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When it comes to all things horror, I’m a massive chicken. I refuse to watch horror movies of any kind and to this day often look at the floor during particularly spooky trailers in the movie theater. Probably the scariest thing I’ve watched is Supernatural (because hellooo Jensen Ackles) and I haven’t even finished the first season yet. So.
My point in mentioning all this is I have a very low tolerance for scary things. And yet I’ve yet to be scared by a book.
To be fair, I haven’t read all that much horror (with exception to Ten by Gretchen McNeil and House by Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti which were fun). I have, however, read many adult Thrillers by Ted Dekker, which remain my favorite of his works and were indeed rather eerie. (I mean, creepy serial killers and corpses galore? Yeah).
And yet...I can’t say that I’ve really had a situation where I was reading a book and I felt terrified. Creeped out? Sure. But most of the time when I’ve read something that was supposed to be scary, my brain interpreted it more as exciting and intense than anything else. And well, I like exciting and intense, so I’m not complaining. But maybe I'm reading the wrong books? Hmm.
But now I’m curious. Am I the only easily scared person who hasn’t been scared by a book? Have you had any books scare you? (If so, which?)
Twitter-sized bite:
Have you ever been scared by a book? Join the discussion & share your spooky reads on @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)
22 comments:
I literally just started IT by Stephen King like a day ago, so I'll get back to you on that >.>
Weirdly enough, the only books of his that majorly creeped me out were Christine and Misery. The others I've been pretty okay with, but we'll see how I fare with this one.
Haa! Okay, I haven't tried Stephen King, but he's on my eventual list. I hate clowns though so...good luck with It ha ha. :D
Maybe books just aren't as scary as movies? I don't know! I was too scared to read scary books in elementary school, but I think it probably would've scared me then.
But yeah, I've read scenes that disturbed me or really grossed me out, but...not so much on the scary factor. Hmmmm. (Also, the thing about IT is pretty funny).
Not quite sure I can say that a book's "scared" me, exactly, but I've definitely been unsettled by a few (especially given my tendency to read books right before I sleep, which occasionally robs me of blissful dreams). Most recently, there was a scene in SERVANTS OF THE STORM, by Delilah S. Dawson, and then one scene in DOROTHY MUST DIE, by Danielle Paige.
One scene. Out of the whole book.
So basically: unsettled, never actually "scared."
Ohhh I was really curious about SERVANTS OF THE STORM! How did you like it?
And I've definitely been unsettled a few times, especially by many of those Thrillers I've mentioned.
Let me know if you want an IT spoiler. ;)
Just like you I don't get scared by books easily, but then again maybe I just haven't read the real scary ones as I am usually not a fan of horror. I have read a few books that are classified as horror or thriller, but I didn't find them scary. I am much easier to scare in movies, although recently I watched a horror comedy movie with my boyfriend and found I wasn't that scared at all, probably because it was also a comedy.
The book that persistently makes me feel hinky when I think about it is Vincent Bugliosi's "Helter Skelter", about Charles Manson and the murders. But that's a true story, so maybe I'm cheating? Fiction doesn't typically scare me, even horror fiction, which I do enjoy.
Try 'the shining' by Stephen King - pretty creepy and scary
Movies scare me, books don't. (Not that I really read horror...) What I do have a hard time with is reading embarrassing things. If I read something humiliating in a book, then sometimes I have to put it down and not freak out because I feel super bad even though I haven't done anything. I can feel bad about embarrassing things fictional people do for days.
Alternately, like the kid in The Princess Bride, when it comes to books I'm not /scared/—/concerned/ maybe, but not scared.
I recommend that you read "Magic for Beginners"by Kelly Link. It is a blend of magic realism and fantasy. It is scary good.
Sounds like your book reading habits are similar to mine. I'd think that it's probably harder to scare someone with a book than it would be with a movie (though maybe that's just me?). Hmmm...
Ahhh hmm. Yeah, I wonder if a scary non-fiction would scare me? That seems like a possibility since it's real...hmm...
Stephen King seems to be the biggest recommendation for scary books ha ha. He's on my list of eventuals. :)
That's so interesting about embarrassing things! I've definitely felt embarrassed for a character before, but I don't think I've ever put a book down (even temporarily) for it.
But yeah, I've felt disturbed, and worried, but not scared.
Interesting! Thanks for the recommendation!
I almost stopped reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, because when Fawkes blew up I literally thought Dumbledore was about to massacre Harry Potter with the entirety of his magic. My dad had to convince me to keep reading before I would open it again. *shakes head* Oh, the shame. XD
Haaa! That's too funny.
I loved it! I mean, a few parts made me kind of "eh," because they were just...weird, I guess? Like, eye-roll status weird. But I trudged on, and ultimately I liked it because it's the same kind of style of horror/thriller that I used to love as a kid. I'd recommend it!
I am not easily scared by movies (though on occasion I will freak myself out when I think of a plot - like the last scene in Blair Witch) but the occasional book gets me. I will never forget when I read "The Shining." I was like 12 or 13 and it was so vivid, I had to put it down, walk away and watch cartoons. It was the scene when the dead woman gets out of the tub and tries to choke Danny. Oh Lord it took me days to get through those few pages!
That is SO interesting! I'd kind of thought it was probably easier to scare in a movie than in books, but you're the opposite, which I haven't seen in the comments yet. Huh.
Sounds good! I'll have to add it to my TBR list. Thanks for the rec! :)
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