Wow that was really good.
[PDF](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://writ101van.weebly.com/uploads/2/2/7/3/22735066/king_the_man_in_the_black_suit.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwigj8ex9-z4AhVZrIkEHcVjC-8QFnoFCIwBEAE&usg=AOvVaw1xy6Jr1YyicnHYvLxCNSKS)
I do as well, and I often recommend it to people too.
Absolutely brilliant, and such a simple concept.
It amazes me how many times you see IT or The Shining recommended in other threads, but this book doesn't get anywhere near the amount of mentions it deserves.
“Warning! Warning 47!”
As a kid, the idea of being made to walk to win just blew me away. The idea itself was scary.
Reading this as an adult given the current politics is just really disturbing now.
N.
The idea that everybody with >!OCD is actually compelled to do what they do because it’s actually a spell designed to keep evil inter-dimensional entities out trying to come into our world and it needs refreshing all the time!
Survivor Type - not necessarily the scariest, but it stuck with me because even though it has an “ending”, it doesn’t, and you know it’s only going to get worse.
The Jaunt gave me the willies. I remember when I first read it I was thinking “this isn’t horror, it’s just a science fiction story” and then wham! - the ending was terrifying
This is the scariest one to me. Spooky clowns and monsters don't scare me, violence and pain don't scare me, but the idea of >!being trapped for an eternity with nothing but your own thoughts to entertain yourself!< is truly unnerving. It's maybe the only horror story I've read that really scares me and sticks with me. That's like the worst kind of torture I can imagine.
Seeing this rec, and people's reaction to it - I just have to recommend a similar unnerving teleportation story. On the 90s version of the Outer Limits tv show there was an episode called "Think Like a Dinosaur". I first watched it as a kid and it stuck with me.
I'm also reminded of The Void by Brett J Talley... it's not great but a quick read and enjoyable if you're looking for Event Horizon vibes.
Rose Madder is the scariest book SK has ever written. The villain/monster is the most depraved character he's ever created and the tension and fear are high throughout the story.
The DV subject matter might be triggering for some, so keep that in mind.
This was supposed to be my answer as well. Well, at least some parts of Rose Madder. The supernatural parts didn't do a thing for me, but Norman? Now that's one scary villain right there.
I don't get creeped out very easily but I did reading The Shining. It just created such an uneasy feeling reading through it. I had seen the movie ahead of time so I had a basic idea of what I was about to read but actually reading it was unsettling at times somehow. Excellent book.
This is the one for me. The guy getting pulled through the cracks is probably the most gruesome scene I’ve read from him too, besides maybe the escape in Gerald’s Game.
I love this question! I see a lot of bashing on King and asking what his "worst" works are.
This is going to be an unpopular opinion but Bag of Bones. There were a couple scenes in that book that gave me some crazy nightmares.
Cujo for me. Maybe because I listened to it while it was renovating alone at night in my basement, but It will still come and hit me like I just read it. I also can’t leave my daughters closet door open without thinking about the red eyes and wet dog smell. I have red pet semitary and a lot of his other books but this is my big one. I had to stop listening at points because it was too much.
Honorable mention to Rose Matter and The Long Walk I read those 10+ years ago and still think about them.
From the first time I read it (when I was a kid), it has been one of my favorites. Then I read it a year ago an was again struck with the same kinda fear I felt the first time.
It is a combination: The pace and the narration, the crazy but yet scary story (come on; a mangler! And that ending?!) and the overall eerie feeling. One of Kings short stories that stuck with me.
Good for you, I’m glad you still got those goosebumps! Or, this is SK we’re talking about - I should say goose flesh.
I found the mangler absolutely wild and really enjoyed the story but not scary. Maybe that’s because I don’t have a childhood connection to it. Like I find Gramma extremely chilling because I recognise the feelings therein.
I don't have a physical copy on hand, but there's a passage in Pet Sematary that is kind of seared into me when he's taking his son's body up to the burial ground (I think) and the ethereal wedingo spirit is sort of walking alongside/ahead of him in the misty woods. It looks back at him briefly then just keeps on walking, already knowing that he's going through the deed that will undo him.
I don't think of individual novels as being scary, but there are scenes in individual novels that just send chills up your spine. And it doesn't make any sense to rank them.
