For 10 years I haven’t read a book and I really want to start forcing myself to read, even just for 10 minutes a day to begin with. I don’t truly know what I’m looking for, but I think I wanna try going deep with psychological horrors.
I love psychological horror movies like hereditary, midsommar, some fucked up, very stressful movies that can be hard to watch. I could hardly watch hereditary, it was so so stressful, and then a few weeks later I had to watch it again and could still hardly watch it. Favourite movie ever.
I like plenty of paranormal horrors, all the common ones including plenty that you might consider garbage (sinister, insidious, annabelle, babadook), as well as more natural horrors, with maybe some hints of something supernatural… or maybe something worse… loved 10 Cloverfield Lane
I also love when characters have common sense and/or break the limitations of corniness and cliches (I LOVED Jack the Giant Slayer, because e.g. the king was actually not a total snob/asshole) whereas I usually turn away from action movies or superhero movies because they’re so corny and so covered in every predictable cliche ever (but I loved Joker and some batman movies)))
I am pretty immediately turned away from vampires, witchcraft, werewolves or anything fantasy.
Thankyou Reddit!!!! Sorry I’m so picky here, I can be very picky with movies too… I’m working on my attention span
by Some-Watercress-1144
5 Comments
If you’re looking for horror that creeps under your skin with the mundanity of evil, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ by Ira Levin is a novel I often recommend. The slow burn of the plot and the eventual reveal of the horror lurking in plain sight is brilliantly executed.
Maybe give a short story/novella type book a try? Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric Larocca could be a good start. Or Penpal by Dathan Auerbach is technically a full book but a shorter page count than trying to lean into a Stephen King.
You can give the Books of Blood volumes by Clive Barker a try. Short stories all of variously disturbing horror.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones was terrifying and so so good
Try Skeleton Crew by Stephen King. That book scared the fuck out of me 30 years ago and still does, plus short stories are a great ease in to start you off.
I also second the suggestion of Rosemary’s Baby. That book is so creepy