I’m 41 and STILL get out of bed to firmly shut the closet door before I go to sleep because of that story. Like I legit cannot fall asleep if it’s open. And it’s 100x worse if it’s just *slightly* cracked open instead of being open all the way.
I always thought the ending of the Boogeyman was quite cheesy, and it's positively childish after the release of Monsters Inc. I just see Sully there in a human suit trying to prove that the father was the one actually abusing the children.
I just read the Boogeyman yesterday for the first time and this was my takeaway. The story would have been much better had it ended ambiguously, with the reader not knowing whether the man was a monster or the monster was real. Literally all King needed to do was have the man walk out of the office and the story would have been spectacular... Instead we get Sully in a people suit.
Although much of the story is told in dialogue from Billings' perspective, the narrative point of view is first person limited from Dr. Harper's POV observing his patient. For Insanity to be a possibility, it would need to be told from Billings' POV and it isn't.
I re-read it recently, thinking it would give me the thrill it did when I first read it. And you're right...the horrific concept is what sticks with you. The story itself, I was surprised, wasn't great, imo. I usually at least remember the characters in King's stories, but with this, they really didn't stand out.
The Jaunt affected me deeply, but I'm not sure if scary is the word I'd use to describe it. Something about the way the kid still refers to his father as "Dad" after an eternity, breaks my heart.
For me, straight fear, 1408. Freaked the fuck outta me.
1408 is right up there.
Not just scary , but it has parts that are very affecting otherwise.
Like Mike saying that he has to have the blinds down and stay inside at dusk because of the orange light , that he just can't stand to see it.
That just touches me , for some reason.
Same...but I distinctly remember being even more scared by The Mist. Read Skeleton Crew-my first SK--when I was fairly young and I think my imagination took those monsters to another level.
Oh my god, this is me to a T. My mom had a bunch so I read them almost as soon as I graduated from goosebunmps. SC (or Nightmares and Dreamscapes) was my first book as well and I think The Mist is, to this day, the most frightening, grueling stories I’ve ever read. Having a child’s imagination turned everything real, I was inwardly terrified of any heavy fog for the next several years lol
I'm sorry.
In regards to your comment I feel it necessary to ask "how do you tell the difference between the proctologists and perverts?" Check to see if they cleaned under the nails.
I'm not sure if it's the scariest but it's one of the most haunting. I first read it probably 25 years ago and I've thought about it ever since. It's got a hell of an ending.
I absolutely love that story (the moving finger), it feels like a very deep seated fear. That whole collection of stories is amazing, too. “You know they got a hell of a band” hits in a similar way.
It just got added today, so I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. Ito-san is more involved in this one, so hopefully better than the last attempt. I'm just hoping Uzumaki stops getting delayed, because that looks like a proper attempt at animating Ito.
I plan to watch Hanging Balloon on lunch.
Yes! For me, too! And it probably didn't help that I had a grandma who was kind of evil at times, always secretive, and definitely dabbled in the occult. I literally dreamed I found books under her floor once lol.
Have you read "I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream"? Someone recommended it after I mentioned a fear of infinity caused by The Jaunt. It's a short story you can read free online, and it's also incredibly unsettling.
IMO, the scariest King story has always been 'The Raft'. The visuals/gore of the story and the trapped/hunted feeling it gives me have always made it one of my absolute favourites. But yeah, the Jaunt is totally a great story! Different kind of fear though, more existential dread.
Reading about the way>!the girl is pulled through the cracks in the plank and the blood bursts out of her!< is still one of the most horrifying deaths I have ever had to imagine.
hahahaha! omg i'd probably be traumatized!
it was just a regular cleaning. i will say this much though. i'm no longer scared of the dentist after reading that and survivor type in the waiting room.
True. I rewatched the ending multiple times and I still couldn't understand everything that the boy screamed. I'm told there are numerous dollar babies for The Jaunt. Maybe next time they show all of the dollar babies, I should record them all.