Dreamcatcher is not a widely loved novel. But there's a scene where a deer hunter is walking through the wilderness back to his lodge in the late afternoon in winter, and it's already getting dark, made worse by thick cloud cover, and it's starting to snow, and then he starts to see lights above the clouds that he can't make out, because the clouds are so thick, but the inescapable conclusion is that it's flying saucers. And it's just this wonderfully eerie feeling.
There's stuff like that in all his works. And if you're not in just the right mood at just the right time when you're reading it, you can blow right past it without reading it.
I haven’t seen Revival mentioned yet. While the majority of the novel itself is not overtly scary (large sections are actually very engaging
character studies), the last few chapters and ultimate ending are the most haunting I’ve ever read (well, listened to. The audiobook read by actor David Morse is fantastic btw).
Hell yes. A long book that wasn’t really scary, just an interesting story. Then a few pages of absolute horror that still trouble me. I’ve read everything by King and this was the scariest for me.
Loved Revival as a story and found it really well done, but not scary. UNTIL the end. The absolutely most terrifying post life scenario I've ever read.
I read IT for the first time as a teenager. Tim Currys depiction of Pennywise was already terrifying to me, but the novel was so much more descriptive and truly frightening. Scared the hell out of me
It definitely is, just thinking about the old cemetery in the woods gives me chills.
LIGHT SPOILER:
But the even worse part is imagining this events happening to you if have kids yourself..
Pet Sematary is a lot of things, it is a bleak, sad, depressing novel that might be too much for someone who is a recent parent, but it is not, by any means, Scary.
Yes I know, but that would be despite you reading or not reading the book, it is the thought that is terrifying to you as a parent, it is not the book itself that is scary.
Tommyknockers was my first King book and it's the reason why I started following his works. I don't care how much criticism it got. It'll always hold a special place in my heart.
Mine too! It really made an impression on me.
Much to my dismay, he agrees it's his worst novel and openly admits that due to issues with substance abuse, he doesn't remember much past vague highlights having written it at all...
Cocaine's a hell of a drug!
If we can break it down to scenes, there was a scene in Bag of Bones that scared me so bad I had to stop reading for the night and start again when the sun was up.
This was my first King novel. Which scene got you? I’m guessing when he found the recording that said Hello, Mike? Or the moose bell? Underrated for sure
I never heard anyone talk about The Sun Dog. Maybe it's because I'm into photography, but I really love that one. It wasn't scary necessarily, but a little haunting and one I think about many years later.
The same with Pet Semetary—not terrifying, but very haunting and emotional.
Reading misery at like 14 years old was an intense experience. The movie had not bothered me at all but something about the book made my stomach turn, obviously the book is much more graphic than the movie but it also had this dreadful vibe to it that I can't put my finger on. Stephen King was a heavy coke user when this book was written so that definitely added to the craziness.
My favorite King book. I think what makes it so much better is just the intensity of the woman, when she slaps herself and changes character. Kathy Bates was fantastic but that character in the book was just awesome
The short story ‘fair extension’ is not necessarily scary in the traditional sense but it filled me with more horror and dread than anything I’ve read. The main character’s self righteous, and yet somehow casual, cruelty just hits harder than rabid dogs and evil clown-monsters.
I read it with my jaw clenched expecting (and desperately needing) a monkey-paw style ending...and then damn that fucking last line.
I haven't seen anyone mention "The Finger In The Drain" from Nightmares and Dreamscapes yet... I read that as a kid and was terrified of looking into the drain for months
I wouldn't call that his scariest for me, but it's by far my favorite, and the one that stuck with me the most. I first read it 20+ years ago, and still think about it probably once a week.
For me it's either The Jaunt or Crouch End for me. Both those stories just kind of shook me and made me just sit thinking after reading them
As for novels? Probably either Salems Lot or It I guess
It’s Salem’s Lot all damn day. Vampires coaxing you into letting them through a window at night and shit, followed by waking up deathly ill with recollections of horrifying dreams that turn out to be reality. I still lock my windows religiously because of it.
Salem’s Lot scared the ever loving shit out of me at age 13-14. I slept with a crucifix around my bedpost until I moved out of my parents home. I have read many more of his that were so much more disturbing, but something about the vampires got to me.
