Scariest book/ghost story you've ever read

[siamesecat2965]

Is anyone flashing back to Bill Cosby's story of staying too late at the movie theatre (the boys were too scared to come out from under the seats), then having to walk home? "Oooh, Weird Harold! It's ten o'clock! Ten o'clock is when the monsters come out...."

My dad and his siblings walked a mile into town to see the movie "Them" way back in the day. For those unfamiliar with this awesome classic, it's about giant ants. They make a creepy "Ree-ree-ree!" sound when they're closing in.

They enjoyed the movie, but it was dark by the time they got out. They lived in the country, so there were many, many crickets "Ree-ree-ree!"ing their little hearts out all over the place. My dad's pretty sure they broke the sound barrier on the way home.

I remember seeing this a child on tv and it totally freaking me out, but I couldn't rmemeber exactly what it was, until i saw something recently on tv about it, and that sound brought it all back!  UGH. 

[Giggity]

there's a forum called Paranormal Soup.  The latter is reports of stories from personal experiences, and most of them tend to be true.

How are they demonstrating that their stories are true?

[Kaora]

there's a forum called Paranormal Soup.  The latter is reports of stories from personal experiences, and most of them tend to be true.

How are they demonstrating that their stories are true?

Some are investigated, and they (used to?) demand some evidence.  That, and they are posted by people who sound semi-intelligent.

And its the same level of trust I put into eHell's stories-- I trust they are true, until proven otherwise.  We are on forums, after all.

[jayhawk]

Not the book, but the movie In Cold Blood. I was in junior high and  was at my girlfriend's house one fall Saturday evening.  We watched it with her family and then I had to walk home alone (about 6 houses up the street).    I think I called my folks to watch for me from our house and had GF's mom or dad watch me from their house!  I was pretty freaked out.

[rose red]

Since we are talking about movies, I remember my 5th grade friend telling the class that she went to the movies and saw Children of the Corn with her sister and afterwards have to walk back home and have to pass a...you guessed it...corn field.

[Specky]

Dang y'all!  Checked out The Dionaea House and ended up getting sucked into Marble Hornets.

[matzo33]

It by Stephen King was the one that did me in.  I was reading it in my living room one night and at a scary part with that dadgum clown, I heard a scratching on the window in the room next to me.  I kind of laughed and ignored it but...it dawned on me that there was no tree or bush or tall flower that could be scratching on that window. 

I put the book down and slept on the couch that night with the TV on.  I refused to walk by that room on my way to bed or the bathroom.  My bladder was killing me by the time morning came.

[wonderfullyanonymous]

The Amityville Horror.  I read lots of scary/horror books (especially true stories) and I don't know why that one scares me the most.  I can't keep it in the house (remember Friends Joey keeping The Shining in the freezer?  I know how he feels.)

I don't care if it's a hoax, it's darn scary.

This is the only book I have ever read that gave me nightmares. I quit reading it at night, and I absolutely LOVE scarey books.

[oz diva]

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. It's set in a big English country house. It really is quite creepy.

[mmswm]

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde.  It's not scary in some senses, but it is super creepy, and one of my favorite Halloween reads.

[Petticoats]

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. It's set in a big English country house. It really is quite creepy.

This is such a great book! I read it in paperback and loved it, and then got an audiobook version that I like to listen to on long car trips. It still creeps me out.

[BarensMom]

Edgar Allen Poe's "The Premature Burial" (I think that's the name).  Even thinking about that story gives me the creeps.

[Mikayla]

Stephen King's Salem's Lot ... terrifying!

I was wondering if someone would mention this!  Scariest book I've ever read, even moreso than The Shining.

Also, that Dean Koontz book about the guy with the golden retriever. 

[Dr. F.]

There's a short story by Orson Scott Card, the name of which I have currently forgotten, that is about 4 pages long and quite possibly the most frightening thing I've ever read. It gave me nightmares for *weeks*. Does anyone know the one I'm talking about? I'll update once I get a chance to look it up if not.

[Talley]

I kind of collect ghost stories - mainly Victorian and Edwardian ones. M. R. James is one of my absolute favourites. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also has a couple of very good ghost stories. And then there's Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, of course.

For modern writers, Susan Hill has written some excellent ghost stories. The most famous, I suppose, is "The Woman in Black", which has been made into a movie recently (which I have not gone to see, because the book's ending freaked me out enough...). And there are also "The Mist in the Mirror", "The Man in the Picture" and "The Small Hand". A new one ("Dolly") has just been released, but I haven't read it yet.