What's the scariest story you've ever read?

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I should know better than to do this. See if I ever get to sleep NOW. Arrrgh.

http://www.shadow-witch.com/inanna_cornfield.html

It's not even cool-scary in that "Oh, Rod Serling was a neat guy" kind of way. It's more freaky-scary in that "Oh God I know where this is going and won't someone please make it stop?" kind of way.

Actually, it's not remotely the scariest thing I've read. I just thought it was impressive that I could suppress the memory of the Simpsons parody long enough to be somewhat disturbed by it. Especially all the references to the cornfield ("Everybody knew what was out there...").

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Saturday, 21 December 2002 11:18 (twenty-three years ago)

My own answer: I was quite freaked out by "The Lottery" in 7th grade. There's still something slightly sinister about small rural towns to me. Aside from that the most disturbing story I've ever read is Ray Bradbury's "The Emissary," about an invalid kid whose dog is his only companion. His favorite teacher dies, and after that his dog disappears for a long time, and when he comes back one day, he's brought someone with him...

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Saturday, 21 December 2002 11:30 (twenty-three years ago)

If novels can count for stories here then Rebecca, when I was 13...

― Vic, Saturday, 21 December 2002 11:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream". With the possible exception of "The Lottery," it's the most disquieting, unsettling story I've ever read. And, taken individually and as a whole, Clive Barker's "Books of Blood."

― weatheringdaleson (weatheringdaleson), Saturday, 21 December 2002 13:02 (twenty-three years ago)

One about this rich guy who got told he was gonna die at 12 midnight on a certain day. He was really freaked out by it, and as the day arrived he stayed in bed all day, and watched the clock. 12 O'Clock passed without incident, and the man started laughing, and promptly laughed himself to death. Turns out his butler had reset the clocks, to be 15 minutes fast, and he did actually die at 12!

Scared me when I was 8!

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 21 December 2002 13:09 (twenty-three years ago)

a thomas disch story about the subway that never ends or sartes the wall.

― anthony easton (anthony), Saturday, 21 December 2002 21:36 (twenty-three years ago)

the scariest story that i have read has got to be flannery o'conner's 'a good man is hard to find'. i have read this story hundreds of times and still am shocked at the ending, not wanting to end the way that it does, lulling you into the false sense of security that the grandmother's love of religion will provide the hope or security that will protect her from the killer. or when they systemically shoot the family ...

― doom-e, Saturday, 21 December 2002 22:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Both "The Lottery" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find" are great choices.

What else? Definitely Robert Bloch's "A Home Away from Home". Maybe "The Coffin" by Ray Bradbury. "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl; more whimsical in tone, but also pretty nasty in content.

― Joe (Joe), Sunday, 22 December 2002 04:06 (twenty-three years ago)

How about "Sredni Vashtar" by Saki:

http://mbhs.bergtraum.k12.ny.us/cybereng/shorts/vashtar.html

His thoughts were red thoughts and his teeth were white.

― Joe (Joe), Sunday, 22 December 2002 04:23 (twenty-three years ago)

ooh! I read a b-side of a hellboy comic the other day called "Monstro diabolicus" (or something like that) about this guy on a remote island who starts hallucinating and ends up getting raped by a woman with a squid for a face and then these pirates with similar faces who land on the island and he's not sure if they're apparitions or not. really really scary.

― dog latin (dog latin), Sunday, 22 December 2002 05:26 (twenty-three years ago)

i got freaked out by this subway fantasy in a will self book and threw it in the bin.

― minna (minna), Sunday, 22 December 2002 07:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Shit Justyn! That omnipotent kid story freaked me out!

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Sunday, 22 December 2002 07:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Jim Thompson's The Getaway, for its astoundingly pessimistic ending.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 22 December 2002 11:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Sounds silly now, but I was really freaked out by "The TommyKnockers" when I was about 7. Couldn't sleep well for weeks....

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Sunday, 22 December 2002 16:19 (twenty-three years ago)

"There is a Monster at the End of This Book"
featuring Grover

― Curtis Stephens, Sunday, 22 December 2002 23:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Transformer: The Lou Reed Story.

― Sean (Sean), Monday, 23 December 2002 01:39 (twenty-three years ago)

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