Books That Gave Me Nightmares

Any book that gave you a bad dream.
1

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4.24 avg rating — 1,176,225 ratings
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3

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4.20 avg rating — 248,713 ratings
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5

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4.10 avg rating — 610,410 ratings
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6

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3.83 avg rating — 134,215 ratings
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7

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4.09 avg rating — 181,841 ratings
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8

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4.35 avg rating — 789,630 ratings
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9

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4.04 avg rating — 148,498 ratings
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10

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4.25 avg rating — 565,733 ratings
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11

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4.06 avg rating — 349,014 ratings
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12

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4.09 avg rating — 687,164 ratings
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13

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3.84 avg rating — 143,871 ratings
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14

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3.99 avg rating — 955,307 ratings
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15

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3.95 avg rating — 76,561 ratings
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16

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4.06 avg rating — 149,443 ratings
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17

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3.92 avg rating — 80,410 ratings
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18

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3.95 avg rating — 169,060 ratings
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19

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3.58 avg rating — 169,222 ratings
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20

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3.81 avg rating — 333,291 ratings
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21

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4.02 avg rating — 1,345,047 ratings
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22

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3.66 avg rating — 6,862,666 ratings
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23

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4.14 avg rating — 105,162 ratings
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24

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3.82 avg rating — 340,018 ratings
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25

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3.51 avg rating — 7,390 ratings
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26

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4.19 avg rating — 28,848 ratings
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27

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4.02 avg rating — 615,290 ratings
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28

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4.15 avg rating — 69,988 ratings
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29

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4.23 avg rating — 9,447 ratings
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30

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3.59 avg rating — 107,600 ratings
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31

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3.66 avg rating — 228,678 ratings
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32

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4.04 avg rating — 188,820 ratings
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33

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3.74 avg rating — 1,773,943 ratings
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34

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4.02 avg rating — 542,894 ratings
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35

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 735,734 ratings
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36

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3.95 avg rating — 112,424 ratings
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37

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 133,626 ratings
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38

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3.99 avg rating — 774,304 ratings
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39

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4.13 avg rating — 102,381 ratings
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40

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3.60 avg rating — 76,330 ratings
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41

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3.82 avg rating — 20,737 ratings
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42

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3.79 avg rating — 41,528 ratings
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43

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3.94 avg rating — 37,828 ratings
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44

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3.88 avg rating — 26,684 ratings
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45

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3.92 avg rating — 37,792 ratings
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46

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4.08 avg rating — 113,243 ratings
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47

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3.91 avg rating — 13,261 ratings
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48

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4.19 avg rating — 167,422 ratings
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49

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3.75 avg rating — 74,708 ratings
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50

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3.86 avg rating — 27,660 ratings
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51

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4.15 avg rating — 271,692 ratings
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52

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3.85 avg rating — 250,931 ratings
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53

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4.12 avg rating — 71,701 ratings
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54

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3.93 avg rating — 48,112 ratings
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55

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3.79 avg rating — 300,809 ratings
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56

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4.38 avg rating — 1,289,968 ratings
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57

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3.92 avg rating — 255,026 ratings
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58

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3.85 avg rating — 9,194 ratings
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59

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4.23 avg rating — 777,880 ratings
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60

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3.98 avg rating — 7,471 ratings
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61

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4.11 avg rating — 963,061 ratings
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62

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3.58 avg rating — 1,984 ratings
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63

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4.04 avg rating — 27,083 ratings
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64

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4.86 avg rating — 7 ratings
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64

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4.61 avg rating — 90 ratings
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66

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4.08 avg rating — 60,847 ratings
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67

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3.70 avg rating — 358 ratings
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68

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3.91 avg rating — 24,286 ratings
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69

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4.01 avg rating — 16,728 ratings
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70

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4.11 avg rating — 46,951 ratings
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71

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3.64 avg rating — 8,435 ratings
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71

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3.97 avg rating — 6,716 ratings
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73

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3.60 avg rating — 157,845 ratings
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74

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3.95 avg rating — 85,171 ratings
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75

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2.96 avg rating — 1,565 ratings
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76

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3.93 avg rating — 116,759 ratings
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77

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4.19 avg rating — 4,911,613 ratings
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78

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3.92 avg rating — 21,616 ratings
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79

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3.76 avg rating — 17,766 ratings
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80

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3.90 avg rating — 18,553 ratings
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81

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3.73 avg rating — 770 ratings
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81

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3.92 avg rating — 48 ratings
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83

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4.29 avg rating — 71,218 ratings
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84