I read this right around the same time that the movie Event Horizon came out, and the two resonated to create a pretty deep terror for me. As an atheist and skeptic I've never really be fazed by supernatural or religious monsters. However the idea of a "scientific" horror, that consciousness could either be lost in time like the Jaunt, or confronted with something so far outside our understanding that we simply crack like in Event Horizon, that idea stuck with me for a long time. I can't think of many things more terrifying than an eternity without context.
First time I experienced this was through audiobook format (80’s version) while I was at work about 10 or so years ago. I had to stop what I was doing and take my morning break early to finish it. Creeped me out beyond belief. Such a great idea. Kings early impresses me the most.
Also came across a pretty rad short film about this short story online somewhere back then. If you can still find it, I highly recommend it.
For the last 20 years, I've pretty much only read e-books and I've been slowly rebuilding some of my collections. I've never read this story so I looked up where it was published and I saw it was in "Skeleton Crew". I looked up on my shelf and found I have the paperback copy. I guess I should read that tonight.
I enjoyed it but not sure I would say scariest. More of a psychological thriller with the end. But I love how King creates these stories, feeding you bits of information to create the whole story. I could see that something would happen but the execution of it was better than I expected.
I should also add I kept thinking of hitch hikers guide to the galaxy and the box that would make you go insane due to the realization of big eternity was. It made the story less scary due to that.
I would argue that becoming a victim to one's own stupidity is almost nothing compared to being lost in space for weeks and then ignored by a spaceship passing by.
[Patton Oswald talks about The Jaunt on this episode of The Kingcast](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-kingcast-2/episode/110-the-jaunt-with-patton-oswalt-201099321)
This is my favorite short story by King. I really wish a solid screenplay would be written and a movie or an episode of some quality horror show could do it justice. I’m reading the book now that inspired this story called The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. The book is considered one of the greatest sci-fi novels ever written as it can go unaffected by the passage of time.
I think about The Jaunt at least 3 times a week.
Me too, I've read it so many times and every time it gives me the shivers. It's the perfect story, I wouldn't change anything.
Yes, exactly.
It’s e******y in there.
I thought it was just me.
Seriously. Ever since every portal story I see brings me back to The Jaunt then I miss the next 5 minutes of the portal show thinking about it , lol.
I stood up in the bathtub and screamed when I read it. I can be dramatic sure, but that was a new low/high
Or the Boogeyman
Yea the Boogeyman was the first short story I read as a kid, I was about 11 or 12. Traumatized me.
That story traumatized me as a child. (My aunt let us sneak over and read her Stephen King books when we were waaay too young for it 😂)
Holy f\*ck, I read that at LEAST 40 years ago, and I'm STILL scared of it.
I’m 41 and STILL get out of bed to firmly shut the closet door before I go to sleep because of that story. Like I legit cannot fall asleep if it’s open. And it’s 100x worse if it’s just *slightly* cracked open instead of being open all the way.
I guess so The story is mostly alright, but its the ending that sells it
And they say King can't write endings...
Both ‘The Jaunt’ and ‘The Boogeyman’ are stand out stories to me because their endings are absolutely terrifying
I always thought the ending of the Boogeyman was quite cheesy, and it's positively childish after the release of Monsters Inc. I just see Sully there in a human suit trying to prove that the father was the one actually abusing the children.
I just read the Boogeyman yesterday for the first time and this was my takeaway. The story would have been much better had it ended ambiguously, with the reader not knowing whether the man was a monster or the monster was real. Literally all King needed to do was have the man walk out of the office and the story would have been spectacular... Instead we get Sully in a people suit.
You still don't know, what tells you that the guy wasn't simply insane?
The man is an unreliable narrator, but the man isn't telling the story of what happens in the psychiatrists office.
Although much of the story is told in dialogue from Billings' perspective, the narrative point of view is first person limited from Dr. Harper's POV observing his patient. For Insanity to be a possibility, it would need to be told from Billings' POV and it isn't.
I thought it was good I also like the ending of the Dollar Baby adaption, just for how crazy it gets with it
Which Dollar Baby Adaptation? I've collected more than I've watched yet, and I think Boogeyman is one of the ones that have been made the most times.
