Which of Stephen Kings novels do you feel are the best for sheer terror?

[Teen Tyrant]

None of the books themselves scared me, only certain moments of particular stories, most notably the Sun Dog and Bag of Bones. But for books that are filled with the raw horror element, I would say that the top 5 that most especially fill that criteria, in order of publication, would be 'Salem's Lot, the Shining, Christine, Pet Sematary and It. Stories like the Stand, the Dead Zone, Cujo, the Tommyknockers, Desperation, Duma Key and others have moments of true horror, but there are a few other themes running through those stories that keeps them from being in a "pure" horror genre as the 5 I have chosen are.

I think that the one that has the most horror element based on human terrors with no boosts from the supernatural in the parts of the book that are scary is Rose Madder. Norman's obsessive pursuit of Rose and the lengths of violence he will go to in his mad quest struck me as far more frightening that most of King's supernatural-based stories and for me at least shows a far better example of how a normal human can get carried away and go too far than some of King's other human villains, such as Greg Stillson and Annie Wilkes.

[blunthead]

I have many yet to read, but Bag of Bones comes to mind for my vote for most horrifying. It had plenty of supernatural horror, but that is not the only kind of horror.

Show Spoiler

What Sara Tidwell experiences with her son Kito is written with such power that I will never forget it. And there is the horror of the idea of what the "curse" demanded parents do to their children.

I think of the sK novels I have read Bag of Bones is likely to be my first reread.

[Spade]

IT is pretty terrifying throughout. Bag of Bones, 1922 from Full Dark, No Stars, and some others all have scary moments, though.

[samhain]

I find 'The Shining' and 'Salem's Lot' to be nerve-racking from beginning to end each time I read them (I think I'm up to 7 times each)
Also: 'Pet Semetary' & 'It'

[Todash]

Salem's Lot is one that kept me awake.

[AnnaMarie]

The absolute scariest was Cujo.

My own opinion is, when he hits on what you are already afraid of....that's the book that will get you.

[Todash]

The absolute scariest was Cujo.

My own opinion is, when he hits on what you are already afraid of....that's the book that will get you.

He does that all the time! In real life I'm not overly afraid of much ... but danged if he doesn't find every single little bit of fear I've managed to squelch (we call that growing up, right?) over the years, expose it, and pin it to the wall like some kind of twisted trophy.

[bionicle]

I just recently went into my stash of SK books for something good to read. I came across The Regulators. I had never read it. So I did. Naturally, it blew me away. So I ordered Desperation. Just finishing it. Ok, that book is scary! When Entragion is reading Peter and Marys Miranda rights he throws in "I'm going to kill you". What a trip!

[moonbeam66]

I haven't read all of his books and stories yet, but the ones that so far have terrified me the most (enough to be afraid of sleeping alone), were Gerald's Game, Langoliers and Cell. In Gerald's Game it was the thought of being trapped in a lonely cabin in the woods ALL alone and then having this kind of visitor (cabins in the woods are wildly overrated anyway, in my opinion ). In Langoliers it was the idea of total extinction, in Cell the overall feel of doom.

[CCAL]

for me it was the sheer suffering the character endured-like Ralph Roberts in Insomnia.page after page of his pain and his friends,wife. I would love to see it brought to the screen-not that one that was made into a movie(wth was they thinking??).Duma Key was dragged out agony for Edgar Freemantle...I just knew that doll was gonna chase that'nasty man'into the ocean!Liseys Story was a repeated trip thru he)) for her as well. King just seems to zero in on just the fear that each of us suffers-like a arrow to the bulls-eye-he goes to the jugglar and draws the rusty blade,slowly and dramatically. also shawshank goes to the fears of being incarcerated.what bothers one doesnt necessarily bother another but KING always picks away at that scab and finds the fear-the pain, and brings the evil out. over and over with each book. HOW does he do that? genius