I read both The Shining and Pet Sematary while alone looking over a farm, far away from anyone. Can't even describe how much Pet Sematary messed me up. Easily King's scariest book ever (in my opinion)
I read Pet Sematary as a teen in my room during the late night, cant even begin to tell you how vivid the family dynamic was and then that's when everything spirals downhill. It is one of the only books I've ever read where it almost felt as if the pages were turning Grey as I went on reading.
Pet sematary never used to bother me the first time I read it but after becoming a father of twins a boy and a girl (Luke and Leia ) I've been dodging it for years but literally just started reading it again tonight and I'm already scared 😅
Agreed. The Shining and IT literally made me too scared to read them at night. Pet Semetary was also very scary but I read that as an adult so it didn’t have the same affect were I to have read it as a teenager.
Fantastic list, Mike. Misery is the novel which renewed my love for reading last summer. One of the scariest stories that has stuck with me is 1408. I still think about (and hear internally) the unsettling phone calls Mike receives while in the room.
Glad you included Geralds Game and The Library Policeman, those usually get swept under the rug but they are extremely scary. Those will leave you thinking about the terror you felt reading the last chapter when your head is on your pillow trying to sleep.
I haven’t read any of the full non scary novels but there’s some gems in his novellas and shorts. If it bleeds is great in its entirety and bizarre of bad dreams is 90% perfect 1 or 2 May not do it for you but it’s all preference
That’d be easy IMO. 1) The Stand 2) Shawshank Redemption 3) 11/22/63 4) Eyes of the Dragon 5) The Green Mile 6) Misery 7) The Body (a.k.a. Stand By Me)
Yep. When I was in my first apartment I woke up one night to scratching at my screen. I was on the third floor. I didn't look. I didn't get back to sleep either. It happened again a few nights later. I thought it had to be a squirrel, right? And then again, a week later, and terrified, I tore open the curtain and the wind was blowing this oak tree over against my screen. I ripped the screen off, grabbed that branch and cut it off with a pair of scissors. My hands were bleeding by the time I was done, but there was no more scratching.
One of the main things I’ve found about King is his ability to go extremely deep into the oceans of the mind; it’s not so much the horror but it’s the way he tells a story and the psychological deepeness he puts your mind into because of his portrayal of the psychological psyche that a particular character is going through in the story. Like recently I’m almost finished reading dreamcatcher and the deepness of the psychological story and plot will just send you on a roller coaster mindjob. So apart from the fact that he’s just such an OP Storyteller but the psychological deepness aspect of the characters is just WOW. Dreamcatcher; finally got around to reading it after such a very long wait but it’s now easily one of my top favourites of King; I’d no idea it was gonna be this good WOW
So glad to see Skeleton Crew getting some love- easily my favorite short story collection by King, The Jaunt, Survivor Type, Beach World, The Raft, The Monkey- what a killer collection! Awesome list and definitely agree with #1, Pet Semetary will always hold a special place in my heart especially after scaring me so badly on my first read in high school!
Salem's Lot was the first King book I've ever read, and it got me absolutely hooked! But for me, the scariest book by him is Cujo, by a long shot, followed by the short story The Moving Finger
Gerald's Game scared the 💩 out of me. Now The Stand had some freaky parts As a whole, not so much but that tunnel scene makes me freak out when we go through a big tunnel 20 years LATER!!!!!
Salem's Lot was my first King book. Bought through a 6th grade book order and I couldn't bring myself to read it. Finally read 15 years later and it's still my favorite King book to date.
For me, in The Shining, it was the playground scene when Danny thought about going into the tube tunnel but there was something at the other end. It still gives me shivers.
Love the idea of non horror King stories. A personal favorite in that regard is Dolans Cadillac from Nightmares and Dreamscapes. The slow pacing making the agony of the labor more evident, leading to the ending, wonderful story. Would love to see if it made your short list.
The short story of the Boogeyman terrified me for years. I couldn't go to bed without checking my wardrobe. Just that last scene where he sees what's inside the closet. Gave me chills.
Literally was having a convo with my friends about this yesterday. They are huge King fans but I've never read a single novel and am wanting to read a scary story over October. Pet Seminary and Cujo were their recommendations too!
Thanks Mike I finally gave mr. King go and I enjoyed IT. Literally lol. Took me like two decades to overcome slander I read about him in a magazine as a wee boy. It took me forever to finish but I think I will try some more in the future. So, thank you sir! You are literally the most addictive UA-camr after Sanderson! Have a great day!
