#1 - Ghost Story - Peter Straub #2 - Carrion Comfort - Dan Simmons #3 - Swan Song - Robert McCammon #4 - The Shining - Stephen King #5 - Last Days of Jack Sparks - Jason Arnopp #6 - The Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris #7 - The Damnation Game - Clive Barker #8 - The Land of Laughs - Jonathan Carroll #9 - House of Leaves - Mark Danielewski #10 - The Exorcist - William Peter Blatty #11 - The Ceremonies - T.E.D. Klein
Great list. Pet Sematary is my all time fave book and glad that The Ring showed up on the list too. I don't get scared of horror either even though it is my fave genre. I care more about a good story with a lot of atmosphere.
This video with the lighting and the library in the background and your choice of books along with your descriptions, makes me want to delve back in to the horror genre. Been a long time away.
Yes! I love Clive Barker for his *writing*. The Great and Secret Show, Weaveworld, and Imajica are among my favorite books of all time. Of those, the first is horror with fantasy elements--but the others are fantasy with plenty of horror elements. And Bradbury. Such a master of the craft.
I read Clive Barker’s “The Thief of Always” as a teenager and it chilled me to the bone. I was petrified. Maybe because I was still not far from childhood and understood how a kid thinks but it put me off his books, by my own choice, until I was older and more mature. Ready to dive in again.
Glad to have stumbled upon your channel. You have some great entries in your list. I love Clive Barker and The Damnation Game is an incredible debut novel. Weaveworld is my favorite and it has strong horror elements. The Shining is an awesome choice. The movie portrays the father so differently, and this is one of many things that upset King. I absolutely love Ray Bradbury and this would be close to top 5 for me too. His prose is absolutely gorgeous! My favorite novel of all time is Swan Song by Robert McCammon, followed by Weaveworld and The Stand. N
Clive Barker’s “Books of Blood,” which includes the books published as “The Inhuman Condition,” “In the Flesh,” and “Cabal” in America, feature some next-level horror writing. I have never encountered a writer who delivers weird visions with such precision and clarity.
The reveal in the story Sex, Death and Starshine that Constantia is dead made me slam the book closed, turn on all the lights and try [unsuccessfully] to forget.
I would like to throw out Misery by Stephen King. Just the intense realism in the way she fades in and out of her psychosis and how you see everything from his perspective really unsettled me. Ive been in situations where you are listening for every little sound and you are absolutely powerless. He tries to keep hope but it is shattered over and over by her. Not only that but having a break from his reality to read chapters of his book shook me as well because just like him, its the only true reprieve you get in the book.
Many of SK’s novels are not actually “horror”. I understand horror is relative and subjective, but the media labeled King the “king of horror” decades ago and it stuck. However, the bulk of Kings work can be categorized more in the suspense and sci~fi genres with frightening elements. Misery is one of Kings best novels. But I certainly wouldn’t call it a horror novel.
Misery is kings best book in my eyes. I love other books by him more but misery doesn’t get bogged down with in kings own words “diarrhea of the typewriter”
Whether I like the list or not I enjoyed this video. First time seeing one of your vids btw. It’s like you were born to make these types of vids. You feel like an English professor that I wish I had.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is incredible, definitely in my top ten favorite books ever written. Bradbury is such a gem. I feel like no one ever talks about it, so thank you for your review.
Thank you for having variety that shows your taste.👍🏼 Usually I see a lot of RUclips algorithm picks for these kind of lists. The Ring book was so effing good. I wish I could experience it all over again.
Pet Sematary is my favorite King novel. I finally read it soon after having my daughter, my first and only child, and found it a devastating examination of parental love and grief. You can’t know until you’re a parent, the fear of loving someone that much… The nightmares where you lose them, where they drown, where they’re diagnosed with a fatal disease, where they are kidnapped or stabbed or burned up and you can’t stop it, waking up in tears, and the shattering knowledge that it COULD happen, has happened many times, is happening to a child like yours and a parent like you at this very moment… Being a parent is damn scary. King really captures the dread, and then the actual crazy-making misery of the worst happening. I grew up in the woods of New England (VT and NH) and I also love how he captures life there, the people and the landscape and the language. I know Judd. He’s a very real, well drawn character. Just a great book.
The scene in The Shining where Danny is chased in the snow by the topiary hedges shaped like animals is one of the best horror scenes I've ever read. Wonderful book.
I'm a horror Instagrammer, and I'm impressed with your list after you said you don't read much horror. There are so many fantastic horror books, and I was delighted to see Uzumaki in your top 10. Definitely check out those books you listed as gaps in your reading, and may I add The Haunting of Hill House as a a must read for any fan of the genre.
I read The Shining as a teenager and remember feeling grief-stricken at the end over the misfortune that befell the Torrance family. It's been a long time and I couldn't remember why it affected me so much - you reminded me of why. It wasn't about the hotel. Now I need to go back and read it again.
Awesome list. We share a lot of the same favorites-LOVE Uzumaki. Ring is next on my TBR so glad to hear some good praise for it. Awesome library by the way.
1) Hell House - Richard Matheson 2) Salem's Lot - Stephen King 3) Heart Shaped Box - Joe Hill 4) Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury 5) The Exorcist - Wm. Peter Blatty 6) Hellbound Heart - Clive Barker 7) Let the Right One In - John Ajvide Lindqvist 8) Carmilla - J. Sheridan Le Fanu 9) Dracula - Bram Stoker 10) Ghost Story - Peter Straub Honorable Mention: The Empty House - Algernon Blackwood
Great video. Yes, definitely check out more of Clive Barker. I've read them all and Weaveworld is my favourite (though not really horror). I hope you've gotten around to it, and I hope you liked it as much as I did. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these great books. Your #2 also figures very high on my Top 10.
I'm not a big horror book reader, but I have read a few over the years and these were some pretty good books and I found that I had to read them over again, just to relive it, once again in my mind. 1. The Terror - Dan Simons 2. Who Goes There - John W Cambell 3. The Dunwich Horror - H.P. Lovecraft 4. Dean Koonts - The Bad Place 5. The Exorcist - William Peter Blatty These really sent chills up my spine.
