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Arts and Entertainment => Film, Music, Sports, and more => Topic started by: agnostic on January 04, 2015, 03:50:59 AM

Title: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: agnostic on January 04, 2015, 03:50:59 AM
I've read swan song and thought it was pretty scary and also a very good book. Also lol at the last one :)

http://viroola.com/2014/12/04/the-10-scariest-books-of-all-time/
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: SGOS on January 04, 2015, 04:39:35 AM
I read the original Exorcist in my late 20s.  I was fast getting over being scared by this kind of stuff, but that book and also the movie that followed terrified me beyond anything I'd ever experienced.  It disrupted my sleep patterns for months.  As I was getting over that, the movie came out and disrupted my sleep for several more months.  Now, I don't think it's scary.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Mr.Obvious on January 04, 2015, 05:45:42 AM
I've never actually read a scary book. I don't know it that's because I haven't been reading the right stories or if that medium doesn't scare me at all. I've read some horror books in my teens, but I think there's something about being able to shut a book at any time you want  that makes it less scary. Most scary movies don't scary me anymore either, but they did and sometimes still do. And I tend to sit those out in one go.

Actually the book that scared me the most was the Bible. And that was more disgust at myself than it actually being a scary book. And I'm not just saying that because this is 'atheistforums' but that is the only book that haunted me for a few nights and made me restless because it confronted me with my own past blindness to bulshit and that was scary; not the book itself.

Edit: Lol, didn't see what the number one was before posting this. :D
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: agnostic on January 04, 2015, 10:42:41 AM
Quote from: SGOS on January 04, 2015, 04:39:35 AM
I read the original Exorcist in my late 20s.  I was fast getting over being scared by this kind of stuff, but that book and also the movie that followed terrified me beyond anything I'd ever experienced.  It disrupted my sleep patterns for months.  As I was getting over that, the movie came out and disrupted my sleep for several more months.  Now, I don't think it's scary.

Haven't read the book but yeah the movie was scary for sure.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Mike Cl on January 06, 2015, 07:16:22 PM
Quote from: agnostic on January 04, 2015, 03:50:59 AM
I've read swan song and thought it was pretty scary and also a very good book. Also lol at the last one :)

http://viroola.com/2014/12/04/the-10-scariest-books-of-all-time/
I read this book so long ago that I had forgotten I read it--until your post.  I really liked it, but I don't remember why.  I'll have to dig it up again and read it again. 
And yes, that #1 scariest book of all time is right on the button!  Religion and fear--can't have one without the other.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: gussy on January 06, 2015, 11:00:36 PM
Of the two that I have read, The Bible is much scarier than It.  It has more likable characters though.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Draconic Aiur on January 07, 2015, 07:39:20 PM
Books by Preston and child will make you scared as shit.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Mermaid on January 07, 2015, 07:52:03 PM
The Shining. It was such a great book because it was all in Jack's mind, or so it seemed. I was mad when they made it supernatural in the movie.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Gawdzilla Sama on January 08, 2015, 07:27:14 AM
Quote from: Mermaid on January 07, 2015, 07:52:03 PM
The Shining. It was such a great book because it was all in Jack's mind, or so it seemed. I was mad when they made it supernatural in the movie.
I always thought the evil in the place messed with his mind. It couldn't manifest as a physical phenomenon so it worked on humans as a surrogate.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: SGOS on January 08, 2015, 07:46:42 AM
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on January 08, 2015, 07:27:14 AM
I always thought the evil in the place messed with his mind. It couldn't manifest as a physical phenomenon so it worked on humans as a surrogate.
I read the book and saw the movie.  It was a long time ago, but I can't remember the movie being more supernatural and less psychological than the book.

I don't think Stephen King's books are scary, except for "Carrie".  The rest of his books might utilize interesting scenarios, but I don't find them scary.  Carrie was an exception, I thought.  Disturbing might be a better description, in my case.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Gawdzilla Sama on January 08, 2015, 10:04:36 AM
You could be right. I will dig into it tonight.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Munch on January 08, 2015, 11:40:02 AM
Quote from: agnostic on January 04, 2015, 10:42:41 AM
Haven't read the book but yeah the movie was scary for sure.

