I don’t know if it’s in honor of Halloween or I’m just in the mood for a scary story but I’m interested in what you consider the scariest books you’ve ever read.

And please don’t write in things like “Audacity of Hope” by Obama or something by Saul Alinsky. Yes, they’re scary but that’s not the kind of scary I’m talking about.

A few off the top of my head:

Salem’s Lot by Steven King. I don’t know if it’s because I read it as a teenager but this book scared me to death at the time. One night when I was up reading it, my brother Kevin stayed out late and got himself locked out of the house so he threw rocks up at my window and started calling/whispering out my name. Yeah, I freaked. So that one holds a special corner of horror in my heart.

Ghost Story by Peter Straub. Just a really creepy tale. But like Salem’s Lot the movie stunk. So don’t watch the movie but the book is a scary read.

Hostage to the Devil by Malachi Martin. It’s scariness comes from how very real it all feels. Details the possession of five different people. Scary.

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. This may be the only book on the list that was made into a great movie.

Dracula by Bram Stoker. The father of all vampire books. Scary. And the vampires don’t sparkle. They’re all demony and need killin’ just the way I like them.

I open it up to you. Let me know the scariest books you’ve ever read.