The Curator: is there such thing as a truly scary book?
why creepy is the best we can seem to get. Books from Shirley Jackson and Robert Bloch.
When was the last time you read something that actually made you afraid?
Like true deep-down pit of your stomach nightmare fear that you can’t escape?
I’ve read things that are creepy, horrifying, disturbing, and uncomfortable. I’ve read plenty of thrillers that are exciting and well, thrilling. I know Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark scared me righteous as a child. As a teen, I found some of those Fear Street series books chilling and I will never get over the trauma of Flowers in the Attic (somebody check on V.C. Andrews).
But in all my adult life I’ve only read one thing that made me afraid, and I stopped after the first chapter because of the nightmares. That book is [of course] a Stephen King novel. In The Stand, a military base accidentally unleashes a fatal disease that decimates the population (prescient of you Mr. King!). After a single chapter, I was so scared I GAVE THE BOOK AWAY. Although I now have a copy again, I still haven’t read it (perhaps because it’s over 1,000 pages).
What made that one piece of a novel so scary, when nothing else has? Perhaps because the story was rooted in reality - even back then, not having lived through a pandemic, I knew this wasn’t sci-fi; that there are real things we can’t control about this world, no matter how many Wal-Marts we build or iPhones we buy. Your things do not keep you safe, David!!
Alright so even just the idea of this one story was scary, but nothing else since? Movies tell stories, movies are scary - what’s missing?
My theory, and well it’s obvious when you say it out loud, is the absentee soundtrack. There are no horror sounds when you read a book, nothing to signal when it’s getting tense or ratchet up that suspense. Visuals are also a crucial component, but you can visualize a book in your head. Jump scares? Also impossible to recreate in book form, but then again, what would those scares even BE like without the soundtrack? My guess is, creepy, weird, but not scary.
You know I wasn’t about to force myself to sit through a silent horror film to test this hypothesis so I turned to trusty yagoogaly. And guess what Psychology Today.com says no way without sound that shit ain’t scary. Hypothesis approved. It’s science sweetie.
You need proof though, I see it in your eyes. How about: The comfort of all comfort shows as a horror trailer. Gilmore Girls. Hard concrete undeniable proof that music is the only thing that makes movies scary:
What I’ve learned from this scientific experiment is that I should read my next scary book with a horror movie soundtrack going and voila - fear.
Today’s books are creepy, unsettling, disturbing, and alarming because that’s all that’s on offer. It’s ok though, because in the end, I think I’ve got enough nightmare material to last me years from just reading the daily news… Happy hauntings!
FURTHER READING →
Why horror books aren’t that scary, according to one Book Riot writer.
LitHub has ten books that are actually scary - I’ve only read one, and it was existentially scary but…
I love this list from Boston.com of the scariest books you’ll ever read because it includes The Stand and proves me right.
BOOK REVIEWS →
Psycho by Robert Bloch
My internet book friends organized a buddy read of this classic creepy tale that’s the basis for the Hitchcock movie of the same name. If you don’t know, it’s about a man, Norman Bates, and his mother who run an isolated motel. One night when a sexy woman on the run checks in, Mother makes sure she doesn’t check out…
The plot was snappy and twisty. We were impressed by the writing and the language, minus a few outdated shenanigans. Published in 1959, we weren’t sure what we were getting into with the original text. Yet even having seen the OG Psycho film multiple times AND the borderline blasphemous Vince Vaughn version, I was hooked on this slim 175-page novella.
There was no separation of church and state in this reading though. It is perfectly impossible not to picture Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates. No matter how many times Bloch describes him as fat, I just don’t believe it. In other places where the text deviated from the movie, my brain slipped into denial, rearranging the plot to fit my expectations.
But this isn’t a movie review (I guess). The book was creepy and shocking on its own, even without the Hitchcockian visuals. On the off chance you don’t know the entire plot already, I won’t relay my favorite chapter endings, but they were brazen. This man knows how to lead you down the sodden path.
We're all not quite as sane as we pretend to be.
I’m generally not a fan of quick stories. I like lots of backstory and character development, but Psycho didn’t need it. It brings the creeps out, slaps you around some, and leaves you in suspense until the last word. My expectations were monumental, and it did not let me down. Highly recommend for spooky season.
Moodometer: For when you need to learn DSM-IV terminology in a real-life case scenario.
Rating: I give this book a 5 Psycho Stars
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Ah Shirley, you classy lady! Queen of the slow burn subtle creep. Another slim novel, this time from 1962, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a masterpiece in gothic storytelling. MASTERPIECE I tell you.