The king in yellow has been one of my favorite books that seemingly no one I talk to has heard of for decades. I was so excited by season one of true Detective where they talk about this book and put a Spotlight on a wonderful and creepy book
Silver Nitrate - Silvia Moreno-Garcia Lone Women - Victor Lavalle The Shining - Stephen King NOS4A2 - Joe Hill A Child Alone With Strangers - Philip Fracassi Red Dragon - Thomas Harris Obelisks - Dust - Ari Marmell Odd Thomas - Dean Koontz Battle Royale - Koushun Takami Uzumaki - Junji Ito
In the vein of “Not Horror by Clive Barker” is “The Thief of Always” which is, believe it or not, a children’s book. Not even YA - I’d recommend it for a fourth grader - but it’s brilliant and worth reading even as an adult. It has horror elements, but made to creep out kids more than anything. As you say, Clive Barker is an incredible writer, and this kid’s book is among my favorite books of all time.
I've read the Hellbound Heart. It is almost exactly like the movie. The big difference is that Kristi Cotton is a friend and not a daughter. Otherwise, it's exactly the same. Of course, Clive Barker took his own book and adapted it to the screen, so you shouldn't be surprised.
Nothing wrong with your list but, just some off the cuff recommendations in no particular order 1) James Herbert The Spear 2) Richard Matheson Hell House 3) Robert Bloch Complete Stories 4) R. Chetwynd Hayes The Partaker 5) Graham Masterton, The Manitou 6) Peter Straub Ghost Story 7) Shaun Hutson Relics 8) Shirley Jackson The Haunting 9) Gary Brandner The Howling 10) Edward Buller Lytton The Haunted and the haunter
@paulvoorhies8821 This is subjective opinion. I love the movie but thought the book was better and was miles away from being a slog. To each their own, eh? I found it to be a page turner that I had finished in 3-4 days. Watched the movie again right after and found that I didn't really understand a lot of the movie before I read the book.
Yep definitely agree, just finished my second reading of it and will read it again -its a beautiful book , the descriptive prose, the characters especially Father Karras and his relationship with his mother, the guilt he felt was heartbreaking. The audiobook version read by Blatty himself is outstanding and is on RUclips free to listen to.
The exorcist is my all time favourite book and film. I love how we got to delve more into the power of suggestion where it was just briefly mentioned in the film. Also Regan’s possession starts off slower and you get to see just how gorgeous and sweet she is before the nightmare starts. I can’t fault the film I love it but the book is still my number one book.
If you want "old" Barker, you need to read The Books of Blood. It's a mixed bag of short stories that ranges from comical to insane to straight out gorefests. This is where Midnight Meat Train, Rawhead Rex, and Harry D'Amour came from. I much prefer his short work (including Cabal and The Hellbound Heart) to his novels.
I like your list. My own top ten would be: 10. The Books of Blood by Clive Barker. This is an anthology, of course, not a novel so I'm cheating a little here. But the stories are downright chilling. 9. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. Campy and fun but also VERY unsettling. The classic movie worked so well because it was a very faithful adaptation of the book. 8. Blackwater by Michael McDowell. Equally as good as The Elementals although very different. Lovecraftian Creature Breeds With Human kind of narrative. 7. Let The Right One In by John Lingqvist. Brilliant, modern day vampire tale. 6. It by Stephen King. A horrific entity takes on many faces and eats little children!!! I also like the two different timelines in which the protagonists appear as alternately kids and adults. 5. Ghost Story by Peter Straub. This one creeped me out so much that I almost couldn't finish it. Enough said! 4. The Vampire Chronicles [Interview With the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat + The Queen of the Damned] by Anne Rice. This trilogy deserves an A+ for originality. Here we see the world through the eyes of the ACTUAL MONSTERS instead of their human victims. It's a study of guilt and nihilistic loneliness, and therein lies the horror. 3. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Beautifully crafted and scary as hell! 2. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Best ghost story I ever read, hands down! It's more of a novella, actually, but IMHO it deserves to be listed here. 1. The Outsider and Others by H.P. Lovecraft. Yeah, I'm cheating again, this is an anthology but it contains several novellas as well as the best Mythos fiction ever. If HPL and his interdimensional creatures don't give you nightmares then nothing will!
@@BogwitchAGG I know. Back in the 80's it came out in 6 installments, all paperbacks, and I read them one by one as they appeared. Michael McDowell was such a great but underrated writer! Even Stephen King praised his work, I recall.
Was really happy to see your number one as my number one. Never had a book ever stayed with me like that one did. I have been a life long Stephen King fan but I find his writing changed AFTER his accident and I have such a difficult time connecting with the books he wrote post injury. I have one that sticks on my brain, 666 by Jay Anson and the book Faerie Tale by Raymond Feist. In my top 10 overall. Ghost Story by Peter Straub is pretty cool too. Enjoyed your list, and agree with the analogy of It and The Shining..It tucked me in on the FIRST page and The Shining tore my soul all the way to the end. Keep turning those pages!!
I could shred this list, but I suddenly realized I was jealous because the reason this list is flawed is because you have the joy of experiencing better books in front of you. Your Clive Barker admission alone made me cry. But then you get to read those books FOR THE FIRST TIME! Dracula, Frankenstein, House of Leaves, Ghost Story, and Carrie are all great. Plus every book you did list is fun as and wonderful as you said AND you listed two books I haven’t read: The Strain and Uzumaki, so those are on my list now. Thanks a ton 👍
Great list - Only book I've read several time (& love it each time!!) Where the Chill Waits - T. Chris Martindale other great books: Tick Tock - Dean Koontz and Watchers - Dean Koontz; and much to my surprise (once I start reading I can't put these down) Lakeview Man series and Apex Predator series - D.A. Roberts
I recently read The Exorcist and Between Two Fires (Christopher Buhlman) back to back and needed a break from horror afterward because they were both so intense. Now, I am reading Elfstones of Shannara to cleanse my pallet before reading my next horror 😅.
Between Two Fires is one of the best horror novels I've read in a long, long time. There was just something so Dante's Inferno about the whole experience.
I've played all the Metro games and they all have amazing atmospheres as well. There's nothing else quite like them. I've been meaning to read the books but haven't gotten around to it yet.
