As a child, I was exposed to “Jane Eyre,” it having been read aloud, and I thought it was a horror story - cruelty, the red room, a ghost, a crazy woman, arson, a voice calling across the moors. It really frightened me!
Wow! That is so cool, Donavan!! I'll bet you and your dad have so many amazing stories about Ray. I would have loved to have met him. He's a hero of mine!
Hitchcock's version of Rebecca with Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine is so much better than any of the modern versions ... Dame Judith Anderson's Mrs. Danvers is incomparable. You are right about The Innocents, it is superb.
Great and compelling video, Benjamin. I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but you are definitely my favorite booktuber so far. Thank you for doing this kind of content possible. You are on fire! 🤗
House of Leaves was one of the most unique reading experiences of my life and I am thoroughly glad that my book club had selected it. I ended up being the only one that enjoyed it, so it ended up being a fascinating discussion where I explained all of the aspects that just worked for me while they look on in bewilderment that I had been so invested. Reading is such a personal experience though and while I appreciated the unique nature of House of Leaves, I understood why others felt that it was distracting.
I would absolutely argue that The Exorcist is great literature. Blatty's writing in that novel is just superb, and besides the horror, he captures the realism of the loss of faith so beautifully!
Agreed! I'm reading it right now (40th anniversary edition w/ a few updates), and I have been surprised and impressed by how much more than just a "scary story" it is. Part murder mystery with the detective, part tragedy with the priest losing faith and living with regret over his mother, and as a parent myself, the whole fear and frustration of a situation where doctors can't figure out what's wrong with your child is a whole other level of horror. Added to the genuinely creepy and shocking scenes that give it its reputation, it's fantastically layered and dynamic read.
I've had the paperback but it got lost when we moved so I never read it. Then I bought the ebook-- still unread. I tried to listen to audiobook but I was too spooked that I only made it to 50%.
Frankenstein to me was not scary just bleak and depressing. I thought the intro scene was fantastic, and the story was overall good, but half way into the book I had had too much of the gloom and put it down.
You mention the 1960s film version of The Turn of the Screw called The Innocents, but only a couple of years after that was Robert Wise’s film The Haunting (based on Jackson’s novel), starring Claire Bloom, Julie Harris and Russ Tamblyn. It’s really worth seeing!
The scariest book I've ever read is one where the fear comes filtering into the reader, begins to float freely inside like the vapor of a fine wine, until it takes over the imagination: Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.
I love Thomas Harris, and you're right that Red Dragon is very scary. I binged his books during lockdown, and ended up taking a ton of notes when it came to 'The Silence of the Lambs'. I loved how he built the suspense!
Some of the terrifying literature has been in short story form rather than in the form of novels. It interests me that this should be the case, given that I've read Frankenstein, Dracula (which I love), etc. I remember reading The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman when very young and being too scared to open the book (a collection) ever again!
I’ve just come across your RU-vid channel. I can’t stop chain watching your videos! They are fantastic, I’ve just picked up Bleak House again after many many years with a new view to understanding it. Keep doing what you’re doing Benjamin, love the videos ❤
I would agree with you on Dracula being high up on the list! I was named after Mina from the Francis Ford Coppola movie adaptation of the novel so it is special to me in that way! only read it a few months ago but it is one of my favorite books now- I really felt that Stoker’s writing while not perfect was still really eerie and descriptive and flowed nicely. Great video, I would be curious to hear more about your favorite books / rankings as well! Also: I noticed how most of these horror and sci-fi genres have been made into movies and I think it’s really interesting to compare books and TV/ film and I would love to hear your favorite adaptations or your thoughts on the best/ worst ones!
I must say I immediately thought of Dracula when I first saw your name - such a great story behind it! You’re right that Stoker definitely isn’t a perfect writer, but he is a tremendous storyteller and so deeply resonant. As for my favourite books, I’m currently working on ranking my own for a future video - it’s quite difficult as there are many in the top 10 that could easily take top spot, so at a certain point one needs to impose some arbitrary measures to help the decision :) I would be happy to talk film adaptation more too - I personally haven’t found a good one of Frankenstein, and would love to see a faithful page-by-page adaptation that really captures the mood. Great comment, thank you, Mina!
