The shining by stephen king has far and away been the scariest book ive ever read. But more than any of that, it is a literally labyrinthine reading experience all centering around the central conceit of a house that is vastly larger on the inside than it appears from the outside. Amazon mark danielewski put an intriguing twist on the haunted house genre with his novel house of leaves. Taken from flavorwire, this is a list of the 50 scariest books fiction and nonfiction of all time. Hey, is it just me, or is american horror story roanoke episodes 15 a mega rip off of this. The hot weather has had us in the mood for chilling thrills, so in our latest reader poll, we asked about the scariest books youve ever read. The book in your hands and the navison house it describes are. What makes the book so deeply unsettling is the impeccable expertise with which waters blurs the line between everyday reality and the encroaching supernatural. The author uses brilliant plays on text format, color, and an extensive amount of. Mar 24, 2017 house of leaves was recommended to me by a friend and i have to say, this book is incredible.
Pet sematary is one of the scariest books of all time and perhaps the creepiest novel stephen king has ever written. Theyre so much creepier than the movies because you cant chalk the most horrifying moments up to. Years ago, when house of leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the internet. House of leaves was a hugely successful novel that impacted readers and writers alike. I suggest house of leaves house of leaves without spoiling the plot, there are three nested stories, of which the core is about the finding of a set of documents and videos about a house that becomes slightly longer on the inside than the outs. What are the most frightening books youve ever read. The best horror books of all time penguin random house. I love horror, be it movies or literature, but not much actually scares me. Best scariest horror books of all time cosmopolitan.
House of leaves author mark danielewski on five books that. When i was a teenager, i read the amityville horror and it scared the you know what out of me, but i loved it. Any hope or fear that the experimental novel was an aberration of the twentieth century is dashed by the appearance of mark z. All you people who mentioned house of leaves in a recent horror books that are genuinely scary thread. I am a huge horror fan and could read the scariest books of this genre at any time, even the middle of the night. But the exorcist terrified me in a way no other book has. I would love to hear your opinions of the scariest book ever so i can check a few of them out. So im really looking for encouragement and a drop of subjective truth how scary is it. The washington post book world an intricate, erudite, and deeply frightening book.
Danielewski there is no other book like house of leaves, full stop. Danielewski encompasses many genres postmodernism, romance, satire but my personal catagorisation would be horror. The best for me so far at creating a sustained creeped out mood, lasting for several days after reading the book, was house of leaves, and nothing gory or awful really ever happens, you just think continuing to read the book is going to bring dread into your life. Danielewski is the progenitor of what i hope will be an entire movement. Danielewski put simply, house of leaves is one of the most frightening books ever written. Beginning with a premise that is subtly creepya chronicle of house just slightly larger on the inside than the outsidedanielewski manages to replicate the feeling of going insane, playing with every aspect of the form of the novel readers have.
An academic analysis of house of leaves by mark danielewski this book, written in 2000, makes it onto many notable must read horror lists 1 publishers weekly reading scared, 2010, list of scariest novels 2015, guardians holy shit, did i just read that. The 10 scariest books of all time read at your own risk. House of leaves author mark danielewski on five books that are disturbing but beautiful. There is nothing quite like sitting down to read one of the scariest books on the planet. And this novel shows you what happens when the brilliant neil gaiman sets out to write a childrens book. Oct 12, 2018 the house of leaves by mark danielewski. The scariest book ive ever read the one that made me lose sleep and hide under the covers crying for dawn was actually a collection.
House of leaves is famous for having a bizarre layout, some pages containing only a few words and others with zigzagging, mazelike paragraphs. And if they get to be a little too much, just do what i do. Many of them have been made into movies, but the books are undoubtedly creepier. I thought this book was fascinating, psychologically insightful and disturbing, and written in a fantastically innovative way. There is no scientific proof with which to bolster our claims. Danielewskis house of leaves is quite possibly the scariest book i have ever read. Its proof that the scariest creatures in fiction are not. A perennial favorite on rhorrorlit, house of leaves is an innovative horror novel that uses multiple narrators and experimental prose including footnotesand even footnotes within footnotes to disorient the reader and mirror the frightening happenings occurring on the page. Mar 01, 2016 house of leaves was a hugely successful novel that impacted readers and writers alike. These forms of lists are comprised of books that leave a burning trail of fear in our hearts. Sep 22, 2017 21 scary books that are more terrifying than any horror movie.
House of leaves was recommended to me by a friend and i have to say, this book is incredible. No book had ever scared me before it, and im 25 and i average 23 books a week. But, as readers, we love the sensation of being scaredit is adrenalineinducing and addictive. The book is somewhat beautiful in that regard, as it was written at a time. I love scary stories and movies, but many are forgettable. Its true that house of leaves could certainly be a love story. Jesus tity fucking christ that scared the shit outa me. Jun 25, 2018 although billed mostly as a science fiction book, never let me go cultivates such an air of paranoia and impending doom that it has to be listed as one of the scariest psychological horror books. While some have attempted to describe the book as a horror story, many readers, as well as the author, define the book as a love story. If you like suspense, horror, and having nightmares about books im serious, then this one is for you. From a fairly standard horror premise a house is revealed to be slightly larger on the inside than is strictly possible danielewski spins out a dizzying tale involving multiple unreliable narrators, typographic mysteries, and looping footnotes that manage to drag the reader. If you are someone who loves a good haunted house story then this is guaranteed to be a scary read.