My favorite Bradbury is Dandelion Wine, Not horror, but a book in summer, you can smell the cut grass. But yes something wicked this way comes is fantastic
Oh, and to answer your question - I haven't yet thought through my top 10 horror books of all time, but I have thought through my top 10 horror short stories / novellas of all time! Here's the list: 10. The Girl from the Hell (Margo Lanagan in Cursed) 9. The White People (Artur Machen) 8. The King in Yellow (Robert W. Chambers) 7. The Willows (Algernon Blackwood) 6. An Episode in Cathedral History (M. R. James - in most of his collections) 5. Blanky (Kealan Patrick Burke) 4. Carmilla (J. Sheridan Le Fanu) 3. Mother of Stone (John Langan, in A Wide Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies) 2. The Fall of the House of Usher (E. A. Poe) 1. The Shadow Over Innsmouth (H. P. Lovecraft)
I loved what you said about manga/anime being just another medium for storytelling and that there is nothing stopping that writing to be any less than in any other medium.
I envy you being at the beginning of your Clive Barker journey; as with many authors, e.g., HP Lovecraft, we can revisit and savour them, but there is nothing quite like the frisson of the first reading. I recently reread Weaveworld and gave myself a long overdue reminder of why I love Barker's writing. While I'm still waiting (im)patiently for the next instalment in his Abarat sequence, I would have to say personal favourites are Cabal (filmed/adapted as Nightbreed), Imajica, and The Thief of Always. The latter is a polished gem of a story, somewhat reminiscent of Ray Bradbury. That is a massive compliment to Barker, by the way. While I love Something Wicked This Way Comes, I think I prefer The Halloween Tree, though both are good. What appeals to me about Bradbury's work is that when he writes from a child's perspective, it is never mawkish or trying to hard to be cute. It's as though he never lost the child's-eye wonder at the world.
I know this is an old video of yours but I love that you mentioned Uzumaki. I am a HUGE fan of Junji Ito, I've read most all of his official translations and a lot of unlicensed ones (shh, don't tell anyone that) and each and every one of them is so bizarre, so carefully crafted; he just has this way of creating entire worlds that are abnormal but once you're sucked into them, they don't seem as weird anymore because he can draw you in so well. I highly recommend his two series Tomie and Gyo if you liked Uzumaki. He also has a lot of short stories collections, which admittedly, some are better than others. I liked Kai, Sasu a lot, as well as Ma no Kakera!
Frankenstein has a weird stigma around it - love/hate kind of thing; tons of people hate it, but just as many adore it in my experience - but it is genuinely one of my favorite books of all time. Assuming you haven't read it still in the time since this video, I absolutely recommend reading it. Just go in with the right expectations: it's nothing like the adaptations, firstly, and it's...kinda esoteric in a weird way. I've not read anything like it since, and it was one of the earliest books I read when I came back to reading a few years ago.
Honestly, Pet Sematary had me sobbing uncontrollably, and not even for anything supernatural or scary that happened. When Judd’s wife dies, and he’s just left dumbfounded because they’ve been together for decades, I was in SHAMBLES. Had me crying in the car on my drive home, thinking about my own wife who I’ve only been married to for a year and a half, thinking about what might happen decades in the future when we’re as old as Judd is.
As much as I love the big Stephen King horror classics like The Shining and IT, I find his situational horror to be more effective. Books like Misery, Gerald’s Game, even Cujo really got under my skin in a way the supernatural stuff never did.
Weaveworld is a childhood classic of mine. Not really horror, more fantasy with horror elements and as most of Barker's works, incredibly creative, atmospheric and evocative.
I've read everything Sai King has ever written. I highly recommend Revival, one of the most underrated of his books. It has amazing character development, and it has stuck with me ever since I read it. I don't want to say too much about the plot because I don't want to spoil anything.
I'm in the minority here, but The Shining is not one my favorite King books. And I've read it 3 different times, to see if it hits me differently. I feel it's good, but never becomes great-for me. And Something Wicked This Way Comes was a struggle to get through, for me.
Nice list. I've read virtually all of Barkers stuff: The Damnation Game remains my absolute fave simply because it takes everything he's great at and dustills it into one fantastic story....doubt you'll be disappointed by any Barker if you love this one. Huge King fan...neither of your picks would be mine: i definitely cede the top spot to 'Salems Lot and, if narrowing down to just horror, would put The Mist next. Btw.....Ghost Story is a must...
I would have reversed positions on the two Stephen King books, IMO. For me, The Shining was a book where you can't put it down, you have to keep turning the pages to try to save that little boy. Pet Sematary, OTOH, was so obvious to me from the set up that King was going to rip your heart out over that little boy and then nothing good would happen from there. I dreaded turning each page of PS, whereas, in Shining I started it at 5PM, at 7 PM I got up and locked all the doors and windows, at 9 PM I turned on every light in the house and read the book until I finished. I had no problem laying PS down and coming back later.
"The Shining" the bok is about a man who loves his son but turns into a monster who wants to killhim. "The Shining" the movie is about a man who secretly HATES his wife and son and then is given a Byrne a push but a nudge---to do WHAT HE HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO DO. Stephen King based the character of Jack Torrance ion himself, so it's no wonder that he was greatly offended by Stanley Kubrick's interpretation.
Pet Cemetery is my 2nd scariest book. Amityville Horror was my first. It is so creepy I removed it from my house after both times I read it. I saw the Lutz husband, wife and their priest interviewed. I believe them. The Shining is the 3rd.
The Exorcist is one of my favorite books ever, and I actually love WPB's writing style. It's one of the things that made it such an enjoyable read for me. 🤷
I know I’m very late to the party but “Paradise 1” by David Wellington has lived in the dark reaches of my mind ever since I read it. For any fans of space horror, you won’t regret it.
The exorcist is one of the few books that made me cry, not out of sadness, but out of fear. Not fear of the devil, not fear for myself, but fear for little Regan and her mother.
Vampires are supposed to be scary.I hate when scary books or films are cleaned up and have all the horror taken out.Read something else if you can't handle it.
I feel you with the second guessing your horror choices. For example my favorite book of all time is “From The Corner of his Eye” by Dean Koontz. The book often leans into horror but is 100% a suspense thriller.