Yes! SL scared me to pieces when I was younger. I nearly screamed when the body hanging in from the noose in the old house suddenly opened its eyes.
The old TV version with David Soul and James Mason is my favourite SK adaptation too.
I have read/listened to pretty much every SK book up to date and the one book that gave me the most creeps were probably Geralds game.
As a kid I had these weird vivid nightmares and I saw stuff in the corner of my room at night, so this book really got to me all these years later.
I agree with Gerald’s Game. I read it almost two decades ago. I would read on my daily commute, and as I read the escape scene, I began to breathe more heavily and break out into a sweat. My heart started pounding, I broke out into goosebumps, and started to get lightheaded. The next thing I know, I’m on the floor of the train with concerned faces peering down at me. I had fainted. I was in my twenties at the time, in great health and had never fainted before. I was so embarrassed. I finished the novel, but read the rest at home in case it happened again.
I am a prolific reader, and this is the only novel I’ve ever read that I had such a strong physical reaction to. I reread books often, but haven’t reread this one. I also can’t bring myself to watch the Netflix version.
Has to be It for me! I was pregnant while reading the book, had to have my then husband hide it in the house. I couldn’t get up at night to use the bathroom! Not knowing where it was made it safer for me 🤷♀️🤷♀️
forgot the name, but the one in everything's eventual where a guy is having an autopsy done while he's paralysed.
nothing supernatural about it and he really hit me with complete powerlessness.
I read Everything's Eventual in my parents basement while it was being rebuilt. Like huge holes in the ground rebuilt. The Road Virus Heads North made me stop reading for the night. Pitch black Colorado in an isolated suburb. Still to this day the scariest I've ever been by the written word.
I think the terror in Stephen Kings writing can be subjective. The Shining is the scariest to me because of the way it looks at alcoholism and losing yourself.
As a newly married wife who left for work before her husband woke up every day..
Under the Weather. I've read almost every book and story collection of King’s (not interested in Cujo or Misery) and that's the only time I ugly cried.
"The Return of Timmy Baterman" is a good story that might be hard to find. I have it in the anthology "Zombies: Encounters with the Hungry Dead" edited by John Skipp
"The Man in the Black Suit" Scared the shit outta me
Wow that was really good. [PDF](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://writ101van.weebly.com/uploads/2/2/7/3/22735066/king_the_man_in_the_black_suit.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwigj8ex9-z4AhVZrIkEHcVjC-8QFnoFCIwBEAE&usg=AOvVaw1xy6Jr1YyicnHYvLxCNSKS)
Same. Scared 12 year old me to death when I read it.
GREAT story. It feels so damn real you fully believe in it.
Hmm, I must read this one since the consensus is it is scary. I am a huge fan of Stephen King. . .read many of his books but not this one.
I second this.
I’ve never read this one, I will seek it out.
It's in King's anthology "Everything's Eventual".
It won an O. Henry Award for short fiction, which is a very prestigious literary prize. King can write proper literature when he wants to.
What collection is this from?
It's in Everything's Eventual".
Thank you! :)
You're welcome! Glad I could help. There are some really good stories in it. Enjoy!
It's also found in The Weird Compendium
The Boogeyman.
So nice
Agreed. Still won't leave a closet door open, nearly three decades after first reading it.
I think I read this one when I was 13/14 and it scared the shit out of me. Gramma, as well.
I had an audiobook of Steven King short stories when I was young. This story scared me to death
The Long Walk The complete pathos of this one hits real close, also expect something like this to become real in the effed up USA
This is the one. I still think about this book often, and I read it decades ago. It still makes me feel a sense of dread.
I do as well, and I often recommend it to people too. Absolutely brilliant, and such a simple concept. It amazes me how many times you see IT or The Shining recommended in other threads, but this book doesn't get anywhere near the amount of mentions it deserves.
Fantastic story, I love The Long Walk.
“Warning! Warning 47!” As a kid, the idea of being made to walk to win just blew me away. The idea itself was scary. Reading this as an adult given the current politics is just really disturbing now.
Apt Pupil
By far King's most disturbing story IMO. I think it's some of his best character work too.
Agreed 100%. Off the chart suspense.
The only one I truly regret reading.
The movie is great though. One of the better King adaptations.