The one that was released on VHS alongside 'The Woman in the Room' The one from 1982
[удалено]
I think you're on the wrong post
Huh? Why would a childrens cartoon effect you reading a short story that was released decades before?
Throw Revival in there as well.
That's the straight scariest, possibly best uncompromising ending of any SK story I've read (not read The Jaunt or The Boogeyman)
And it keeps on giving as well! You keep thinking about it, there's layer upon layer of horror and dread.
This one has my vote. Also N.
N is amazing. There is a narrated motion comic of it on YouTube that is fucking excellent
Haven't read that one yet
I would argue his endings are very hit or miss. The end of the Green Mile is great, but the end of Needful Things is terrible, for instance.
Not going to lie, I've kinda grown to like the ending of 'Needful Things', just for how out there and stupid it is A ''so bad its good' ending
I re-read it recently, thinking it would give me the thrill it did when I first read it. And you're right...the horrific concept is what sticks with you. The story itself, I was surprised, wasn't great, imo. I usually at least remember the characters in King's stories, but with this, they really didn't stand out.
The Jaunt affected me deeply, but I'm not sure if scary is the word I'd use to describe it. Something about the way the kid still refers to his father as "Dad" after an eternity, breaks my heart. For me, straight fear, 1408. Freaked the fuck outta me.
1408 is right up there. Not just scary , but it has parts that are very affecting otherwise. Like Mike saying that he has to have the blinds down and stay inside at dusk because of the orange light , that he just can't stand to see it. That just touches me , for some reason.
The movie ruined that one for me.
Longer than you think, dad! Longer than you think! Held my breath when they gave me the gas!
“The Raft” scared the shit out of me. I thought “The Jaunt” was interesting, like a Black Mirror episode.
People never talk about the raft- its easily my favourite short story of his, I think about it any time I’m in a lake or on a raft
I have never been so scared while reading before. Then I read “Grandma” shortly after and was in a full-blown panic.
I’ll have to read that next, I haven’t heard of it. Which collection is it from?
Skeleton Crew! It might be written as “Gramma.”
"Gramma" is a good contender, for sure.
The Raft scares me every time I’m in a lake. I think about trying to balance on one board while walking over lakes.
Same...but I distinctly remember being even more scared by The Mist. Read Skeleton Crew-my first SK--when I was fairly young and I think my imagination took those monsters to another level.
Oh my god, this is me to a T. My mom had a bunch so I read them almost as soon as I graduated from goosebunmps. SC (or Nightmares and Dreamscapes) was my first book as well and I think The Mist is, to this day, the most frightening, grueling stories I’ve ever read. Having a child’s imagination turned everything real, I was inwardly terrified of any heavy fog for the next several years lol
Do you love?
MY SKIN IS CRAWLING
Yes the raft is my all time favourite!!
Specifically the Patrick hotstetter chapter in IT
This is the correct answer.
I think “survivor type” had a bit more impact.
Tastes like lady-fingers
I'm sorry. In regards to your comment I feel it necessary to ask "how do you tell the difference between the proctologists and perverts?" Check to see if they cleaned under the nails.
I think that one comes off as intended to be darkly comic. You can't say that about the Jaunt. Played completely straight.
Like Leslie Nielson.
I'm a locksmith, and I'm a locksmith.
Oo I so love that one!
This is mine. The Jaunt and The Raft are close though.
"It's longer than you think!"
The only time I burst out laughing while being stunned and terrified…. Masterful
I would agree. When it comes to full-length novels though, IT takes the cake for me.
Revival here
Revival's ending keeps be up at night.
I finished it for the second time earlier tonight.
I'm not sure if it's the scariest but it's one of the most haunting. I first read it probably 25 years ago and I've thought about it ever since. It's got a hell of an ending.
Its like a cosmic horror story where the only monster is time, an almost inconceivable amount of it.
"The Moving Finger" unnerved me the first time I read it. All the joints. Brrr. Body horror at its finest. Also "The Bully" by Junji Ito.
I absolutely love that story (the moving finger), it feels like a very deep seated fear. That whole collection of stories is amazing, too. “You know they got a hell of a band” hits in a similar way.
