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Can you read a horror book when it's the dark in the evening and you're home alone..?


Athena

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Personally I find it too scary to read a horror book in the evening when I'm home alone because I'm afraid it'll give me a bad dream or a nightmare (this has actually happened). What about you, can you read a horror book just before bed or when it's dark and you're home alone?

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No no no, I can't even play scary games before bed. It has to be during the day, curtains open, music low... and sometimes someone with me. :giggle2:

 

I used to be fine. But with my anxiety due to meds, I jump sometimes when my boyfriend sneezes. :D

Edited by Devi
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I'd say no .. but then I had to finish Dracula once I started it and have done that with Susan Hill's books too (not exactly horror but as near as I get to it :D) In theory though .. no .. my mind is already thinking about that sort of stuff and so I don't need anyone else's imagination keeping me up at night  :blush2: I would NEVER EVER watch a horror film at night .. I may as well poke myself in the eye with a stick  :D 

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Best time to read it, imo :D

Best review ever lol  From Amazon on Joe Hill's Twittering From the Circus of the Dead:

Love all of Joe Hill 's work but was especially thrilled for a new short story. Woke up a 2 am, couldn't get back to sleep, read this in the dark. Terrible decision; fantastic story.  :D

Edited by Anna Begins
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No no no, I can't even play scary games before bed. It has to be during the day, curtains open, music low... and sometimes someone with me. :giggle2:

 

I completely understand that. Games can be so atmospheric and creepy these days. Try playing a scary game in a darkened room with headphones..... :D

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It's not my genre, but I think I could do it with a book easier than I could with a film.  If we're watching a remotely scary film and Peter says he's going to bed I have to go up too, even though it means missing the end!  My friend had to read Susan Hill's The Woman in Black out in the garden in the sunshine - she couldn't even cope with being indoors!  

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Reading or watching scary stuff doesn't really bother me too much, however, my own imagination can get me into a real state of fright sometimes when I'm home alone.  I had to stop watching Crimewatch when I was alone because I would work myself up into a tizz!  At least if I'm concentrating on a book or film I'm not frightening myself with other things :D

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Scary books and films have never bothered me. In fact, I've spent my entire adult life trying to find a book or film that will totally creep me out and give me the heebiejeebies. It's not happened yet. I can watch/read alone, in the dark, no bother and have absolutely no recollection of having ANY dreams, not even if I eat cheese before bed.

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Absolutely not! I discovered my love for Stephen King at a very early age. Not being able to resist reading his books on the odd occasion my parents out I remember sitting in my bed, unable to move, heart pounding until they returned! Not much has changed apart from parents being replaced by the husband ;)

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I can watch/read alone, in the dark, no bother and have absolutely no recollection of having ANY dreams, not even if I eat cheese before bed.

I'm not sure but.. what does eating cheese in particular have to do with remembering your dreams :blush2:?

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I'm not sure but.. what does eating cheese in particular have to do with remembering your dreams :blush2:?

It's the whole "If you eat cheese before going to bed you'll have bad dreams" thing - LOL!

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Scary books and films have never bothered me. In fact, I've spent my entire adult life trying to find a book or film that will totally creep me out and give me the heebiejeebies. It's not happened yet. I can watch/read alone, in the dark, no bother and have absolutely no recollection of having ANY dreams, not even if I eat cheese before bed.

 

Have you seen Wolf Creek? That's one film that terrified me and pretty much put me off horror films (except for silly ones like Final Destination, which are more funny than horror).

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Personally I find it too scary to read a horror book in the evening when I'm home alone because I'm afraid it'll give me a bad dream or a nightmare (this has actually happened). What about you, can you read a horror book just before bed or when it's dark and you're home alone?

 

I don't like "horror" books at any time.  I've tried some over the years, but for the most part can't read them. 

Scary isn't exactly the same though I think.  I could read Stephen King's Thinner.....no problem.  For me that was more a suspenseful sort of book. Alfred Hitchcock, or Twilight Zone  sort of stuff.

 

 

I'd say no .. but then I had to finish Dracula once I started it and have done that with Susan Hill's books too (not exactly horror but as near as I get to it :D) In theory though .. no .. my mind is already thinking about that sort of stuff and so I don't need anyone else's imagination keeping me up at night  :blush2: I would NEVER EVER watch a horror film at night .. I may as well poke myself in the eye with a stick  :D 

 

:D  I didn't find Dracula scary at all, in fact, I really didn't much care for it.  I felt rather let down actually.

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Scary books and films have never bothered me. In fact, I've spent my entire adult life trying to find a book or film that will totally creep me out and give me the heebiejeebies. It's not happened yet. I can watch/read alone, in the dark, no bother and have absolutely no recollection of having ANY dreams, not even if I eat cheese before bed.

 

Same here with scary films. I just want to find at least ONE that scares the you-know-what out of me. I've asked friends and googled. Seen what they have recommended. And just rolled my eyes watching the movies. Even yawned. I just laugh at "The exorcist". I find the "Saw" films to be more thrillers than scary. "Psycho" was a child's game. "The Shining" was almost funny. "The ring" felt silly. "Jaws" felt like a documentary about sharks. Vampires, warewolves and such will never scare me because I just don't believe in them. I don't believe that you can become possessed by the devil either, so exorcism films won't work on me either. 

I don't believe the earth will be visited by aliens either, but I do believe there is life on other solar systems. Logically, there ought to be considering how endless the universe is and how many solar systems there must be out there. So alien forms of some kind has a greater chance of working on me. 

 

What will work on me though is real humans being extremely cruel, especially at night when you can't see and no one is around to hear you scream etc. When you can't even see what is threatening. It can't be ghosts though, cause I don't believe in the classic scary ghost. 

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Have never found a book that scared me much, even the scariest ones. So yes, no problem for readin them at night with just some candles on. Then again horror films dont scare me either, unless it's scary ghost films but then it's more my own imagination that does it. Strangely I don't have that problem when reading ghost books..

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Best time to read it, imo :D

Absolutely!

 

Though what works for me isn't so much out there. Any all-out slasher stuff doesn't even count. Anything that has a great feel of realism with a low-key creeping suspense works for me. On TV the X-Files hit that mark better than anything. Their idea was that we simply hadn't explored whatever they were dealing with - always got me thinking...

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Yeah, I've never found a book that genuinely scared me. Maybe if the book was about a girl getting attacked in bed at night while reading a book, but otherwise no.

 

I'm a very visual person, so films scare the bejaysus out of me. I *will not* watch horror films by myself.

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Actually, I remember a few years ago I was reading short stories by M.R. James, in the daytime no less, and I was scared stiff. There was something about his writing, even more than other Victorian horror that really hit the mark and then some.

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