I know most of them are shit, but are there any Veeky Forums approved horror novels?

The Willows is one of the best novellas I've read. I did not find it drawn out in the least. Bleak, maybe. It's existential horror, proto-Lovecraft with better prose than the latter could ever achieve

Lovecraft, Kafka, Ballard, Burroughs, Land, Baudelaire

Much of which isn't explicitly horror, but should elicit a similar emotional response nonetheless

>Ballard
Where do you recommend I start with him? In terms of works that evoke the feelings you mentioned.

High-Rise, Atrocity Exhibition if you're feeling adventurous.

His short stories are his best work.

Kys, faggot

Lovecraft

t. ass blasted nerds that can't cope with the fact that nobody shares their shit taste

go back to reading genre fiction kids

I picked up a box of Stephen King from a coworker back in the day and never got around to reading most of them. Tommyknockers was one, I thought it looked interesting, being on the lengthy side, but it is seldom mentioned in discussions about King's best works. Should I give it a try?

Robert Aickmann is GOAT.

kys to death

>says the faggot who seeks "Veeky Forums approved horror fiction"

You have to be at least 18 years old to use this website, kid.

Damn right he is.

(You)

What makes you think I'm the OP?

"Anonymous" is not a user name, newfag

Why else would you defend OP's drivel?

>newfag
>pic related

>kid

yes

Pet cemetery was so sad. That little boy was so cute up until he stabbed everyone.

Has anyone here read The Monk by Matthew Lewis? What did you think of it?

90% of Stephen king books are horror gold. The fuck is wrong with yall.

I've been rereading stories from that and Painted Devils recently. he's befuddling, to say the least. he seems to often deal in themes of gender roles and of abnormal sexuality - pedophilia, necrophilia, incest, etc, but it's difficult to truly unravel anything as he was so dedicated to cloaking everything in subtlety and double meanings. "The Same Dog" and "The School Friend" are some of the most unsettling stories I've ever read, and yet I can just barely scrap together some idea of what they're (maybe) supposed to be about.

I started with Crash, that's a fun one.

>I started with Crash

so does my novel

idgi

Does said novel involve a golden retriever?

Twilight

Would not advise that. King himself confessed that it was not his brightest moment. The book seems to be patched up from different pieces which don't really lead anywhere.

It had some interesting ideas, but overall it was painful to read.

>and yet I can just barely scrap together some idea of what they're (maybe) supposed to be about.

It's reassuring to read this as I recently finished Dark Entries and despite enjoying it immensely I felt this after most, if not, all the stories.

Fuck I just got it

I think most people are left scratching their heads when it comes to his stories. I'm actually sending one of his collections to a friend for Christmas and I'm anticipating his reactions.

there's an old archived webpage that has some articles on Aickman as well as old google groups discussions where people attempted to dissect some of his work. worth checking out after you get more familiar with him:
web.archive.org/web/20090628102605/http://www.prairienet.org/~almahu/aickman.htm

The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson

It is incredibly vivid, and extremely disturbing.

Jesus, how pathetic.

"The Repairer of Reputations" is a neato short horror story.

jack ketchum is pretty good

It's fucking hilarious though the section with the dead child is pretty horrifying desu

The movie is really good too for anyone interested.

I don't know if he's Veeky Forums approved, but Roald Dahl wrote some fucked up stuff. He may be famous for his children's stories, but some of his other works are spooky as hell.

Just finished writing a research paper on it. Really really cool book, but I've never read anything that I've found genuinely unsettling before and that was certainly no different.

The closest I've ever come to considering something a "horror novel" would be Wise Blood, but it's also a very funny book which might disqualify it for consideration.

kysyourselfmyman

Das Kapital, so spoopy some anons thought it was for real.

it's real, I saw a copy of it once

Communist Manifesto was spookier imo

>A specter is haunting Europe
shivers!

oh shit i forgot about shirley jackson we have always lived in the castle is an extremely unsettling novel really good

>if a bunch of autistic NEETs like it, it has to be good!

>Reddit Letter Media

If it ain't Ligotti
It's Le garbage

Ligotti

Ligotti has written no novels, and nothing of consequence for ten years.Though I've long been a fan of his work (started reading him in '97), I get really tired of how over hyped he is here, as if he's the only horror author worth reading (or maybe just the only name people know to drop?)