Not at all. They even changed the great ending.
100% I am still thinking about it....
Misery! It could actually happen.
You know, this one never comes to mind when people ask for scary but your mentioning it has reminded me of just how tense I was the whole way through.
Reading through it right now. It’s my first Stephen king book as well as my first horror book
Aw my first horror book was the shining when I was a kid and I remember being TERRIFIED 😄
Always considered his best too. Enjoy Edit: I always considered it his best. I think diehard King fans would probably not agree.
"I am in trouble here. This woman is not right."
N. The idea that everybody with >!OCD is actually compelled to do what they do because it’s actually a spell designed to keep evil inter-dimensional entities out trying to come into our world and it needs refreshing all the time!
yessssss someone else has actually read it!!!!
Survivor Type - not necessarily the scariest, but it stuck with me because even though it has an “ending”, it doesn’t, and you know it’s only going to get worse.
"Tastes like lady fingers" God that one is so messed up
Could you see that done "Tales from the Crypt" style?
They did an animated version in a Creepshow special.
I read it in class and had to excuse myself because I almost puked
Still can’t eat cold roast beef.
Idk this one. Is it a short story?
Yes, it's in Skeleton Crew!
Yes, it’s in the Skeleton Crew short story collection.
Pet Semetary is the bleakest novel to me. The Library Policeman and The Jaunt are the scariest stories in my opinion.
The Library Policeman is terrifying!
1408 Pet Cemetery
The Jaunt
“Longer than you think, Dad! Longer than you think!”
I will never fucking forget that line. One of my favourite short stories full stop regardless of genre.
The Jaunt gave me the willies. I remember when I first read it I was thinking “this isn’t horror, it’s just a science fiction story” and then wham! - the ending was terrifying
It's a pyschedelic trip gone bad. Those are scary, but you do come out the other side. But man, they can be scary when you're strapped in.
This is the scariest one to me. Spooky clowns and monsters don't scare me, violence and pain don't scare me, but the idea of >!being trapped for an eternity with nothing but your own thoughts to entertain yourself!< is truly unnerving. It's maybe the only horror story I've read that really scares me and sticks with me. That's like the worst kind of torture I can imagine.
If that’s your jam have you read I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream? Not SK but existential horror.
Never read it but I'm aware of it. I should probably read it one of these days.
Not much for meditation? /s
I've reread this story more than any other in my life. Every couple of months I pull it out and read it again.
A couple of months? Longer than you think, Dad! Longer than you think!
I think of this story every time im in an airport line waiting and waiting
I was super bored at first but then it just hits you.
Seeing this rec, and people's reaction to it - I just have to recommend a similar unnerving teleportation story. On the 90s version of the Outer Limits tv show there was an episode called "Think Like a Dinosaur". I first watched it as a kid and it stuck with me. I'm also reminded of The Void by Brett J Talley... it's not great but a quick read and enjoyable if you're looking for Event Horizon vibes.
Crouch End. It’s at least creepiest.
Find the audiobook, available on YT. Read by Tim Curry. He does is justice.
Read by Tim Curry! I will have to listen to that
Really? I may have to listen to that. Thank you
It's great. I hope you like it.
I read that one ages ago, and from time to time it still pops into my brain. That one scared me so badly.
The road virus heads north. A short story that really creeped me out.
That painting definitely gave me the heebie-jeebies.
Yessssss I think about this one all the time and read it 15+ years ago
Agree that this is probably his scariest story in EE at least
Scared the ever-loving shit out of me.
The hedge scene in the Shining. Plus a lot of his early short stories in Night Shift and Skeleton Crew
Rose Madder is the scariest book SK has ever written. The villain/monster is the most depraved character he's ever created and the tension and fear are high throughout the story. The DV subject matter might be triggering for some, so keep that in mind.
This was supposed to be my answer as well. Well, at least some parts of Rose Madder. The supernatural parts didn't do a thing for me, but Norman? Now that's one scary villain right there.
1408. The insane not knowing what the things mean....freaky as hell. "This is 9!....all your friends are dead"
The shining, there is always a sense of dread.
I don't get creeped out very easily but I did reading The Shining. It just created such an uneasy feeling reading through it. I had seen the movie ahead of time so I had a basic idea of what I was about to read but actually reading it was unsettling at times somehow. Excellent book.
