I love it when my heart pounds in my chest and I can barely breath because I’m so scared. One time of year brings this out in me. When I think: Scare me, I dare you. Go ahead do it.
It’s been years since I’ve felt the thrill, but I’ve never given up. To me the whole month of October leads down one path—Halloween. I don’t mean the movie, although it was pretty good for a slasher. I wish I had just a sliver of Stephen King’s talent to dig into the darkness, drag out the unknown and all that surrounds it. To capture it and give everyone the good scare I crave so badly.
I’ve never been so afraid as when I read ‘Salem’s Lot. It freaked me out so much I couldn’t put it down and when I did I spent most of my time thinking about it.
He knew where to look for the unknown, the unexplained and create an atmosphere that could chill to the bone. Times have changed. 
Now movie monsters come in the form of creature features and alpha wolves. Vampires are pretty, sexy even and not the monsters I once knew them to be.
The thrill is gone, but I’m still hopeful. Have I been looking in the wrong place? Where do you find what scares you? Is it a movie? A book? I don’t care. Bring it on.
How about NaNoWriMo? That will leave you shuddering in terror. 🙂
Movies are what scares me. Books, even Stephen King’s, don’t really scare me at all.
hehehe…I do NaNoWriMo and you’re right I do get a thrill from it.
And its possible when watching some movies. Well, I have to do a movie hunt then. Where shall I begin?
I prefer more the psychological horror too. I haven’t met a book or show that really scared me recently. These days, you see the gore, the sudden jump out, or taking us to the uncanny valley.
That doesn’t do much for me either 😦
Salem’s Lot creeped me out so that I didn’t read another Stephen King novel until DUMA KEY– which was just as riveting, creepy, and unnerving as Salem’s Lot! That will teach me, right? I recommend DUMA KEY for the friendship in it that is evocative of THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION.
Of course, I selfishly recommend TALES TO BE TOLD AT MIDNIGHT, my collection of Halloween stories of lost love and found horror. 🙂
Excellent. I’ll check them out. 🙂
It’s hard to evoke horror in visual storytelling (film, TV, and live stage). As soon at the monster appears, it’s seen as a man in a rubber suit, a fancy special effect, whatever. Few were as adept as Hitchcock at getting away with it. Monsters are best left dwelling in our imaginations. Radio drama and books are the preferred media. However, there are some people for whom this isn’t true. I have often thought about renting my wife to movie theaters where horror films are being presented. Her reactions would have the whole audience climbing the walls…
*snicker* Spouses can be scary.
Hitchcock was my go to place for a while, but I’ve seen them all. I did love the Rear Window. That had my heart pounding.
Don’t these sorts give you nightmares? They haunt my subsconcious. Yikes!
No, and I don’t know why. My nightmares a silly. Once I had a Frankenstein monster chase me around. I don’t know if I was more grossed out or freaked out. 🙂
Haven’t read any scary horror books or watched in a while. Use to watch Supernatural on CW religiously but there were a show or two I just couldn’t watch. Like “Bloody Mary”…shudder. What really scares me that I wouldn’t even dare myself to watch or the reality TV series that searches for ghosts and haunted places…shudder. But in the end, I don’t think we need monsters or creatures of the dark, beneath our beds or going bump in the night to scare us. Not when we have innocent looking people standing next to us. Have you watched “Criminal Minds”?…shudder
I love Supernatural too, but stopped watching Criminal Minds. It got too gory/gross, repetitive, and not psychological enough for me.
The things that scare me aren’t real. I think that’s why I like them.
Poe’s stories creep me out. In one of my worst nightmares, I was buried alive in a narrow space beneath the wood floorboards of a cabin
Poe is great. He really knew how to get into someone’s head.
The closest dream I’ve had under a house was when a group of us crawled under a house. There must have been six or seven kids with me. I don’t know why we were afraid but we were running for our lives. One the kids started coughing and then an army boot stepped into view. I woke up in a cold sweat.
I can’t write horror. I can write gore and make people wince. I can write suspense and make them bit their nails. I can write romance and get their hearts pumping. But I can’t scare people with my writing.
Not many horror movies are truly scary anymore. The last one that I recall actually making me jump and…scream…was Paranormal Activity. I think the second one. I haven’t seen the most recent ones.