Personally, I'd put several dark fiction writers (a few already mentioned, a few producing great stuff right now) above him in terms of influence, storytelling talent, and style. Do yourself a favor and broaden your horizons.

>Algernon Blackwood
>M.R. James
>Robert Aikman
>Clive Barker
>Ramsey Campbell
>Robert Bloch
>Richard Matheson
>Nathan Ballingrud
>Laird Barron
>Joe Hill

And as far as novels go, here's my standard top five. Honorable mention to House of Leaves for being unlike anything else ever published.

5. Child of God, Cormac McCarthy
4. The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson
3. The Shining, Stephen King
2. Floating Dragon, Peter Straub
1. Naomi's Room, Jonathan Aycliffe

>autism
He's just asking for recommendations, dingus

Anything by Robert Lawrence Stine.

Why is he so smug?

consumerist brainwashed youth. they think they're buying a toaster.

He's really just a pepe trapped inside a human husk.

Mike is one of you guys, he has the thinking man's fetish.

Wew lad

leave, please

Laird Barron is probably the best horror author alive right now. I've actually met him, good guy.

John Langan has new novel out and I heard its pretty good well. I saw him give a reading of it and its definitely in that folky-Lovecraftian genre. Its set in the Hudson Valley which is actually a pretty spooky place, especially if your in the part where the Appalachian Mountains reach it.

what kinds of stuff does Laird write about?

Dont fret, kiddo.

Basically, his whole thing is that he mixes the classic Lovecraftian plot with a prose style reminscient of hardboiled authors like Chandler or Hammett. Cormac McCarthy is his favorite author and definitely shows too.

He's already created his own mythology. Basically there's a giant space leech that eats planets called "Old Leech". The Children of Old Leech are its spawn that go to each planet and take over the native race by basically turning them into a suit (think "The Thing"). There also seems to be an Illuminati-like cult that are okay of being assimilated because the Children of Old Leech are immortal.

that sounds pretty cool, I also enjoy McCarthy despite the memes, will check out. Thanks

anything by John Green

I would read his short story collection in order they came out.

I think there's a tiny group of Ballingrud fans on this board who pop in to mention him now and then. NALM was one of the best horror story collections I've ever read.

Where do you recommend beginning with Campbell?

NALM was a revelation. Check out Greener Pastures as well, by newcomer Michael Wehunt.

Campbell's novels are somewhat hit or miss. I liked Ancient Images and Deepest Part of the Woods, but like a lot of horror writers, I think his best work is in short stories. Alone with the Horrors is a good cross section of his career. "Mackintosh Willy" is a particular favorite.

I could never get into Ellison. "I Have No Mouth" was okay near the end, but honestly seemed like a degeneration/tf/cuckold fetish outlet for most of it.

Alone with the Horrors has actually been on my amazon shopping list for awhile now. just wasn't sure if I wanted to pull the trigger since has seems to have so much stuff.

Greener Pastures looks like it'd be right up my alley. thanks!

Check out his collection Strange Wine.

>Not Frankenstein

have you been splashing your eyes with bong water, user?

True classics: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Haunting of Hill House
Pretty good tier: Silence of the Lambs, House of Leaves

Feloniously unrecognized tier: Hell House

knut hamsun - hunger

canon my dude

Thanks.

Ligotti ain't the be all, end all, but don't undersell him okay? He's gr8

Also, go for Poppy Z. Brite for some godtier description, some Arthur Machen for eldritch ideas. The Red Tree by Susan Caitlin is also good. Great voice in it.

ThisIsHorror, in general, has great shit.

I've heard Hell House described as Haunting of Hill House but more graphic.

I fucking loved it, Gothic to the max. I don't know how anyone not like a book that was written in 1700's, and yet have a slasher section YEARS before Carpenter was even born.

>to the max

you need to go back

what

Edgar Allen Poe, my friend. Just look at his face and you know the deal.

In my childhood I read a story about an one-eyed cat by him and that stuff was haunting, I can tell you.
Does anyone know the name of it by chance?

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black cat

Thank you user

Not 5 anymore like come the fuck on.
Macbeth? Are you fucking kidding?
King shit
Agreed just look at these retards, they don't know shit about horror. They haven't even read their fucking recommended horror books in the lit sticky.

welcome!