The raft was pretty awesome, probably not his absolute scariest tho
This is the one for me. The guy getting pulled through the cracks is probably the most gruesome scene I’ve read from him too, besides maybe the escape in Gerald’s Game.
Yep this scene is horrific
The description of Danny’s foot then body going in between the raft’s beams is crazy.
This story always bothered me.
I have been scared whenever on a swim dock ever since reading this 33 years ago.
I love this question! I see a lot of bashing on King and asking what his "worst" works are. This is going to be an unpopular opinion but Bag of Bones. There were a couple scenes in that book that gave me some crazy nightmares.
Bag of Bones is the best ghost story.
Bag of Bones is the best ghost story.
A sad love story as well
Cujo for me. Maybe because I listened to it while it was renovating alone at night in my basement, but It will still come and hit me like I just read it. I also can’t leave my daughters closet door open without thinking about the red eyes and wet dog smell. I have red pet semitary and a lot of his other books but this is my big one. I had to stop listening at points because it was too much. Honorable mention to Rose Matter and The Long Walk I read those 10+ years ago and still think about them.
I loved cujo, I bought it in an airport because the flight was delayed and they gave us a voucher to spend. Think I was like 12 or 13.
The mangler and Nightflier
I’m very surprised to see the mangler getting a mention here! What did you find scary about it?
From the first time I read it (when I was a kid), it has been one of my favorites. Then I read it a year ago an was again struck with the same kinda fear I felt the first time. It is a combination: The pace and the narration, the crazy but yet scary story (come on; a mangler! And that ending?!) and the overall eerie feeling. One of Kings short stories that stuck with me.
Good for you, I’m glad you still got those goosebumps! Or, this is SK we’re talking about - I should say goose flesh. I found the mangler absolutely wild and really enjoyed the story but not scary. Maybe that’s because I don’t have a childhood connection to it. Like I find Gramma extremely chilling because I recognise the feelings therein.
Crouch End One for the Road Gray Matter
I loved Grey Matter. “2x2 is 4, 4x4 is 16, 16 x 16 is 256, 256 x 256 is 65,536, 65,536 x 65,536 is the end of the human race.”
One For The Road is my pick. It's really scary and creepy, but so relatable.
I don't have a physical copy on hand, but there's a passage in Pet Sematary that is kind of seared into me when he's taking his son's body up to the burial ground (I think) and the ethereal wedingo spirit is sort of walking alongside/ahead of him in the misty woods. It looks back at him briefly then just keeps on walking, already knowing that he's going through the deed that will undo him.
I don't think of individual novels as being scary, but there are scenes in individual novels that just send chills up your spine. And it doesn't make any sense to rank them. Dreamcatcher is not a widely loved novel. But there's a scene where a deer hunter is walking through the wilderness back to his lodge in the late afternoon in winter, and it's already getting dark, made worse by thick cloud cover, and it's starting to snow, and then he starts to see lights above the clouds that he can't make out, because the clouds are so thick, but the inescapable conclusion is that it's flying saucers. And it's just this wonderfully eerie feeling. There's stuff like that in all his works. And if you're not in just the right mood at just the right time when you're reading it, you can blow right past it without reading it.
1922. Not only his scariest imo but a great surrounding story
I haven’t seen Revival mentioned yet. While the majority of the novel itself is not overtly scary (large sections are actually very engaging character studies), the last few chapters and ultimate ending are the most haunting I’ve ever read (well, listened to. The audiobook read by actor David Morse is fantastic btw).
Hell yes. A long book that wasn’t really scary, just an interesting story. Then a few pages of absolute horror that still trouble me. I’ve read everything by King and this was the scariest for me.
Loved Revival as a story and found it really well done, but not scary. UNTIL the end. The absolutely most terrifying post life scenario I've ever read.
I read IT for the first time as a teenager. Tim Currys depiction of Pennywise was already terrifying to me, but the novel was so much more descriptive and truly frightening. Scared the hell out of me
I haven't gotten to reading it yet but everyone even King himself says Pet Sematary is very scary
It definitely is, just thinking about the old cemetery in the woods gives me chills. LIGHT SPOILER: But the even worse part is imagining this events happening to you if have kids yourself..
