“I put that book in a freezer in my garage until I could donate it.
I didn’t want it anywhere near me.”
Here are 17 of their top answers:
1.
“Phantomsby Dean Koontz.
“I still avoid manhole covers to this day.
And it provides a disturbing and terrifying theory to a series of still unsolved historical events.”
michaelashannonsank
Get your copyhere!
“The Hungerby Alma Katsu.
kaykayhere
3.
“What Moves the Deadby T. Kingfisher was sooo interesting but also FREAKED me out.
Most horror doesn’t bother me, but that was rough!”
“I don’t regret reading it, though.
It was really, really good.”
caitlyn2617
4.
“Beastsby Joyce Carol Oates.
It put me in such a depressive mood I had to give it away.
Brilliant, though.”
bambola02
“Thats a WONDERFUL and VERY UPSETTING novella.”
jaimeweida
5.
“1984by George Orwell.
I still haven’t finished it.
I got so freaked out making real-world comparisons that I had to put it down.”
mo2758
6.
“Neal Shusterman’sUnwindseries continues to live rent-free in my head a decade after I read it.
I was an adult when I read it and was so disturbed by the premise.
It is, ostensibly, a YA series.
It’s a procedure you are fully conscious for, and it’s described in hideous detail.”
Again, this is a YA series.”
lobsterlemonlime
7.
“Sharp Objectsby Gillian Flynn gripped me so hard.
I was depressed the entire time I was reading it.
I haven’t watched the limited series yet, and I’m unsure if I will.”
j458091739
8.
“The Ratsby James Herbert.
sushigal007
9.
“Heart-Shaped Boxby Joe Hill.
I love horror, and this book messed with me.
It was a psychological terror and left me upset for weeks.”
“I reread books all the time, but I won’t ever reread this book.”
tlk2megoose
10.
“John Dollarby Marianne Wiggins.
It deeply affected me for months.”
“It’s basicallyLord of the Fliesbut with little girls and way, way more disturbing.”
cdgbuitron
11.
“I know it’s not exactly traditional horror, butNever Let Me Goby Kazuo Ishiguro.
That book BROKE ME.
With the ‘donors’…and the ‘carers’…I CAN’T.
After I talked about this book to my mom (I had to talk to SOMEONE about it!
), she seriously cut back on eating meat.
Because no matter how well the meat is treated, it’s still meat and destined to die.”
“Interview with the Vampireby Anne Rice.
Claudia’s immortal condition made me feel claustrophobic; it was horrifying for her.”
rebapeawii
13.
“The Exorcistby William Peter Blatty.
I didn’t want it in the room while I slept.”
crafty_gm
14.
“The Shiningby Stephen King.
So much scarier than the movie.
I made the mistake of reading it alone…at night…in an almost empty Army barracks.
I was too afraid to leave my room to pee.”
“I ended up yeeting it down the hallway and locking my door until morning.”
kasibranham
15.
“Pet SematarybyStephen King.
I was still living at my parents' home during the summer in college.
Their house had a large sliding glass door facing the woods and a large hill (how appropriate).
ginnyjensen
16.
“The Girl Who Loved Tom GordonbyStephen King.
cosmicmelon
17.And finally: “Salem’s Lotby Stephen King hands down.
It was just so upsetting.
I put that book in a freezer in my garage until I could donate it.
I didn’t want it anywhere near me.”
katherinewins3
Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity.
