Book picks similar to
Out Are the Lights by Richard Laymon
horror
richard-laymon
fiction
terror
The Traveler
John Katzenbach - 1987
He kills, he photographs, she writes about it -- or she dies, too. Detective Mercedes Barren has a reason to give chase: her niece was a victim. So does psychiatrist Martin Jeffers, a specialist in sex offenders and a more than passing acquaintance of the killer.
The Bog
Michael Talbot - 1986
To a small English village, it is a vast organic presence, as ancient as time itself and seething with hidden life and forbidden legends...To its victims, it is a nameless horror beyond description, a razor-toothed evil, rising up from the murky depths to feast on human prey...To archaeologist David Macauley and his family, it is the ultimate scientific mystery -- and the ultimate experiment in terror...
The Pines
Robert Dunbar - 1989
The boy seems to have a psychic connection to something in the dark forest, something unseen... and evil. The old-timers in the region know the truth of the legendary creature that stalks the Pine Barrens. And they know the savagery it's capable of
Creepers
David Morrell - 2005
Built in the glory days of Asbury Park by a reclusive millionaire, the magnificent structure - which foreshadowed the beauties of art deco architecture - is now boarded up and marked for demolition.The five people are "creepers," the slang term for urban explorers: city archeologists with a passion for investigating abandoned buildings and their dying secrets. On this evening, they are joined by a reporter who wants to profile them - anonymously, as this is highly illegal activity - for a New York Times article.Frank Balenger, a sandy-haired, broad-shouldered reporter with a decided air of mystery about him, isn't looking for just a story, however. And after the group enters the rat-infested tunnel leading to the hotel, it becomes clear that he will get much more than he bargained for. Danger, terror, and death await the creepers in a place ravaged by time and redolent of evil.
Books of Blood, Volumes 4-6
Clive Barker - 1985
They are a map of that dark highway that leads out of life towards unknown destinations. Few will have to take it. Most will go peacefully along lamplit streets, ushered out of living with prayers and caresses. But for a few, the horrors will come, skipping, to fetch them off to the highway of the damned ...From the brilliant World Fantasy Award winner Clive Barker come fourteen spine-chilling stories of darkness unleashed, gathered together in one volume for the first time. These are visionary tales of terror which will curdle the very marrow in your bones ...
Shadows
John Saul - 1992
A secluded, cliff-top mansion overlooking the rugged Pacific coast. A school for children gifted -- or cursed -- with extraordinary minds. Children soon to come under the influence of an intelligence even more brilliant than their own -- and unspeakably evil. For within this mind a dark plan is taking form. A plan so horrifying, no one will believe it. No one but the children. And for them it is already too late. Too late, unless one young student can resist the seductive invitation that will lead... into the Shadows.
Kiss Mommy Goodbye
Joy Fielding - 1980
Despite Victor's threats, Donna wins custody of their two children, but when Victor takes the children for a weekend away, Donna has no idea what nightmare has just begun.
Erebus
Shaun Hutson - 1984
The townspeople's fingernails are abnormally long, and their faces are pale and gaunt. Some have noticed the growth of their canine teeth. At first they were terrified, but their terror turns to glee as they transform into beasts with a craving for human flesh.
The Hellfire Club
Peter Straub - 1996
Their murderer remains at large. Nora Chancel, wife of publishing scion Davey Chancel, fears she may be next. After all, her past has branded her a victim. . . .
Then Davey tells Nora a surreal story about the Hellfire Club, where, years before, he met an obsessed fan of Chancel House’s most successful book, Night Journey—a book that has a strange history of its own. . . .
Suddenly terror engulfs Nora: She must defend herself against fantastic accusations even as a madman lies in wait. And when he springs, Nora will embark on a night journey that will put her fears to rest forever, dead or alive. . . .From the Paperback edition.
Sick House
Jeff Strand - 2018
It doesn't seem like the perfect house, but screw it, it's good enough to rent for a year. Unfortunately for Boyd, Adeline, and their two young daughters, it's immediately clear that they chose the wrong place. The nightmare begins with violent coughs and headaches. Food starts to rot almost as soon as they take it inside. A pet tarantula goes missing. Some family members begin to exhibit creepy behavior. Then the ghosts arrive, and all Hell breaks loose...
