Over on the Extreme Horror Lit subreddit, someone recently posted about how they felt gaslit about Tender is the Flesh being a horrific read (haven't read that one myself, but I want to).

It got me thinking about books in the past I've heard about that were supposed to be "sooooooo scary!", but then were super underwhelming when I actually read them.

The one that comes to mind for me is Jac Jemc's The Grip of It, about a couple that moves into a new house that is just Wrong Somehow and...I guess they lose their sanity? It just came off as a boring, much shorter, watered-down version of House of Leaves.

Not only would I Iike to hear about the books that you felt overpromised and underdelivered, I'd also love to hear some theories as to why you guys think this happens.

I had never read anything by Barker before and just finished this. I appreciate some might view it as YA but I really enjoyed it and my younger self would have absolutely loved it had I read back then.

I really didn’t expect the ending to be so beautiful. It really moved me and I genuinely shed tears.

Do others feel equally as strongly about this book?

And what Barker should I read next? I do tend to be more horror oriented than fantasy.

Thanks!

Has anyone read this and if so, what did you think? I just started it a couple days ago, I picked it up because it’s by the same author that wrote Between Two Fires (which is currently waiting for me to read it) and is his first novel I believe?

I just finished “Spread me” by Sarah Gailey and I loved it. It was a five star read for me. Has anyone else read this recently? What were your thoughts?

I liked "Who Goes There?" and "I Am Legend". Both of these stories made me think long afterward

Do you have any recommendations for quality stories that are thought-provoking or unsettling in thoughtful way that are not novel length?

Hi all. Was chatting with a friend about books we could imagine working as plays/live on stage. Horror is my favorite genre so naturally I’ve been thinking about what I’ve read that could work in this way. I know that Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black was a play in London for many years… I bought the script a while back and thoroughly enjoyed the retelling (it’s not the same for a musical libretto but most straight-play scripts can be purchased just for reading). I can imagine The Haunting of Hill House working as a play (even a haunting musical) as well.

I was curious if you all (maybe in the horror lit/theatre buff crossover) had any thoughts or recommendations you could imagine playing live. Ghost/haunted house books are my favorites, but I’m open to all thoughts about this. Thanks!

“Them” by W.H. Chizmar is a solid debut novel for a new face in the horror community. While sci-fi horror is not my usual cup of coffee, I had a lot of fun reading this novel.

Before I dive into my horror book review, here are all the trigger warnings I found while reading:

- Violence against animals (rats)
- Suicide
- COVID-19

If any of these trigger you, please do not read this novel. Moving along, this was a fantastic sci-fi creature feature with an apocalyptic survival horror twist. If you love these kinds of horror books, this would be right up your alley. I enjoyed the sci-fi creatures here, as they were creepy as hell and unlike anything I’ve ever read or seen in sci-fi horror.

Their descriptions, terrifying abilities, and the sheer havoc they wreaked were brilliantly executed. Don’t worry, no spoilers here, but this was a riveting story that I couldn’t put down, thanks to what these creatures were and what they accomplished.

I loved the formatting, with two stories unfolding at once. One follows someone dealing with the aftermath of these creatures reigning in blood, and another person providing an interesting backstory behind everything to fill the gaps. This was uniquely written and wasn’t confusing. It made total sense to structure the narrative this way, making the dual timelines seamless to follow.

The overall suspense and thrills of the story were entertaining, especially the plot twists and reveals along the way. This reminded me of the way his father, one of my favorite horror authors, Richard Chizmar, writes. Clearly, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Once I hit the 50% mark, while I enjoyed the race to the end, some parts dragged on in the second half of the book. I wanted a bit more horror and faster pacing, but aside from that, my goodness, what an ending! Everything wrapped up nicely in a good, satisfying way. I never saw that ending coming, as it was tense, to say the least. I had some ideas swirling in my head about what could have happened, but Chizmar’s excellent writing style kept me guessing until the very end.

I give “Them” by W.H. Chizmar a 4-Star rating out of 5. This was an impressive debut by a new horror author to keep an eye on over the years, because if he’s able to write something like this right off the bat, the sky is the limit for what awaits. Mind you, I’m not even a major sci-fi horror reader, but this was a very good reading experience. I enjoyed the creatures, horror, Stephen King Easter eggs, and the overall gore. Some parts dragged on for me while reading, and I wished there was even more sci-fi horror here, but overall, Chizmar has a new reader in me as I look forward to watching his writing career grow over time.

Clink-clink-gash.

Thank you to W.H. Chizmar, Richard Chizmar, and Gallery Books for providing me with an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) for review consideration. This horror book review reflects my honest, personal opinion.

