• Welcome to BookAndReader!

    We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!

    Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.

Let's revive the horror section (mwah-ha-ha!!)

Peronel

Peronel

New Member
Horror is my favourite genre, and I am very upset at the lack of threads and activity in this section. I think this is because horror is sometimes mislabeled as sci-fi. Sooo..

Let's talk horror fiction! Anyone who has read any of my previous posts knows that I am a King fan. I'm looking to broaden my horror reading into the classics, with a few on this list that sound interesting.

So, tell me your favourite horror novels, why you like to read horror, your first horror experience, or anything horror related. Come, horror fans, join me in the deep, dark reaches of the night, where no-one can hear you scream, but everyone can read your posts.
 
Do Goosebumps books count. Ha! I think the first novel I've ever read was The Stand, but I dont know if you would consider that horror. I guess maybe Tommy Knockers was one of my earlier books as well.
 
If the works of RL Stine can be considered "horror", then I think we can throw The Stand into that category. I also consider King to be one of my favorite horror authors, although I also like Bentley Little's books (not nearly in the same league as King). Poppy Z. Brite's published some quality horror fiction as well, and if you're looking for "classic" horror, can't go wrong with The Exorcist and Frankenstein.

As to why I enjoy reading horror fiction, I've had an interest in the supernatural and stories dealing with unexplained phenomena for quite a while. Why do you enjoy horror, Peronel?
 
cent: Goosebumps books most certainly count. Well, they were scary to me when I was ten! I remember my absolute favourite was 'The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight'. Freaky. Have you read any of his other books (Hit and Run, etc)?


Anamnesis: I'm not sure why I like horror. I grew up watching horror movies, maybe that has something to do with it. Also, I was hooked on King when I read 'Pet Sematary' about eleven years ago. If King wrote romantic sagas with the same knack for plot and character development, I'm sure I'd be a romantic saga fan!

I often hear that the books we read say something about our personality. I don't want to get too Freudian here, but I wonder what horror says about all of us?
 
eyez0nme said:
Gossebumps , lmfao
Click to expand...

Really? Why?

While R.L. Stine hasn't been my cup of tea for a long time, I don't see why the Goosebumps books can't count as horror fiction. Granted, they are intended for a young audience, but that doesn't mean they can't be considered horror. In fact, I'm sure many horror fans in my age group got their start with R.L.Stine.
 
Even if I don't want to admit it--it is true.

I remember I read like 3 goosebumps book a day; it's not something you want to remember... :(

F**king embarassing. :eek:
 
Do you like horror story anthologies? Try reading the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" series. Lots of good stuff in those.
 
Occlith said:
Do you like horror story anthologies? Try reading the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" series. Lots of good stuff in those.
Click to expand...

I would love to read a few of the stories that his movies are based on, especially 'The Birds' and 'Rear Window'.
 
eyez0nme said:
I remember I read like 3 goosebumps book a day; it's not something you want to remember... :(

F**king embarassing. :eek:
Click to expand...

I don't understand why it's embarrassing. Unless, of couse, you were in your teens when reading them. As a reader you have to start somewhere; you don't just dive into adult stuff.
 
I'm gaining a greater appreciation of horror. A lot of students I work with love Edgar Allan Poe and Goosebumps(gasp!);) is still popular with some of them. I haven't ventured much outside of King, but plan on doing so when my current books to read pile is fairly thinned out.:rolleyes:

Good thread Peronel.:)
 
I've only read a few on your list of 100 - but my tuppence worth:

Jeckyl and Hyde is quite short and very readable
anything by Lovecraft is nice and mind bending
John Garder's Grendel is brilliant ... if you've read the original this really turns it on its head.
Mythago Wood is good - but I preffered his Merlin Codex (next one due in January yippee)
Wasp Factory will make you squirm
and Edgar Allen Poe is my all time favorite Horror writer - If you want a great poetry reading look out for the Simpsons episode (one of the halloween specials) which has James Earl Jones reading the Raven.

Good going in posting the thread - reminded me I've not read much horror for a while.

--- Insert suitably goofy sounding horror sign off here ---
 
Phlebas said:
If you want a great poetry reading look out for the Simpsons episode (one of the halloween specials) which has James Earl Jones reading the Raven.
Click to expand...

It's great, isn't it? One of the best Treehouse eps IMO.

I'm hoping to read some Lovecraft when I can make another trip to my nearest secondhand book shop. I read his Wikipedia page - what a fascinating guy!

I was also interested to see Henry James, brother of William, on the list I posted above. I wasn't aware of his work, but I have studied William James
' writings at uni. Might be interesting - has anyone read it?

PS Since we were discussing Goosebumps, I was looking for more info on RL Stine and came across his official site. Now if that intro cartoon isn't scary (or scarily bizarre!), I don't know what is.

Doik!
 
I think Henry James is only on that list for his supernatural novella, The Turn Of The Screw. His other stuff, from what I know, bears little relation.
 
Stewart said:
I don't understand why it's embarrassing. Unless, of couse, you were in your teens when reading them. As a reader you have to start somewhere; you don't just dive into adult stuff.
Click to expand...

why be embarrassed at all? Even if you were reading them today...who cares? Read what interests you:)
 
I agree. I think these books were well written, when you think that they were written for a specific age market just getting into reading longer prose (compared to picture story books, i mean). We had competitions in primary school to see who could read them all first. The books got us reading every day, so they can't be all bad!

I was reminded in another thread of the work of Paul Jennings. I might start a children's horror thread.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top