7 Books That Scared the Crap Out of Me

Since this is the month for scary, let’s take a look at seven books that scared me more than any others.

#7 — The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

It’s been nearly 50 years since I read this story, and just the mention of the name sends a chill up my spine. Some say this is “the most terrifying book ever written.” I don't know if I would go that far, but it did scare the crap out of me. What’s more, it was as controversial as it was scary.

If you are unfamiliar with the story, 11-year-old Regan is possessed, and it is up to a Catholic priest, Damien Karras, and her mother to save her.

Karras is tortured by the recent death of his mother and blames himself. His faith is shaken, and he fears losing this young girl to the devil who calls himself Captain Howdy. This book will scare the crap out of you because it is loaded with spellbinding terror.

It was a New York Times Bestseller for 57 weeks and spent 17 weeks in a row at #1.

What's more, this was one of the best film adaptations of a horror story I ever saw.

#6 — Rosemary’s Baby — Ira Levin

Rosemary’s Baby is another classic horror story.

When Rosemary and her husband Guy Woodhouse move into an old NYC apartment building, the Bramford, they are befriended by the Castavets. The latter take a “special interest” in her welfare.

When Guy lands a starring role on Broadway, she becomes more isolated and worried about the attention of the Castavets. Before this new role, he had wanted to wait to have children, now he suddenly agrees.

“That night, she dreams of a rough sexual encounter with a huge, inhuman creature with yellow eyes. Rosemary finds claw marks on her breasts and groin the following morning, which Guy dismisses as the results of a hangnail. She subsequently learns that she is pregnant.”

Guess what? This was Ira Levin’s second novel, so if you think you have to be a wildly successful author like Stephen King, Dean Koontz, or Ray Bradbury to hit the big time, think again. Just sit down there at the keyboard and get your idea on paper. But read this first. It might give you some ideas about how to write that horror story.

#5 — Watchers by Dean Koontz

Watchers has an unbelievably horrifying plot.

Even after reading it several times, my heart still pounds from one frightening scene to another. Basing your decision to read Watchers or not based on any of the three movies loosely based on the book would be a mistake. None of those movies even come close to the absolutely terrifying and wonderful story in the book.

This is definitely one of the most enjoyable horror stories I ever read, even though it scared the dog poo out of me. Einstein or “Fur face” is undoubtedly the most adorable dog to star in a fictional book.

Although scary, the story is one of the most delightful, mesmerizing, touching, and profound books I have had the pleasure of reading, not just once, as I have already mentioned.

I am not going into the story because there is no way I could do it justice — just read it!

#4 — The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Many writers have said the first paragraph of the book is the best introduction to a horror story ever written. You be the judge.

“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more."

Four curiosity seekers, including Luke, who is set to inherit the house, Dr. Montague, looking for an actual ghost sighting, Theodora, his upbeat and lighthearted assistant; and Eleanor, who has previous experience with poltergeists.

Although this book has been around almost as long as I have, for some reason, I hadn’t read it until after I saw the movie. The book is, of course, much more unsettling.

“The greatest haunted house story ever written. The inspiration for a 10-part Netflix series directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, and Timothy Hutton.”

#3 — Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry

The true story of the Manson murders. One of the things that makes this story so terrifying is that it really happened, at least what they could put together from the participant’s testimony and trial transcripts.

And, after all, isn’t real life the largest, the craziest, and the scariest story imaginable?

This book includes interviews with Manson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins, and other self-proclaimed Manson family murderous members.

First published in 1974, it has sold more than 7 million copies, making Helter Skelter the best-selling crime story ever. It also won the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime in 1975.

If you love true crime stories and have not read this, you owe it to yourself.

#2 — Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

My daughter recommended that I read this book. So, I went to Amazon to look for it and found that Stephen King and George R. R. Martin recommended it too, saying it was “well-written and creepy.” As much as I love those three people and horror, I had to read it!

Hex is set in upstate New York, close to West Point, in Black Spring. The town is haunted by a witch or the ghost of a witch, to be more succinct, the “Black Rock Witch.” She was executed in 1661 and has been haunting the town ever since.

The townsfolks sewed her mouth and eyes shut so that she couldn’t give them the evil eye or cast a spell on them. The thing is, they jump right into it. This witch is walking around town like she owns the place, and the people are like, oh well, life goes on. I was like, oh heck no, why don’t they move?

Almost in answer to my question, the main protagonist’s family’s mom and dad talk about a vacation they took to Thailand and feeling suicidal within days. So, it’s like once you settle in there, you are hooked. It turns out the entire town is sworn to keep the witch a secret by the powers that be at the “Point.”

Things really heat up when a few town teens decide they need to do something to have a future. Leaving town to go to college or get a job is out of the question.

“Whoever is born here is doomed to stay ’til death. Whoever settles, never leaves.”

#1 — The Shining by Stephen King

Some have said I should have included Pet Semetary, and whereas I agree that was a scary book, if I included every King book that was scary, he would dominate my list.

The Shining was a masterpiece in modern horror. Nobody sets the trap as well as King. Jack Torrance, a recovering alcoholic, gets a job as a caretaker at the Overlook Hotel in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

He moves his family there, figuring this will be an excellent opportunity to rebuild the family bonds, to get some writing done, and it just might be his last opportunity to put the booze behind him.

Yet, as winter sets in, his son Danny starts noticing they are not alone in the Overlook. Danny has the “shining.” The shining gives Danny the ability to see the Overlook’s murderous history, which started when it was built on Native burial grounds.

Are there actual ghosts in this old hotel? Is Jack’s craziness just a bad case of cabin fever? If they could escape into the snowy mountains, where would they go?

It’s so easy to see why many King fans consider this book as their favorite. It has all the classic “haunted house” elements in a big freaking hotel in the mountains with a family locked in until spring. What could go wrong?

Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Also, a Top Writer in Nutrition, Travel, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, and Short Story.

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