A classic scary novel is 'Carrie' by Stephen King. It's about a girl with telekinetic powers who gets bullied at school and then takes revenge in a terrifying way. 'Rosemary's Baby' by Ira Levin is another. It has a slow - building sense of horror as Rosemary becomes pregnant and suspects something sinister about her baby. 'The Exorcist' by William Peter Blatty is also a must - mention. The possession of a young girl and the attempts to exorcise the demon are truly spine - chilling.
For beginners, 'Dracula' is a good choice. The vampire lore is well - established in this novel, and the way Bram Stoker builds the tension is great. You get to know the characters as they face the threat of the vampire. Also, 'The Haunting of Hill House' by Shirley Jackson. It's more about psychological horror. You'll be drawn into the story of the characters exploring the haunted house and feeling their fear.
One classic scary riddle is: 'I have no feet to dance, I have no eyes to see, I have no life to live or die, but yet I do all three. What am I?' The answer is a fire. A fire can seem to 'dance', it doesn't have eyes but can 'look' menacing, and it's not alive but can start and end, causing destruction like a living thing might.
Another is 'The Tell - Tale Heart'. In this short story, the narrator is driven mad by the old man's 'evil eye'. He kills the old man and hides his body under the floorboards. But he is haunted by the sound of the old man's still - beating heart, which drives him to confess. It's a great exploration of guilt and madness.
In 'The Tell - Tale Heart', the narrator's obsession with the old man's 'vulture - like' eye could be seen as hyperbole. The eye is exaggerated to be this all - seeing, menacing thing that drives the narrator to madness. Another example is in 'Dracula' where the count's powers are sometimes hyperbolically described, like his ability to control the weather which is described in an overly dramatic way to make him seem more powerful and terrifying.
Well, it really depends on the individual. Some people might find them just moderately scary, while others could be completely petrified. It all comes down to personal phobias and sensitivity to horror elements.
Well, I recommend you two gothic novels: The Quick Wear, The Sick Girl, and The Gothic Revival, But Rome. The former was written by I Don't Suck Cat. It was a story about a sickly goth girl who gradually turned black on the road of an extremely bloody mission. The latter was written by the author, Hitotsuki Hayato. It was about the year 1427, when the last kingdom of the Goths, the Duchy of Diodoro, was in the calm before the storm, and the greatest revivalist of the Roman Empire appeared. I hope you like my recommendation.😗
One classic scary story for kids is 'The Three Little Pigs'. The big bad wolf is a menacing figure. Another is 'Hansel and Gretel' with the evil witch in the forest. And 'Little Red Riding Hood' also has some scary elements, like the wolf disguising as the grandmother.
Yes, there is one where a person keeps getting late - night telebone calls. Every time they pick up, there's just heavy breathing on the other end. It gets scarier as it continues night after night, and the person starts to feel like they're being targeted.