Any book by Clemens P. Suter.
this post was submitted on 07 May 2026
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The book that scared me the most was not actually a horror book. It's a sci-fi novel, The Snail on the Slope, by Strugatsky brothers.
The repetitive dialogue is what a lot of people seem to hate about it, but that's exactly what set the existential dread in me as I was reading it. Just wandering through life half-asleep, going through the motions in a brain fog.. brrr
The Fisherman by John Langan
I really enjoyed Mexican Gothic, way more than I thought I would. It wasn't mind blowing, but the prose was really solid and I enjoyed the characters and plot.
Thank you for the rec! Adding it to the TBR
I liked the books that inspired The Ring movie Not really the genre you asked but something from Clive Barker could be different from the usual
You're the second person to recommend Barker- I'll definitely check out their stuff. Thank you!
in 3 words: gore poop and cum (half joking)
Duma Key by Stephen King is good. I saw it on a patient's shelf once and commented that I loved it and he said "it scared the shit out of me". It takes a bit to get into the horror part of it, but it's worth the ride.
It got really bad reviews, but one of my favorite King books is Lisey's Story.
I still have flashbacks to King's Salem's Lot, even though I only read the book and didn't watch the movie.
Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House is also a good one.
Clive Barker. The Books of Blood are short stories and lean harder into straight up horror than his novels, which blend a little into dark/urban fantasy stuff. Still great, but depends on if you like that. Obviously Hellraiser is an awesome book, but hard to go in blind to that one. Quick read, though.
Thank you for this. Sometimes short stories leave more to the imagination and tend to scare more than something that's overly explained, if that makes sense? Can't wait to get these at the library
I think you might like Dean Koontz. I haven't read him in years, but I remember Phantoms being pretty good.
False memory too, very much a psychological horror
Thank you! I've read some of his action/thriller types, but that was years ago so I don't remember much. I'll give this one a try!
If you’re intro Star Wars, there’s Red Harvest and Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber.
Other than movie marathons, I haven't engaged with anything Star Wars. You've piqued my curiosity with this suggestion-thank you!
Does a good job of holding up on its own characters. Iirc some of the main “cast” make a cameo in each, but it’s not centered on anyone you would know.
It’s a shlop and I love it, has some pretty corny lines, the guy even has a taken reference;
Tap for spoiler
Listen to me, Trace told him. I don't know who you are, but I am in possession of a very special set of skills. If you bring my sister back right now, unharmed, then I'll let you go. But if you don't, I promise you, I will track you down. I will find you. And I will make you pay.
Right now it's reality. Oh, you said favorite horror.
How about The Tommyknockers by Stephen King? Underrated in my opinion.
Exactly. I need fake horror to distract from real life horror, if you get what I mean
- The Stand
- The Girl With All the Gifts
- Infected by Scott Sigler
Love this list, I have read the first two but not Infected. Thanks for the recs!
Infected is a cool book and the first of a trilogy.
The main character is a super star College Football who gets this odd triangular bump on his leg and things go from there. I think I am going to re-read now!
Cycle of the Werewolf - Stephen King
Cujo- Stephen King
The Music of Erich Zann - HP Lovecraft
Thank you for the recommendations! Which of these is your favorite? I'll start on that one first
Music of Erich Zann is a short story, like basically everything of Lovecraft's. It is tied for favorite with Cycle of the Werewolf, which by Stephen King standards is also a short story, I think it is under 200 pages. It is also illustrated, as it was originally a calendar. The artist approached Stephen and asked for a blurb about each month's illustration. Instead King wrote a book.
Cujo is great because it is a horror with no magic, no supernatural, just woman vs nature. To me that is far more scary, as it could happen to you or me today. It is also the longest of the 3 works.
I recommend James Herbert's books. There are quite a few standalones but if you're ok with a trilogy I'd start with The Rats, Lair and Domain (The Rats being his first book).
Thank you for your recs! I haven't read anything by James Herbert (or if I did I don't remember)
I mean, there are so many kind of horrors.
The most obvious pick would be Stephen King: his best-sellers are so for a good reason: they're good. Maybe consider Bags of bones, or his classics: Carrie, The Plague, It,... I mean is much longer Dark Tower (not really horror, imho) is something I would love to not have read already... so I would be able to read it for the first time one more time ;)
Haunted house story: like King, I consider the Shirley Jackson 'The Haunting of Hill House' a masterpiece. In French, Jean Ray 'Malpertuis' (sorry I've not read any English translation). I think I prefer Jan Ray but being French myself I may be biased, here, and I still love Jackson's novel.
Another classic in his own kind: Edgard Allan Poe. I mean, come on :)
Edit: as suggested already: +1 for Clive Barker short stories.
Since you've be careful enough to put limits on what you're looking for, I won't mention the real 'horrifying' horror writers I can think of, but be aware horror stories do not end to best-sellers nor to classics.
Among the most... intense, there a few writers that come to mind whose names I will never publicly suggest to anyone, even though they're wonderful craftsmen, like really... but they can also be deeply and utterly disturbing which, in our age filled with angry self-appointed vigilante always on the lookout for someone they don't like to lynch, is something I would never want to happen to them. But they're there, alive and writing masterpieces, some of which will undoubtedly become tomorrow's classics... if there is anyone left to read books, that is.
To your last paragraph, tender is the flesh is that book/author for me. I love horror to distract from real life horror, but Tender is the Flesh was fleshed out (lol at the pun) like a normal next step in a world with limited resources. It should be a cautionary tale, but I can see how close we are to the logic already. Thanks for the French rec, even if the translation is meh, I try to enjoy different cultures' "boogymen", so I'll give it a go!
Thanks for the French rec, even if the translation is meh, I try to enjoy different cultures’ “boogymen”, so I’ll give it a go!
The pleasure is mine, I wish more people would read that way :)
I could not tell if the translation is meh as I only read in French.
kudos to you if you got through that one
Cheers!
One with a somewhat similar theme that you are more likely to get through is Under the Skin as its more sci fi than horror, but still pretty creepy
Thank you for the rec! I'm heading to the library this week, can't wait to give this one a try
Hope you like it, I think you will. I forgot to include the author and year, it's Michel Faber, 2000