1.The Tell-Tale Heart – Edgar Allen Poe. Thanks to a librarian who was only interested in the fact that I wanted to read and not about which book I choose, I got my first belly-flutter from horror with this tale when I was only eight-years-old. “….but why will you say that I am mad?” I can still see that line so vividly in my head, even after all these years.

 2. The Exorcist- William Peter Blatty. This was such an ‘out of the box’ horror ‘event’ for me that I read     the doggone book three times in succession. I mean the scene with the kid and the cross—that didn’t just dance around a taboo subject, it stomped on it! You’ve gotta love a writer with that kind of courage.

3.Nathaniel- John Saul. Maybe it was my mood or the weather (stormy afternoon), but this book had me looking over my shoulder every five minutes, and that’s no small feat!

4. Poltergeist- Stephen Spielburg, Tobe Hooper. Another ground breaker, in my opinion, only I caught this one first on film. “They’re here . . .”

5. Pet Semataray- Stephen King. Just one hell of a great creep-out story!

6. Spirit- Graham Masterton- The ghost of a kid who can literally freeze your blood—what’s not to love about that?

7. Usher’s Passing- Robert McCammon—Old, evil haunted houses, monsters, and magic—it just doesn’t get much better than that!

8. Rosemary’s Baby- Ira Levin- I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what would happen once the ‘child’ was born! And witches in New York City? Absolutely.

9. The Silence of the Lambs- Thomas Harris- “Hello, Clarice . . .” Say what you will about what genre title should be slapped onto this book. In my opinion, the only one that’s a suitable fit is “Classic!”

10. Something Wicked This Way Comes- Ray Bradbury—Some readers consider this book dark fantasy. I consider it a masterpiece that zaps a reader to his or her core.

What are some of your favorites?