Awesome list, a few that I’ve and read and a lot more that I need to pick up. I’ve not read a lot of the short story collections, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got Skeleton Crew on my Kindle, so might have to look at starting that one soonish :)
Just finished IT after coming by your channel. What an incredible book. Would have never taken on such a mammoth of a book if I hadn’t found your channel.
Finished Pet Sematary last week and I completely agree with you.Throughout the entire book I had some strong emotions,never felt like that reading a book before,it will remain in my memory for a long time.Yes Mike,please make more Stephen King videos,a non-horror list it would be great considering that 11 22 63 is the only one I know 😅.
Scariest Stephen King stories I've read over the years 1. Salems Lot 2. The Shining(the Mark Torrence dinner table scene flashback) 😱 3. The Library Policeman 4. Pet Semetary 5. The Dark Half 6. The Stand (complete and uncut edition) because you dont know what people are truly capable of in a super flu outbreak. 7. Secret Window, Secret garden scary to me because you truly dont know what lengths a person will go to to right what seems an unjust wrong (if you look at it from a different lens). 8. The Langoliers mainly Craige Toomies upbringing flashbacks of how his mother and father treated him; and now we end up with the older craige Toomy we know in the langoliers story event. Those are the 8 scariest king books I've read each one of these still linger in the back of my mind from time to time.
So far, the scariest overall book of King’s for me is Salem’s Lot. But that scariest single chapter in the Shining is the scariest 10 minutes of a read I’ve experienced.
I want to choose something you didn't cover in this video. There is one story in the Just After Sunset collection called N., that I find very disturbing. I don't know if it should disturb me, but it does. I did audio for that book, and I was glued to every word written in that story. It's one of those stories I think about from time to time.
I still haven't read Skeleton Crew, but I watched The Raft in Creepshow (2?)when I was a young kid, and that TERRIFIED me!! I still think of it, to this day, especially when I see those floating docks out in a lake. You know what else got me? That story The Moving Finger. It turned out to be a little absurd, many Nightmares Dreamscape stories were... but just the concept of it freaked me the F out. I think I read that one in 6th grade
“The Moonlight Man,” as King slowly, sadistically unfurled him, was, without _competition,_ the gotdam scariest thing anyone could’ve stretched an imagination to create, especially in THOSE circumstances! 😯 (Timmy Baterman in the salute description was as close as any other character got for me.) 🤔
I haven't read everything King by far, but I have a specific memory with one of his books scaring me a lot. It was Salem's Lot and I was still a teenager in school. I read several of his books before, but they didn't affect me quite like that. I read through the whole night and only finished like half an hour before I had to get up for school. It was just impossible to put down. Because there was no way I could have slept without bringing all this to any kind of solution that awaited me at the end. No way I could just sleep, sit in school all day and only return to it the next afternoon or so. I was so scared by it, that I had to see it through immediately to be able to put it behind me. I doubt it would be like that on a re-read, but I haven't dared to test this theory yet, even 30 years later.
Totally agree with your list! Glad you mentioned the stories from Skeleton Crew; those were my earliest encounter with King and they scared the crap out of me. Also Library Policeman was horrifying. The only thing I disagree with is The Shining. Don't remember being scared by this one, but I read it at least ten years ago, so it's maybe time for a re-read. I actually had a nightmare about the Moonlight man looking in at me. King created nightmares and dreamscapes for generations........god bless the man
The beginning of the Stand, with all of the fallout and bodies all over the streets is pretty scary to me. But when Larry Underwood is going through that tunnel in the dark with all the dead bodies. 😳😱 WOW
I just read Misery, after avoiding it and yeah, so far.. that and Salem's Lot are the scarest books he's written. I'll read Pet Semerty and come back to you.
IT, The Shining, and Pet Sematary are some of my top picks of scary King stories too. I love the Dark Tower shirt too by the way. I know not too many people will pick up on what KA means, but yeah, gotta be a Constant Reader for that. 😊😁
Cujo did not work for me as a scary book, it was more of a terrible tragedy. One book that always gets overlooked (probably because it was a screenplay and not an actual novel) is Storm of the Century. Andre Linoge with his wolf cane and yellow gloves scared the heck out of me. Also, there was that time when yellow was the colour of the season (or whatever the fashion industry calls it), so there were yellow gloves all around and I was like "yeah, no, thanks!😰😱"
Pet Semetary was my first SK book, I was younger and then my mom read it after and I was forbidden from SK. A couple days ago, I finished IT on audiobook for the first time, I'm in my 40s, I'm going to need a reread but the audio version is pretty good, for how long it is, I needed that version to get me through it or it would've taken months or years to get through, I'm not the fastest reader anymore and I don't have a lot of sit down time for physical. I'm now listening to The Long Walk.