But top 10: 1: Twilight Eyes; Dean Koontz 2: Demonata book one Lord Loss; Darren Shan 3: Cirque Du Freak book 4; Darren Shan 4: Tommyknockers; Stephen King 5: IT; Stephen King 6: By the Light of the Moon; Dean Koontz 7: Odd Thomas; Dean Koontz 8: Intensity; Dean Koontz 9 Gil’s All Fright Diner; A. Lee Martinez 10: Dead Living; Glenn Bullion
The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein; Salem's Lot by Stephen King; and The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft. Also, The Books of Blood by Clive Barker. Frankenstein by Mary Shelly.
Intensity by Dean Koontz. I had trouble reading this one. It is incredibly intense & yes, has the most apt name for the book! I'm extremely happy to see Swansong by Robert McCammon on here.. it's one of my favorites! I'd also like to add "The Tommyknockers" by Stephen King. I do not like his newer works but do enjoy his earlier work. The list you have here is really great works!❤🔥
Yup, I read Pet Cemetery when it first came out, so no movie to know the plot. I was a teenager so not even a parent and when it got ‘to that’ scene, I was so gutted I had to put the book down and walk away from it for a week before I could pick it back up. It’s one of the only books that’s ever done that to me.
@23:50 for me the best writing of the whole book was when they were outside the house and the father gets let on to the secret ladders the boys had made within the ivy. When his father tells him that the son will pull the rungs out of the wall on his own one day so he shouldn’t worry about him (the father) pulling them out-chefs kiss. What an amazing way of showing what growing up and out of boy-hood is
We have some really similar tastes. So glad to see uzimaki and something wicked this way comes show up on the list. When I was watching and saw the shining come up instead of pet Semetary I was like "well ok I get it but..." course then it's at the top. God that book messed with me because the fear of losing a child and the feeling of grief is so freaking real.
Pet semetary nails down so many different elements of horror. So happy to see so many people that agree with it being at least in the conversation of goat. King has more than a few that could be on this list and nobody could argue. But if SOME part of pet semetary doesn't scare you, you're a certified psychopath. Im with you on the not really getting scared of movies or books. Turn off all the lights but a reading lamp, and read just the sequence where dr creed is trekking to the burial ground with gage. Truly terrifying. Great list
Looking for some good Clive Barker horror. I humbly suggest The Great and Secret Show. It's my favorite. Although you are right about The Damnation Game. It's damn near perfect.
So excited to see Uzumaki on your list! Everything by Junji Ito is absolute gold! Another manga you may enjoy is "Blood on the Tracks" by Shūzō Oshimi. Not really a horror but it is a very fascinating story. Some other horror book I loved that you may enjoy: "Another" by Yukito Ayatsuji. "Suicide Forest" "The Catacombs" or "The Sleep Experiment" by Jeremy Bates. "Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson. Not sure I'd call this one a horror story exactly either but "Battle Royale" by Koushun Takami is absolutely brilliant. Happy reading!
#1 - Ghost Story - Peter Straub
#2 - Carrion Comfort - Dan Simmons
#3 - Swan Song - Robert McCammon
#4 - The Shining - Stephen King
#5 - Last Days of Jack Sparks - Jason Arnopp
#6 - The Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris
#7 - The Damnation Game - Clive Barker
#8 - The Land of Laughs - Jonathan Carroll
#9 - House of Leaves - Mark Danielewski
#10 - The Exorcist - William Peter Blatty
#11 - The Ceremonies - T.E.D. Klein
I just recently read Ghost Story! It was a good one.
My Dan Simmons pick would be Drood. One of the most underrated books imo.
Good list. There are two scary books that I would add Killing Lessons by Saul Black and Adam by Ted Dekker
All males autors...
HOUSE OF LEAVES YESSS
@@luisino20023and?
Great list. Pet Sematary is my all time fave book and glad that The Ring showed up on the list too. I don't get scared of horror either even though it is my fave genre. I care more about a good story with a lot of atmosphere.
This video with the lighting and the library in the background and your choice of books along with your descriptions, makes me want to delve back in to the horror genre. Been a long time away.
Just finished one of the best vampire novels I've read. "Let the Right One In." Terrific!
I just recently started it. Really enjoying it so far
The swedish film is great. Hollywood one is ok too
Decent movie also. Not as good, but, watchable.
It's so good! I loved the book and actually enjoyed both movie adaptations too
I agree! This book was awesome!
Yes! I love Clive Barker for his *writing*. The Great and Secret Show, Weaveworld, and Imajica are among my favorite books of all time. Of those, the first is horror with fantasy elements--but the others are fantasy with plenty of horror elements.
And Bradbury. Such a master of the craft.
The Barker books you mentioned are also some of my favorites as well.
You have a gorgeous home library! ❤
I read Clive Barker’s “The Thief of Always” as a teenager and it chilled me to the bone. I was petrified. Maybe because I was still not far from childhood and understood how a kid thinks but it put me off his books, by my own choice, until I was older and more mature. Ready to dive in again.
The Great and secret show is a masterpiece❤
Coraline (great movie) when it was written seems like they looked to Thief as inspiration.
This was a fantastic video . The background and the microphone 🎤 perfect vibe . I love extreme horror , horror and thrillers .
Glad to have stumbled upon your channel. You have some great entries in your list. I love Clive Barker and The Damnation Game is an incredible debut novel. Weaveworld is my favorite and it has strong horror elements. The Shining is an awesome choice. The movie portrays the father so differently, and this is one of many things that upset King. I absolutely love Ray Bradbury and this would be close to top 5 for me too. His prose is absolutely gorgeous! My favorite novel of all time is Swan Song by Robert McCammon, followed by Weaveworld and The Stand. N
Swan Song over Boy's Life?
@@phaedruslive Yip, Boy's Life is definitely in my top 10, amazing novel.
Hmmm... can't help but notice there doesn't seem to be any Goosebumps in that stack.
No Night of the living dummy? List invalid.😂
Fr though, the twist in How I Got My Shrunken Head messed me up as a kid 😂
Clive Barker’s “Books of Blood,” which includes the books published as “The Inhuman Condition,” “In the Flesh,” and “Cabal” in America, feature some next-level horror writing. I have never encountered a writer who delivers weird visions with such precision and clarity.