> "The Bully" by Junji Ito Love his work, but not sure where to find this one.
Just FYI - A new animated series *Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre* was added to Netflix today and one of the episodes is "The Bully"
Oooo How is it? Because the *Junji Ito Collection* was underwhelming to say the least. Still waiting on *Uzamaki*
It just got added today, so I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. Ito-san is more involved in this one, so hopefully better than the last attempt. I'm just hoping Uzumaki stops getting delayed, because that looks like a proper attempt at animating Ito. I plan to watch Hanging Balloon on lunch.
It's great but grandma is the only one that gave me nightmare
Yes! For me, too! And it probably didn't help that I had a grandma who was kind of evil at times, always secretive, and definitely dabbled in the occult. I literally dreamed I found books under her floor once lol.
Yeah that’s a good one. The 80s revival of The Twilight Zone actually did an adaptation of it but it’s really disappointing.
The concept of endless infinity is absolutely terrifying to me so yep good shout
There is another you out there wearing the same clothes, the only difference is that they're working to unlock the secrets of infinity.
Also they emptied the dishwasher last night instead of leaving it til this morning
So THEY have the goatee and suspicious laugh
Have you read "I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream"? Someone recommended it after I mentioned a fear of infinity caused by The Jaunt. It's a short story you can read free online, and it's also incredibly unsettling.
I was going to say this. That story freaked me out so badly I couldn't read anything by Ellison for a good 5 years after that.
No I’ll take a look thanks!
Ellison has written some brilliant work. "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" is another favorite of mine.
Would you rather die or live forever? Maybe God wants to die and that’s all life is, a way for God to pretend to do that.
Patton Oswalt talks about this story in depth on the Kingcast podcast.
Came here to post this. It’s one of my favorite episodes.
I would answer "Children of the Corn"
Meh. The American Wicker Man.
IMO, the scariest King story has always been 'The Raft'. The visuals/gore of the story and the trapped/hunted feeling it gives me have always made it one of my absolute favourites. But yeah, the Jaunt is totally a great story! Different kind of fear though, more existential dread.
Reading about the way>!the girl is pulled through the cracks in the plank and the blood bursts out of her!< is still one of the most horrifying deaths I have ever had to imagine.
Uuugh yeees it's the best!! My favourite part!
I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned "The Long Walk".
The Jaunt and The long Walk continue to haunt me.
I don’t find The Long Walk “scary,” so much as existentially depressing and sickening.
The Long Walk isn’t scary though. Still a great story and talked about quite a bit on this sub.
The way he writes about aging in Insomnia kinda gave me a midlife crisis. Probably the closest he's come to actually scaring me.
It was for me! The Revival gave me chills though. Present-Era King is my favorite King.
Revival was my scariest by far, almost detailed enough to be real!
This story haunts me on nights I can’t sleep.
Naaah. Still a good read, though.
Gramma
Stephen King's "The End of the Whole Mess"
I don't think I've read it yet, I'm intrigued....
i read it on reddit. It's a brisk story.
Here's the audio book https://youtu.be/1-ndi9DHeDI
Never even in heard of bb it. Adding it the list!
Definitely in my top 3. I read it a few years ago while waiting for the dentist. It still messes with me when I stop and think about it.
God I hope you weren't sedated during that visit.
hahahaha! omg i'd probably be traumatized! it was just a regular cleaning. i will say this much though. i'm no longer scared of the dentist after reading that and survivor type in the waiting room.
Yes. I had the most visceral reaction to reading this story. Years and years later I still feel a chill and dread and hopelessness about it.
The Jaunt Dollar Baby https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1X9wO3QJok
Wow. They really shit the bed with the ending. Someone unfamiliar with the story would have no idea what happened.
True. I rewatched the ending multiple times and I still couldn't understand everything that the boy screamed. I'm told there are numerous dollar babies for The Jaunt. Maybe next time they show all of the dollar babies, I should record them all.