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3.98 avg rating — 9,379 ratings
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85

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4.28 avg rating — 4,409 ratings
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86

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3.87 avg rating — 79,359 ratings
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87

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4.08 avg rating — 817,137 ratings
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88

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3.90 avg rating — 9,225 ratings
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89

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3.83 avg rating — 12,523 ratings
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90

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3.93 avg rating — 11,288 ratings
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91

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3.97 avg rating — 232,400 ratings
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92

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3.80 avg rating — 10,642 ratings
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93

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3.81 avg rating — 8,879 ratings
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94

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3.92 avg rating — 1,404 ratings
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95

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3.90 avg rating — 20,434 ratings
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95

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3.86 avg rating — 146,695 ratings
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95

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3.77 avg rating — 112 ratings
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95

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3.43 avg rating — 77 ratings
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95

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3.89 avg rating — 8,823 ratings
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100

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4.10 avg rating — 23,923 ratings
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267 books · 512 voters · list created March 5th, 2009 by Paige Rossi (votes) .
52 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Paige 1055 books
53 friends
Loren 461 books
62 friends
League of Native Nations 12 books
3 friends
Brandon 640 books
42 friends
Toni 159 books
5 friends
David 2694 books
1 friend
Lauren 82 books
18 friends
Shaldna 431 books
1 friend

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-32 of 32 (32 new)

dateDown arrow    newest »

message 1: by Jane (new)

Jane Haase The Exorcist, William Blatty


message 2: by Julie (new)

Julie Yes, why isn't The Exorcist on the list? That's the first book I thought of. Couldn't turn off my lights at night while reading that book. It CREEPED ME OUT!


message 3: by Rhonda (new)

Rhonda Why are the Twilight books on the list unless it's meant in the sense of them being that "bad" rather than scary 'cause they're not scary at all!


message 4: by Emily (new)

Emily  O Rhonda wrote: "Why are the Twilight books on the list unless it's meant in the sense of them being that "bad" rather than scary 'cause they're not scary at all!"
I know! I hope it's because they're so terribly written. If someone actually finds those books to be scary they need to grow a pair.




message 5: by Lindsay (new)

Lindsay Rhonda wrote: "Why are the Twilight books on the list unless it's meant in the sense of them being that "bad" rather than scary 'cause they're not scary at all!"

Agreed. I think some teenies feel compelled to add those books to every list regardless of their relevance. Annoying. I wish there was a vote down or vote against button.


message 6: by Richelle (new)

Richelle T. Stephen King's Salem Lot should be on the list. I saw the movie when I was a little girl and it scared the daylights out of me. I couldn't sleep for months. I'm a big Stephen Kings fan and he's had a couple of books that are pretty out there.


message 7: by Richelle (new)

Richelle T. Salem's Lot by Stephen King


message 8: by Lily (new)

Lily Phantoms by Dean Koontz was the first thriller book I ever read and I loved it! I read it like when i was in seventh grade, but i had no nightmares. I don't know why. It did creep me out though



message 9: by Travis (new)

Travis No Ann Coulter books made this list?



message 10: by [deleted user] (new)

Richelle wrote: "Salem's Lot by Stephen King"

That scared me but Dracula scared me even more so much I was unable to finish it. And then Anne Rice......terrifying!


message 11: by Travis (new)

Travis Now, Dracula and Salem's Lot, yes, but I never found Anne Rice that scary.


message 12: by [deleted user] (last edited Jun 02, 2010 07:45PM) (new)

Jane wrote: "The Exorcist, William Blatty"

The Exorcist was so scary I couldn't even go to see it!! I just heard the stories and stayed away. I wouldn't dare to read the book but I love the music Tubular Bells which does not remind me of the movie. (so glad about that)


message 13: by Andrea (new)

Andrea Double Identity? That's, like, a kid's book...


message 14: by Josh (new)

Josh Julie wrote: "Yes, why isn't The Exorcist on the list? That's the first book I thought of. Couldn't turn off my lights at night while reading that book. It CREEPED ME OUT!"

Yeah it's kind of hard to read books with the lights turned off. I agree.


message 15: by WistfulJoy (new)

WistfulJoy Josh wrote: "Julie wrote: "Yes, why isn't The Exorcist on the list? That's the first book I thought of. Couldn't turn off my lights at night while reading that book. It CREEPED ME OUT!"