Kafka’s ‘In the Penal Colony’ is both horrifying and absurdly funny. Algernon Blackwood’s ‘The Wendigo’ spooked the hell out of me. His stories are of varying quality, but this one is wonderful.
34:49 I love the short story “House Taken Over” by Julio Cortázar. It’s perhaps more magical realism but it shares a mood with Fall of the House of Usher. All of Cortázar’s work is mysteriously unsettling but not exactly horror.
First, let me thank you for your channel. I am among the small but rebounding group of people who hopes to rekindle a love of literature among the younger generation. While it has been a while since I read Frankenstein, I never once thought there was any question that the "monster" of the book was the doctor - being a monster isn't based on what you are, it's based on what you DO. I'm glad to see a number of entries by Edgar Allan Poe, and an entry by HP Lovecraft; no list of horror stories would be complete without them. I admit to being somewhat surprised at the inclusion of graphic novels and/or manga. I know there are many (I among them) who would argue that the inclusion of so much illustration defeats the intent of literature, which is to allow the reader to create an internal world based on the author's words.
A little out of sorts today, but then I turn on my computer and what do I see? My friend Ben's going to talk about the world's great horror stories, and suddenly my day got real great! Seriously, Ben, I am so thankful for your video's. Always exciting, and always educational... Always very high quality. Keep on keeping on, and again thanks, AL
I'm sorry to hear you were out of sorts, Al. I relate to that! I was having one of those days myself. I'm thrilled that a good bookish chat could help make things a little better. And thank you so much for your kind words. I appreciate you, my friend! :)
I've just read Dracula and it was excellent. I'd say my favourite Edgar Allen Poe story is the absolutely terrifying The Pit and the Pendulum. Also Lois the Witch by Elizabeth Gaskell was very good.
I love Dracula so much - one of the first horror novels I fell in love with. 'The Pit and the Pendulum' would be up there as one of my favourite Poe stories. I reread it again last night alongside 'The Tell-Tale Heart' - great way to spend All Hallows' Eve!
@@BenjaminMcEvoy The Pit and the Pendulum is so claustrophobic, I find myself holding my breath when I read it. If pressed, right now I might say that Dracula is my favourite book however I have many favourites.
Great video! I realized about halfway through that the books here seem to be chronologically ordered. So that explains why The Road isn't ranked higher. Although it isn't traditional horror, I would probably rank it in my top 10 (or at least top 15) just due to how... horrifying it is.
@@BenjaminMcEvoy hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Another spooky graphic novel I’d recommend is Wytches by Scott Snyder, also beautifully creepy in a dark claustrophobic forest.
The Haunting (1963) by Robert Wise is one of the great horror films and genuinely unsettling. I think hecstuck very closely to Shirley Jackson's book. Worth watching on a dark night.
I know this video is a year old and I recently became a fan of yours. A bit of advice when it comes to mister M.R. James. Christopher Lee did a series in which he re created and filmed what James himself did. He’s in a room surrounded by candles and “students” I mean I’m pretty sure that they were actors but I don’t know, and he would read and preform the stories. When you hear them it changes everything, especially from a man with such presence. I would highly recommend them. I think he did three or four of the stories, you can find them on RU-vid most of the time. Anyway, thanks for helping me get back into literature! I was into in high school but let it slip and now thanks to you and Better Than Food I’m back in it! All the best!
If you like Turn of The Screw, you should really watch The Innocents, a brilliant and eerie 1960s adaptation of the novella. Edit: watched more of the video and found out you watched it already!
@@BenjaminMcEvoy There is a curious 1971 film called 'The Nightcomers', directed by Michael Winner to a screenplay by Michael Hastings, that is a prequel to "The Turn of the Screw", depicting the dark doings at Bly while Peter Quint and Miss Jessel still lived. Marlon Brando played Quint, while a young Stephanie Beacham played Miss Jessel.
