Have you ever noticed that many novels have become major films of the horror genre? People like Clive Barker, John Carpenter, and Wes Craven have written frightning material over the years that captivated and had audiences jumping out of their seats. I definitely know Jaws and The Exorcist were originally books. What are your favorite authors in the horror genre and why?

my favorite horror novel is a pretty strange one..."House of Leaves" by Mark Danielewski....about a house with a mind of its own. very disturbing, but i loved it! but the way it's written is pretty insane...pages with the print upside down...pages with only one or two words on them...weird appendices.

i know that sounds crazy, but if any of you guys have seen the book or read it or tried to read it then you'll understand what i'm talking about.

i also love most of Clive Barker's stuff. "The Hellbound Heart" (the novella Hellraiser was adapted from) was amazing and creeped me out severely the first time i read it.

I love Stephen King! Back in the day when I had time to read a whole book, I had a couple of his.

Pet Sematary
Carrie
Christine
My favorite was "IT." The made for TV movie was such a disappointment!

"Hellraiser" is absolutely insane lol. Did you see the film adaptations from the original literature? Clive Barker produced and directed the films as well if I'm not mistaken.

I'm fond of Mr. King as well.

My favorite books to read by him are Misery and Nightmares and Dreamscapes (Which is an awesome T.V series now)

I've never really liked Clive Barker. His Hellraiser stuff is too out there for me.

I used to like Stephen King until he started killing off children. That's a no-no for me. I loved Carrie, Christine, Stand By Me, Dream Catcher, The Green Mile, The Shining, Creepshow, Thinner, Firestarter, and The Dead Zone. I hated Pet Sematary, Cujo, and It. Misery was hard to read without flinching. Dolores Claiborne is my all time favorite for several very complicated reasons.

My favorite author (lately) of that genre is Dean Koontz. I like them all. My favorites are Intensity and Sole Survivor.

Ok I HAVE to buy this book! It sounds crazy cool.

I am a horror nut, I collect horror dvd's and books. I have read almost every Stephen King novel, but like Mike said, he seems to enjoy killing children in them. I also object to his need to have at least one animal tortured in every book. I always end up crying when I read those things. What can I say, I am a total animal lover lol.

I heart Dean Koontz. Every time I start to read one of his novels, I end up reading all night, usually finishing around 8am. By that time I am too scared to get off my bed for I am afraid something is going to grab my feet from under the bed! AHHHHHH

I have read a lot of great scary books, but I buy them from the Salvation Army by the truckload and always forget to note the name of the author of a good book I have just finished.

It seems like their are a lot of Stephen King fans here. Although this was not a book, it was a screen play that King wrote called "Rose Red". It aired on ABC a few years ago. I was just wondering if anyone saw it and thought it was amazing writing as well as acting within the film. The paranormal seems to be a pivotal topic within the horror genre in so far as haunted houses and such, which is exactly what Rose Red is about.

I saw the Rose Red series. I don't remember too much about it though. I remember also seeing a program about the making of the min-series and it showcased the house (mansion? castle?) in which the movie took place.

Rose Red was about the investigation of a haunted house in which a College professor of Parapsychology hopes to substantiate the claim that the paranormal exists. She enlists the help of 6 very powerful psychics, telepaths, telekinetics, and automatic writers in order to hopefully see phenomena manifest itself within the house. The history behind why the house is haunted is extensive and very interesting. To sum it up, a 20 year old woman marries a 40 year old oil executive. He is very wealthy and takes her on a trip around the world for the honey moon while their lavish mansion is built. After they arrive to the newly built home, odd things begin to happen. People begin to disappear and sometimes turn up dead. Ellen Rimbower (sp?) had her heart broken by her husband who cheated on her during many occasions. And after a psychic visited her home saying that the house would not be finished built until she said, she was changed forever. She kept adding onto the house till her disappearance in 1950. Basically what it is about, is a house with many ghosts that feed off of psychic energy. Therefore, when Dr. Reardon (the professor(, brings these powerful psychics to the house, it awakens all of the restless spirits who wish to continue building the house even in death. Ellen locked the doors and even windows through the telekinetic girl so that all of the psychics could not leave the house. I love this movie for the fact that their is a lot of comedic moments, scary jump out of your seat thrills, and a fascinating story line that could be told not better than by Stephen King himself.

Wow, I'm sorry this post goes on forever. You could find this film I'm sure at Best Buy.