Mike, thank you from the bottom of my heart because youre the reason i started reading The Bound and The Broken and Red Rising series and im alternating between each series and i gotta say those two authors are S-tiers thanks 🙏🏻
The ending to Cujo is one of the best endings he ever wrote imo. That was horror at, or close to, it’s finest. Also, IT is probably a very popular answer but for really good reason. Everyone has different scenes of that book that stuck with them for me it was Mike and The Bird, Patrick and the Leeches and Beverly in the bathroom. I think about those scenes at very random times.
My favorites out of this list are IT, Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Jaunt, and Misery. I need to reread Four Past Midnight. I love reading horror, but it's the movie adaptations that scare me more for the visualization and having actors playing the characters.
For me one of the scariest bits of any of his stories has to be from Dream Catcher, Beaver Clarendon sat on the toilet lid, to keep the shit weasel in, when he needs to feed his habit of chewing on a match stick, but drops them on the bloody floor.........................
Gerald's Game I agree with. I feel like it's one of his most terrifying books ever! It might be the book that scared me the most. I like it too. Thanks for putting this one up.
I remember reading pet sanitary for the first time the ending still gives me chills just thinking about it. Plus jud crandall is one of my favorite characters.
here is my exp with King -Pet Semetary-i got rly bored,end is rushed ... -Misery-it was rly good,end not that great if i remember correctly -dreamcatcher-good book,underrated -outsider-my fav from him,so far
Thank you for putting Gerald's Game on this list. I read it and was absolutely horrified and it really sat with me. I had to read a romantic comedy just to pull myself out of it. But excellent list! I agree - Pet Sematary is #1....because it has the classic scary stuff but then it has that horrific realistic aspect. What parent wouldn't do what Louis Creed did?
Salems Lot was a fantastic book! I wish it didn’t end lol, if a part 2 came out Ben and Mark going on the offense after the cigarette butt, I’d read it in a heartbeat. Just finished it tonight, tomorrow I start Misery
It is my favourite. Have found the other works mentioned give me the chills or unnerve me but nothing will probably ever both freak me out and absorb me like It did.
I remember listening to Misery in an audiobook, and it scared the piss out of me. I don't mind animal-based horror, but I think the scariest type of horror is what would happen if we are pursued by HUMAN monsters (the Slasher genre, so to speak). Stephen King was right when he said that mankind is the true monsters, because in real life, it can actually happen to anyone, any place, and at any time.
I've read 20 King novels. I think the scariest I've read would have to be 'Salem's Lot. I got chills when you mentioned that scene with the kids in the woods. I was surprised by how unscary Pet Sematary was for me. Oh well
I read Gerald's Game when I was far too young and it is one King book I probably will not read again. It scared the pants off me. One of the most disturbing books I have ever read.
Loved this list, thanks for doing what you do. I have read most of the Stephen king novels and collections. I would agree that pet semetary is the scariest to date. Being a constant reader I am always asked what would be good suggestions for those that are not in ‘the scariest’ mode. Best non scariest I can think of would be wonderful. I have recommended Liseys Story before, a fav in my personal all time king top 10, but after that suggesting reads is a little more difficult. Maybe Duma key, and the bill Hodges series I don’t know. Love to see your takes.
Pet Sematary would definitely be number 1 as well. Salem's Lot a close 2nd. Cujo was not my favourite King book at all but the ending did hit me hard I must admit
Great list. I haven't read some of these! Will check out Skeleton Crew some day, thanks for the suggestion! I liked the short-story 'Jerusalem's Lot' more than the novel ''Salem's Lot', what do you think about it? Also can you recommend me a book that like Jerusalem's Lot? 🎃
finished 'Salems Lot two days ago and was so impressed by it. Missed scary vampires way to much. Wish I had gone in it blind, but the title in my native language is a massive spoiler lol (lit translating to: The vampire's hour)
To me Apt Pupil is still the scariest story because it's real. And I never EVER see Revival mentioned on any Stephen King list. I gotta read it again, but I remember really liking it and getting some eery vibes from that one. Also The Lawnmower Man is just freaky. Man, he has so many good ones...
For me, the most scary novel it "1408". I had to stop reading for a while a few times because I was so terrified... And as for the books, I think "It is the number one but "Pet Sematary" is a veeery close second.