Dracula is terribly overrated. The first 60 pages were amazing and promised a lot, but the following 340pp that led to an underwhelming rushed conclusion was staggeringly redundant. Bram Stoker is unfortunately too unimaginative to keep his characters from sounding exactly the same. So while a story about a vampire told through the letters of its characters sounds very appealing, it fails miserably because the author fails to distinguish the various voices speaking throughout his story. It's incredibly frustrating. This wouldn't have been a problem if his characters showed an ounce of intelligence and that way help make the narrative feel like it's headed in a compelling direction, but they're not. If Dracula wasn't so weak and so limited, there would have been no way for these characters to stop him. As far as the plot goes, Dracula's mission isn't entirely clear from the beginning, and the reader quickly finds out that Dracula's abilities are so limited that one is left thinking that he is nothing more than a local nuisance akin to a fungal outbreak in a vegetable garden rather than the global terror that you might expect from a villain as old and grand as Dracula. The 1992 film made Dracula even worse by oversexualizing his lust for blood. I thought Coppola completely destroyed any remaining cultural interest in vampires so you can imagine how surprised I was for vampires to reach an all-time low when Twilight was released. The best film that I've seen that has any hope of restoring vampires to a respected cultural icon has been Dracula Untold (2014). Frankenstein on the other hand is fantastic!
The book that has frightened me the most has to be 1984. It made me grimace with horror as I read it, and it also made me feel sensibly uncomfortable after I had put it down. Just read this quote: "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face-for ever", now tell me that is not horror!
"IT" by Stephen King, The "Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe, and for a short story i loved, "The Statement of Randolph Carter" by H.P. Lovecraft. and to get a woman in there, "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. and yes there are many more
I LOVE Angela Carter. I read the short story The Bloody Chamber for the first time late one night freshman year of college, my friend Liza reading it at the same time, both of us sprawled on my dorm room bed in the glow of desk lamps, one or the other of us coming first to a scary part and gasping and the other yelling, “Wait! Don’t tell me. Wait ’til I get there!” ... I recommend it! Re: The Exorcist--I liked the book better than the movie because I thought the book was, at its core, a story about Father Karras's loss of faith ... and the ending with regards to this was beautiful. This didn't feel as prevalent in the movie. Anyway, I've just discovered your channel and your enthusiasm and energy and brilliance are such a treat.
For MR James I would suggest 'A man dwelt by a churchyard', and 'A school story', if you don't already know them... V. creepy. And I think you're a bit harsh on Poe in his work not reaching the heights of great literature. For me, he is the greatest master of psychological obsession and mania. This list was a great one, very stimulating.
Thank you for the great recommendations, Jack! My thoughts on Poe have changed a little bit since filming this video. I'm actually planning to do a podcast on his short stories in the near future where I'll be kinder to him :)
I’m a private English tutor (54) who went to Cambridge and love your videos. Here’s a funny thing: I once got into heaps of trouble with a mother for showing an 11-year-old boy The Veldt by Ray Bradbury. I thought I was trying to get a discussion going about technology superseding the family, but all she saw were kids murdering parents. Also, there was a film of Something Wicked This Way Comes made in 1983 starring Jonathan Pryce. The director, Jack Clayton, directed The Innocents 22 years earlier, and was treated pretty badly by its producer, Disney, since they thought it was far too dark for children. It was a huge flop.
Would you consider making a similar video about sci-fi books? Lots of King fans out there and plenty of channels are dedicated to fantasy or classics. In comparison, science-fiction does seem underrepresented. I do have a feeling that the stigma surrounding this genre is still - to a degree - present. Hell, I was prejudiced towards s-f for a long, long time. Now I can proudly say that Phil. K Dick is my favorite writer. I have a whole shelf dedicated to him and his picture on the wall. No joke. Still, one can always use new recommendations and I would love to hear your take on the matter. Cheers!
I was also a Bradbury fanatic in my younger days. Read everything by him and loved it all. I call Lovecraft purple prose of the highest order, with an uncanny sense of abiding, inhuman evil. / I recommend Algernon Blackwood (1930s) for two extraordinary tales of horror, The Willows and, especially, The Wendigo. The latter is one of the most haunting things I've ever come across. It may keep you up at night (it did me when I read it last about 2 years ago). Jack Finney's The Body Snatchers is another great one.
