Inn Rye you can Google it
Oh awesome. I hope I get to see that one day. So many places and castles I would like to see over there.
Yes there’s a lot to see .
Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates.
Did Joyce C Oates write a horror book? I read one of her books many years ago. Not scary but oh, so depressing. I never read another one.
I read that book. It was messed up. I liked it.
This was very disturbing, in a good way ?
The Entity
The Shining and Christine both Stephen King
Pet Cemetery and Salem’s Lot both by Stephen King….the only 2 books that EVER frightened me…
314 by A.R. Wise
I’m currently reading “The Last Days of Jack Sparks” by Jason Arnopp – there have been several unsettling moments so far!
Loved that book. I’ve just finished A Sincere Warning About The Entity In Your Home, a short letter/story by the same author
Thanks for the heads-up Nadine, i’ll add it to my list!
The Possessions by Sara Flannery Murphy
The House, by Simon Lelic
Thinner – Stephen King.
There’s another book too, but I can’t remember it right now…I slept with the light on for a week, though.