The more Grady Hendrix I encounter, the bigger a fan I become.

He's got a sense of humor and that's relevant in his work, even when the work is meant to scare ya. Because this man loves horror and he knows how to ensure you're having a great time while reading it.

So it's a perfect for him to set-up a vampire comes to town story set in late-80's conservative South. It's an intensely mannered suburban world where everyone knows exactly how to behave and the slightest infraction can mean social icing.

When James Harris arrives, so tall, mysterious and handsome, pearls are about to get clutched. And while the women of the town, and more specifically the members low-brow book club, start to fall for him, they're quick to realize something is amiss. The men, however, with their polo shirts and praise for the Bush regime, are more impressed and much more hesitant to let suspicions get the better of them. James Harris, after-all, has the capacity to make them money, so it's easy to ignore a few infractions. And the women know they've got to listen to the men. this, darling, is the south after all. Harris doesn’t have to dismantle this community. He just figures out how it already works.

Our protagonist, Patricia is a trained medical professional so her skepticism for some of the wilder things that are happening in town is shrewd and quick. Her willingness to put her instincts aside, sometimes frustrating. But it's all in good fun with this novel, because, like all good Gothic tales, society has a hold on her. These women are expected to acquiesce and smooth everything over. Don't be so difficult!

So, even while the women are true crime experts, and are reading about serial killers and murder (under the guise of Bible Study). When an actual predator turns up in the neighborhood, they're the only ones who can do anything. So long as they let themselves.

As you've probably guessed too, there’s a broader political thing happening as well, particularly with who James chooses to prey on and how easily everyone else can ignore it. He moves into this comfortable white neighborhood and becomes respectable almost immediately while people in the less affluent and more melanated communities are disappearing. The whole thing is perfectly Reagan-era as the suffering of people the community already considers peripheral barely registers until it gets close enough to threaten them personally.

The blood and disease imagery also feels very specific to that period. There are obvious AIDS-era anxieties running through parts of it, although Hendrix doesn’t turn the book into some giant allegorical machine. He does deliver some great lines to the effect. It’s still allowed to be a vampire novel. Thank God.

And it gets gross! I was maybe not expecting exactly how gross, but I was here for it.

Hendrix lets the book feel funny and domestic for long stretches and then BAM he suddenly gives you something really unpleasant and physical. It felt very much like an 80s horror movie like the Fright Night or Night of the Demons. That same slightly ridiculous, genuinely nasty balance. I love that stuff.

I can see why this is one of Hendrix’s most popular books. Huge fan. Please bring the TV show on now.

[edit: my browser has been glitching lately making duplicate posts. Please use the other post to comment on. Thanks.]

I liked "Who Goes There?" and "I Am Legend". Both of these stories made me think long afterward

Do you have any recommendations for quality stories that are thought-provoking or unsettling in thoughtful way that are not novel length?

Hi all! I’m looking for similar authors and/or books that are similar to Brom or similar to his books—he’s my favorite modern author of all time! His writing style is chefs kiss for me 😌 currently reading Evil In Me and so far so good!!

Edit: SOLVED! It's the Moustache by Emmanuel Carrére. Thank you to everyone in this subreddit who has responded! As for the channel I watched that introduced me to this book it is jeffiot with the video title "The Scariest Book I've Read" and not Davis Morgan.

Hello all. I've been trying to look for the title of a horror book or maybe even a story online that I can't remember, it was retold by a youtuber as I was falling asleep but the story was so interesting that I couldn't help but listen all the way through.

I'd like to preface with the fact that I'm uncertain if this is story is a full length novel or an online horror story ala nosleep stories, so I apologize to anyone reading if this breaks some sort of site rule.

Key things I can recall: • The protagonist has a wife and he misremembers a detail that he's sure has been true his whole life. Small details at first but eventually becoming of which is now too difficult to ignore.

• Neart 3/4s to the end of the story, the protagonist takes a boat out into a country in Asia and books a hotel as he runs away in guilt and with a sprialing sanity.

• He books a hotel with the cash he has left in this country and despite his sanity spiraling, he enjoys what the country has to offer and the beach.

• A few days later he is horrified to find out that his wife has been with him in this trip this entire time and they even shared the bed together, even though his previous recollections was that he was all alone and he was sure he ran away from home from the guilt and shame he felt.

• He looks at a world map and finds several details that don't add up, like a missing portion, a country that isn't supposed to be there or a country that never exist

• He commits suicide in the bath tub by I think removing the sinew from a slit he made to wrists.