The reveal in the story Sex, Death and Starshine that Constantia is dead made me slam the book closed, turn on all the lights and try [unsuccessfully] to forget.
Agreed. That book packed a punch on so many levels.
The Yattering and Jack caught me off guard. It was so funny and maybe a theater adaptation would be great.
Yes!
Ray Bradbury is my all time favorite authors, but heavily for his short stories and essays.
I was thrilled to see Uzumaki on a list!
I would like to throw out Misery by Stephen King. Just the intense realism in the way she fades in and out of her psychosis and how you see everything from his perspective really unsettled me. Ive been in situations where you are listening for every little sound and you are absolutely powerless. He tries to keep hope but it is shattered over and over by her. Not only that but having a break from his reality to read chapters of his book shook me as well because just like him, its the only true reprieve you get in the book.
I concur.
Many of SK’s novels are not actually “horror”. I understand horror is relative and subjective, but the media labeled King the “king of horror” decades ago and it stuck. However, the bulk of Kings work can be categorized more in the suspense and sci~fi genres with frightening elements. Misery is one of Kings best novels. But I certainly wouldn’t call it a horror novel.
Seriously how many King novels can one have on the list😅
Misery is kings best book in my eyes. I love other books by him more but misery doesn’t get bogged down with in kings own words “diarrhea of the typewriter”
Misery was my first novel in the 6th grade and introduction to novels and how awesome a good book can be.
Whether I like the list or not I enjoyed this video. First time seeing one of your vids btw. It’s like you were born to make these types of vids. You feel like an English professor that I wish I had.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is incredible, definitely in my top ten favorite books ever written. Bradbury is such a gem. I feel like no one ever talks about it, so thank you for your review.
Thank you for having variety that shows your taste.👍🏼 Usually I see a lot of RUclips algorithm picks for these kind of lists.
The Ring book was so effing good. I wish I could experience it all over again.
@@civoreb I agree with you about the ring book
Pet Sematary is my favorite King novel. I finally read it soon after having my daughter, my first and only child, and found it a devastating examination of parental love and grief. You can’t know until you’re a parent, the fear of loving someone that much… The nightmares where you lose them, where they drown, where they’re diagnosed with a fatal disease, where they are kidnapped or stabbed or burned up and you can’t stop it, waking up in tears, and the shattering knowledge that it COULD happen, has happened many times, is happening to a child like yours and a parent like you at this very moment… Being a parent is damn scary. King really captures the dread, and then the actual crazy-making misery of the worst happening.
I grew up in the woods of New England (VT and NH) and I also love how he captures life there, the people and the landscape and the language. I know Judd. He’s a very real, well drawn character.
Just a great book.
Pet Cemetery book was so creepy
It is a rewrite of the Monkeys Paw
The scene in The Shining where Danny is chased in the snow by the topiary hedges shaped like animals is one of the best horror scenes I've ever read. Wonderful book.
I'm a horror Instagrammer, and I'm impressed with your list after you said you don't read much horror. There are so many fantastic horror books, and I was delighted to see Uzumaki in your top 10. Definitely check out those books you listed as gaps in your reading, and may I add The Haunting of Hill House as a a must read for any fan of the genre.
Agreed. Speaking of masterpiece, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" never gets old.
@@drbuckley1 Agreed. Fantastic book.
may I get your Instagram account??? I need horror recommendations
I read The Shining as a teenager and remember feeling grief-stricken at the end over the misfortune that befell the Torrance family. It's been a long time and I couldn't remember why it affected me so much - you reminded me of why. It wasn't about the hotel. Now I need to go back and read it again.
Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend" deserves to be on your list.
Damn straight!
Awesome list. We share a lot of the same favorites-LOVE Uzumaki. Ring is next on my TBR so glad to hear some good praise for it. Awesome library by the way.
Thanks, I pretty much built it from scratch. The room not the bookcases. Hope you enjoy the ring I thought it was great
I love your enthusiasm! Cant wait to read all these, I'm on a horror kick right now
this is a great video and i really like your format. also cool to know that you also been covering manga as well
Damn this is the first top 10 horror books video on youtube I have ever seen!
I absolutely love that you left the book spilling in the video! Good on ya mate
1) Hell House - Richard Matheson
2) Salem's Lot - Stephen King
3) Heart Shaped Box - Joe Hill
4) Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
5) The Exorcist - Wm. Peter Blatty
6) Hellbound Heart - Clive Barker
7) Let the Right One In - John Ajvide Lindqvist
8) Carmilla - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
9) Dracula - Bram Stoker
10) Ghost Story - Peter Straub
Honorable Mention: The Empty House - Algernon Blackwood
Great video. Yes, definitely check out more of Clive Barker. I've read them all and Weaveworld is my favourite (though not really horror). I hope you've gotten around to it, and I hope you liked it as much as I did. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these great books. Your #2 also figures very high on my Top 10.
I'm not a big horror book reader, but I have read a few over the years and these were some pretty good books and I found that I had to read them over again, just to relive it, once again in my mind. 1. The Terror - Dan Simons 2. Who Goes There - John W Cambell 3. The Dunwich Horror - H.P. Lovecraft 4. Dean Koonts - The Bad Place 5. The Exorcist - William Peter Blatty These really sent chills up my spine.
The king in yellow has been one of my favorite books that seemingly no one I talk to has heard of for decades. I was so excited by season one of true Detective where they talk about this book and put a Spotlight on a wonderful and creepy book
Something Wicked This Way Comes!!! I absolutely adore this book-so glad it made your list
Silver Nitrate - Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Lone Women - Victor Lavalle
The Shining - Stephen King
NOS4A2 - Joe Hill
A Child Alone With Strangers - Philip Fracassi
Red Dragon - Thomas Harris
Obelisks - Dust - Ari Marmell
Odd Thomas - Dean Koontz
Battle Royale - Koushun Takami
Uzumaki - Junji Ito
In the vein of “Not Horror by Clive Barker” is “The Thief of Always” which is, believe it or not, a children’s book. Not even YA - I’d recommend it for a fourth grader - but it’s brilliant and worth reading even as an adult. It has horror elements, but made to creep out kids more than anything. As you say, Clive Barker is an incredible writer, and this kid’s book is among my favorite books of all time.
Great frigging book
You should check out Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. It's a horror/dystopian hybrid story, and it might be right up your alley.
