The Shining...

[Jester]

I think what bored me about horror movies is their reliance on screaming and gore and the usual crap.

The Shining relies on none of that. It is truly creepy and terrifying, whether it's the book or the movie, though the book is far creepier. (To be fair, there are some scenes in the movie that are beyond terrifying.)

So after I finish the Shining, which do you think would be a good second?

Christine. Very different.

Or Misery. Blood chilling.

Or Pet Semetary. The book was creepy as fuck. Huge difference from the movie, which had me giggling in my seat.

And while it's not Stephen King, "The Amityville Horror" is very fucked up.

But perhaps the king is Peter Blatty's The Exorcist. The movie is creepy. The book will haunt you.

[Racket_Man]

The Stand is absolutely my favorite Stephen King book and I would recommend it to anyone as a first-time King book. The first time I read it I developed a cold towards the end and I was like OH SHIT OH SHIT IT'S HAPPENING WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!

I also recommend one of his newer ones, Under the Dome.

It also depends on which version of The Stand you read. I believe there are at least 2:

a cut down version ( about a quarter was cut out I did not read this one)
and really long complete version (that I managed to check out at the library) that King re-edited and added to the original.

The movie version (a mini-series) was quite good and true to the book.

[Kaylyn]

I own the miniseries on DVD, and the complete version of the novel. Miniseries is also available on Netflix at the moment. It was fairly close, though obviously not absolutely true to the book as it would have been a ten-season hour-long series at that rate, I think.

[Kagato]

Whatever you do, DO NOT play the Steven King drinking game while reading one of his books or watching one of the movies based off his novels, your kidneys will hate you for all eternity (not to mention you'd probably die from alcohol poisoning)

Those of you that are actually willing to try your luck, here are the rules (Any shots with requirements for a particular archetype of character, only take a shot the first time they appear)

One shot for An unexplained evil force without justifiction for it's existence.
One shot for A disabled child with magic powers.
One shot if The setting of the story taking place in Maine at ANY point.
One shot for An antagonist without any redeeming qualitys.
Bonus shot if they're childhood bullies.
One Shot for the same Bully characters seeing Violence & Murder as the only answer
One shot whenever there is a scene with details that teeter on the perverted.
One shot for a scene with any traces of atheist or racist remarks.
One shot for a scene with evil religious people espousing morality, especially when it comes to sex
One shot for a Flashback scene. (This rule can be VERY dangerous if watching "It" )
One shot for scenes depicting Depraved Homosexuals
One shot for a scene with animals being hurt or killed
One shot for any scene containing rednecks

I think I covered all the major rules, I may have missed a couple though...

[dendawg]

I won't say Salem's Lot, as...well, I just don't like vampires at this point.

If you don't like vampires, you will HATE Salem's Lot. It took me three times to muddle my way through. One of his (few) bad ones, IMHO.

My recommendation is to try the short story compilations, Skeleton Crew and Nightmares And Dreamscapes especially.

Also, I highly suggest the Dark Tower series, as long as you don't read the last chapter in book seven.

[Tama]

I don't drink, thank goodness.

What's wrong with that chapter?

I finished the first chapter of the Shining. I'm half-laughing because of how normal it is...

"Nothing bad could possibly happen in such a NORMAL book!"

[dendawg]

What's wrong with that chapter?

If you REALLY want to know, highlight below...however, it will make you not want to read the series.

SPOILER, highlight to reveal below

[Roland (the main protagonist of the entire series) succeeds in reaching the top of the inside of the tower, only to be sent back to where he started, the beginning of book one, with no memory of what happened before. It is outright stated this has happened many times before, only this time, Roland is carrying an item which could make this journey to the tower his last one, and that's where it ends.]

[Eireann]

There's a huge, HUGE difference between horror and splatter. Splatter is most of what you see in so-called "horror" movies these days, with endless sequels. Horror gets under your skin and gives you nightmares. King has written some very good horror, though based on other, better novels ('Salem's Lot is, he admits, based on Dracula, etc.).

The vampires in 'Salem's Lot aren't the Twilight variety, thank God. They're scary. They're brutal. They're out for blood, literally. No bullshit romance there. The Stand is frightening in that the basic premise could actually happen, and once it did - look out!

[cashierbex]

If you don't get a cold from reading The Stand, you are doing something wrong .

[Jester]

I finished the first chapter of the Shining. I'm half-laughing because of how normal it is...

"Nothing bad could possibly happen in such a NORMAL book!"

And therein lies the rub....

[slipknotpsycho]

i kinda liked "Needful Things" and "The Langoliers"

and definately "The Stand"

[Kaylyn]

"The Langoliers" was good. That's in the book Four Past Midnight, a compilation of four novellas.

Also Different Seasons, another compilation, which has the novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption", which is of course what the movie Shawshank Redemption was based on.