Yeah it's kind of ha..."


ever thought that she could be using a tablet?


message 16: by P (new)

P The Collector, John Fowles


message 17: by Lindsay (new)

Lindsay P. wrote: "The Collector, John Fowles"

Thanks for the rec! Looks interesting.


message 18: by P (new)

P You're welcome. It's dark...


message 19: by Chris (new)

Chris Gager The Pit and the pendulum is on twice.


 ♥♥Mari♥♥ There are three books on this list that were disturbing for me to read: "The Exorcist", "The Martian Chronicles", and "The Illustrated Man".

The first one was FRIGHTENING IN THE EXTREME. Well, I never liked the horror genre in the first place, but picked up this book out of curiosity, several years ago. That was a VERY bad decision!

I HATE "The Exorcist" so much, I don't even have it on my GR shelves, even though I did read it.

The other books did have some horror elements in them, but they did not give me nightmares. However, they DID make me pretty uneasy at times. Bradbury is a master prose stylist, though, so that kept me going.

As for Stephen King, I CAN'T STAND HIS WORK. I made the mistake of reading a short story of his some time ago, and OMG, it left such a CREEEEEPY impression on me!

I just stay away from the horror genre completely!! I also DETEST Edgar Allan Poe. I had to read some of his stories in high school. UGH. "The Telltale Heart" was especially disturbing.

I've noticed some of the Twilight books on this list. The first one was not especially scary for me. Neither was it creepy. As for "Breaking Dawn", although it didn't give me nightmares, I did not like the part where Bella was giving birth to Renesmee. I thought it was much too gory. Other than that, though, I don't know why these books would be added to this list. I don't consider them to be part of the horror genre at all.


BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) P wrote: "The Collector, John Fowles"

I don't really get nightmares from books. Or from television, for that matter. But if I would, it would most certainly be from The Collector :-)


message 22: by Jenny (new)

Jenny Goode Holy bejusus, Horn-Horn by ADT McLellan is surprisingly disturbing. I had nightmares


message 23: by Chris (new)

Chris Gager Travis wrote: "No Ann Coulter books made this list?
"

Good point! What about Ayn Rand ...


 ♥♥Mari♥♥ Chris wrote: "Travis wrote: "No Ann Coulter books made this list?
"
Good point! What about Ayn Rand ..."


YEAH!! Both are DEFINITELY nightmarish authors!!


message 25: by Chris (new)

Chris Gager Nothing Ann Coulter might write could possibly justify the reading of it, but I do have a couple of Rand novels on the shelf, and I suppose I ought to read at least one of them SOME time or other.


message 26: by Celia (new)

Celia How could My Ántonia give someone a bad dream? It's such a feel good book...


~☆~Autumn NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) Richelle wrote: "Stephen King's Salem Lot should be on the list. I saw the movie when I was a little girl and it scared the daylights out of me. I couldn't sleep for months. I'm a big Stephen Kings fan and he's had..."

There are many SK books I cannot read. I was warned not to even try a few of them.


~☆~Autumn NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) Lindsay wrote: "P. wrote: "The Collector, John Fowles"

Thanks for the rec! Looks interesting."


I read that in college and it upset me pretty bad but now I have mostly forgotten it. It was so sick! There ought to be a list for sick books.


~☆~Autumn NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) Chris wrote: "Nothing Ann Coulter might write could possibly justify the reading of it, but I do have a couple of Rand novels on the shelf, and I suppose I ought to read at least one of them SOME time or other."

I read my first Ann Rand when I lived in the UK. I don't remember much. I had a friend they were her favorite books.


~☆~Autumn NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) Celia wrote: "How could My Ántonia give someone a bad dream? It's such a feel good book..."

Not a feel good book to me. It made me feel very bad. Something wrong. My Ántonia. I did like 2 of her other books.


message 31: by Donne (last edited Jan 23, 2024 08:35AM) (new)

Donne Decades ago, I used to be a big Stephen King, John Saul, Wes Craven fan. However, after one too many nightmares, I started veering away from the horror genre. Don't read it anymore. These days the only other writer that I tend to stay away from is Karen Slaughter. Her kill scenes are just too gory, gruesome and over the top for me.


~☆~Autumn NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) Donne wrote: "Decades ago, I used to be a big Stephen King, John Saul, Wes Craven fan. However, after one too many nightmares, I started veering away from the horror genre. Don't read it anymore. These days the ..."

Same for me but I have read quite a few SK but only oneKaren Slaughter. Her book was too sick and much too gory! I will never read another one. I have forgotten which book by Stephen King gave me nightmares but I still vividly remember the nightmare caused by Art in the Blood.


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