I read The Exorcist 2 years ago, for the Halloween season. I really loved Blatty's economical style of characterization. He doesn't labor through excess of detail but evokes a tangible image through Gestalt. I would love to learn how to emulate this style.
Legion by Blatty would have been a classic, If he would have used less Christian apologetics . His Jewish Detective is constantly contemplatin arguments for creationism the existence of Jesus and Catholic theology . Now i don't mind , because the rest of the story is just very good,
Glad you mentioned Sheridan Le Fanu. In my opinion, his vampires were far scarier than Bram Stokers....I read through the glass darkly and had nightmares for awhile
Yes I am reading Frankenstein now and maybe have for a week or so along with 5 other books. Its such an easy read, I am almost done. Its surprisingly good. I had no intention to read it but had this sudden urge to. I didnt think Id like it as much as I do. I also found the story of Shelly and her husband and Byron so interesting! to be a fly on the wall. Dracula is waiting on my shelf and The Turn of The Screw in in my shopping cart. I also have rebecca on the shelf. Happy to watch this video. Makes me want to read 20 books at once haha,
Drawing Blood is one of the stories I read over and over again growing up until my mass market paperback fell to pieces. Along with Jane Eyre, lost souls, Brave New World, and Dune, these are the novels and stories that I read in my formative years that made me into the type of reader I am today. I'm so glad Poppy made the list.
I didn’t read The Bad Seed but the movie is chilling. I thought the opening paragraph of the Haunting of Hill House is one of my favorite openings ever! I didn't read much Dean Koontz but I loved his Life Expectancy and I would put it on a list good for Halloween.
Your bringing up serialization of literature with James really caught my eye, not just in the context of horror, but that whole period. Your mention of it suddenly brought up all of Dickens serial publications. The concept of having to read his novels over a period of months...talk about horror! I'm too modern with the urge to "know" what comes next. I would go mad having to wait instead of being able to start the next chapter instantly. (Irony...now I realize how all those Harry Potter fans felt; but at least they got an entire novel after each wait.)
When you said "I didn't think much of the film version of Rebecca when it came out" I was thinking "Wait, how old are you?" because the only film adaption I was aware of and have seen is the Hitchcock adaption from 1940, which was pretty good. I then looked it up and realized there was a new adaptation in 2020 that I had not heard about and I'm assuming that's what you were referring to. I would recommend giving the 1940 version a try if you haven't already seen it.
Absolutely. Bram Stoker spent years on those first four chapters, and considerably less time on the rest of the work. Like completely different works really.
Off-season and offspring by Jack Ketchum are 2 of my favorites, along with Howling Trilogy and Those across the river. Oh, I can't forget about Flesheaters.
One of the things that struck me about Blatty's "The Exorcist" as compared to the film was the sense of humor in the book. Blatty really is a comedic writer at heart. The sequel, "Legion," really captures that satirical tone in the vain of "Breakfast of Champions" or something by Douglas Adams. Blatty took control of the director's chair for the film version of "Legion," which is the "Exorcist III," and so we see that comedic element apparent much more than the first film. However, I would argue that Exorcist III is much scarier at times than the original. It's an underappreciated gem of a film. I do appreciate horror that also knows how to laugh at itself, as I think they go hand in hand. Laughter is a much needed release to the horror, but also there is an inherent tragic comedy to the metaphysical irrationality of fearing the inevitable outcome of the cycle of life.
Try reading Picnic At Hanging Rock (Joan Lindsay) , The Blood Of The Vampire (Florence Marrryat) and The Drivers Seat (Muriel Spark) for Chic Lit that’s quite spooky ! Also anything by Tanith Lee. Vivia is a good place to start . Her stuff is more Horror fantasy than out and out horror but she’s better than Angela Carter and Anne Rice put together !
My scares depends on the mood. Sometimes fantastical, other times connected to realism. To name a few. Like parts of `the auctioneer` - `1984` - `Lord of the Flies` - `In cold blood` - `Then there were none` - `The Collector`. Some new titles on that list I have never heard of before. I have read books that are not meant to be scary, that sort of was, and the other way around. Even `East of Eden` can be scary simply because of a great character, and the greatest character of them all - life itself.
