What's the Scariest Story You've Ever Read?

[alexvss]

I'm not spooked by books, and not even by films. Only real life and some electronic games manage to spook me. But I'd say that my favorite horror book is Wasp Factory by Iain Banks.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I'm not spooked by books, and not even by films. Only real life and some electronic games manage to spook me. But I'd say that my favorite horror book is Wasp Factory by Iain Banks.

I just read the summary. Not something I'd want to read on a full stomach.

 

[alexvss]

Nope. You do not. It's horror--gross-you-out Horror. And it has a lot of cruelty towards animals in this one, so be advised. Also, don't recommend this to your aunt who shares photos of lost dogs on Facebook.

 

[jd73]

Any of Algernon Blackwood's tree stories - The Willows and The Man The Trees Loved.

 

[jd73]

Maupassant's "The Horla," definitely. Nothing else comes even close.

Another great one. I love gothic stories of the supernatural where the arc tracks from the merest hint of disquiet (which is, I assure you, probably nothing!), followed by rising dismay coupled with a desperate desire to cling to the rational (rapidly slips away) followed by a tremulous shout, usually repeated, accompanied by a shaking finger and probably in some way related to the title. And in the end, the inevitable (and total) mental collapse as everything goes dark and becomes eternally awful. "The Jumpity Jim" by the fabulously-named R. Chetwynd-Hayes is another, and "The Story of a Panic" by E. M. Forster.

It's funny how shouting something twice can make it seem haunted.

"The teacakes! Mrs. Muggins' teacakes!"

 

[dask]

"The Pit And The Pendulum" had me sweating until the very last sentence.

 

[Thiswriterinme]

I've never really been bothered by horror. Maybe it is because my dad had the genius idea of showing me movies like Alfred Hitchcok's The Birds, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the original movie), before I was 10 years old. I also began avidly watching Buffy the Vampire slayer at 11, so supernatural/paranormal was considered normal.

Growing up, we had campfire story books like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (among other collections), and I just ate those up! We also told lots of scary stories at summer camp. So, gore, supernatural, suspense, none of that ever riled me up.

I do have a few characters from books that have made my skin crawl a bit. I wouldn't consider her a horror character, but the child vampire Claudia from Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire gave me some creeps. Not because she was a child vampire, but because of her psychological progression of growing into an adult woman while being trapped in a child's body. Reading about the damaging impact that had on her psyche was unnerving.

 

[Dave Vicks]

AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS by Lovecraft.

 

[BAYLOR]

AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS by Lovecraft.

I love slow creeping dread in this novel.

Pete Rawlik note a sequel to it The Weird Company

 

[Karn's Return]

Well, I'd have to say my autobiography... XD


There's really not much in way of literature that scares me, but if I had to choose something...I would probably say, in my own opinion, The Fall of the House of Usher. Edgar Allen Poe is one of my favorite classic authors, and his writing had a tense atmospheric quality to it that just rubs the psyche in that one special way, and when Fall of the House of Usher approached its end, the sense of dread and brooding it gives is just a bit chilling to me.

 

[BAYLOR]

The Colour out of Space by HP Lovecraft. Scary hints of radiation, but nothing is resolved or explained - which made it even spookier.

Have you seen the recent film m adaptation staring Nicholas Cage ?

 

[Timebender]

I don't get scared by stories easily, but there are a few that scared me over my years:

"The Colour Out of Space" by H. P. Lovecraft. The rotting, mutating, infectious effects of the alien force are chilling, made even worse by how abstract and indescribable the force itself is.

"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edger Allan Poe. The madness in the protagonist's POV, both before and after the murder, really freaked me out when I read it as a tween.

"The Furry Collar" from the a Tales for the Midnight Hour collection. To say any more would spoil things.

"Dangerous Hill" from a Short and Shivery collection. The way the titular hill was described as a monstrous, thinking entity that hated visitors gave me the chills, and it was supposedly a true story, to boot!

"1408" by Stephen King. The hotel room is evil and scary, and not nearly as funny as it sounds. One of King's strengths, really, is to make things scarier in execution than they seem as an idea.

 

[BAYLOR]

The Manitou by Graham Masterson

 

[Guttersnipe]

I don't get scared by stories easily, but there are a few that scared me over my years:

"The Colour Out of Space" by H. P. Lovecraft. The rotting, mutating, infectious effects of the alien force are chilling, made even worse by how abstract and indescribable the force itself is.

"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edger Allan Poe. The madness in the protagonist's POV, both before and after the murder, really freaked me out when I read it as a tween.

"The Furry Collar" from the a Tales for the Midnight Hour collection. To say any more would spoil things.

"Dangerous Hill" from a Short and Shivery collection. The way the titular hill was described as a monstrous, thinking entity that hated visitors gave me the chills, and it was supposedly a true story, to boot!

"1408" by Stephen King. The hotel room is evil and scary, and not nearly as funny as it sounds. One of King's strengths, really, is to make things scarier in execution than they seem as an idea.

Short & Shivery is where it's at. I really liked "Loft the Enchanter" (Iceland) and "The Serpent Woman" (Spain).

 

[Valtharius]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream

 

[Guttersnipe]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream

I didn't think of that because it's sci-fi, and I was in supernatural mode, but now that I remember, I would agree that it's quite horrifying. I think it's uncommon in fiction for artificial intelligence to feel and act on wrath, or maybe just for the time it came out, but Ellison wasn't one for convention. It's one of my favorites, though I think his best work is still "'Repent, Harlequin!'"

 

[CupofJoe]

As a child, it was The Ruum by Arthur Porges.
I was completely taken on by the implacable nature of the machine.

 

[dask]

Wrong thread. Sorry.

 

[Mark_Harbinger]

Exciting to see so many cool suggestions. One that hasn't been mentioned:
EUMENIDES IN THE FOURTH FLOOR LAVATORY by Orson Scott Card.

 

[GeorgeL]

“Borrasca”
A very long scary story that i red on a forum, set in a rural town, that later became adapted for a TV series because of its popularity (Cole or
Dylan Sprouse plays the leading role for anyone who is interested).
There were rumours that children of the town disappeared forever in the past. Everything’s fine with the life of the protagonist until one little girl of the protagonist’s group disappears too. The story wasn’t very gory if i remember correctly, but when you realize what’s happening in the end it’s very disturbing, creepy and very difficult to forget, even after years.
A hauntingly beautiful story that’s totally not for the faint of heart. Well written, very relatable and has an unofficial (If i remember correctly) sequel called “Borrasca 2”, which i also red because i wanted desperately to see any loose threads of the first story tied.