Five Favorite Horror Novels

Halloween is only days away so I thought I would list five of my favorite horror novels.

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe

Who better to start off with than Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. I know, his best works are short stories, but that is a mere technicality. There is not much I can say about Poe’s short macabre tales other than I never get tired of reading and rereading them If you have treated yourself to Poe, be ashame… very ashamed.

The Haunting of Hill House

As a kid, the one film that scared the hell out of me was Robert Wise’s “The Haunting,” based on Shirley Jackson’s novel, “The Haunting of Hill House.” I was a young teen home alone on a Saturday night. On TV was this ghostly classic. It wasn’t what you saw that was scary, it was what you didn’t see. It taught me that what is unseen and unknown is definitely more frightening. I was never so happy to have my parents finally come home that night!
Shirley Jackson’s novel may be the greatest ghost story ever written. It will raise the hairs on the back of your neck.

The Exorcist

William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel, The Exorcist” was a major bestseller that made heads spin and pea soup a projectile missile (at least the movie did). The author based his novel on a true life 1949 case of demonic possession. Like the book, the film was a tremendous financial, and jump out of your seat hit.

Rosemary’s Baby

I always found horror stories that take place in real-life everyday situations scarier than those with three-headed monsters, creepy creatures or aliens. “Rosemary’s Baby” by Ira Levin, is a classic example. It takes place in New York City. A typical couple who live in an apartment building (The Dakota) surrounded by friendly neighbors. Who doesn’t have neighbors, right? We can all relate. Rosemary’s only problem is her nice friendly neighbors are devil worshippers and her loving, but hungry for success, out of work actor/husband made a hellish deal.

Misery

As a writer, I found Stephen King’s “Misery” a horror tale that is all too real. Not that I have crazed fans, but… The only monster in this King story is Annie Wilkes, writer Paul Sheldon’s number one fan. Fan, as we know, is short for fanatic and Annie fits the definition to perfection.