Lord of the Flies was chilling. Nothing more horrific than the dark side of human nature. The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is another great story like that.
It is ad that Poe did not have have a proper funeral and other writers did not bother to attend. Barker's books of blood was once separated into 3 collections against the wishes of the author and may or may not contain The Hellbound Heart, which is where Hellraiser film came from and is infinitely scary. Multiple differences between book and film. Most happy to hear Silence of the Lambs on the list and I have read the collection. I also recommend American Psycho, but keep in mind that it gets very gruesome but says so much about American society.
The Exorcist is the best horror novel ever wrritten. Because It makes me forget i don't believe in God and demons. Everytime i read it, i wonder if it's too late to should take on Pascal's wager. Just in case ;)
I believe that Frankenstein, the novel, is of the most misunderstood novels in English. The hero, the monster, is no monster all. He was a neglected child. He was untutored and had to raise himself. You're right, his search for love and belonging is as heart wrenching as his isolated cold, and lonely death. To see Frankenstein as science run amok and not see it as the horror of maltreatment of children is to completely miss read the book. Unless one looks at child abuse and neglect as horror Frankenstein does not belong on this list at all.
In view of your comments regarding looking towards the genres of fantasy and horror for the next potential great works of literature, have you read The Book Of The New Sun by Gene Wolfe? Nothing else in science fiction or fantasy compares to it, the language is wonderful and it is labyrinthine in proportions and scope, demanding multiple readings. Would enjoy hearing your thoughts. Thanks.
Hey Ben, great video as usual but, on an unrelated note, would you ever consider giving us a tour of your vinyl collection? .Would love to see if your taste in jazz is as good as your taste in books haha
Thank you, John. I would love to do that - jazz is one of my favourite things in life. I'm currently preparing to move house, but when I've moved I'll have a nice vinyl area set-up and would be happy to do a tour :)
Thank for an interesting video and good comments! I have a lot of books by Poe, Clive Barker, Lovecraft, King and others. The pages are worn, sometimes there are highlighted sections or notes in my handwriting. I know I have read these books but I have no memory of it. I don’t recall what they’re about. I love horror but to be honest this litterature-amnesia is the most frightening to me. I sometimes wonder if the memories and experiences are still somewhere in my mind or truly lost leaving only the waste of time. I wonder if other people have the same problem? In the end I stopped reading because of this, so your videos evoke both a lost urge and the fear that stops it.
Mary Shelly's (and Thomas Hardy's) connection to, and ability to paint the land intimately and majestically, is one dimension which sets them apart, and imbues Frankenstein, for example, with depthful verisimilitude.
I realize the reluctance to have many books by one author in a short list, but I simply could not exclude ‘Salems Lot by King. It gave me the creeps when I read it. It is a great addition to the vampire legend. I would certainly replace Carrie on the list with ‘Salems Lot, except for perhaps the former’s influence. One of the TV adaptations of ‘Salems Lot was excellent; I don’t remember the details, except that it would have been around 1980.
Thank you Benjamin for your voice and your interpretations thank you for sharing your knowledge with us I'm just obsessed with soliciting to you everyday now
I enjoyed reading The Lottery while attending online classes during the pandemic. I loved it and the ending hit me like a ton of bricks. My instructor had me rewrite a scene from the story with full creative license. I decided to rewrite the ending. It was a lot of fun and when he evaluated it, he asked me, "What is wrong with you? How do you take an ending like that and make it infinitely worse?" Great video sir!
I would recommend Blackwater by Michael McDowell. First published about 40 years ago, it was originally serialized in 6 paperback instalments. Now you can get the whole thing in a single hardcover edition. Back in the day this book scared the daylights out of me! It's Southern Gothic horror with various eccentric characters and a vaguely Lovecraftian premise. In 1919 Alabama an inhuman creature crawls out of the river, assumes female form, and marries the richest guy in town! Hilarious but also quite unsettling. It reminded me of Shirley Jackson's fiction.
Many books and stories I would add: The Monk, The Sandman, any novel by Anne Radcliffe, The Willows, The Great God Pan, The House on the Borderland, ...