Salem's lot and just the idea of a community of people being taken over silently (I think the opioid crisis is a perfect representation of the undertones of that story) scares the shit out of me. Fantastic book/story. I haven't even watched the video yet lol but that book in particular gave me the creeps.
I'm currently reading _Christine_ and it's more spooky than pure horror, for me. I've been able to sleep at night. However, when I read _IT_ last year, I couldn't sleep well for about 3 months. The clown did scare me but what the humans did in that book, terrified me the most! Regarding _Misery_, I didn't find that one scary at all.
My mistake was reading IT when I was only about 8 years old and already didn't like clowns thanks to Poltergeist as for Pet Sematary I just have one thing to Zelda. She freaked me out.
I googled degloving and now I'm disturbed.... It's scary on its own and I do know by number 5 in the list that King can make you feel real pain with words and I'm really. No, thank you.😂
I’d love to hear more about your favourite horror authors that aren’t Stephen King. I’m still having a bit of trouble finding the right horror books 🤷♂️
I know its cliche to say that Pet Sematary is king at his scariest. Its a cliche for a reason. That book is so morbid and when you are a parent its just horrifying. Its an incredible book.
I'm fairly new to SK but the scariest thing I've read from him so far is Pet Semetary. I tried to read IT but found the book incredibly boring and DNF it at 600ish pages. From what I've read online I must be the only SK fan who thinks that LOL.
Ronald McDonald: "Get the hell out of here!"😆Scariest? "Pet Sematary," "Salem's Lot" and even "The Tommyknockers," because like "Salem's Lot," it has a colonizing force that wants to assimilate you (I still remember Gard putting the bricks up in his head!).
@mikesbookreviews you jerk!!! I’ve been a King fan for a long time now, even thought I’d read a lot (what a fool I am)! This video sent me down a rabbit hole I’m not sure I’ll ever get out of. I’ve gone through 5 King books and 7 short stories since watching this. Thank you so much, but damn!!! Is there a way out? Don’t tell me, I’m having too much fun. Thank you, Mike!!!!
10) Black House 9) Revival 8) Christine 7) Misery 6) The Outsider 5) Apt Pupil 4) IT 3) Salem's Lot 2) Pet Sematary 1) The Shining Also, hot take: Cujo wasn't the villain in Cujo; Donna Trenton was
Misery is his scariest , its just a human tormenting another human and maybe The Stand because part of that could actually happen , almost did🤷🏻♂️ Covid 🤷🏻♂️
I read both The Shining and Pet Sematary while alone looking over a farm, far away from anyone. Can't even describe how much Pet Sematary messed me up. Easily King's scariest book ever (in my opinion)
I read Pet Sematary as a teen in my room during the late night, cant even begin to tell you how vivid the family dynamic was and then that's when everything spirals downhill. It is one of the only books I've ever read where it almost felt as if the pages were turning Grey as I went on reading.
As a father,Pet Semetary was so damn unsettling. Gave me literal nightmares the next few days hahaha
Pet sematary never used to bother me the first time I read it but after becoming a father of twins a boy and a girl (Luke and Leia ) I've been dodging it for years but literally just started reading it again tonight and I'm already scared 😅
Agreed. The Shining and IT literally made me too scared to read them at night. Pet Semetary was also very scary but I read that as an adult so it didn’t have the same affect were I to have read it as a teenager.
@@Alex-sr3ez if anything going back to pet sematary as an adult especially a parent is way scarier lol
Fantastic list, Mike. Misery is the novel which renewed my love for reading last summer.
One of the scariest stories that has stuck with me is 1408. I still think about (and hear internally) the unsettling phone calls Mike receives while in the room.
Glad you included Geralds Game and The Library Policeman, those usually get swept under the rug but they are extremely scary. Those will leave you thinking about the terror you felt reading the last chapter when your head is on your pillow trying to sleep.
I would love to hear a non scary list. I don't mind waiting until after spooky season is over. Thanks for the great channel.
Adding another vote for the non scary list!
I haven’t read any of the full non scary novels but there’s some gems in his novellas and shorts. If it bleeds is great in its entirety and bizarre of bad dreams is 90% perfect 1 or 2 May not do it for you but it’s all preference
That’d be easy IMO.
1) The Stand
2) Shawshank Redemption
3) 11/22/63
4) Eyes of the Dragon
5) The Green Mile
6) Misery
7) The Body (a.k.a. Stand By Me)
Apt Pupil - basically just two humans and without any supernatural elements - was an unexpectedly scary story.