Danielewskis house of leaves, the first major experimental novel of the new millennium. So when i saw the house at the top of more than one list of the scariest modern horror lists i figured id finally give it a go. Spin this demonically brilliant book is impossible to ignore, put down, or persuasively conclude reading. Beginning with a premise that is subtly creepya chronicle of house just slightly larger. Jul 25, 2014 the scariest books horror authors have ever read.
Not only is this book a mindblowing haunted house story, its also the only one on this list to actually give the reader the feeling of claustrophobia via. Feb 26, 2017 but if you enjoy reading an adrenalineinducing tale of pure terror, our list of the 10 scariest books of all time will give you the right dosage. Apr 08, 2019 the scariest book ive ever read it depends on what one finds scary, dont you think. A bestseller, it has been translated into a number of languages, and is followed by a companion piece, the whalestoe letters.
The only book that doesnt apply to that is house of leaves. I love scary booksmovies, but rarely find ones that actually scare me. Danielewskis house of leaves has a reputation for being a novel thats both difficult and terrifying. Horror comes in many forms but when it is on the page it is truly the scariest king. The scariest book ive ever read it depends on what one finds scary, dont you think. You might mistake the woman who just wants your extra chair as your book s monster. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. House of leaves gave me such awful nightmares the entire time i was reading it. Its been probably nearly 40 years since i read this book and im still terrified. This book is super high up on my list of best horror books in terms of creativity, slow burn terror, and ideas that have haunted. Hands down without a doubt absofuckinlutely gotta be house of leaves by danielewski. Here are the 10 scariest books riot readers have read. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book. This book contains perhaps the scariest idea of all time.
The last book i can remember reading that legitimately scared me, or at the least creeped me out, was probably the goosebumps series from r. You might mistake the woman who just wants your extra chair as your books monster. Cambridge scholars publishing, cambridge 2012, isbn 1443841463. Pet sematary is one of the scariest books of all time and perhaps the. One night i was staying at my parents house and i woke up so terrified i couldnt catch my breath, i cried, and i almost got in bed with my mum.
Danielewski once said in an interview that a woman came up to him in a bookstore and said, you know, everyone told me it was a horror book, but when i finished it, i realized it was a love story. Super creepy book that you cant get on kindle years ago, when house of leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the internet. Flavorwires 50 scariest books of all time show list info. House of leaves is the debut novel by american author mark z. But if you ask me, the scariest thing in the whole wide world is a horror book. When a family realizes their house is bigger inside than it is outside, it leads them to another world that is tauntingly horrifying. Imagine being a clone, being told that youre a replica, that your organs are meant to be harvested for those who actually have souls. Its worth noting, as you will see in this best horror book guide, the genre isnt just about ghosts and ghouls but can take.
It grows darker with every turn of the page and it slowly. If you like suspense, horror, and having nightmares about books. Heres a spoilerfree rundown of what to expect if you read it. This book is super high up on my list of best horror books in terms of creativity, slow burn terror, and. If you are planning to read one scary book this year, make it house of leaves by mark z. Danielewski, published in march 2000 by pantheon books. Years ago, when house of leaves was first being passed around. I was so scared by this book that i couldnt read it at night. Recommend a scary book i started getting into horror films lately and being a some what avid reader i was curious to see how a horror book would work. Amazon mark danielewski put an intriguing twist on the hauntedhouse genre with his novel house of leaves. Its the simplest, most mundane things that gradually become the most terrifying. The 12 scariest books of all time, according to horror. So i wasnt surprised to see on bookblog someone asking how to read it.
House of leaves by mark danielewski 78 the haunting of hill house. House of leaves is claustrophobic, unnerving, and entirely original. If youre in the mood for a fright, here are some of the scariest books ever written. All you people who mentioned house of leaves in a recent horror. Mar 30, 2020 there is nothing quite like sitting down to read one of the scariest books on the planet. Isolating the 10 scariest novels of all time is essentially impossible. That book is the definition of dread, and it will keep you on your toes trying to figure out whats actually happening. Although billed mostly as a science fiction book, never let me go cultivates such an air of paranoia and impending doom that it has to be listed as one of the scariest psychological horror books. But if you enjoy reading an adrenalineinducing tale of pure terror, our list of the 10 scariest books of all time will give you the right dosage. Theyre so much creepier than the movies because you cant chalk the most horrifying moments up to special effects. Oct 07, 2016 40 scariest books of the last 200 years. The navidson record becomes a verite horror film as will and his friends try to explore the anomalous space, which rearranges itself periodically. House of leaves npr coverage of house of leaves by mark z. Borges once explained in an interview that he often had ideas for esoteric books, which, however, he.