I agree whole heartedly. It hurts me as a father. Desperation and grief.
I've read the Hellbound Heart. It is almost exactly like the movie. The big difference is that Kristi Cotton is a friend and not a daughter. Otherwise, it's exactly the same. Of course, Clive Barker took his own book and adapted it to the screen, so you shouldn't be surprised.
Yes, Pet Sematary is the greatest horror story of all time. The last two pages are the best last two pages of a horror story ever written.
Pet Sematary has always been my favourite King book.
I remember finishing the book (maybe 15 years old) on a summer night and just feeling empty. (One of my favorites!)
THE absolute MASTER OF HORROR is and will always be, H.P. Lovecraft. Terrifying.
thank you for finally filling in this knowledge gap!!!!! i finally have some scary books to read! thank you!
I agree on Something Wicked This way Comes. It less horrifying than darkly spooky. I love it.
Nothing wrong with your list but, just some off the cuff recommendations in no particular order
1) James Herbert The Spear
2) Richard Matheson Hell House
3) Robert Bloch Complete Stories
4) R. Chetwynd Hayes The Partaker
5) Graham Masterton, The Manitou
6) Peter Straub Ghost Story
7) Shaun Hutson Relics
8) Shirley Jackson The Haunting
9) Gary Brandner The Howling
10) Edward Buller Lytton The Haunted and the haunter
I'm copying this to read. Thank you.
I like to see Shirley Jackson on your list she is my inspiration for writing short stories.
Yay, you got the Exrcist right but should be higher on the list. The writing is outstanding. It’s a masterpiece
I think the Exorcist is an overrated book. A bit of a slog. The movie is far better. Also, Rosemary’s Baby is far better written.
@paulvoorhies8821 This is subjective opinion. I love the movie but thought the book was better and was miles away from being a slog. To each their own, eh? I found it to be a page turner that I had finished in 3-4 days. Watched the movie again right after and found that I didn't really understand a lot of the movie before I read the book.
Yep definitely agree, just finished my second reading of it and will read it again -its a beautiful book , the descriptive prose, the characters especially Father Karras and his relationship with his mother, the guilt he felt was heartbreaking. The audiobook version read by Blatty himself is outstanding and is on RUclips free to listen to.
The exorcist is my all time favourite book and film. I love how we got to delve more into the power of suggestion where it was just briefly mentioned in the film. Also Regan’s possession starts off slower and you get to see just how gorgeous and sweet she is before the nightmare starts. I can’t fault the film I love it but the book is still my number one book.
100% agree. Just bought a new copy on my last bookstore trip.
Awesome list! I've read some of these. Some others are on my list. And I learned about a couple new ones. Kudos!
If you want "old" Barker, you need to read The Books of Blood. It's a mixed bag of short stories that ranges from comical to insane to straight out gorefests. This is where Midnight Meat Train, Rawhead Rex, and Harry D'Amour came from. I much prefer his short work (including Cabal and The Hellbound Heart) to his novels.
I like your list. My own top ten would be:
10. The Books of Blood by Clive Barker. This is an anthology, of course, not a novel so I'm cheating a little here. But the stories are downright chilling.
9. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. Campy and fun but also VERY unsettling. The classic movie worked so well because it was a very faithful adaptation of the book.
8. Blackwater by Michael McDowell. Equally as good as The Elementals although very different. Lovecraftian Creature Breeds With Human kind of narrative.
7. Let The Right One In by John Lingqvist. Brilliant, modern day vampire tale.
6. It by Stephen King. A horrific entity takes on many faces and eats little children!!! I also like the two different timelines in which the protagonists appear as alternately kids and adults.
5. Ghost Story by Peter Straub. This one creeped me out so much that I almost couldn't finish it. Enough said!
4. The Vampire Chronicles [Interview With the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat + The Queen of the Damned] by Anne Rice. This trilogy deserves an A+ for originality. Here we see the world through the eyes of the ACTUAL MONSTERS instead of their human victims. It's a study of guilt and nihilistic loneliness, and therein lies the horror.
3. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Beautifully crafted and scary as hell!
2. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Best ghost story I ever read, hands down! It's more of a novella, actually, but IMHO it deserves to be listed here.
1. The Outsider and Others by H.P. Lovecraft. Yeah, I'm cheating again, this is an anthology but it contains several novellas as well as the best Mythos fiction ever. If HPL and his interdimensional creatures don't give you nightmares then nothing will!
Blackwater is fantastic! Read in late 80s, now it is expensive!!!
@@BogwitchAGG I know. Back in the 80's it came out in 6 installments, all paperbacks, and I read them one by one as they appeared. Michael McDowell was such a great but underrated writer! Even Stephen King praised his work, I recall.
Pet Semetary.... best ending of any book... ever!! I've got goosebumps just thinking about it.
Rolling my eyes.
The Exorcist scared me when i read it in the 70s as a teenager.
I`ve only read one novel by clive barker , he`s described as stephen king without a conscience !
Was really happy to see your number one as my number one. Never had a book ever stayed with me like that one did. I have been a life long Stephen King fan but I find his writing changed AFTER his accident and I have such a difficult time connecting with the books he wrote post injury. I have one that sticks on my brain, 666 by Jay Anson and the book Faerie Tale by Raymond Feist. In my top 10 overall. Ghost Story by Peter Straub is pretty cool too. Enjoyed your list, and agree with the analogy of It and The Shining..It tucked me in on the FIRST page and The Shining tore my soul all the way to the end. Keep turning those pages!!
Saw the berserk collection in the background. Instant sub
I could shred this list, but I suddenly realized I was jealous because the reason this list is flawed is because you have the joy of experiencing better books in front of you. Your Clive Barker admission alone made me cry. But then you get to read those books FOR THE FIRST TIME! Dracula, Frankenstein, House of Leaves, Ghost Story, and Carrie are all great.
Plus every book you did list is fun as and wonderful as you said AND you listed two books I haven’t read: The Strain and Uzumaki, so those are on my list now.
Thanks a ton 👍
I bought House of Leaves and I'm so excited to give it a try.. but I'm intimidated.
@@katmancilla5777 it is a challenging read, but so worth it.
