Skip to main content

Trick or Treat, Give Me Something Frightening to Read...


  

Every year, close to Halloween, I like to revisit a few of Stephen King's scariest short stories.  I'm not much of a horror movie fan, but I am never more impressed than when a written work is able to terrify me.  As I've mentioned previously, I do not regard King primarily as a horror writer, and usually his scariest works are not among those that I esteem most highly.  But there is no doubt that he is a master of terror, and when the mood strikes, there are a good number of his works that will get the job done.

 While there are frightening passages in most of King’s books, I find his short stories especially unnerving, since (being so concise and direct) they very often pack a strong, shocking punch. 

 The stories I usually like to crack open around Halloween are:

·        "N."

·        The Road Virus Heads North

·        Riding the Bullet

·        1408

·        The Children of the Corn

·        The Man in the Black Suit

 There are moments in each of these stories that really frighten me.  I like to read them late at night, when the house is quiet, and I can really be pulled into the stories.

 1408 and “N.” are scariest to me overall, but the others contain at least a few passages that raise the hair on the back of my neck and leave me a little breathless.

 For me, there is nothing more terrifying than when Stephen King writes about indiscriminately evil forces preying on children.  The Man in the Black Suit is a prime example of this.  When the young protagonist meets the titular character, it is immediately and forcefully frightening.  The descriptions are vividly disturbing, and the dialogue is downright chilling.  That one was a tough read, sitting alone in my dimly lit living room at around midnight!

 As I say, the pleasures of reading King extend far beyond his horror stuff.  But the fact remains that when he is in scare-the-pants-off-you mode, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone better.


 Happy Halloween!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Short, Somewhat Surprising New King Story: Brief Thoughts on "Elevation"

Stephen King released a new book the day before Halloween, and guess what?  It's not a bit scary.  I find that kind of amusing. It's also billed as a "novel," but it's just a slim little thing, clocking in at a mere 144 pages.  I don't know if that's amusing, but it is certainly peculiar. What King delivers here is a book that defies expectations.  Elevation is a light book, both in weight and message.  This is a story about love, tolerance, community, and hope.  It is a book that ponders the value of empathizing with, and helping, those unlike ourselves, and why the challenge is worth embracing.  This is, if you get right down to it, a book with--if not a liberal agenda per se--certainly a liberal perspective.  It is not overly political, but yes, it has its biases.  King himself is outspoken enough that the ideas and opinions inherent in the story should not be surprising.  I have on real objection to the underlying message, w...
Post a Comment
Read more

"1922": A Small, Dark Treasure by King and a Majorly Successful Adaptation

Prior to beginning the next Stephen King novel I plan to dive into (which is one I am very excited about), I got the idea to pause and do a quick re-read of 1922 .  I wanted to finally watch the recent Netflix adaptation, which I heard was quite good, and figured it would be fun to get a refresher on the story and then see how the movie version measures up. The novella, one of four excellent stories that comprise Full Dark, No Stars , is one I hold in high regard.  Reading it again definitely affirmed my appreciation for it. 1922 is one of King’s absolute darkest stories.  It is an interesting work; uncompromisingly bleak and disturbing, yet deeply moralistic at its core.  Because it is so stark and grounded in its realism, it serves as an effective cautionary tale. (At least three of the four stories in Full Dark, No Stars are more or less realistic, devoid of much in the way of supernatural elements.  The “haunted” as...
Post a Comment
Read more

Collecting the King: Recent Pick-ups

I recently came upon some great deals on King books, and wanted to take a few moments to share my enthusiasm.  I'm always on the lookout for good finds, hunting in all sorts of places--used book shops, thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets, etc.  Pretty much anywhere!  Over the last couple of years, I've accumulated a decent collection of King hardcovers.  In many cases, I snag the books for surprisingly low prices, which is helpful when you're collecting the works of a writer as prolific as Stephen King.   A couple of days ago I happened upon this gem. It cost me less than $2.00, so I couldn't really pass it up.  I know it's an anthology and therefore not a true "Stephen King book."  Plus, I already own a good quality of Skeleton Crew , but...having this book is pretty cool, given that it's where "The Mist" was first published. The other two items are fairly special to me.  I didn't own hardcover copies of thes...
Post a Comment
Read more