I came here to say this. Apt Pupil made me quit reading King for at least 10 years.
Apt Pupil was fucking terrifying.
Yep. When I was in my first apartment I woke up one night to scratching at my screen. I was on the third floor. I didn't look. I didn't get back to sleep either. It happened again a few nights later. I thought it had to be a squirrel, right? And then again, a week later, and terrified, I tore open the curtain and the wind was blowing this oak tree over against my screen. I ripped the screen off, grabbed that branch and cut it off with a pair of scissors. My hands were bleeding by the time I was done, but there was no more scratching.
Decided to read "The Jaunt" just now after finishing this video---that's an all-timer short story! Thank you for putting that one on my radar, Mike.
Excellent short story, probably one of the best ever written, in my opinion.
That's where he turns to jelly right?
@@sidnew2739 after jaunting?
No. No one turns to jelly.
Love the inclusion of the novellas and short stories which is a sizeable King blindspot for me.
Skeleton Crew is excellent.
His short stories and novella collections are probably my favorites.
One of the main things I’ve found about King is his ability to go extremely deep into the oceans of the mind; it’s not so much the horror but it’s the way he tells a story and the psychological deepeness he puts your mind into because of his portrayal of the psychological psyche that a particular character is going through in the story. Like recently I’m almost finished reading dreamcatcher and the deepness of the psychological story and plot will just send you on a roller coaster mindjob. So apart from the fact that he’s just such an OP Storyteller but the psychological deepness aspect of the characters is just WOW. Dreamcatcher; finally got around to reading it after such a very long wait but it’s now easily one of my top favourites of King; I’d no idea it was gonna be this good WOW
Salems Lot, Misery and Pet Cemetary are my top 3. Pet Cemetary is my first and favourite King book :)
So glad to see Skeleton Crew getting some love- easily my favorite short story collection by King, The Jaunt, Survivor Type, Beach World, The Raft, The Monkey- what a killer collection! Awesome list and definitely agree with #1, Pet Semetary will always hold a special place in my heart especially after scaring me so badly on my first read in high school!
Salem's Lot was the first King book I've ever read, and it got me absolutely hooked! But for me, the scariest book by him is Cujo, by a long shot, followed by the short story The Moving Finger
Gerald's Game scared the 💩 out of me.
Now The Stand had some freaky parts
As a whole, not so much but that tunnel scene makes me freak out when we go through a big tunnel 20 years LATER!!!!!
Salem's Lot was my first King book. Bought through a 6th grade book order and I couldn't bring myself to read it. Finally read 15 years later and it's still my favorite King book to date.
Okay, I definitely need to catch up on the short story collections!! That should be my next Stephen King plan.
For me, in The Shining, it was the playground scene when Danny thought about going into the tube tunnel but there was something at the other end. It still gives me shivers.
We need your companion videos.
'Strawberry Spring' is one of my favorite short stories. 👍
Great List I love that you included the shorter stuff.
Love the idea of non horror King stories. A personal favorite in that regard is Dolans Cadillac from Nightmares and Dreamscapes. The slow pacing making the agony of the labor more evident, leading to the ending, wonderful story. Would love to see if it made your short list.
The short story of the Boogeyman terrified me for years. I couldn't go to bed without checking my wardrobe. Just that last scene where he sees what's inside the closet. Gave me chills.
Literally was having a convo with my friends about this yesterday. They are huge King fans but I've never read a single novel and am wanting to read a scary story over October. Pet Seminary and Cujo were their recommendations too!
Thanks Mike I finally gave mr. King go and I enjoyed IT. Literally lol.
Took me like two decades to overcome slander I read about him in a magazine as a wee boy.
It took me forever to finish but I think I will try some more in the future. So, thank you sir!
You are literally the most addictive UA-camr after Sanderson! Have a great day!
Awesome list, a few that I’ve and read and a lot more that I need to pick up. I’ve not read a lot of the short story collections, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got Skeleton Crew on my Kindle, so might have to look at starting that one soonish :)
Just finished IT after coming by your channel. What an incredible book. Would have never taken on such a mammoth of a book if I hadn’t found your channel.
Finished Pet Sematary last week and I completely agree with you.Throughout the entire book I had some strong emotions,never felt like that reading a book before,it will remain in my memory for a long time.Yes Mike,please make more Stephen King videos,a non-horror list it would be great considering that 11 22 63 is the only one I know 😅.