I’ll take a look. Thanks for the tip 🙂
I have to say I am not a horror fan. I don’t enjoy being scared stiff. I had a phase a long time ago where I watched a few horror movies just to see what they were like. Friday the 13th made me physically ill. Salem’s Lot had me sleeping with my light on for a week. That was the end of that phase.
I hope you find the kind of scare you’re looking for.
Friday the 13th didn’t do much for me either. Crossing my fingers that something comes up though. 🙂
Well, there’s always my book. 😉 Or The Ruins, Little Girls by Ronald Malfi, White Knuckle by Eric Red, movies Orphan and We Are What We Are. The Ruins freaked me out. I didn’t think I could be scared by a book anymore, but it gave me the creeps.
YES! ’nuff said 😀
SALEM’S LOT is terrifying! Try King’s older books for old school chills – IT, CUJO, CHRISTINE, THINNER.
A recent read that left me freaked out – BIRD BOX by Josh Malerman. Totally recommend it.
I’ve them all, all except Bird Box. I’ll check it out. Thanks so much. 😀
Can’t help you. I find myself laughing instead of cringing, most of the time. Maybe it is just my morbid and twisted sense of humor???
sherry @ fundinmental
I find myself doing more laughing than screaming–that’s my issue. Thanks anyway, Sherry. 🙂
King is fantastic..particularly his earlier works. For me, the more plausible the more scary it is.
I can’t argue with that 🙂
Books are the only way to go. Some of my readers got freaked out by the horror elements in the Maiden of Time series, some didn’t. *shrugs* I love Dean Koontz–especially his more modern stuff.
I haven’t read him in a long time. Time to check him out. 🙂
I read Stephen King’s book, Ghosts, years ago and I was so terrified I had to stop reading!!
I’ll put it on my list. Thanks 😀
I don t like horror movies ever since.my big brother took me to a horror show..something with Frankenstein. I was about 7. It was a three stories movie. My mom only knew the funny 3 stooges and never asked my bro anything else. I spent the entire movie hiding under the theater seat petrified and crying.
Not good at all. I remember walking out of something when I was really young because it scared me. At least I was allowed to go.
I love that you mentioned Salem’s Lot. I’ve been answering questions about the scariest book or movie for me and that was the one I chose. It’s pretty hard to scare me anymore either. I did pick up a movie the other day that did a pretty good job of it. It really surprised me. As for books. I’ve been reading a lot of horror and a monster, human or other, is what scares me the most.
I’ll have to pop over and see what you’ve been up to then 🙂
Nothing really scares me anymore. But I love watching horror movies for the thrill.
A kindred spirit. 🙂
My stories “live” in my head for months before they become stories. I once tried to imagine a horror, and I couldn’t sleep a wink! I’ll stick with the happy stuff and let people like you and King scare me.
I’m not sure how scary I am, but I do love to read them. 🙂
It’s hard to find good psychological thrillers — in books or movies — that don’t rely on gore to frighten you. At first I thought the movie Woman in Black was going to be one of the good ones … but it just got boring watching Daniel Radcliffe walk into one dark room after the other and eventually jumping at whatever spooky thing he saw.
I do admit that the ending got to me, though.
I watched it too and the ending was worth it. I got a chill. 🙂
Nowadays terror has gone somewhere else! l do enjoy psychological thriller films that can be scary but movies labeled as terror are just ridiculous, I always end up laughing.
Best
Ruty @Reading…Dreaming
You are so right. I either land up gagging or laughing. There is no in between 🙂
I was so intrigued by this blog post, I blogged about you and your question. I asked for suggestions for YOU.
Thanks. I’m being offered some great ideas. 🙂
Hi Anna! You had me at Horror! I love this line, ‘I love it when my heart pounds in my chest and I can barely breath because I’m so scared.’ because it describes me as well. I’m also a big fan of Stephen King. As a horror writer I search for ways of inducing this feeling to those who read my stories. I’d love it if you would read one or two of my short stories and let me know what you think––your honest opinion. It would be very helpful to me. The Train Ride From Hell – Part 1 http://wp.me/p3eYyj-DZ 😀