TLDR: can someone afraid of horror movies still enjoy the genre in books?
I’m wondering how different the reading experience of horror books is compared to watching a movie? Does reading as opposed to watching take the visceral reaction out of it? I’m imaging jump scares vs a creepy feeling that makes you look behind to see if anything is there.
I’m a big baby when it comes to horror movies, but simultaneously curious about many books that are in the genre.
What are some good entry level books for the horror-curious reader? Is everyone going to say Steven King? 🙂
(Examples of books I’ve been curious about: Annihilation, Our Share of Night, Tender is the Flesh, Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampire – just to name a few)
by ExpectoPropolis
3 Comments
>TLDR: can someone afraid of horror movies still enjoy the genre in books?
Yes, because this was literally me most of my life. I got really squeamish and uncomfortable in scary movies (saw comes to mind) but i love reading scary stories.
The thing with horror books is that you have to read through the terror and the horror—no hiding your eyes behind your hands, etc. Forcing you to create the frightening visuals in your head, from a foundation of your own fears….
Tender is the Flesh and Annihilation are both great, non-SK picks 🙂
I don’t read a whole lot of horror, but King is pretty accessible. IT was the scariest book I’ve ever read, and it’s got a great audio performance too.