Something I feel compelled to mention any time someone brings up The Woman In Black is the ITV tv movie that was first broadcast in 1989 and languished in cult status until it was finally released on DVD and Blu Ray only a few years ago. While I do enjoy the 2012 Radcliffe film, there is something less commercial about the 1989 film, there is a palpable sense of drab despair all throughout the picture, expressed in a uniquely british way, and I'd argue that it is one of the greatest capital B British horror films ever made.
I watched that 1989 version all alone in a Brighton flat while rain and wind lashed the windows. That moment when the solicitor things he's safe at the inn where he's taken refuge, and suddenly, surging up from the bottom of the bed, SHE'S THERE, her face a contorted mask of gleeful malevolence...holy crap I nearly lost it! Brilliant adaptation, but one to watch with the lights on and a stiff drink to hand.
I've mentioned it a lot in passing, but it's very high on my list of books that I want to do a specific deep dive discussion into hopefully in the near future :) Absolute masterpiece!
The castle in the Carpathians by Jule Verne, the fIgure of Baron Rodolphe de Gortz, the Character of the book is considered a predecessor of Dracula. there are also a lot of Rumanian beliefs of ghosts.
There was a film adaptation of this work, made in Czechoslovakia in 1981, called 'Tajemství hradu v Karpatech' (''The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians'), directed by Oldřich Lipský, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jiří Brdečka. I've not seen it myself, but from description it is presented as a fanciful comedy.
I taught Frankenstein last year. So much fun. My students sympathized with the monster so much they decided he deserved a name, so they gave him one. His name is Greg. Fear the wrath of Greg, my friends. Fear it well.
First of all - great video! I would just like to point out for you (not sure if you got it by the end) that the list is in chronological order (year of publishing) and not "ranked" so if you have the time - please rank this list or create a ranked list of your picks for us - I, for one, would be very gratefull
One of the most terrifying horror stories I have read is James Hogg’s “Confessions Of A Justified Sinner”. Set in the 17th Century, it’s theme is of psychic dualism.
Thank you. Bram Stoker frightened me more than Mary Shelley, exactly, very sympathetic to the monster in Frankenstein. I liked The Bad Seed, but more a psychological than a horror book, inherited abnormal psychology. Ira Levin's Boys From Brazil and Rosemary's Baby are terrific. I love King, Straub and Rice. Also, a good book from the sixties/seventies, titled The Mephisto Waltz. I think Dracula takes the prize.
Oh, absolutely, me too. Dracula terrifies me to this day. I second the work of Ira Levin - The Stepford Wives was a good one too. I've just looked up The Mephisto Waltz - seems very much up my street :)
@@BenjaminMcEvoy It's the one by Fred Mustard Stewart, release date 1969. Yes, I loved The Stepford Wives too. I read a recent review of Mephisto Waltz, in which the reviewer said it was dated and the product placement bothered him. I wrote a paper on exorcism for psychology class in the nineteen-seventies. I interviewed a Roman Catholic priest, an Episcopalian priest and a Methodist minister, only thing I remember is that there is a long investigation and not just any priest can do an exorcism and no, they are not all Jesuits. I do also remember a quote from Paul Tillich being invoked by one of the Protestants that "evil is so pervasive that it can almost be personified," for some reason that stayed with me. The Exorcist is a fine scary read.
Frankensteins monster, 1984, animal farm are a differant form of horror story, add one day in the life of ivan denisovich. Dracula, rosemarys baby, psycho, blood meridian ,stephen king and anne rice books are horror stories IMHO
I think the list is a bit too weighted toward recent literature (last 40-50 years or so). Also, I think some writers were left out from the classic period which ended around 1914. For example what about the Monk, by Lewis ? Also FitzJames O'brien's The Lost Room is absent--possibly because it's a short story, but he is right up there with Poe in my estimation. Also F Marion Crawford's The Upper Berth, and Robert Chamber's The King in Yellow. And there don't seem to be many Werewolves represented. I can't think of any titles off hand, but Dumas pere wrote a novel about one. From the more modern period There is Fred Saberhagen's Holmes Dracula File, and several other novels about vampires. Saberhagen seems to have fallen off everybody's lists since his death a few years ago, and that is sad because he's very good. Also Philip Jose Farmer's books also have nose dived. I'm not sure why. Both were prolific writers. Then there's Charles Beaumont who wrote not only novels and short stories but episodes of the Twilight Zone.