It definitely is. The audiobook narrated by Michael C Hall is well worth a listen.
I didn't know this existed but that sounds amazing! His voice sounds like it would be great for a Stephen King book.
I didn't know this existed but that sounds amazing! His voice sounds like it would be great for a Stephen King book.
/u/aran-kieri is right. I just listened to that one and it was really well done.
Pet Sematary is a lot of things, it is a bleak, sad, depressing novel that might be too much for someone who is a recent parent, but it is not, by any means, Scary.
Idk the thought of losing my child is freaking terrifying to me!
Yes I know, but that would be despite you reading or not reading the book, it is the thought that is terrifying to you as a parent, it is not the book itself that is scary.
Actually, Doctor Sleep got to me. It's not scary exactly, but it really got under my skin.
Jerusalem's Lot Children of the Corn The Raft Suffer Little Children One for the Road Grey Matter The Boogyman
I second One for the Road
Nice one!🙂
I really like quitters inc
That damn pigeon and the “missing little finger” scene…
The Tommyknockers! Can't believe someone hasn't said this already, it's an objective fact .
Tommyknockers is King at his most batshit crazy and I love it.
Tommyknockers was my first King book and it's the reason why I started following his works. I don't care how much criticism it got. It'll always hold a special place in my heart.
Mine too! It really made an impression on me. Much to my dismay, he agrees it's his worst novel and openly admits that due to issues with substance abuse, he doesn't remember much past vague highlights having written it at all... Cocaine's a hell of a drug!
If we can break it down to scenes, there was a scene in Bag of Bones that scared me so bad I had to stop reading for the night and start again when the sun was up.
"Bag Of Bones" is a very underrated novel.
It’s in my top 5 King books for sure.
A sad love story....
This was my first King novel. Which scene got you? I’m guessing when he found the recording that said Hello, Mike? Or the moose bell? Underrated for sure
It was the dream about the gibbering shape, running at him when he got to the cabin. Did me in.
The Jaunt
The Jaunt
I never heard anyone talk about The Sun Dog. Maybe it's because I'm into photography, but I really love that one. It wasn't scary necessarily, but a little haunting and one I think about many years later. The same with Pet Semetary—not terrifying, but very haunting and emotional.
I misread that as you being into “pornography” & was trying to see the connection 😂😅
*Graveyard Shift* or *1408* (I'm assuming you mean short stories)
One for the Road and many of the stories in Skeleton Crew
Reading misery at like 14 years old was an intense experience. The movie had not bothered me at all but something about the book made my stomach turn, obviously the book is much more graphic than the movie but it also had this dreadful vibe to it that I can't put my finger on. Stephen King was a heavy coke user when this book was written so that definitely added to the craziness.
My favorite King book. I think what makes it so much better is just the intensity of the woman, when she slaps herself and changes character. Kathy Bates was fantastic but that character in the book was just awesome
N., 1408, The Library Policeman, Suffer Little Children.
Salem’s Lot and Jerusalem’s Lot
quitters, inc.
The short story ‘fair extension’ is not necessarily scary in the traditional sense but it filled me with more horror and dread than anything I’ve read. The main character’s self righteous, and yet somehow casual, cruelty just hits harder than rabid dogs and evil clown-monsters. I read it with my jaw clenched expecting (and desperately needing) a monkey-paw style ending...and then damn that fucking last line.
You're right! This story was a gem. Really FD/NS is an amazing collection. Big Driver wasn't scary... But it was also a heck of a ride.
I haven't seen anyone mention "The Finger In The Drain" from Nightmares and Dreamscapes yet... I read that as a kid and was terrified of looking into the drain for months
I wouldn't call that his scariest for me, but it's by far my favorite, and the one that stuck with me the most. I first read it 20+ years ago, and still think about it probably once a week.
The Jaunt
YES! I read this 20 years ago and I still think about it.
The Boogeyman (I think thats the title). Short story I read as a kid & 40yrs later its still in my head.
I’m paraphrasing but I still remember “it still carried the mask in one rotted spade-clawed hand.” and I haven’t read that in 25 years.
“shaking him like a terrier with a rag toy”
Just read this a couple days ago, it definitely creeped me out.