Great list - Only book I've read several time (& love it each time!!) Where the Chill Waits - T. Chris Martindale
other great books: Tick Tock - Dean Koontz and Watchers - Dean Koontz;
and much to my surprise (once I start reading I can't put these down) Lakeview Man series and Apex Predator series - D.A. Roberts
I recently read The Exorcist and Between Two Fires (Christopher Buhlman) back to back and needed a break from horror afterward because they were both so intense. Now, I am reading Elfstones of Shannara to cleanse my pallet before reading my next horror 😅.
Between Two Fires is one of the best horror novels I've read in a long, long time. There was just something so Dante's Inferno about the whole experience.
So glad you mentioned it. Jumped straight to mind when I saw the video title.
Glad Between Two Fires got a mention here. Might be my favorite book of the decade! Definitely in my top 10
Really surprised Between Two Fires isn't mentioned. He needs to read it! Also, Elfstones is the best Shannara book!
I've played all the Metro games and they all have amazing atmospheres as well. There's nothing else quite like them. I've been meaning to read the books but haven't gotten around to it yet.
Great list. I've added some of these to my want to read list on Good reads.
Thank You for the List and Video 😀
My favorite Bradbury is
Dandelion Wine,
Not horror, but a book in summer, you can smell the cut grass.
But yes something wicked this way comes is fantastic
Oh, and to answer your question - I haven't yet thought through my top 10 horror books of all time, but I have thought through my top 10 horror short stories / novellas of all time! Here's the list:
10. The Girl from the Hell (Margo Lanagan in Cursed)
9. The White People (Artur Machen)
8. The King in Yellow (Robert W. Chambers)
7. The Willows (Algernon Blackwood)
6. An Episode in Cathedral History (M. R. James - in most of his collections)
5. Blanky (Kealan Patrick Burke)
4. Carmilla (J. Sheridan Le Fanu)
3. Mother of Stone (John Langan, in A Wide Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies)
2. The Fall of the House of Usher (E. A. Poe)
1. The Shadow Over Innsmouth (H. P. Lovecraft)
+1 for Algernon Blackwood; love The Wendigo
HI!! Weird question but what’s your lighting set up?? It looks great!!
I actually did a gear tour video a few weeks ago where I go over all my equipment, including lighting.
I didn't know the strian was a book! Loved the show. Thank you
I loved what you said about manga/anime being just another medium for storytelling and that there is nothing stopping that writing to be any less than in any other medium.
I would accept the king in yellow as horror but like how you used this to get an 11th choice in a top ten, great work
I envy you being at the beginning of your Clive Barker journey; as with many authors, e.g., HP Lovecraft, we can revisit and savour them, but there is nothing quite like the frisson of the first reading. I recently reread Weaveworld and gave myself a long overdue reminder of why I love Barker's writing. While I'm still waiting (im)patiently for the next instalment in his Abarat sequence, I would have to say personal favourites are Cabal (filmed/adapted as Nightbreed), Imajica, and The Thief of Always. The latter is a polished gem of a story, somewhat reminiscent of Ray Bradbury. That is a massive compliment to Barker, by the way. While I love Something Wicked This Way Comes, I think I prefer The Halloween Tree, though both are good. What appeals to me about Bradbury's work is that when he writes from a child's perspective, it is never mawkish or trying to hard to be cute. It's as though he never lost the child's-eye wonder at the world.
Still holding my breath for the next Abarat book.
something wicked this way comes , red it decades back , great story , and shockingly the film wasn`t bad either !
#1 is so good. I read it on vacation every 2 years. Haunts me every time. Makes the time memorable.
Stephen King once is bad enough, but twice, and the winner? Terrible list.
I thought a Harry Potter book was next..
Thank you so much for reminding me of "Pet Semetary" and why it is such a unforgettable book, especially once you become a parent!
I KNEW it was going to be Pet Sematary. 100% agree
I know this is an old video of yours but I love that you mentioned Uzumaki. I am a HUGE fan of Junji Ito, I've read most all of his official translations and a lot of unlicensed ones (shh, don't tell anyone that) and each and every one of them is so bizarre, so carefully crafted; he just has this way of creating entire worlds that are abnormal but once you're sucked into them, they don't seem as weird anymore because he can draw you in so well. I highly recommend his two series Tomie and Gyo if you liked Uzumaki. He also has a lot of short stories collections, which admittedly, some are better than others. I liked Kai, Sasu a lot, as well as Ma no Kakera!
Frankenstein has a weird stigma around it - love/hate kind of thing; tons of people hate it, but just as many adore it in my experience - but it is genuinely one of my favorite books of all time. Assuming you haven't read it still in the time since this video, I absolutely recommend reading it.
Just go in with the right expectations: it's nothing like the adaptations, firstly, and it's...kinda esoteric in a weird way. I've not read anything like it since, and it was one of the earliest books I read when I came back to reading a few years ago.
Honestly, Pet Sematary had me sobbing uncontrollably, and not even for anything supernatural or scary that happened. When Judd’s wife dies, and he’s just left dumbfounded because they’ve been together for decades, I was in SHAMBLES. Had me crying in the car on my drive home, thinking about my own wife who I’ve only been married to for a year and a half, thinking about what might happen decades in the future when we’re as old as Judd is.
Yeah, The Shining book and movie cannot be compared. I believe both are great, but also completely different.
As much as I love the big Stephen King horror classics like The Shining and IT, I find his situational horror to be more effective. Books like Misery, Gerald’s Game, even Cujo really got under my skin in a way the supernatural stuff never did.
Brian Lumly's "Necroscope" series kept me going for years.
Weaveworld is a childhood classic of mine. Not really horror, more fantasy with horror elements and as most of Barker's works, incredibly creative, atmospheric and evocative.
I've read everything Sai King has ever written. I highly recommend Revival, one of the most underrated of his books. It has amazing character development, and it has stuck with me ever since I read it. I don't want to say too much about the plot because I don't want to spoil anything.
@@waymire01 I hold that book up as a shining example in my mind every time I hear people complain about Kings endings.
I'm in the minority here, but The Shining is not one my favorite King books. And I've read it 3 different times, to see if it hits me differently. I feel it's good, but never becomes great-for me.
And Something Wicked This Way Comes was a struggle to get through, for me.
