The Geekly Grind Answers: Favorite Horror Books
Looking for a creepy night in with a ghoul-d book? EyeSpyeAlex and Lowfat have some frighteningly good choices for you! Check out their recommendations and join us on our Discord server to tell us yours!
Lowfat Recommends:
Classic Book - Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Schwartz and Gammell
My favorite scary book series is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Schwartz and Gammell. These three books terrified an entire generation, partly due to some of the nastiest children’s illustrations of all time. Every kid who has read the story “Harold” remembers it forever.
Graphic Novel - Locke & Key by Joe Hill
My favorite comic book is Locke & Key by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son). It’s a thrilling and endearing tale about kids who discover how to unlock magical – and deadly – doors inside an old mansion. They are not prepared for what lurks on the other side.
EyeSpyeAlex Recommends:
Classic Book - The Shining by Stephen King
I grew up with a dad that encouraged my love of horror movies, and supplemented the movie experience with the novel whenever he could. He’s the reason I ended up reading The Shining by Stephen King, and the reason The Shining is one of my favorite books. For those unfamiliar, The Shining follows Jack Torrance and his family as they work as caretakers at the Overlook Hotel for the winter. As the weather gets worse, Jack slowly descends into a madness that turns into a life or death situation for his wife and son.
The thing that sticks out to me most about The Shining is King’s way of building the horror. From the wasps’ nest and the topiary garden, to the increasing instability of Jack, King is able to make the mundane absolutely terrifying. While The Shining has a slow build, the payoff is worth it.
Graphic Novel - Dissolving Classroom by Junji Ito
Dissolving Classroom tells the story of Yuma Azeri and his sister, Chizumi, and the bad luck that follows them. Yuma is constantly bullied by his classmates and in return, constantly apologizes to them. The one person who is nice to Yuma is Keiko, and Chizumi quickly grows jealous of their friendship. As Keiko grows closer to the siblings she discovers the horrifying secret the sibling have been keeping locked away.
The thing that is particularly horrifying about Dissolving Classroom are the illustrations. Junji Ito is known for his gross art style, and the plot of Dissolving Classroom amplifies this. Seeing how the story progresses and what Yuma and Chizumi having been keeping secret is disturbing in the best way possible. I highly recommend reading Dissolving Classroom, but it might be best to do so on an empty stomach.