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

[jordanc123]

I would be interested in seeing which of Stephen Kings novels terrified people the most. The novel frightened me the most would have to be IT. The villain of that novel a other-worldy presence which kills children and is not seen by adults because they either stopped believing or just allowed it to happen kept me up a lot of nights as a kid. Other thoughts on which novel is his scariest.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

He himself considers Pet Semetary as the scariest, I believe, and I agree with him, although a few others (Salem's Lot for instance) come close.

And FDNS is pretty darn scary IMO.

Long days and pleasant nights

[GNTLGNT]

I think The Stand, or The Long Walk did it for me...portions of those reads are just downright horrifying...

[sam peebles]

I'll agree with It being the scariest. Pet Sematary definitely up there, too. Would also like to throw in Salems Lot as third.

[Jojo87]

Pet Sematary was scary. But any of his books hasn't scared me very much. Not yet. But I like them anyway, because if I have a bad day, they always bright up my day with a smile. :smile2:

[jordanc123]

i cannot comment on pet semetary as that is one of Stpehens books i have not read. my top five would have to go
It
The Shining
The Stand
Night Shift
and i most agree with GNTLGNT that The Long Walk was pretty scary.

[Tinahorve]

When I first read The Shining and Salems Lot I thought they were both really scary - and they are, but scary in the very traditional horror story way. Misery is the one I always felt was the most terrifying (in that if-I-was-a-famous-writer scenario). He's totally trapped, in a shattered body, with a loon who tortures him and makes him write. I could barely read some of it, with my hands over my eyes and all.

[ItFan]

For me it would be Pet Sematary followed by 'Salem's Lot. I read Pet Sematary while on holiday and every night would go to sleep thinking that Gage was gonna creep up on me!

[jenniegeo]

Sheer terror? Besides It, (shudder) I offer up portions of Gerald's game, I.e. getting out of cuffs. Also the sight of Skeleton Crew jacket circa ratty old paperback I have. I can't even Look at it!

[Anna Rose]

shining was freaky...but also pet semetery...

[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. 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 :blush:). 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

[jussupoff]

I must say The Shining, which was the first SK book I ever read. I was 16 years old, and I can assure you that I could not sleep until I had finished it!

[charlotte98]

Pet Sematary, hands down, especially for anyone with a child or children.

[agartner]

As a teen, I read "It", reading as an adult brought the book to a new level of terror. I had to literally put the book away at different scenes. It was terrifying. "Cujo" was the same way on the re-read. I think when you have kids, which I do. You think a little differently about some scenes. Everything becomes more real and scary. That is the talent of King. He finds the real human situations out of the craziest moments. They are the ones that scare the dickens out of you. "The Bullet", one of his short stories, had my heart thumping as well. He is so descriptive about his characters that you can see ooze. OK, I have to admit. I love it!

[Lina]

Pet Sematary, also The Shining. They are the most terrifying for me.

[irons]

Another one for Pet Sematary. But a lot of them have their moments, Salems Lot and The Shining kept me awake at times.