Top 10 Best Horror Novels and Stories
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It - Stephen King
Never finished this book, so that is why it is so low. But I must warn you, if you are afraid of clowns, then this is NOT the book for you.
Well deserved. A brilliant and scary story, along with a smart narrative and great characters, makes this one of the finest novels by Stephen King.
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The Tell-Tale Heart - Edgar Allan Poe
It's about a person killing an old man for that EVIL EYE by suffocating him. It gets worse when he chops off his body parts and guts his entrails. His heart, hidden under the bed, beats loudly, driving him insane. The police arrived at that moment.
He wanted to hide his crime, but the beating of the heart completely annoyed him, so he confessed to the police and was arrested at the end for his crimes. This story was just terrifying, you know. And it's gross. It feels more like watching a gore movie than a horror movie. It's a masterpiece, more so than The Raven.
Let me get one thing straight: Stephen King is NOTHING compared to Edgar Allan Poe. While being a great author, SK's books are worthless next to Poe's.
Then why put a Poe story at number 3, you might ask? It's simple. While Poe is a much better author, his stories, while they ARE horrifying, aren't as scary as SK's books, in my opinion. So, Poe is a better author, but King is a better horror author. Get it?
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Misery - Stephen King
Stephen King is one of my favorite authors. Each of his books are horrifying, but they also tell a fascinating story, which most authors have problems with. They will make a story that is horrifying, but is very boring to read. Misery is my favorite book from him, possibly because it is the first Stephen King book I have ever read, and it is close to my heart.
Excellent list!
I've read this book three times, and it can still create a sense of fear within me. It slightly differs from the film, which I have to admit is better than the novel, but it's still a fantastic read.
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The Black Cat - Edgar Allan Poe
A chilling tale about a man murdering his cat and wife. It will scare you no matter how old you are.
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Cujo - Stephen King
The story itself is not that scary, but what really makes you paranoid is the fact that this COULD HAPPEN. In fact, it already has. It is not one of those books where you read it and say, "That could never happen..." The night I finished reading it, I had nightmares about our puppy (yes, our puppy. Don't judge me, I was scared) turning rabid and killing me in my sleep.
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They Thirst - Robert McCammon
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The Cellar - Richard Laymon
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Incarnate - Ramsey Campbell
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The Pit and the Pendulum - Edgar Allan Poe
Imagine yourself being strapped to a chair, and a pendulum is slowly, agonizingly swinging above you. It is gradually getting closer and closer, until eventually, it finds its mark and slices your chest open. That is basically what this story is about.
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Pet Sematary - Stephen King
What's not scary about the dead coming to life?
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The Rats - James Herbert
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Carrion Comfort - Dan Simmons
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The Shining - Stephen King
Horrifying, outstanding, and became one of my favorite books. How is it not in the top?
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The Damnation Game - Clive Barker
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Phantoms - Dean Koontz
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Hop-Frog - Edgar Allan Poe
A jester gets revenge on a king in a cruel way.
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The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allan Poe
Again, the dead coming back to life, very scary.
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Ghost Story - Peter Straub
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The Murders in the Rue Morgue - Edgar Allan Poe
An animal brutally murders two women.
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The Exorcist - William Peter Blatty
Great book, scared the crap out of me when I read it. I would recommend this book to anybody.
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Dracula - Bram Stoker
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The Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris
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'Salem's Lot - Stephen King
This is what vampires should be like. An entire town falls victim to the vampires, including a 10-month-old. I like the part where a 12-year-old smashes the skull of a man twice his size.
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I Am Legend - Richard Matheson
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Frankenstein. Or, The Modern Prometheus - Mary Shelley
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Psycho - Robert Bloch
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Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