The opening,
My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.
Deadpan and insidious. Ms. Jackson, you have me hooked like a fish.
As you might have guessed, this story is narrated by a young lady (nicknamed Merricat) who lives with her sister and ailing uncle in a giant ominous house. From the opening, we know nothing good is happening here. But just what is lurking beneath the layers of Blackwood property? After reading this opening paragraph you have no choice but to find out.
In Castle, like Psycho, we have isolated characters burdened by lurking property and the disdain of the local community. House and family are at once a sanctuary and asylum. Our narrators, unreliable; our families, fucked up. Just how we like them.
Writing this review made me want to abandon all responsibility and start over on page one. If there is any book you give a chance this spooky season, let me recommend We Have Always Lived in the Castle, my friend.
Moodometer: For when you are thankful your family isn’t full of crazed mushroom murderers but it’s spooky season so you read about someone else’s instead.
Rating: I give this book a 5 Sociopathic Stars
READING →
I finished four books this month, and it was a bit like an ecstasy trip - high highs followed by severe serotonin depletion.
Mister Magic by Kiersten White was my first disappointment of spooky season. It was thin. Like no meat just a skeleton ya know? This one won’t be making the newsletter anytime soon, but a longer review is on Instagram if you are so inclined → I need more than internal questioning as character development.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver was a modern masterpiece, read the full review here → Demon Copperhead and opioid crisis shit pile
The Secret History by Donna Tartt is ALSO a masterpiece (I’m really throwing this word around all cahj today), but this time of ‘90s elite college culture. The full review is here → Nothing Compares to [The Secret History].
And lastly Psycho by Robert Bloch. I’ve made my feelings known.
WATCHING →
The trailer for Netflix’s Leave the World Behind adaptation is out and my heart is palpitating - Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, KEVIN BACON. I really hope they don’t F this up because I won’t be able to stand any negative feedback. In theaters and on Netflix November 8th.
NEW BOOKS →
Brooklyn Crime Novel by Jonathan Lethem - Lethem has been a pillar of the fiction community for years and yet here I am, virginal. This description makes me SALIVATE so it might be where I start in his canon: "A blistering book. A love story. Social commentary. History. Protest novel. And mystery joins the whole together: is the crime 'time'? Or the almighty dollar? I got a great laugh from it too. Every city deserves a book like this." -- Colum McCann
A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand - THE FIRST EVER AUTHORIZED RETURN TO HILL HOUSE. DONE. "Only the brilliant Elizabeth Hand could so expertly honor Jackson's rage, wit, and vision." --Paul Tremblay
The Night House by Jo Nesbo - This was my very first ARC ever and I raced through it, partially because it was so rivetingly strange and partially out of a desire to be a good NetGalley citizen. It’s a bit over-stylized but plays with expectations nicely. I recommend to any horror-lite i.e. Stranger Things fans. “Expectations of genre, setting, and mood are subverted as a simple horror novel unfolds into a story that encompasses grief, mid-life crises, and more."
--Library JournalDeath Valley by Melissa Broder - Proud owner of Milk Fed, another author I’ve been meaning to get to for ages. Death Valley sounds like the dark comedy my soul has been craving lately: “Broder's writing is a brilliant, zany compass, leading us from the sorrow of existence toward the hilarity of someday having to die.” --Hilary Leichter
LINKS →
TikTok does what it does best and made this shadow journal the best-selling book across all of Amazon. People are losing their minds because the author doesn’t have therapizing credentials but the self-improvement girlies have spoken: they don’t care.
I was absolutely CAPTIVATED by this article on Mississippi’s annual 20,000-person week-long house party that is basically a commune experience. It’s the South, so you can imagine the stereotypical families that make this their whole personality, and yet here they are experiencing… socialism! voluntarily!
We watched The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar over the weekend (well Mark watched, I fell asleep halfway through) and from what I saw, it’s very on-brand for Wes. This interview was enlightening.
RESTACK OF THE WEEK →
I’ve been caught by Jenovia’s Web. Just trust me.
LET’S CHAT →
This week, let me know the scariest thing you’ve ever read.
Or per ush, let me know what you’ve been reading in the comments. I’m always game for a good rec (or warning, grievances, etc. ). If you tell me your favorite TV show or movie lately, I’ll give you a book recommendation.
In Case You Missed It 🖤
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See you around the bookshelf!
Natalie
Natalie! You’re so kind, thank you. 💕
My husband and I just watched Triangle of Sadness and were absolutely riveted. It's so well done and that ending-- wooo! If anyone has seen it and has similar recs, send them my way!