Thanks for that synopsis - I do in fact remember it now. I collect DVD's of the horror genre, and I think that I will go see if it is available when I hit Walmart tomorrow. Thanks again!

I love horror books toooooooo Cath.... if ya can remember any good ones you have read.... can you pass the name and author's on to me..... I love used books stores and Goodwill for getting books.... I am reading a horror book called The Farm right now.... pretty good so far..... its about an old farmhouse and we just moved to a old farmhouse :rotfl: So it is really upping the scary factor for me..... I LOVE IT! :D

No problem. I'm fascinated by the paranormal itself. I gravitate towards movies like Rose Red that explore the subject in a really entertaining and intelligent manner.

Hey! That is so cool! I will keep you in mind the next time I read a good one. I can only imagine how freaky the farmhouse would seem if you are reading a book about a creepy one.

I know I just finished a Dean Koontz book that scared the pants of me but as usual, I can't remember the name lol. Some of his books aren't that great though. I know the Odd Thomas series is awesome as is the Frankenstein series.

There are 4 books in the Frankenstein series and 2 have been released so far. They really have nothing to do with the traditional Frankenstein story, they are much, much better. The 3rd book has been delayed as it was set in New Orleans and they didn't feel it was appropriate to release it earlier this year in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The First Book is called Frankenstein: Prodigal Son, and the second is Frankenstein: City of Night. I seriously cannot wait for the third one to be released.

Here's a synopsis of Book 2 I found:

Dean Koontz's City of Night

They are stronger, heal better, and think faster than any humans ever created — and they must be destroyed. But not even Victor Helios — once Frankenstein — can stop the engineered killers he's set loose on a reign of terror through modern-day New Orleans.

Now the only hope rests in a one-time "monster" and his all-too-human partners, Detectives Carson O'Connor and Michael Maddison. Deucalion's centuries-old history began as Victor's first and failed attempt to build the perfect human — and it is fated to end in the ultimate confrontation between a damned creature and his mad creator. But first Deucalion must destroy a monstrosity not even Victor's malignant mind could have imagined — an indestructible entity that steps out of humankind's collective nightmare with one purpose: to replace us.

Well I'm back from my shopping spree today (oh dear spent way too much) and I didn't have any luck purchasing Red Rose. Guess I will go rent it again!

I'm not a big believer in the supernatural, but I totally love movies and books about it. Weird.

Thanks soooooooooo much Cath!!! I love Dean Koontz... I will check those out and when you remember the one you just read.... let me know :) I love to have the pants scared off me... figuratively... not literally..... :rotfl:

Do people think the books that have become movies in the horror genre are equal to the book or bad?

Well I haven't seen that many movie adaptations of books. I do know that in regards to Stephen King, the more involved he is in the making of the movie, the better it is. A great example of this is Pet Cemetary. SK was very involved in the first Pet Cemetary and it was great (IMO). The second one was made without any involvement by him and it really sucked. Although, I don't know if Stephen King wrote the second Pet Cemetary so this might now actually be the best example!

But I have noticed this phenomenon with some of the other movies based on his books. It seems that Mr. King needs to be involved in the movie-making process to ensure that the end results are good.

I wish I could remember the names of the bad movies I am thinking of!

I purchased Rose Red at Wal Mart for around 10.00 (VHS). One of my all time favorite horror books is "Children of the Night" by Dan Simmons. Excellent read!
I'm trying to muddle my way through Koontz's "Life Expectancy." Too many interuptions with the kids, ect....

I agree. Steven King is always very involved in the movie making process of his books which is a great thing.

So I just got back from the library and I was unable to find the majority of the books I REALLY wanted, but I did get to take out "The Historian" (thanks for the recommend, SK8888!) "Cell" by Stephen King and Dean Koontz' "Forever Odd" (The second book in the Odd Thomas series).

So far I've read a few chapters of the Stephen King book and he stayed true to form and brutally killed not one, but TWO dogs within the first 5 pages. This man has a thing for torturing animals grrrrrr. Otherwise it is shaping up nicely. It is pretty much exactly like a zombie movie except this time anyone who uses a cell phone is turned into a raving lunatic craving the blood of the living. I haven't determined if they are actually dead zombies or just crazy living people.

Hi Cath!!

Let me know how you like the Dean Koontz novel. I might want to check that out also.

Sk8888

Hey Shelley!

Have your read the first Odd Thomas novel? It was really darn good. That's why I sought out the second one. From my understanding Dean Koontz wrote the 2nd book, Forever Odd in response to his fans' demands for more!