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48 Books That Scared the Bejesus Out of Readers

"A good scare can be good fun, especially when you're curled up with an extremely creepy horror novel and you're just daring yourself to turn that next page!
We wanted to take it a step further. So we asked our fellow readers, "What's the most terrifying horror novel you've ever read?" You responded (see the threads on Twitter and Facebook) with some blood-chilling reading, including some true crime that you say was more frightening than fiction."
607 users · 2,470 views
 
from goodreads.com · made by AnnaBoots
avg. score: 7 of 48 (15%)
required scores: 1, 3, 4, 7, 10 
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How many have you read?

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The Troop (Nick Cutter)
The Troop
1
Nick Cutter
Ghost Story (Peter Straub)
Ghost Story
2
Peter Straub
House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski)
House of Leaves
3
Mark Z. Danielewski
Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)
Haunting of Hill House
4
Shirley Jackson
The Cask of Amontillado (Edgar Allan Poe)
The Cask of Amontillado
5
Edgar Allan Poe
Dracula (Bram Stoker)
Dracula
6
Bram Stoker
The Shining (Stephen King)
The Shining
7
Stephen King
Carrion Comfort (Dan Simmons)
Carrion Comfort
8
Dan Simmons
A Head Full of Ghosts (Paul Tremblay)
A Head Full of Ghosts
9
Paul Tremblay
The Exorcist (William Peter Blatty)
The Exorcist
10
William Peter Blatty
The Amityville Horror (Jay Anson)
The Amityville Horror
11
Jay Anson
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
12
Salem's Lot (Stephen King)
Salem's Lot
13
Stephen King
The Ruins (Scott Smith)
The Ruins
14
Scott Smith
The Hellbound Heart (Clive Barker)
The Hellbound Heart
15
Clive Barker
Hell House (Richard Matheson)
Hell House
16
Richard Matheson
Fever Dream (Samanta Schweblin)
Fever Dream
17
Samanta Schweblin
Misery (Stephen King)
Misery
18
Stephen King
Full Throttle (Joe Hill)
Full Throttle
19
Joe Hill
Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury)
Something Wicked This Way Comes
20
Ray Bradbury
The Horla and Others: Guy De Maupassant's Best Weird Fiction and Ghost Stories: Tales of Mystery, Mu (Guy De Maupassant)
The Horla and Others: Guy De Maupassant's Best Weird Fiction and Ghost Stories: Tales of Mystery, Mu
21
Guy De Maupassant
The Woman in Black (Susan Hill)
The Woman in Black
22
Susan Hill
The Fisherman (John Langan)
The Fisherman
23
John Langan
Watchers (Dean Koontz)
Watchers
24
Dean Koontz
In Cold Blood (Truman Capote)
In Cold Blood
25
Truman Capote
The Girl Next Door (Jack Ketchum)
The Girl Next Door
26
Jack Ketchum
Zodiac (Robert Graysmith)
Zodiac
27
Robert Graysmith
The Terror (Dan Simmons)
The Terror
28
Dan Simmons
The Deep (Nick Cutter)
The Deep
29
Nick Cutter
The Silent Companions (Laura Purcell)
The Silent Companions
30
Laura Purcell
What the Hell Did I Just Read (David Wong)
What the Hell Did I Just Read
31
David Wong
Exquisite Corpse (Poppy Z. Brite)
Exquisite Corpse
32
Poppy Z. Brite
Experimental Film (Gemma Files)
Experimental Film
33
Gemma Files
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (Iain Reid)
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
34
Iain Reid
Naomi's Room, by Jonathan Aycliffe
Naomi's Room, by Jonathan Aycliffe
35
Dark Matter (Michelle Paver)
Dark Matter
36
Michelle Paver
Imaginary Friend (Stephen Chbosky)
Imaginary Friend
37
Stephen Chbosky
Into the Drowning Deep (Mira Grant)
Into the Drowning Deep
38
Mira Grant
Ring (Koji Suzuki)
Ring
39
Koji Suzuki
The House on the Borderland (William Hope Hodgson)
The House on the Borderland
40
William Hope Hodgson
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