Horror fiction...........?

Question

i have given up for the most part on hollywood's ability to create horror film. I loved horror film when i was younger but there is very little out there that gives you that real inner dread
(though not nearly perfect, i thought that THE RING (2002) was a great example of dreadfull, serious horror.)
I would like to try reading a few horror NOVELS. i was wondering if anyone can give good suggestions to try out.

oh yeah.....thanks for reminding me first anserwer, no stephen king please

Answer 1

I have a great friend who is an intellectual 'horror' fiction master:
recommended strongly:
Ambrose Bierce
Sheridan LaFanu
M.R. James
Enjoy! my recommend: Edgar A. Poe, however all the above are the 'firsts' in horror literature, 4 sure! (p.s. S. King's The Shining is an excellent horror read)

Answer 2

I don't know if this is the type of thing that's up your alley, but I'm a huge fan of horror fiction, and I've found that the absolute best stuff to give you that "dread" feeling, is the old stuff. Victorian-era stories, particularly short ghost stories, are SO brilliant from that time. (For example, Edgar Allen Poe's "Tell-Tale Heart" --leaves you with the worst feeling in the pit of your stomach.) You can find tons of books with collections.
If you liked "The Ring", then you should look into reading Japanese horror. There is nothing like it anywhere. They take evil to a whole new level.
As for more modern stuff, I loved Peter Straub's "Ghost Story"

P.S.--Susan had some good recommendations, too. Same idea...

Answer 3

Try something challenging, try an old horror masterpiece instead of something new. Freaks when it premiered made people run from the theater screaming in horror.
There is nothing like the old masters: The Body Snatcher (not to be confused with The Invasion of the Body Snatchers) was based on a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson that fictionalized the story of the famous murderers Burke and Hare. Karloff & Lugosi turn in totally new performances, compared to their signature roles. B.

Answer 4

H.P. Lovecraft
Christopher Golden
John Passarella
Death of a Darklord---Laurell K. Hamilton
Dean Koontz
Edgar Allan Poe
Shirley Jackson
Richard Matheson

Answer 5

Jack Ketchum is amazing. I've rarely felt the urge to wretch after reading a book. His book, The Lost did that to me in the first chapter. Ketchum is what Stephen King would call an honest writer. He doesn't gloss anything over or clean it up. If he wants you to despise a character, you will despise them. He doesn't often deal in supernatural stories. She Rises is supernatural, and I hated it. His books deal with the evil that men do. You won't go wrong with his stuff. I'd recommend The Lost for a first time reader. It's available in paper back. Red was good too, especially if you're an animal lover (I'm not, but he clearly is).

Answer 6

There's "The Rising" by Brian Kenyon. It's about possessed zombies. It was sorta cool, in a gross way.

Peter Straub is good. I liked "The Taliman" and "Black House", both collabarations w/ SK.

Alfred Hitchcock had some short story collections, called Alfred Hitchcock Presents, that I find at library sales and used bookstores for a dollar or so, that are really good.

Try out your local library. They might have something for you, and it'd be free! Your librarian could start you off with something, maybe.

As for new horror movies, I really liked "Dog Soldiers", from '04? 05? It's about werewolves hunting soldiers in Wales.

Answer 7

Anything by H.P. Lovecraft is sure to thrill and delight. Also I enjoyed Clive Barker's "Books Of Blood". Also, there is an outof print book that you can still sometimes find through old book stores and big chains who have access to lots of wharehouses called "The King in Yellow". Not necessarily scary, but it would make a few of Lovecraft's tales a bit easier to understand.

Answer 8

Try the Turn of the Screw by Henry James. It is not a book but a story although not quite a short one. You can usually find on Ebay or Dover Publications.You should also read Frankenstein and Dracula.if you have not read them before.ANy of Edgar Alan Poe's books or short stories. The morders in the Rue Morgue is great.

Answer 9

Stephen King's The Shining.

Answer 10

puppy cemetery,Christine,The Shining,Salem's lot,.. there are a number of of of great ones, i'm unable to %. one, I examine Dean Koontz years in the past and did not preserve his form,yet these days i've got examine a number of his books and his writing is getting extra perfect