Why are you reading books? To learn something interesting, to abandon gray reality or tickle your nerves? Or perhaps plunge into the abyss of horror, despair and pain, as is the case with the most terrible books in the world?
We do not mean exclusively stories devoted to the evisceration of helpless maidens or the churning of insides for the sadistic pleasure of carefree sociopaths. After all, there are other stories, for example, psychological thrillers that cause goosebumps, dystopian novels, or books that describe the emptiness and decay of being that make the most inveterate cynic cry.
Sit back, and we will tell you about which horror books should not be read in the coming dream. Or worth it if you want to stay awake all night.
All these works can be found in the best online Runet libraries that we have selected for you.
10. The Hammer of the Witches, Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger
A treatise published in 1487 entitled Malleus Maleficarum was a true bestseller for sales for 200 years, second only to the Bible.
This was a comprehensive guide to finding, interrogating, torturing and executing witches at the height of the “witch hunt” in Europe.
Malleus elevates witchcraft to heresy and recommends that secular courts use inquisitorial practices to root out witches. Recommended procedures include torture and deception to effectively obtain confessions and the death penalty as the only reliable remedy against evil witchcraft.
Essentially, The Witch's Hammer was an excellent guide to condemning innocent people and making sure they died in unimaginable fear.
9. The Shining, Stephen King
The king of horrors created many masterpieces that prevented people from sleeping peacefully at night. However, The Shining has become one of his best books.
The idea of being stuck in a haunted hotel away from civilization, when someone from your family goes crazy, was taken by King to a whole new level.
And it was the success of this novel, published in 1977, that approved King on the podium of the best writer in the horror genre.
8. The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty
The reason the Exorcist turned into one of the scariest films of all time is because it was one of the scariest novels of all time. It is written so atmosphericly that Stephen King himself would envy it.
For people with developed fantasies, “The Exorcist” will become a rather eerie reading matter, because the book deals with an innocent child who is possessed by an evil spirit. Together with the main character, readers will find out who took possession of the girl’s body, reveal the secret of one family and take part in the investigation of the murder.
7. “Coraline,” Neil Gaiman
This book contains perhaps the most terrible idea of all time: about "your second mother," who is waiting very close, in another world. And it shows you what happens when the brilliant science fiction writer Neil Gaiman undertakes to write a children's book.
Bright and memorable characters, especially the smart and courageous girl of Coraline, a dark and gloomy atmosphere, an intriguing plot - all this makes the book terribly interesting.
I suggest you not to give Coraline to your children if you want them not to scream in horror in a dream. Or at least wait until they grow enough to deal with this psychological nightmare.
6. The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris
Did you think the Oscar-winning adaptation of Jonathan Demme was scary? Get ready for a real fright. The sociopath, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, is even more terrifying in the pages of this book when he plays excruciating and exciting intellectual games with FBI intern Clarissa Starling.
However, she cannot get out of this game, because only Hannibal knows the name of Buffalo Bill, the serial killer who strips the skin of his victims.
5. Midwitch Cuckoos, John Wyndham
Alien Invasion? Nothing wrong; we can fight the evil aliens with whatever weapons we have at our disposal. But what if aliens are our own children?
Hyper-intelligent children with golden eyes communicating through telepathy are ranked among the greatest and most terrible villains of all time in this novel.
4. “The price of dislike,” Lionel Shriver
This novel is scary for any parent, anyone who is considering becoming a parent, or anyone who knows teens.
The “Price of Dislike” shows how a child can turn into a stranger, capable of performing terrible things, even if his mother does everything right.
3. "American Psycho," Bret Easton Ellis
The main character’s fall into insanity, a frank description of the bloody killings that he seems to enjoy, and his glorification of consumer culture - all this goes hand in hand in one of the worst books of all time.
Besides the fact that the American Psycho is a shocking and frightening work, it is filled with musical references to the 80s and fun streams of consciousness.
2. Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Due to the crash, a group of students falls on a desert island. At first, the children celebrate their newfound freedom, but in the end they find themselves embroiled in a terrifying and brutal war, which they themselves organized.
This is one of the darkest books in the history of literature because of its idea: no matter how "civilized" we think we are, it will not take a long time to release the inner beast.
1. “It,” Stephen King
Yes, this is another Stephen King novel worthy to top the list of the worst horror books in the world. "It" talks about a phobia, which is very old and very relevant - clowns.
Pennywise, the killer clown lives in the sewers of the small town of Derry in Maine and preys on children. A group of teenagers team up to kill him. But how are they going to defeat the most terrible monster in the world? Read and find out.
