Childhood Horror Books

[iluvdvds@Cult Labs]

Hi everyone,

I'm sure that most of us can trace back our love for horror through our childhood. Whether it's through kids 'horror' movies, comics, toys or other fond memories.

With the new launch of the Goosebumps trailer (which looks awesome!), lets take a nostalgia trip back in time...

What scary books do you remember reading as a kid? Was there anything that terrified you (even if the book wasn't intended to be scary!). I know I used to read lots of 'horror-y' books growing up.

Share the horror books of your childhood below...

[Vampix]

I remember reading various editions of the Pan Book of Horror Stories. Some of those stories were the stuff of nightmares and really gruesome.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

I never read horror as a child except i was given Dracula and Frankenstein in lavish illustrated glossy A4 paperback style books from Marks and Spencer. I loved those, very scary they were.

My main source of scares were the Target Doctor Who novels (I still own more or less the complete set).

Because there were no repeats and no additional channels, video's etc in the 70's and 80's the Target books and their brilliant covers were all we had to go off so the scares came from our own imagination which is far more terrifying than anything Insidious etal could throw at you today.

[SharonLynette]

Point Horror. I loved Point Horror when they first came out, particularly, to name a few:

Funhouse;
The Babysitter;
The Window;
The Cheerleader;
The Perfume;
The Boyfriend;
Teacher's Pet;
The Lifeguard;
and April Fools.

of course I got rid of them all. Then picked them up in charity shops, before binning them again, then I've recently picked them up again!

Another book I really liked was Room 13 by Robert Swindells.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by SharonLynette

of course I got rid of them all. Then picked them up in charity shops, before binning them again, then I've recently picked them up again!

[Demoncrat]

Yes, I had a lot of the Pan anthologies, as well as quite a few of the Who novels, but for sheer terror it has to be The Dark by James Herbert. Boy, did that weird me out at the time (11 when I read it!). Unless you count Grimms Fairy Tales, I didn't really read "kids" books though.

[trebor8273]

I would say none the first horror novels I remember reading as a child where the rats, cabal , the shining , salems lot and the keep amongst others I can't remember.

[TheGlynreaper]

during my childhood I never read any errm more mature adult horror stories but I was a big goosebumps fan and let me tell you some of those stories were quite disturbing , scary and grisly if looked at the consequences of the characters

like take for instance don't look in the basement a child is swinging an axe at 2 exact copies of her dad one is really her dad the other is a mutant plant clone imagine if she hit the wrong one and don't get me started on the shock ending in the book

one of my favourite stories is one day at horrorland - wow that place seemed awesome if you are a thrill seeker and again the ending was completely awesome and hilarious too bad the tv episode was so darn awful and sugarcoated

oh but there were other book series in the genre that I love too Frighttime , Shivers etc

[Mojo]

The Target Dr Who novels and The Pan Book Of Horror Stories were essential reading for me

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Goosebumps!

Long after my time!

I used to take all the Stephen King novels out of the library when I was a pup!

I remember one book when I was at primary school that terrified me.

It was an illustrated guide to Vampires Werewolves and demons.
The illustrations were horrifically graphic (For a primary 5 pupil!)