“This book spooked me so much that I had to sit outside on my porch when reading because it made me feel uneasy inside of my own house.”

I’m a lifestyle and pet writer with over a decade of experience in copywriting, covering viral animal moments, well-being topics, and lifestyle trends.

"I remember reading House of Leaves and feeling legit panicky at some parts. It was really unnerving. But so good!"

"I really loved how it was someone collecting individuals' stories after the outbreak was mostly over.

The part that sticks out to me all these years later is the people at the start selling fake vaccines and cures as the world collapsed. At the time, I thought it was a bit far-fetched; then Covid happened, and I had to reevaluate that opinion."

"This one was the best and most horrifying by far. You’ll never look at puppets the same again."

"Oh yeah, I’m reading this one right now, actually. I have to put it down every so often to take a breather."

"I love Annihilation, the way the horror builds and builds and makes you linger in it... so so good."

"Oh my God, getting lost in a whiteout and that ghost is out there just about killed me!"

"Yeah, I was upset with how the villain played everyone, but also terrified cuz I'd get got too."

"It’s so much more brutal than even a lot of his other work, because it’s simultaneously all of the supernatural horror and darkness of small towns, but then you add the overwhelming sense of grief.

You can really understand why he and his wife initially didn’t really want him to publish it."

"Damn, I couldn’t get past the beginning of it and returned it to the library."

"I gave it another try since I saw it mentioned so many times here, and I think the scary part comes from being a parent and picturing yourself in that situation with your child, but I am not a parent, so it doesn’t hit me like that."

"It always amazes me that this doesn't pop up more in threads about the scariest books."

Note: Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.