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13 Scariest Books I’ve Ever Read | One Was Too Creepy to Keep in My House

HighlandCottageBooks

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These are the 13 scariest books I’ve ever read. One of these books scared me so much that I returned it to the library because I didn’t want it in my house. Eventually, I picked it up again because NOT knowing what happened was even worse. Join me as I share the frightening reads that got under my skin and kept me turning pages.

0:00 Intro
0:40 Reading from Intercepts
2:13 Rosemary’s Baby
4:07 The Little Stranger
5:00 Stephen
7:45 Pet Sematary
11:20 (The Exorcist)
12:50 Red Dragon
13:55 Sacculina
15:39 Dead Silence
17:15 Dark Matter
20:12 Naomi’s Room
22:28 The Passage
24:17 House of Leaves
28:29 The Spite House
30:01 Intercepts
32:58 Outro

Expect Gothic dread, sinister experiments, isolated settings, unsettling families, and houses you should absolutely leave. I also discuss why The Exorcist didn’t make my personal list, the unforgettable chapter 28 in Stephen, and Michael C. Hall’s incredible narration of Pet Sematary. What’s the scariest book YOU have ever read? Leave your horror book recommendations in the comments. I’m always looking for my next terrifying read! If you enjoy horror and thriller book recommendations, book reviews, and cozy bookish conversations about deeply uncozy stories, please like this video and subscribe to Highland Cottage Books.

#horrorbooks #ScaryBooks #BookTube #HorrorBookRecommendations #ScariestBooks #HorrorBookTube #HorrorReads #BookRecommendations #HalloweenReads #SpookyReads #OctoberReads #HauntedHouseBooks #GhostStories #GothicHorror #PsychologicalHorror #SciFiHorror #SupernaturalHorror #HorrorFiction #HorrorNovels #ThrillerBooks #StephenKing #PetSematary #RosemarysBaby #TheLittleStranger #RedDragon #Sacculina #DeadSilence #DarkMatter #NaomisRoom #ThePassage #HouseOfLeaves #TheSpiteHouse #Intercepts #HighlandCottageBooks

20 Comments

@Martha_HighlandCottageBooks Creator 6 days ago Pinned

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

@Martha_HighlandCottageBooks Creator 3 days ago

TWO CORRECTIONS: Rosemary's Baby was published in 1967. Red Dragon was written by THOMAS Harris.

@surpriseitsus9622 2 days ago

The Exorcist was my first scary book as a kid, hidden from my parents. I'm 63 and they never did find out.
Penpal was scary.
The Bighead was the most grousome, disgusting, vile book. I chose not to finish it. I refuse to leave it in a free little library.

@TracynotStacyk 4 days ago

You just sold me on Stephen! This is my first time hearing of it.

@thedarknessunderneathpodca6366 1 day ago (edited)

Check out these-- The Rats by James Herbert, The Haunted by Bentley Little, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthty (esp last part), Phantoms by Koontz,

@spenserl.m.5508 4 days ago

I read Stephen precisely because of the notoriety of chapter 28, so my challenge was not to read ahead to find out what the fuss was about. And, as so often happens with the overhyped, when I finally got there I was underwhelmed. In the end, it was the gradual unfolding of the nature of the narrator herself that left the worst taste in my mouth.

@stillarobyn 2 days ago

The Spite House was my favorite spooky season read and no book has scared me like it scared me. So much is on the page and I love that, no ambiguity.

@Martha_HighlandCottageBooks Creator 6 days ago (edited)

The plushie over my shoulder is PD. Short for Polka Dot. He's an appaloosa who loves horror books about cursed movies.

@auntiefish4192 3 days ago

I read The Exorcist before I’d seen the film. I found it a different kind of scary. It wasn’t “sleep with the lights on”, but it got into my head and I kept thinking about it. It bothered me.

@moochops2 4 days ago

Pauses video to quickly order a copy of “Stephen”… Why on earth in 40+ years of reading horror is the first time I have ever heard of this book??. Just subscribed 😊

@Maureentopash 4 days ago

The Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. One of the scariest.

@brbsnortingcatnip 4 days ago

Penpal by Dathan Auerbach did me in.

@jenettebookerdrake4505 14 hours ago

New subsciber here. Great list 😊

@EPnMemphis38671 14 hours ago

Good video and a different list than most. You really have me interested in INTERCEPTS now being old and tons of horror books/sudiobooks the scariest was the first half of Riley Sager's Survive the night. It fell off badly 2nd half

@heatherkirkland9056 2 days ago

Chris Carter "Genesis" one scary book if at home alone reading. Did you forget to lock your front door ? Text message "Don't worry I've locked it for you ! " Just one of the sentences in the book.

@TracynotStacyk 4 days ago

In Rosemary’s Baby, I really feel her paranoia in the book. In the movie, I feel like she comes off a little crazy. I love both, so I’m not criticizing the movie. I just feel the book puts you in her head really well.

@thenightowldude 3 days ago

Nice selection, well summarized. SUBSCRIBED

@mariapardi5915 12 hours ago

The Other, Thomas Tryon

@NovelEscapeWithAva 2 days ago

Sacculina is hard to find. I really want to read it!!!

@ecoll8950 4 days ago (edited)

It was The Exorcist House series by Nick Roberts but now I’m reading The Exorcist by William Blatty and I think it’s a tie. I’m learning that paranormal horror terrifies me.