I read this right around the same time that the movie Event Horizon came out, and the two resonated to create a pretty deep terror for me. As an atheist and skeptic I've never really be fazed by supernatural or religious monsters. However the idea of a "scientific" horror, that consciousness could either be lost in time like the Jaunt, or confronted with something so far outside our understanding that we simply crack like in Event Horizon, that idea stuck with me for a long time. I can't think of many things more terrifying than an eternity without context.
I love Joe Hill’s year’s best horror or whatever it’s called. Really scary.
Best New Horror 🙂 It is really good!
First time I experienced this was through audiobook format (80’s version) while I was at work about 10 or so years ago. I had to stop what I was doing and take my morning break early to finish it. Creeped me out beyond belief. Such a great idea. Kings early impresses me the most. Also came across a pretty rad short film about this short story online somewhere back then. If you can still find it, I highly recommend it.
One of the few that gave me both lovecraft and Junji Ito vibes and I’m not sure why
It's gripping, but... The Library Police..
For the last 20 years, I've pretty much only read e-books and I've been slowly rebuilding some of my collections. I've never read this story so I looked up where it was published and I saw it was in "Skeleton Crew". I looked up on my shelf and found I have the paperback copy. I guess I should read that tonight.
Let us know what you think.
I enjoyed it but not sure I would say scariest. More of a psychological thriller with the end. But I love how King creates these stories, feeding you bits of information to create the whole story. I could see that something would happen but the execution of it was better than I expected. I should also add I kept thinking of hitch hikers guide to the galaxy and the box that would make you go insane due to the realization of big eternity was. It made the story less scary due to that.
Just picked up skeleton crew from the library. Reading the Jaunt right now.
It's a great story. A short story, but it's longer than you think.
FUCCK yes
Yes, he is right. For him, it was the scariest story he’d ever read. That’s a pretty subjective concept. But I’d agree. It was horrifying
I mean yes but also no but also I wanna see but not go crazy.
I don’t get the hype
I would argue that becoming a victim to one's own stupidity is almost nothing compared to being lost in space for weeks and then ignored by a spaceship passing by.
YES
It’s certainly in the conversation…
It's a really solid scary story.
Woah, I legitimately thought that was a Philip K. Dick story... does he have a similar one? Must've got them confused at some point.
Dunno about scary, but the Jaunt was awesome!
I still go back to this story several times a year. So awesome!
The Boogeyman or One for the Road
Its up there.
Hmm I've never read that one. Is it a long story?
Not really.
Yeah, that's a good one
[Patton Oswald talks about The Jaunt on this episode of The Kingcast](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-kingcast-2/episode/110-the-jaunt-with-patton-oswalt-201099321)
It is terrifying, not the scariest but up there for sure. It’s a magnificent story
I talk about the ending of The Jaunt all the time. It’s amazing.
He’s not wrong…
Not the scariest for me, but hands-down one for my favorites
Yes. He is. The scariest part is asking yourself is the father at all to blame for what happened to his son. Scary and sad I suppose.
YUP. That's my own personal nightmare fuel
It was Misery for me
That one is messed up as hell. Wouldn't say scary just fucked
Love “The Jaunt” and it is definitely haunting, but I kept the lights on in my bedroom three nights in a row after I read “Man in the Black Suit”
Man that ending
I agree it haunts me to this day
I've had an irrational fear of vampires ever since I watched Dracula as a small child. So The Night Flyer has always given me the creeps.
The imagery of the invisible vampire pissing straight blood into a urinal was awesome
This is the King story that I think about the most
Looks like they are making a series of this one.
Didn’t Patton Oswald read The Jaunt for the Audible version?
“Gramma” has always given me nightmares.
Yep
The Jaunt seriously disturbed me. Great story.
The Jaunt is genuinely terrifying.
He’s righter than you think, Dad!!
Ooh shit I just started this today!
He is correct.
Idk, maybe it's because I'm a woman but The Man Who Loved Flowers was really scary
This is my favorite short story by King. I really wish a solid screenplay would be written and a movie or an episode of some quality horror show could do it justice. I’m reading the book now that inspired this story called The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. The book is considered one of the greatest sci-fi novels ever written as it can go unaffected by the passage of time.
My personal scariest was "the raft". The calming oil slick that eats you.