Yeah, Salem's Lot was pretty creepy -- definitely the scariest Stephen King book.

But for books that made me sleep with the lights on, I'd have to say Amityville Horror and The Exorcist. 

I was dumb enough to see the Amityville Horror movie after having the c**p scared out of me by the book -- and dumb enough to read The Exorcist after being scared spitless by the movie.

It's funny that with Salem's Lot I don't remember what it was about or any of the characters or anything else -- just that it was the scariest and that I loved the book.

One Stephen King book I didn't like was "It" -- I just didn't think it was a very good book and barely got through it.  However, I will never forget that clown that lived in the sewer -- Pennywise.  I think that was his scariest single character ever.  

Gypsies!  I had forgotten about Thinner!  You're right, King can make the mundane nightmarish.  What a great ending Thinner had -- even though the whole idea of the heart-pie may have been a bit silly. 

I remember the plot of Cujo very well, and Pet Sematary, and only a handful of others, even though I read all of his books up through around Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne (1992-ish?) except for the Dark Tower stuff.  But they all had that "ordinary-turns-very-creepy" thing going, didn't they?

No matter how scarry a book is, I'll ALWAYS finish it.  With one exception.  King's Pet Semetary.  I got about half way thru and could NOT finish is.  AND I literally had to force myself to finish Salem's Lot as well.  BUT I must say the the very scariest thng I've ever read was also Stephen King.  A short story called Apt Puple.  Absolutly terrifying.  So for me, King is the King.  LOL!

On another King not, has anyone read his "The Long Walk?"  That SO reminds me of The Hungar Games premise.

TONKS

Sorry, just_tonks, almost forgot. I loved The Long Walk.  As I recall, that was one of the books originally released under the pseudonym "Richard Bachman".  It was about these teenage boys who are in this walking marathon and they aren't allowed to stop, even for a second.  Then one by one they start collapsing from exhaustion.  Is that like Hunger Games?

The Damnation Game by Clive Barker

The scariest King book I read was The Shining.

The scariest book I ever read was

"looking for Mr Goodbar"  it was a true story about a guy who would go to bars pick up girls and kill them.  That made me immediately stop my weekly bar behavior.  Excellent book

No contest...

The scariest books ever written are by H.P. Lovecraft.

Even Stephen King admitted that Lovecraft was the best..

Wow - first time I have visited this Book Readers board and immediately clicked on this topic.  I have been a SK fan for 35+ years.  I think Pet Cemetery was the one that scared me the most.  "I could hear the grit in her teeth" Somehow I never forgot that line!

Im telling ya..King has you awake at night afraid of everything!!!!

No man is an island, except on Ebay.

The Exorcist and Salem's Lot.

I wondered why I even bothered at the end of it!

the original Dracula - I had to take it to work and read it during lunch around a lot of people - and I was in my 30's