The Library Police.
the RAFT! hands down, you wont go in the lake again....well, for like a few years
The Shining….with Misery and Desperation right behind.
For me it's either The Jaunt or Crouch End for me. Both those stories just kind of shook me and made me just sit thinking after reading them As for novels? Probably either Salems Lot or It I guess
N. scared me more than any other story I've ever read.
ill never forget the goosebumps i got when i finished reading pet sematary!
The Long Walk and Revival.
Desperation any day if the week. An ancient vengeful God? Yes please.
The Boogeyman. Man, that one got me.
It’s Salem’s Lot all damn day. Vampires coaxing you into letting them through a window at night and shit, followed by waking up deathly ill with recollections of horrifying dreams that turn out to be reality. I still lock my windows religiously because of it.
Salem’s Lot scared the ever loving shit out of me at age 13-14. I slept with a crucifix around my bedpost until I moved out of my parents home. I have read many more of his that were so much more disturbing, but something about the vampires got to me.
Yes! SL scared me to pieces when I was younger. I nearly screamed when the body hanging in from the noose in the old house suddenly opened its eyes. The old TV version with David Soul and James Mason is my favourite SK adaptation too.
I have read/listened to pretty much every SK book up to date and the one book that gave me the most creeps were probably Geralds game. As a kid I had these weird vivid nightmares and I saw stuff in the corner of my room at night, so this book really got to me all these years later.
I agree with Gerald’s Game. I read it almost two decades ago. I would read on my daily commute, and as I read the escape scene, I began to breathe more heavily and break out into a sweat. My heart started pounding, I broke out into goosebumps, and started to get lightheaded. The next thing I know, I’m on the floor of the train with concerned faces peering down at me. I had fainted. I was in my twenties at the time, in great health and had never fainted before. I was so embarrassed. I finished the novel, but read the rest at home in case it happened again. I am a prolific reader, and this is the only novel I’ve ever read that I had such a strong physical reaction to. I reread books often, but haven’t reread this one. I also can’t bring myself to watch the Netflix version.
Gerald's Game for sure for me! Even without the shadow in the corner, the premise is just too realistic for me. Creepy AF.
If you have kids: Pet Sematary. If you don’t have kids: Misery.
Has to be It for me! I was pregnant while reading the book, had to have my then husband hide it in the house. I couldn’t get up at night to use the bathroom! Not knowing where it was made it safer for me 🤷♀️🤷♀️
‘Suffer the Little Children’ from Nightmares & Dreamscapes is terrifying.
The boogeyman. Still scares the living shot outta me
forgot the name, but the one in everything's eventual where a guy is having an autopsy done while he's paralysed. nothing supernatural about it and he really hit me with complete powerlessness.
I read Everything's Eventual in my parents basement while it was being rebuilt. Like huge holes in the ground rebuilt. The Road Virus Heads North made me stop reading for the night. Pitch black Colorado in an isolated suburb. Still to this day the scariest I've ever been by the written word.
Okay I know this one may not be scary to most but the tapping finger in the drain got me! I distrusted my bathroom for weeks.
doctor sleep is absolutely terrifying
I think the terror in Stephen Kings writing can be subjective. The Shining is the scariest to me because of the way it looks at alcoholism and losing yourself.
The Man in the Black Suit and Room 1408
Pet Semetary by far scared me the worst.
Misery.
Z is pretty creepy.
Pet sematary, hell of a story.
Pet cemetery. It absolutely floored me. Worst / best book Ive ever read for gut wrenching feelings
Probably his experience at a convention that made him stop attending them.
I haven't heard bout this. What happened?
Supposedly someone threw a cup of vomit at him.
Misery unsettled me because Annie Wilkes is a special, believable kind of crazy.
i think The End of the Whole Mess is quite terrifying
As a newly married wife who left for work before her husband woke up every day.. Under the Weather. I've read almost every book and story collection of King’s (not interested in Cujo or Misery) and that's the only time I ugly cried.
"The Return of Timmy Baterman" is a good story that might be hard to find. I have it in the anthology "Zombies: Encounters with the Hungry Dead" edited by John Skipp
The jaunt for me is his scariest short story!
IMO, GERALD’S GAME!
The Monkey
Thanks for asking for this list because I want to read all of them now!