Same with me, didn't read the book but the movie left images of Reagan's face itched into my subconscious for weeks after first watching it.
Maybe it's because of watching movies like this in my teens and early 20s that horror movies now don't tend to scare me, desensitized to it.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Solitary on January 08, 2015, 11:52:22 AM
The Old Testament about going to hell for eternity when you die is the only book that ever scared me reading it. Next would be reading that the sun will engulf the world in a fireball some day, and wondering where I will be before that.  :eek: Neither brings much comfort.  :fU: :kidra:
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Mr.Obvious on January 08, 2015, 02:10:18 PM
I don't think I even got that far into the old testament before I threw away the book in disgust. I always thought hell was added in the new testament.
Learn something every day.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Savior2006 on January 09, 2015, 12:49:28 AM
Swan Song was a very good book by Robert McCammon, a man I honestly should be reading more of. He quite underrated, in spite of publishing books that get very good reviews on both. I intend to read both Boy's Life and Gone South hopefully soon.

Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: SGOS on January 09, 2015, 07:42:45 AM
Quote from: Solitary on January 08, 2015, 11:52:22 AM
The Old Testament about going to hell for eternity when you die is the only book that ever scared me reading it. Next would be reading that the sun will engulf the world in a fireball some day, and wondering where I will be before that.  :eek: Neither brings much comfort.  :fU: :kidra:
Personally, I don't find the Bible scary.  Perhaps I would have when I was younger, like before I could read well enough to tackle the Bible.  There are certainly horrific and violent parts, but they are poorly written.  They lack character development, and continuity, and the writers are unskilled.  It lacks a lot of character background.  Why is God described as such a dick head, and at the same time claimed to be merciful?  It makes no sense.   Why is he like that?

I have to force myself to pay attention when I read it because it has this rhythm of bla bla blabbity bla.  It's just not interesting.  I think the Book of Revelations is supposed to be scary, but it just comes off as wildly strange.  I can't read it without wondering what the fuck the writer was thinking that caused him to write such utter nonsense.

I was somewhat moved by the Gospels, but I read them at a time when I believed Jesus was real.  As soon as I stopped believing in magic, the life of Christ was no longer interesting to me.  Compare the Bible to other well know inspirational works of fiction.  For example, the Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.   That story is inspirational even to me as an atheist, because a skilled word smith put some thought it to the project.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Mike Cl on January 09, 2015, 03:26:23 PM
Quote from: SGOS on January 09, 2015, 07:42:45 AM

I was somewhat moved by the Gospels, but I read them at a time when I believed Jesus was real.  As soon as I stopped believing in magic, the life of Christ was no longer interesting to me.  Compare the Bible to other well know inspirational works of fiction.  For example, the Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.   That story is inspirational even to me as an atheist, because a skilled word smith put some thought it to the project.
I think you said that quite well.  The Bible was not written nor was it cobbled together with poetry in mind, but with politics.  Politics has always driven the bible and it's contents.  And that was from the very beginning until this very moment.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: dtq123 on January 09, 2015, 06:00:07 PM
Quote from: Mike Cl on January 09, 2015, 03:26:23 PM
I think you said that quite well.  The Bible was not written nor was it cobbled together with poetry in mind, but with politics.  Politics has always driven the bible and it's contents.  And that was from the very beginning until this very moment.

So wait... they had politics way back then?
I thought there was just a king who ruled on all the Israelites or whatever.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Mr.Obvious on January 10, 2015, 10:59:22 AM
If game of thrones is any indication; monarchies involve quite a lot of politics.
Title: Re: The Scariest Books Ever
Post by: Deidre32 on January 30, 2015, 04:36:47 PM
Oddly, I thought Misery, by Stephen King was terrifying...scarier than the movie, and there were differences in the book as compared to the movie. I remember the ending was surprising to me, and I couldn't sleep for a few nights. ^_^