The Cartoonist
Sean Costello - 1990
So you go on a road trip together, have a few drinks, a final fling before the long academic haul ahead. Young and bright, you feel the future surge beneath you like a sleek stallion, under your full control.But a series of small lapses ends in tragedy and now you're faced with a terrible decision: Do you take responsibility for what you've done and risk losing everything? Or flee into the night unseen, with only God and conscience as your jury?Sixteen years ago, Scott Bowman faced this decision...Now a successful psychiatrist with a loving family, Scott endures a judgement far more harrowing than any god or man could conceive. An ancient derelict appears in his practice, an apparently senile old man with a remarkable artistic talent. Otherwise disconnected from the world around him, this strange little man quickly demonstrates an ability to foretell events through his drawings.But before long Scott is left to wonder: is this eldritch prophet predicting events? Or shaping them?PRAISE FOR THE CARTOONIST"In THE CARTOONIST, Sean Costello creates a fast-moving read that mounts in tension while mixing horror with psychological anguish." —J. B. Macabre"Sean Costello's The Cartoonist is a wonderful blend of horror, psychology, and the power of suggestion that leaves you guessing right up to the very end!" —The New Jersey Grapevine
The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies
John Langan - 2013
Gifted with a supple and mellifluous prose style, an imagination that can conjure up clutching terrors with seeming effortlessness, and a thorough knowledge of the rich heritage of weird fiction, Langan has already garnered his share of accolades. This new collection of nine substantial stories includes such masterworks as “Technicolor,” an ingenious riff on Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death”; “How the Day Runs Down,” a gripping tale of the undead; and “The Shallows,” a powerful tale of the Cthulhu Mythos. The capstone to the collection is a previously unpublished novella of supernatural terror, “Mother of Stone.” With an introduction by Jeffrey Ford and an afterword by Laird Barron.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Reading Langan, by Jeffrey FordKidsHow the Day Runs DownTechnicolor The Wide, Carnivorous SkyCity of the DogThe ShallowsThe Revel June, 1987. Hitchhiking. Mr. Norris. Mother of Stone Story Notes Afterword: Note Found in a Glenfiddich Bottle, by Laird BarronAcknowledgments
Heidelberg Requiem
Wolfgang Burger - 2005
. .
Alexander Gerlach assumes that his promotion to Police Chief of Heidelberg will bring with it a quieter life. A widower and a single parent raising twin teenage daughters, Gerlach is slowly beginning to rediscover not only himself, but also the dating scene again. On his first day in his new job, however, the body of a chemistry student is discovered, and what at first seems to be an open-and-shut case with a clear culprit quickly changes into something more complex. When another murder casts doubt on all previous assumptions, Gerlach must unravel the conspiracy, before it's too late . . . Meet the Heidelberg version of Commissario Brunetti in the first book in the highly-praised Alexander Gerlach series.
Tales of Terror (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Phantom of the Opera, and 13 More Works of Vampires, Ghosts, and Classic Horror)
UnknownHenry James - 1999
Links to free, full-length audio recordings of the novels and stories in this collection.
An individual, active Table of Contents for each book accessible from the Kindle "go to" feature.
Perfect formatting in rich text compatible with Kindle's Text-to-Speech features.
A low, can't-say-no price!
Sixteen Complete WorksEight novels and eight shorts ranging in length, style, and subject. Works included:Novels:
Dracula
Frankenstein
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Invisible Man
The Phantom of the Opera
The Canterville Ghost
The Turn of the Screw
The Island of Doctor Moreau
Short Stories:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Monkey's Paw
The Yellow Wallpaper
Edgar Allen Poe:
The Raven
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Black Cat
The Tell-Tale Heart
The Fall of the House of Usher
Additional Fan ResourcesAlso included are special features for any horror enthusiast, including:
A comprehensive list of the many film and television adaptations of the works included in this collection.
A Halloween Viewing Guide: a recommended viewing list of movies to get you in the mood for Halloween, including family favorites, classic movie monsters, and modern horror films.
The History of Halloween: a fascinating look into the origins of the holiday, the varieties of modern traditions, and a look into how Halloween is celebrated around the world.
Links to free, full-length audio recordings of the books in this collection.
Terminal
Brian Keene - 2004
. . Tommy O'Brien once hoped to leave his run-down industrial hometown. But marriage and fatherhood have kept him running in place, working a job that doesn't even pay the bills. And now he seems fated to stay for the rest of his life. Tommy's just learned he's going to die young- and soon. But he refuses to leave his family with less than nothing-especially now that he has nothing to lose.Over a couple of beers with his best friends, John and Sherm, Tommy launches a bold scheme to provide for his family's future. And though his plan will spin shockingly out of control, it will throw him together with a child whose touch can heal--and whose ultimate lesson is that there are far worse things than dying."A powerful, unique novel with a fascinating plot and characters, and echoes of Stephen King's working-class voice."--Ed Gorman