SK's scariest novels...

[vcalio372]

I want to share my opinion on what I think of Stephen King's scariest novels, and I also want to see the old school SK return. In my opinion:

1) Pet Sematary - it was, by far, the deepest, scariest and most disturbing novel he ever wrote

2) IT - Pet Sematary was about the manifistation of our worst adult fears, and IT was about our worst childhood fears come true.

3) 'Salem's Lot - Simply one of the most classic American vampire tales of all time. What would happen if Dracula invaded a small New England town?

4) The Shining - This serves as a rare example of a movie adaptation actually being better than the book. I loved the way Stanley Kubrik interpreted this novel. The sales of Big Wheels skyrocketed afterwards.

5) Night Shift - just a great collection of short stories. "The Boogeyman" was a story that simply came from a demented mind. I want to see that again from SK. With his latest novels, he's beginning to look like a wuss, from my point of view.

6) Short stories from "Nightmares and Dreamscapes"- Dolan's Cadillac and Suffer the Little Children. Neither of those stories ever served any purpose other than to scare and disturb readers. Loved them.
:wink2:

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

Welcome to the MB, and keep posting!

I agree with you partially about 'scariest' but personally I prefer the richer texture and depth of his more recent work, but to each his own, and it don't get no scarier (for a parent, at least) than Pet Semetary, which he himself considers his scariest.

Long days and pleasant nights

[dragafari]

My vote is for The Storm of the Century and Needful Things. Dunno about the recent ones.

[dragafari]

My vote is for The Storm of the Century and Needful Things. Dunno about the recent ones. About short stories Night Shift, of course!

[Born In Sin]

'Salem's Lot for me.

[Eleese of Gilead.]

I need a good scare, I will give Pet Semetary a go!

Hello and Welcome.

[Turd Ferguson]

The Shining is pretty scary, along with It.

[Srbo]

Hi and welcome to the board.

Hope you enjoy your time here.

:smile2:

IT - scary as hell itself.

[Agincourt Concierge]

Greetings and Salutations,
Welcome to the board....

Still would be Night Shift for me....Gray Matter still creeps me out to this day....The Mangler does too!

[nunu_chis]

I agree with Pet sematary and The shinning

[mit48]

i thought the shining was a scary book,also gerald game,needful things,ilove all of sk books.i have read a few but relize now i have alot i havent read. i have just finished dt1 and everythings eventual.starting dt2 tomorrow.what shoiuld i read next/

[mit48]

well how is everyone? i love this site on sk,i love all his books. i am reading the dark tower series now. starting 2 tomorrow.love just after sunset,shining, everyting eventual,i read at work i read at home.i also read anne rice,danelle steel,nora roberts.the twilight books.i love sk most of all.i love horror books. tell me about our self. what books do you read

[Matthew.Degnan]

I dunno which is the scariest, id probably agree with you and say Pet Semetary but i dunno, maybe The Sun Dog actually- basically because its just freaky and wierd.

Matthew.

[Jesus Jones]

4) The Shining - This serves as a rare example of a movie adaptation actually being better than the book. I loved the way Stanley Kubrik interpreted this novel. The sales of Big Wheels skyrocketed afterwards.

Yikes. I think I have to disagree with this one. Not about The Shining being scary, cripes, the part where danny meets the old lady for the first time was incredible. The book is filled with multiple horrific scenes. The movie does not include sooo many great scenes, and parts. The hedge animals? The back story? The alcoholism, everytime Jack chewed up an excedrin I got a terrible bitter taste in my mouth.
I like the movie too, it was a great interpretation, but the movie makes turkey sandwiches out of the book.

I don't want to fight though, Kubrik was a master, and the movie has a few things the book doesn't.

[linkinjen2001]

i agree with everyone else the shining,it and pet cemetery were pretty scary. also i think geralds game was frightning, being a woman i know if i awoke to find a dark figure standing in the corner of the room i would probably piss myself! thanks to the tv version of the shining i can't leave my shower curtain closed anymore. i always picture that dead woman lying in my bathtub!!!

[sicjes]

"The women in the room" "It"

[pasher71]

IT, that book had me looking over my shoulder the whole time. i read it while working on a barge on the intercoastal waterway and pennywise kept me company on my first trip. scared the crap out of me!!

[crazycrashink]

[QUOTE=linkinjen2001;264783] also i think geralds game was frightning, being a woman i know if i awoke to find a dark figure standing in the corner of the room i would probably piss myself!QUOTE]

I completely agree! Geralds Game was very disturbing to me! Of course most SK books have a few moments where I have to peek over my shoulder :eek2: to make sure nobody is behind me AHHH!!