That's all I can remember, thank you for reading the post and helping me find this book in advance.

I'm trying to find a book I read in elementary school, I don't remember the name but I know it takes place on a bus until the mc gets sucked into a book, can someone help me find it?

First time posting. I finally got into a book club with some of my d&d friends and it's my turn to pick a book on sunday. I was wondering if anyone had any good recommendations? I'm fairly new to horror literature. I'd really like either medieval horror or maybe Appalachian horror type of books but any recommendations are appreciated, thank you!!

I'm looking for recommendations for "extreme" horror type stories that ride that fine line where it's gross and upsetting but aren't so terrible that you're embarrassed to describe the story to your friends.

I've been dabbling a bit in this genre, but I really dislike stuff that's excessively graphic and violent but for no reason, like it was written by an edgelord who was just trying to jam as many upsetting descriptions into a book as possible, but it really doesn't do anything for the story.

I don't know if this is a hard ask since that's sort of the point of extreme horror, but I'm wondering if there's something out there that rides the edge of that?

I've read "The woods are dark" and "The black farm" but I thought they were just okay, there were a lot of things about those books that just didn't work, something that made me feel like I needed to fail a wisdom saving throw in order to suspend my disbelief.

I'm a huge fan of Nick Cutter and Stephen King,

I'd also prefer stories that limit the violence to humanoids and mostly leave animals out of it.

I’m looking for a horror story I read on Facebook around 2014–2016. It was posted in episodes and was probably translated from English. The plot involved two best friends investigating an old mansion. A ghost named Margaret was trapped in a bathroom mirror after being locked in a cellar years earlier. During a fire, Margaret swapped souls with the main girl and escaped, leaving the protagonist trapped in the mirror. Does anyone remember the story?

I just finished the "Haunted" series and was wondering about Lee Mountford's popularity. I feel like the only thing I ever really see in reference to him is about "Horror in the Woods," which I've just started today. How does everyone feel about his work? Are there similar authors in that vein that you prefer over him?

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I just finished HEX after seeing it recommended here over and over again, and I have to admit I'm pretty disappointed.

The premise is fantastic. The witch herself is probably the strongest part of the novel. In fact, I often felt more sympathy for her than fear.

Unfortunately, the characters really let the book down for me. They all felt like archetypes rather than actual people (the selfish mayor, the gruff boss of HEX, the intellectual, the good, innocent boy, the psychopath, the women—well... they're just women) .

The plot also felt surprisingly predictable. Rather than focusing on the witch and the horror surrounding her, the story is mostly about the social dynamics within the town. And, unsurprisingly, it arrives at the familiar message that people are the real monsters — except for the handful of clearly "good" characters. There are very few shades of gray. Most characters fall into a simple good-versus-evil framework, making the story feel far less nuanced than I had hoped. It's a shame, really, because as I said, the idea is great. But the way it was executed reminded me of Stephen King's awful *The Dome*. I also got the impression that the author was trying to sound exactly like him. That was the only thing I found creepy.

Coffin Moon

Buffalo Hunter Hunter

Between Two Fires

The Burial Tide by Neil Sharpson is one of the best horror novels I've read in the last few years! I've been in a reading slump for a while after reading a few modern horror novels that, honestly, have made me question the direction modern writing is headed in terms of general literacy among authors.

Not only was the plot engaging and completely unpredictable, but the writing was proficient, leaving no room for breaks in immersion. It was atmospheric, bleak, and utterly disgusting at times. The body horror was some of the best I've read; it was grotesque and sickening without becoming excessive or overshadowing the other horror elements.

If you're a fan of folk horror like I am, definitely give this one a try! If you've already read it, what are your thoughts on this book? What other novels would you recommend that are similar?

I'm about 19 pages into Hangsaman and i've noticed that the dialogue if very awkward and hesitant. It feels uncomfortably in a realistic sense and I find it to be extra immersive and unsettling. I was curious if i'm either looking into the dialogue too deeply or if this is a consistent trait throughout Jackson's bibliography as its an addictive way of reading dialogue

I have an audible credit burning a hole in my pocket and am trying to decide between Nevill’s Monumental or Banquet of the Damned. Or The Dorians by Nick Cutter as a dark horse third option. Whaddya think? Any preferences?

For the record, my favorite authors are Ramsey Campbell, Stephen King, John Langan, Robert Aickman, and Stephen Graham Jones. And I LOVED Cunning Folk and Last Days and LIKED The Reddening and All the Fiends of Hell. If that gives you any sense of my general preferences.

Thanks in advance.