Halloween is the time of year when everyone thinks the most about fear and horror. It's when most horror movies are released in theaters. We watch scary movies, we read scary stories and inevitably, Halloween season is when we start comparing horror stories. I've never had a conversation about the scariest book I've ever read, or the scariest movie I've ever seen that hasn't taken place in the fall. Halloween is on everyone's mind, and with it comes thoughts about fear and horror.
In keeping with the season, today I'm going to discuss the scariest book I've ever read. That honor goes to a not-so-little book by Stephen King called IT. Some of you might've heard of it, there's this murderous clown named Pennywise and there were two movies made about the book in the last few years. I know IT being the scariest book I've ever read probably isn't surprising. Many people rate it pretty high on the scare-scale. However, unlike most horror novels, IT stuck with me for a while.
Since the novel is 1,000 pages long, it wasn't something I could read in a single sitting. This meant that it took me several days to read it in its entirety. As a result, there were some nights, while reading it, where I had difficulty sleeping. Even after I finished the book, it still took me a few days to return to my normal sleep schedule. Some of this is probably because I read IT a little younger than I should have, being around 14 when I picked it up. King doesn't hold back on the gore and the violence, and given his literary skills, the picture he paints is vivid. The rest of why the book effected me so much has to do with the premise itself. IT can take any form in order to become what you fear the most. For obvious reasons, thinking about a monster that could appear looking like the thing I'm most afraid of, is troubling and makes it difficult to sleep.
IT is an excellent book. I'd recommend it to any horror fan that hasn't read it, if any exist. However, it's also the scariest story I've ever read.
What is the scariest book you've ever read?
What is the scariest book you've ever read?
ive leant my copy to a friend but i do really want to give it a try, great post!
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