Are Horror Books Actually Scary?

It's an interesting question, actually. I mean, we assume they're meant to be scary. But do they succeed?

I've told you that I love horror.

What I haven't yet told you is that: no, in fact; I don't think horror books are scary. Further, I don't really think they can be scary - at least not in most ways.

Surprising, I know.

Luckily, scare factor is not what I enjoy about horror (if it were, October would be a very different month for me - in this blog, as well as in my general media consumption throughout the month).

But why is that? Why is it so difficult for a book to be scary?

Actually, that question already includes the answer: to me, a book can't be scary precisely because it's a book.

When I'm reading a book - no matter what book it is, what time it is, where I'm at, what's happening around me - my brain never fully gets past the fact that I'm sitting in a room, holding a book in my hands, reading black words on white paper. No matter what happens in the book, I am always acutely aware that it is happening... well, in a book.

Movies are all about the visual and auditory elements. You actually see the monster, the mutilated corpses, the shadows creeping along the wall. There are crashes and clatters and whispers and panted breaths and scratches on the window. Things can jump out at you, catch you off guard, literally show you the palpable fear.

A book, on the other hand, is a bunch of papers glued together and imprinted with letters and words.

Obviously books are incredible - hence this blog. If I had to pick between having access to one type of media for the rest of my life - books, movies, video games, or music - I would pick books in the blink of an eye. No questions, no regrets.

But that doesn't automatically mean they always accomplish what they mean to do - especially if what they mean to do is scare me.

That said, though, surely there are some things books can do to impart scares, right?

Well, I've never been so scared by a book that I suddenly dropped it or threw it across the room or made sure it was never behind a locked door with me. I've never jumped out of my seat, screamed out loud, or clutched on to my wife while reading a book.

But books can most certainly cause tension. They can make my heart beat faster and faster as I race through the pages, wondering what's going to happen, hoping things will work out. They can leave me in complete shock about by the events and twists and the pervading evil. They can cause me to feel repulsed, squeamish, horrified (at least in a sympathetic way), anxious, and glad that I'm not in the same situation as the protagonist.

Do these things add up to being scary, though? It's hard to say, I guess. But I've never felt especially frightened while reading.


I know this opinion may not be very common. So what do you think, friends? Do you find books to be scary?