Nice list.
I've read virtually all of Barkers stuff: The Damnation Game remains my absolute fave simply because it takes everything he's great at and dustills it into one fantastic story....doubt you'll be disappointed by any Barker if you love this one.
Huge King fan...neither of your picks would be mine: i definitely cede the top spot to 'Salems Lot and, if narrowing down to just horror, would put The Mist next.
Btw.....Ghost Story is a must...
I would have reversed positions on the two Stephen King books, IMO. For me, The Shining was a book where you can't put it down, you have to keep turning the pages to try to save that little boy. Pet Sematary, OTOH, was so obvious to me from the set up that King was going to rip your heart out over that little boy and then nothing good would happen from there. I dreaded turning each page of PS, whereas, in Shining I started it at 5PM, at 7 PM I got up and locked all the doors and windows, at 9 PM I turned on every light in the house and read the book until I finished. I had no problem laying PS down and coming back later.
"The Shining" the bok is about a man who loves his son but turns into a monster who wants to killhim. "The Shining" the movie is about a man who secretly HATES his wife and son and then is given a Byrne a push but a nudge---to do WHAT HE HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO DO.
Stephen King based the character of Jack Torrance ion himself, so it's no wonder that he was greatly offended by Stanley Kubrick's interpretation.
Pet Cemetery is my 2nd scariest book. Amityville Horror was my first. It is so creepy I removed it from my house after both times I read it. I saw the Lutz husband, wife and their priest interviewed. I believe them. The Shining is the 3rd.
The Exorcist is one of my favorite books ever, and I actually love WPB's writing style. It's one of the things that made it such an enjoyable read for me. 🤷
Dracula- Bram Stoker and Frankenstein -Mary Shelly. If you haven't read them you're missing out.
Great voice, presentation, tempo 👏 well done.
I know I’m very late to the party but “Paradise 1” by David Wellington has lived in the dark reaches of my mind ever since I read it. For any fans of space horror, you won’t regret it.
This is on my list!!
The exorcist is one of the few books that made me cry, not out of sadness, but out of fear. Not fear of the devil, not fear for myself, but fear for little Regan and her mother.
Vampires are supposed to be scary.I hate when scary books or films are cleaned up and have all the horror taken out.Read something else if you can't handle it.
I recommend the 6-book Adversary Cycle series (of which includes 'The Keep') by F. Paul Wilson. And also, the Blood Brothers trilogy by Brian Lumley.
The Keep. Great book. He's got a lot more
I feel you with the second guessing your horror choices.
For example my favorite book of all time is “From The Corner of his Eye” by Dean Koontz.
The book often leans into horror but is 100% a suspense thriller.
But top 10:
1: Twilight Eyes; Dean Koontz
2: Demonata book one Lord Loss; Darren Shan
3: Cirque Du Freak book 4; Darren Shan
4: Tommyknockers; Stephen King
5: IT; Stephen King
6: By the Light of the Moon; Dean Koontz
7: Odd Thomas; Dean Koontz
8: Intensity; Dean Koontz
9 Gil’s All Fright Diner; A. Lee Martinez
10: Dead Living; Glenn Bullion
The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein; Salem's Lot by Stephen King; and The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft. Also, The Books of Blood by Clive Barker. Frankenstein by Mary Shelly.
People who write and study cosmic horror agree with Lovecraft’s enthusiasm for The King in Yellow. Yes, it’s horror.
Repairer of reputations, with the voluntary euthanasia boothe...*shudders *
'Metro 2033' and 'Uzumaki' now in my cart. For something completely different, I picked up a Japanese horror book called 'In the Miso Soup.'
Intensity by Dean Koontz. I had trouble reading this one. It is incredibly intense & yes, has the most apt name for the book! I'm extremely happy to see Swansong by Robert McCammon on here.. it's one of my favorites! I'd also like to add "The Tommyknockers" by Stephen King. I do not like his newer works but do enjoy his earlier work. The list you have here is really great works!❤🔥
Recommended, Koushun Takami's "Battle Royale."
Yup, I read Pet Cemetery when it first came out, so no movie to know the plot. I was a teenager so not even a parent and when it got ‘to that’ scene, I was so gutted I had to put the book down and walk away from it for a week before I could pick it back up. It’s one of the only books that’s ever done that to me.
@23:50 for me the best writing of the whole book was when they were outside the house and the father gets let on to the secret ladders the boys had made within the ivy. When his father tells him that the son will pull the rungs out of the wall on his own one day so he shouldn’t worry about him (the father) pulling them out-chefs kiss. What an amazing way of showing what growing up and out of boy-hood is
We have some really similar tastes. So glad to see uzimaki and something wicked this way comes show up on the list. When I was watching and saw the shining come up instead of pet Semetary I was like "well ok I get it but..." course then it's at the top. God that book messed with me because the fear of losing a child and the feeling of grief is so freaking real.
Pet semetary nails down so many different elements of horror. So happy to see so many people that agree with it being at least in the conversation of goat. King has more than a few that could be on this list and nobody could argue. But if SOME part of pet semetary doesn't scare you, you're a certified psychopath. Im with you on the not really getting scared of movies or books. Turn off all the lights but a reading lamp, and read just the sequence where dr creed is trekking to the burial ground with gage. Truly terrifying. Great list
The King in Yellow really isn't a horror book. It's more weird fiction, but it did influence the best horror writer of the 20th century, HP Lovecraft.
Looking for some good Clive Barker horror. I humbly suggest The Great and Secret Show. It's my favorite. Although you are right about The Damnation Game. It's damn near perfect.
That's my favorite, too. It would make for a great miniseries.
So excited to see Uzumaki on your list! Everything by Junji Ito is absolute gold! Another manga you may enjoy is "Blood on the Tracks" by Shūzō Oshimi. Not really a horror but it is a very fascinating story.
Some other horror book I loved that you may enjoy: "Another" by Yukito Ayatsuji. "Suicide Forest" "The Catacombs" or "The Sleep Experiment" by Jeremy Bates. "Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson. Not sure I'd call this one a horror story exactly either but "Battle Royale" by Koushun Takami is absolutely brilliant. Happy reading!
You surmised my thoughts on the Shining so perfectly! It is the book about the dad for me too.