Scariest Stephen King stories I've read over the years
1. Salems Lot
2. The Shining(the Mark Torrence dinner table scene flashback) 😱
3. The Library Policeman
4. Pet Semetary
5. The Dark Half
6. The Stand (complete and uncut edition) because you dont know what people are truly capable of in a super flu outbreak.
7. Secret Window, Secret garden scary to me because you truly dont know what lengths a person will go to to right what seems an unjust wrong (if you look at it from a different lens).
8. The Langoliers mainly Craige Toomies upbringing flashbacks of how his mother and father treated him; and now we end up with the older craige Toomy we know in the langoliers story event.
Those are the 8 scariest king books I've read each one of these still linger in the back of my mind from time to time.
So far, the scariest overall book of King’s for me is Salem’s Lot. But that scariest single chapter in the Shining is the scariest 10 minutes of a read I’ve experienced.
Room 217 is the very epitome of Nightmare Fuel.
I want to choose something you didn't cover in this video. There is one story in the Just After Sunset collection called N., that I find very disturbing. I don't know if it should disturb me, but it does. I did audio for that book, and I was glued to every word written in that story. It's one of those stories I think about from time to time.
I still haven't read Skeleton Crew, but I watched The Raft in Creepshow (2?)when I was a young kid, and that TERRIFIED me!! I still think of it, to this day, especially when I see those floating docks out in a lake.
You know what else got me? That story The Moving Finger. It turned out to be a little absurd, many Nightmares Dreamscape stories were... but just the concept of it freaked me the F out. I think I read that one in 6th grade
“The Moonlight Man,” as King slowly, sadistically unfurled him, was, without _competition,_ the gotdam scariest thing anyone could’ve stretched an imagination to create, especially in THOSE circumstances! 😯
(Timmy Baterman in the salute description was as close as any other character got for me.) 🤔
Whete u find that one
The jaunt majorly freaked me out. Longer than you think dad!
I haven't read everything King by far, but I have a specific memory with one of his books scaring me a lot. It was Salem's Lot and I was still a teenager in school. I read several of his books before, but they didn't affect me quite like that. I read through the whole night and only finished like half an hour before I had to get up for school. It was just impossible to put down. Because there was no way I could have slept without bringing all this to any kind of solution that awaited me at the end. No way I could just sleep, sit in school all day and only return to it the next afternoon or so. I was so scared by it, that I had to see it through immediately to be able to put it behind me. I doubt it would be like that on a re-read, but I haven't dared to test this theory yet, even 30 years later.
I recently had a nightmare about the jaunt, man... that story terrifies me.
Totally agree with your list! Glad you mentioned the stories from Skeleton Crew; those were my earliest encounter with King and they scared the crap out of me. Also Library Policeman was horrifying.
The only thing I disagree with is The Shining. Don't remember being scared by this one, but I read it at least ten years ago, so it's maybe time for a re-read.
I actually had a nightmare about the Moonlight man looking in at me. King created nightmares and dreamscapes for generations........god bless the man
The Raft and all of Skeleton Crew -top notch.
The beginning of the Stand, with all of the fallout and bodies all over the streets is pretty scary to me. But when Larry Underwood is going through that tunnel in the dark with all the dead bodies. 😳😱 WOW
I use to refuse to walk by sewers after watching the IT series. When our baseballs went down the sewer, they stayed there. Lol
The shinning terrified me haha
I just read Misery, after avoiding it and yeah, so far.. that and Salem's Lot are the scarest books he's written. I'll read Pet Semerty and come back to you.
IT, The Shining, and Pet Sematary are some of my top picks of scary King stories too. I love the Dark Tower shirt too by the way. I know not too many people will pick up on what KA means, but yeah, gotta be a Constant Reader for that. 😊😁
Im a 39 year old grown ass man, and still get goosebumps just thinking about clowns...lol, thank Stephen.
Ha ha!
Yes, I would love to hear more about the non scary books. Mike you did a great job on this video. Thank you sir.
Cujo did not work for me as a scary book, it was more of a terrible tragedy.
One book that always gets overlooked (probably because it was a screenplay and not an actual novel) is Storm of the Century. Andre Linoge with his wolf cane and yellow gloves scared the heck out of me. Also, there was that time when yellow was the colour of the season (or whatever the fashion industry calls it), so there were yellow gloves all around and I was like "yeah, no, thanks!😰😱"
Pet Semetary was my first SK book, I was younger and then my mom read it after and I was forbidden from SK. A couple days ago, I finished IT on audiobook for the first time, I'm in my 40s, I'm going to need a reread but the audio version is pretty good, for how long it is, I needed that version to get me through it or it would've taken months or years to get through, I'm not the fastest reader anymore and I don't have a lot of sit down time for physical. I'm now listening to The Long Walk.