I think you're right! I felt the absence of Lewis (and Radcliffe) too. And a depressing absence of werewolves, you're completely right. Wonderful comment. Thank you - lots of dark rabbit holes to explore!
It’s guaranteed %100 that if Tolstoy, Proust, Cormac McCarthy, Austen or any “great” author had written horror they would be labeled as hacks. At best they would be called entertaining storytellers but not great authors. Steinbeck wrote a werewolf novel and people are already scoffing at it and nobody’s even read it yet.
Steinbeck wrote a werewolf novel? That's so cool - I'd love to read this one. Can you imagine if we had a vampiric tale from Tolstoy, perhaps set near Yasnaya Polyana? It would be the most psychologically complex of its kind. Proust would be great for something gothic, as would Austen, and we know McCarthy can handle the apocalyptic like a master. There definitely are a lot of writers and readers who denigrate the genre - but I find the books they like to be quite dull :)
I think you mentioned Maupassant. Le Horla is a really good story about an invisible vampire. Or a madman. Who knows ? I've had the same thought about Frankenstein. It's not really frightening because the creature is not a real monster. Whereas Dracula is more seductive and vicious. I just finished Gerald's game by King but it was a little bit disappointing. He has great ideas but I'm not always convinced by his style. Same for Anne Rice. Have you tried Maxime Chattam ? Same vibe as Stephen King. His mind seems so tortured to create such horrific novels.
I love ‘Le Horla’ - one of Maupassant’s best! Seductive and vicious is the perfect way to describe Dracula. I see maliciousness in Frankenstein, but it’s born out of scorn and my heart breaks every time I read the cottagers recoiling from him. I wasn’t too fussed about Gerald’s Game either, but did enjoy a recent reread of The Dead Zone. I haven’t tried Chattam, but thank you so much for the recommendation, Mélissa - I will enjoy investigating :)
Probably niche, but I keenly enjoy the short stories by Fredric Brown, many of which have a lot to do with horror! ;) I'd recommend Nightmares and Geezenstacks, along with Honeymoon in Hell :)
The Oath by Frank Peretti, I found completely terrifying. Couple of small glitches in the writing, but other than those, masterful suspense and very scary.
Great point on many films being better than the books. Nocturnes by John Connolly is fantastic. Patrick McGraths's books are seriously good gothic. Also, Ian McEwan's early short stories plus The Cement Garden would qualify, in my opinion.
Might be time to read Frankenstein for the fourth time, and Dracula for the second. Also want to do The Haunting of Hill House and I’ve heard Jane Eyre is potentially Haunting. Autumn is in the air and I am yearning to read something that evokes “November in my soul” so to speak.
All such brilliant works to read this time of year :) Jane Eyre is definitely worth reading during the autumn months. Fantastic book to immerse yourself in with a roaring fire beside you!
On the subject of M.R.James I would recommend 'A Warning To the Curious' if you haven't read it. I believe it's a late story and one of my favourites. The Haunted Dolls House is also kinda fun and a bit less well known. Ooh, and The Mezzotint! the Mezzotint is brilliant, that's probably my favourite.
How can anything be more horrific than Frankenstein-- esp. on the metaphysical level? What's more terrifying than pre-lingual abandonment, the Creatrix abhorring and abandoning Her creation?
I'd be interested in Benjamin's list of best horror novels. Maybe the top 10. Sadly, the list referenced in this video is simply 100 horror stories sorted by date (oldest ranked 1 to newest 100, with I am Legend thrown in by mistake?). Not much effort on the part of Reedsy. Still Benjamin's take is interesting.
Thank you, my friend. I'm currently putting together a video on my personal favourite short horror works, but I'd definitely be up for doing one for novels too :) My personal taste skews towards the gothic, but I have such intense love for the genre as a whole!