[Sterling]

My vote goes toward IT. IT really is your worst dream come true.

[reeder]

IT and Pet Semetary are very scary. Twisted! I was reading IT for like my 5th time and I was scared to death in broad day light on the public bus.

[pegg]

I agree tha pet semetary was really scary...I had seen it in a movie when i was little girl...and I couldn't sleep for 2 weeks!!! :biggrin2:

[Presque Vu]

Pet Sematary, Shining, Night Shift collection... I'm on the same page with you, guys.

[Marc]

Personnaly, I found that Cell was the scariest. There is very too much deads ^^

But, I agree with you guys, Pet Semetary was pretty scariest too!

[tess4da]

We're definitely on the same page. Classic Stephen King, just enough to keep you awake at night.

[tess4da]

Scary, yes. It seems too possible, don't you think? My cell phone usually sits in my car. :)

[Q'smum]

While it wasn't his scariest novel to me, the rhyme from Tommyknockers still unnerves me... "last night and the night before, Tommyknockers, Tommyknockers knocking at your door." I don't find his books to be that scary, but I would say IT was probably as close to be scared when reading Sai King.

[Teddy Duchamp]

Good thread!

Storm of the Century scared the pants off me!

have to also go with the others on Pet Sematary - the bit where they went through the woods and heard the Wendigo (if Im remembering correctly).......along with a LOT of other stuff!

But one of his really early ones still has the power to raise the hackles on the back of my neck - Salems lot - (where Danny comes back).

[blunthead]

Okay, having read all the posts in this thread, Pet Sematary and 'Salem's Lot, which I've yet to read, are next on my agenda. To answer the question, Bag of Bones gets my nervous, sweaty nod, as well as Gerald's Game and Desperation. I'm sure I'll think of another one or two right after I hit the Post button.

[tycho]

Pet Sematary, but more for personal reasons. I think the scariest of his books are the ones that we can relate to. My aunt used to be a big King fan when he was first starting out. Then she read Cujo. The little boy was about the same age as her son, and they even had the same stuffed toy Sylvester. She said it freaked her out too much and was the last King book she read.

[foster]

both me and my husband think "Cell" is by far the most disturbing...the garden scene where the old man walks by the man eating a pumpkin and he just twists the old mans neck like it was commonly done. That and the fact it could happen.:eek2:

[wjackson]

You hit the nail on the head with Salem's Lot...I was 15 and babysitting alone at night...it shared the sheet out of me! But, where is The Stand... In my opinion is best!:eyebrow:

[the_last_gunslinger]

Scariest books:

Bag of Bones. A much better ghost story in my opinion, than The Shining. When Mike was hearing those thumps in the basement,When Mike goes into the cellar and hears those thumping sounds, and when he is getting conflicting responses, that was pretty freaky.

Pet Sematary, but only for the emotional impact it held. It really wasn't that scary until Louis dug up Gage's body.

Duma Key. There were so many unsettling scenes in this one when Edgar sees the two dead girls, when he learns that someone had broken into his house, the footprints and the sound the waves made against shells and rocks, It was brilliant.

[Mr. Jingles]

In terms of ghosts/vampires/warewolvs kinda scary, for me it was Salems 'Lot. For reality-type scary, had to be Misery.....it could happen!!!

[Jax]

For me Pet Sematary was the book that bothered me the most. But I was also pregnant with my oldest daughter at the time.

[ladyraven]

IT fer sure:smile2: but my all time fave of SK is Geralds' Game

[LittleRedKing]

For me the scariest were the ones I read when I was younger. I read Cujo, Pet Sematary and It when I was a teenager, and all of them had me looking over my shoulder and sleeping with the lights on.

But when I think about it, almost every story I have read has moments that jump out at me like "ok. THAT was freaky".

[farmgirl]

The Stand, Pet Sematary

[Azrel]

For me, the scariest was Pet Sematary. I don't have any children, but it was the only one of SK's books that gave me several nights worth of nightmares. No other book or short story by Sai King has done that yet.

[TheHardcase]

Misery. It was horrific. My mother had the same kind of disposition as Annie Wilkes. Oh, not in the sense that anybody got their legs chopped off, but her moods could turn on a dime and it was like navigating a minefield at home for all of us.

Misery really creeped me out.

[Vladimos]

The long walk really got to me, I read it in junior high and related somewhat to the characters. It also helps being somewhat familiar with the area in the story so yeah, The Long Walk scared the hell out of me. They should really make a movie out of it.