Mike, thank you from the bottom of my heart because youre the reason i started reading The Bound and The Broken and Red Rising series and im alternating between each series and i gotta say those two authors are S-tiers thanks 🙏🏻
The ending to Cujo is one of the best endings he ever wrote imo. That was horror at, or close to, it’s finest. Also, IT is probably a very popular answer but for really good reason. Everyone has different scenes of that book that stuck with them for me it was Mike and The Bird, Patrick and the Leeches and Beverly in the bathroom. I think about those scenes at very random times.
My favorites out of this list are IT, Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Jaunt, and Misery. I need to reread Four Past Midnight. I love reading horror, but it's the movie adaptations that scare me more for the visualization and having actors playing the characters.
"1408" would be on my list. Maybe also Desperation-that's one that I think is underrated or unjustly overlooked.
For me one of the scariest bits of any of his stories has to be from Dream Catcher, Beaver Clarendon sat on the toilet lid, to keep the shit weasel in, when he needs to feed his habit of chewing on a match stick, but drops them on the bloody floor.........................
Gerald's Game I agree with. I feel like it's one of his most terrifying books ever! It might be the book that scared me the most. I like it too. Thanks for putting this one up.
I remember reading pet sanitary for the first time the ending still gives me chills just thinking about it. Plus jud crandall is one of my favorite characters.
here is my exp with King
-Pet Semetary-i got rly bored,end is rushed ...
-Misery-it was rly good,end not that great if i remember correctly
-dreamcatcher-good book,underrated
-outsider-my fav from him,so far
Thank you for putting Gerald's Game on this list. I read it and was absolutely horrified and it really sat with me. I had to read a romantic comedy just to pull myself out of it.
But excellent list! I agree - Pet Sematary is #1....because it has the classic scary stuff but then it has that horrific realistic aspect. What parent wouldn't do what Louis Creed did?
I've been going deep into the Stephen King universe all summer long brother lol
Salems Lot was a fantastic book! I wish it didn’t end lol, if a part 2 came out Ben and Mark going on the offense after the cigarette butt, I’d read it in a heartbeat. Just finished it tonight, tomorrow I start Misery
One I would add to my list would be Revival! I thought that one was super scary. Loved it.
It is my favourite. Have found the other works mentioned give me the chills or unnerve me but nothing will probably ever both freak me out and absorb me like It did.
Can you do a video of the scariest omnibus/ collection of short stories? Maybe multiple of them.
I remember listening to Misery in an audiobook, and it scared the piss out of me. I don't mind animal-based horror, but I think the scariest type of horror is what would happen if we are pursued by HUMAN monsters (the Slasher genre, so to speak). Stephen King was right when he said that mankind is the true monsters, because in real life, it can actually happen to anyone, any place, and at any time.
Gerald's game the book gave me the creeps 😬
I've read 20 King novels. I think the scariest I've read would have to be 'Salem's Lot. I got chills when you mentioned that scene with the kids in the woods.
I was surprised by how unscary Pet Sematary was for me. Oh well
Salem's Lot made me scared of the woods ha ha
Great video! Would love to see one on your favourite of the Bachman books or your favourite King short stories
I read Gerald's Game when I was far too young and it is one King book I probably will not read again. It scared the pants off me. One of the most disturbing books I have ever read.
Becoming a parent totally changes your outlook on horror
Pet Sematary and the Amytiville Horror by Jay Anson are the only books that have ever scared me.
Loved this list, thanks for doing what you do. I have read most of the Stephen king novels and collections. I would agree that pet semetary is the scariest to date. Being a constant reader I am always asked what would be good suggestions for those that are not in ‘the scariest’ mode. Best non scariest I can think of would be wonderful. I have recommended Liseys Story before, a fav in my personal all time king top 10, but after that suggesting reads is a little more difficult. Maybe Duma key, and the bill Hodges series I don’t know. Love to see your takes.
Outstanding list - can't argue with a single one.
Pet Sematary scared me as a teenager, and scared me even more as an adult once I had a child. I agree it's his scariest book.
Pet Sematary would definitely be number 1 as well. Salem's Lot a close 2nd. Cujo was not my favourite King book at all but the ending did hit me hard I must admit
Short story: Autopsy Room 4 for realistic scary… Novel: Duma Key for ghost/ evil being scary
I just finished reading Pet Sematary. I loved it. It's a book I know I'll read again.
