What's the most terrifying. nasty book you've ever read?

Question

For me, Pet Semetary, by Stephen King, really messed with my mind at night. Exquisite Corpse, by Poppy Z. Brite, was absolutely disgusting, too. But of course, they're two of my favorite authors, so how I could not love 'em? =]

Now how about you? I'm looking for lots to read this summer. And please, please, PLEASE - I'm sick of hearing about Twilight, thanks ahead of time.

Additional Details

Dennis - I agree, Math was truly terrifying!
JT - I loooved Cell!! Just finish reading it for the 2nd time!
Thank you all so much, you've come up with some great suggestions so far.

Haha, Je suis mieux! I certainly don't find Twilight offensive or irritating in any way...I just got a little bored with the same ol' suggestions over and over! Everyone, thank you! I've got some great suggestions for the library today!

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

There were quite a few, but one I'll name is Phantoms by Dean Koontz. Talk about having nightmares!

I actually didn't read Pet Semetary, because I have a vivid memory of my brother reading it and being unable to sleep and going through cold sweats due to it. Then I remember one day watching a movie that came on TV and thinking it was really fascinating, only to have my brother walk in and yell, "Why are you watching Pet Semetary?" (Yes, I know the movie is never as good as the book, but he knew that even the movie would creep me out.)

Another book that really got me was The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson. Now there's a house I'd never want to visit!

Oh, BTW, if you want really scary, try Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco (which Stephen King said influenced The Shining) or Ghost Story by Peter Straub. Yikes! The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Hell House by Richard Matheson or The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe are creepy, too.

***Addition: I just read JT's, and I forgot about The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Now that was a creepy one. I, for one, was not really sure of the truth when I finished the book. Believe it or not, Agatha Christie's Endless Night was really unnerving, too. It was so different from all of her other books that I was really surprised!

Answer 2

Try the true crime genre. It doesn't get much nastier than that. My favorite writer of genre that would be Ann Rule. I consider "Small Sacrifices" her best book. My favorite true crime book of all time would be "Serpentine." It is by Thomas Thompson and it's in the fiction section, although it's based on real events. It's about a sociopath who takes advantage any way he can of tourists in Europe. And this guy is now out of prison and considered something of a celeb in France. I really prefer books based on reality more than books based on someone's imagination. One fiction writer I do like who writes about crime is Lawrence Sanders. He's passed but a lot of his books are scary because they tend to shock. "The First Deadly Sin" is my favorite.

Answer 3

Children of the Flames: Dr. Josef Mengele and the Untold Story of the Twins of Auschwitz

By Lucette Matalon Lagando

It was horrifying. The title can tell you what it's about. True stuff.

Twilight wasn't scary, unless you consider awful writing and a bad plot line scary, then it was terrifying.

Answer 4

Someone beat me to it, but HP Lovecraft books are sicko-scary!

Michael Chrichton will scare you very badly and make you wonder when it may happen for real. He wrote one that I can't remember the title (about nanobots) that will really get to you!

Another one I wish I hadn't read was The Boston Strangler - eeewww gross!

Answer 5

well if your looking for scary read "The Cell" by Stephen king.or "Hell House" by Richard Matheson,"The Woman in Black" by Susan Hill,"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson..Turn of the Screw Henry James
Theses are some of the scariest books iv ever read

Answer 6

Scary? Have you seen my math textbook? Now THAT is scary.

OK, enough joking, the nastiest thing I read was "It" by Stephen King.

Kat-H

Source(s):

Writer, reader, and a whole lot of other stuff.

Answer 7

Terrifying and nasty...The Ruins...if only for what Pablo goes through.

Terrifying and nasty...The Painted Bird...if only to see the utter depravity of mankind.

Answer 8

Intensity, by Dean Koontz

Disturbed me so much I never again read a novel by Koontz.

Answer 9

Get an anthology of Victorian ghost stories. Very atmospheric.

Answer 10

Guess wat TWILIGHT TWILIGHT TWILIGHT. Y did i put that??? Just because i can!!! : b
hahaha j/k j/k DONT get all butt hurt now!!! true crime by Andrew Klavan

Answer 11

19th Century mystery novels. Those things start slow, but wind up being freaky as hell.

Answer 12

Night by eli wisel will make you sick.

Answer 13

The scariest book I've ever read was The Shining by Stephen King.

Scared the crap out of me!

Answer 14

The Stand was the first King book I ever read.

Answer 15

"Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo gave me nightmares

Answer 16

looking for good horror, some of HP Lovecrafts stories are bizarre and you'll have to sleep with the lights on.

Answer 17

Math 101 That was one ugly book uuuuuuhhhhgggg.

Dennis G