5 Horror Books That Were Way Scarier Than The Movies, Because There’s Nothing More Terrifying Than Your Own Imagination
Who doesn’t like an hour or two of a horror-filled roller coaster of a movie? But if you’re looking for a longer chase and a bigger scare, we recommend picking up the original source material of the horror movie a.k.a the book.
Why you ask?
Think about it, unlike a movie that could be communal experience, when you’re reading a book, you’re all alone in the quiet. It is the perfect setting for a serious spine-chilling fright. And, movies might have some fantastic sound effects and scenes but can anything really be as terrifying as our own imagination?
Pick these books unapologetically for a spooky read this Halloween.
Book: 'IT' by Stephen King (1986)
Movie: IT (2017), IT Chapter Two (2019)
Don’t we all love to hate a scary clown! If you watched “IT Chapter Two” recently and were filled with disappointment, this book is your redemption. The story remains the same, Pennywise comes to haunt the town but if you read the book, you’ll realise that the scary clown is just the tip of a deeply disturbing iceberg.
Book: Bird Box by Josh Malerman (2014)
Movie: Bird Box (2018)
This is another book that was recently turned into a movie. It’s a post-apocalyptic horror thriller about a mysterious phenomenon that causes people to spontaneously take their own lives after seeing strange creatures. While the movie addresses the external struggle of the characters, it does not focus on the internal one, which can be darker and scarier. For that, you need to read the book.
Book: Psycho by Robert Bloch (1959)
Movie: Psycho (1960)
This is the story about Norman Bates and his murdering escapades in his motel. The film does a great job at capturing Norman Bates’ mental state and gives you iconic scenes like the shower one and the final meeting of the mother but there’s so much more than what meets the cinematic eye. The book provides that much-needed details about the characters and their relationships that drive Norman to do what he does. Well, it must have been a great book, if Hitchcock turned it into a movie just a year after the book was released.
Book: The Silence Of The Lambs by Thomas Harris (1988)
Movie: The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
The story begins with Clarice Starling, an FBI trainee, trying to gain information about some murders from an infamous psychiatrist-turned psychopath, Dr Hannibal Lecter. As it progresses, so does their relationship where Lecter gets into Clarice’s head, slowly tormenting her. The intensity of reading this psychological horror is thrilling as it is fun. It’s the perfect binge-book on Halloween!
Book: Ring by Koji Suzuki (Japanese version: 1991 and English version: 2003)
Movie: Japanese horror movie (Ring: 1998), American Ring series (The Ring: 2002, The Ring 2: 2005, Rings: 2007)
There’s Hollywood horror and then there’s Japanese horror, which is a whole new level of scary! If you thought the American versions of this movie, where a cursed tape is being circulated and killing people was horrifying, wait till you read the details in the book. While the movie focuses on the supernatural horror, the book works on a pseudoscience fictitious medical-mystery that puts a lot of context to the story than just chasing cheap scare tactics.
If you love real horror and are unapologetic about it, pull over the blanket, dim the lights and pour yourself a glass of Singleton whisky while you read these horror books!
*Drink Responsibly!