Great list. I haven't read some of these! Will check out Skeleton Crew some day, thanks for the suggestion! I liked the short-story 'Jerusalem's Lot' more than the novel ''Salem's Lot', what do you think about it? Also can you recommend me a book that like Jerusalem's Lot? 🎃
I’ve seen the film adaptation of Gerald’s game and it freaked the crap outs of me. The book is on my TBR.
It's a great adaptation.
finished 'Salems Lot two days ago and was so impressed by it. Missed scary vampires way to much. Wish I had gone in it blind, but the title in my native language is a massive spoiler lol (lit translating to: The vampire's hour)
So glad you liked it!
I read Gerald's Game in college and I had to turn on all my lights in the home due to the moonlight man..
The woods scene in Salems Lot is still the scariest thing I have read 🙈
I love King. The problem is, whenever I watch one of your King videos I get the urge to trash my TBR and start reading another book of his...
Maybe I'll pick up Pet Sementary this October
To me Apt Pupil is still the scariest story because it's real. And I never EVER see Revival mentioned on any Stephen King list. I gotta read it again, but I remember really liking it and getting some eery vibes from that one. Also The Lawnmower Man is just freaky. Man, he has so many good ones...
For real
For me, the most scary novel it "1408". I had to stop reading for a while a few times because I was so terrified... And as for the books, I think "It is the number one but "Pet Sematary" is a veeery close second.
The stand took on a while new meaning after COVID lol
Salem's lot and just the idea of a community of people being taken over silently (I think the opioid crisis is a perfect representation of the undertones of that story) scares the shit out of me. Fantastic book/story. I haven't even watched the video yet lol but that book in particular gave me the creeps.
I'm currently reading _Christine_ and it's more spooky than pure horror, for me. I've been able to sleep at night. However, when I read _IT_ last year, I couldn't sleep well for about 3 months. The clown did scare me but what the humans did in that book, terrified me the most!
Regarding _Misery_, I didn't find that one scary at all.
Hands down, scariest Stephen King story, for me, is Misery.
Yes love the list!
My mistake was reading IT when I was only about 8 years old and already didn't like clowns thanks to Poltergeist as for Pet Sematary I just have one thing to Zelda. She freaked me out.
I googled degloving and now I'm disturbed.... It's scary on its own and I do know by number 5 in the list that King can make you feel real pain with words and I'm really. No, thank you.😂
Yesss more horror content.
I'm still slacking on reading King. Shame on me.
I’d love to hear more about your favourite horror authors that aren’t Stephen King. I’m still having a bit of trouble finding the right horror books 🤷♂️
I know its cliche to say that Pet Sematary is king at his scariest. Its a cliche for a reason. That book is so morbid and when you are a parent its just horrifying. Its an incredible book.
im not a parent but there’s definitely some parts in it that are pretty gnarly and nasty
I'm fairly new to SK but the scariest thing I've read from him so far is Pet Semetary. I tried to read IT but found the book incredibly boring and DNF it at 600ish pages. From what I've read online I must be the only SK fan who thinks that LOL.
I find it hard to argue with this list. I think I'd have to add "The Monkey" to my top 10 list though.
I don't find supernatural/monsters horror scary at all! I love psychological horror/thriller with scary real people!
Ronald McDonald: "Get the hell out of here!"😆Scariest? "Pet Sematary," "Salem's Lot" and even "The Tommyknockers," because like "Salem's Lot," it has a colonizing force that wants to assimilate you (I still remember Gard putting the bricks up in his head!).
@mikesbookreviews you jerk!!! I’ve been a King fan for a long time now, even thought I’d read a lot (what a fool I am)! This video sent me down a rabbit hole I’m not sure I’ll ever get out of. I’ve gone through 5 King books and 7 short stories since watching this. Thank you so much, but damn!!! Is there a way out? Don’t tell me, I’m having too much fun. Thank you, Mike!!!!
No thanks on Gerald’s Game.
10) Black House
9) Revival
8) Christine
7) Misery
6) The Outsider
5) Apt Pupil
4) IT
3) Salem's Lot
2) Pet Sematary
1) The Shining
Also, hot take: Cujo wasn't the villain in Cujo; Donna Trenton was
Ill never eat fortune cookies after reading IT
Misery is his scariest , its just a human tormenting another human and maybe The Stand because part of that could actually happen , almost did🤷🏻♂️ Covid 🤷🏻♂️