Steven King: The Shining, Salems Lot
Richard Matheson: I Am Legend, Hell House, A Stir of Echeos
Shirley James: Haunting of Hill House, The Lottery
H.P. Lovecraft: The Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror, At the Mountains of Madness, The Shadow Over Innsmouth
Algernon Blackwood: The Wilows, The Wendigo, The Empty House
Henry James: Turn of the Screw
Peter Straub: Ghost Story
Joe Hill: Heart-Shaped Box

100 books is a lot easier to come up with than a hundred writers, and the list might therefore include some writers whose entire bodies of work are underdeveloped, not always possessing horror elements or insignificant save one piece. While I feel comfortable saying Heart of Darkness is very significant to the horror canon, I do not think I would be just as comfortable saying Joseph Conrad is one of the 100 greatest horror writers. While Bleak House might be of great joy to a horror fan, I would not recommend the entire Dickens catalog, lest some poor unfortunate pick up Great Expectations and miss out on the good stuff. For a varied and useful list, I think it might be simpler if we stick to books instead of writers.

I see what you mean. I still think picking a collection of stories is a questionable practice. It's equivalent to saying The Rolling Stones greatest album was their greatest hits collection.

On the other hand, Poe never wrote a single "book." He's certainly one of the greatest horror writers, but how do you choose which anthology is the "best?" Same with Blackwood, Lovecraft and others.

I feel confidant there are 100 authors deserving of being on a list of writing great horror fiction, and whether they get on the list for writing one thing or 500, I think that could all be covered in the blurbs that go along with each author.

I think it's workable, but I'm not married to the idea.

Sounds like the Joshi bio is the one to go for. Neither is particularly cheap (for a mint used copy) but I'll keep searching for both at the right price.

On the format for the top 100, I think sticking to books is the way to go. It'll make for a better catalogue for those looking for some recommended reading. And it's a very valid point, that 'top 100 authors' will exclude some great works of horror.

Top 100 authors would, de facto, include far more than 100 books.

I can see your point here and might like to make the author list eventually, though it seems kind of similar to the icons list. I think we can treat novellas and some collected works as books. Technically, Poe did have a collection and a novel published. Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque and The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.

This could also be judged on a case by case basis, biased in favor of novelettes, novellas and longer stories. At The Mountains of Madness and Shadow Over Innsmouth are both well over 10,000 words so are at the very least, novelettes, so could have their own entries.

I think I've misunderstood.:o If something like Poe's Tales Of The Grotesque was how the stories were originally published, then that's fair enough. It's just when someone picks something like The Complete Unannotated Works of someone and calling that one of the greatest books of all time that seems wrong.

Why?



................

Such a thing is different from a Rolling Stones greatest hits album because you can track down Let it Bleed and recommend someone listen to it. They could acquire it with ease for about 12 bucks. You would not honestly want somebody to track down the works of Algernon Blackwood where they originally appeared or to purchase issues of Weird Tales at auction. The purpose of the list is to inform and help out horror fans, and telling them to try and track down 30s pulp magazines and musty tomes would not be especially helpful.

I'm going to lobby for an inclusion of The Book of Wonder, or, for that matter, any Lord Dunsany work that you deem fit. Probably more a writer of fantasy, I feel duty bound, being Irish, to try and get one of the most influential writers of the 20th century included.

It's cheating.:p Pick your favorite Poe or Lovecraft story, don't just say all of them.

I understand. I just think in the case of collections, a spotlight needs to be put on the best stories within.

A story is still not a book.

I'm with you on that one. One of the most important personages in the history of genre fiction. He had a great deal of influence on fantasy, horror and weird fiction as we know them.

I don't think anyone has mentioned James Herbert yet. I haven't read all his books yet but I'd give an honorary mention to "The Fog" and "Sepuchre" as my faves so far.

I mentioned him in passing but you're right to champion his cause. The English Stephen King! I'm sure he'll get in there.

I read Baal as a child and liked it but can't really say if it would stand up to an adult reader.

Also, the Child Possessed scared me shitless as an adolescent, is it worthy of a place?

Though almost all of them already mentioned but here's I try to point out some classics that has a great impact in celluloid media:

I like the idea of a 100 writers list as well since there is allot of amazing horror authors who have never written a full book only short stories like for example Lovecraft, or who have written books, but their books is not good enough to be on the top 100 list of books but their short stories mean that they should be on the list of top 100 authors.

Ok great, then I stand for the 10 books I have suggested since others have already mentioned my real top of the peak favorites.

Keep them coming, guys!

I suppose M.R. James has been mentioned. Ghost Stories of an Antiquary was his first collection published.

G.W.M. Reynolds wrote a few corkers.

I'll stick with my initial top 10, but I'll give more ideas:

The 120 Days Of Sodom - Marquis De Sade
The Crowd - Ray Bradbury
Man From The South - Roald Dahl
The White People - Arthur Machen
The Stepford Wives - Ira Levin
Harvest Home - Thomas Tryon
University - Bentley Little
Fires Of Eden - Dan Simmons
The Talisman - Stephen King and Peter Straub
Coma - Robin Cook
The Ruins - Scott Smith
Mercy - David Lindsey

I assume we'll do a tally, so I'll back up:

It - Stephen King
The Exorcist - William Peter Blatty
The Stand - Stephen King
The Day Of The Triffids - John Wyndham
The Other - Thomas Tryon
The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving
The Shining - Stephen King
Hell House - Richard Matheson
Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin

Ok if its going to be a tally I'll backup:

The Shining-Stephen King
Macbeth-William Shakespeare
The Call Of Cthulhu-HP Lovecraft
Oh Whistle and I'll Come To You My Lad-MR James
The Shadow Over Innsmouth-HP Lovecraft

And add:
Frank Herbert-Dune

Sorry Wicker but I'd hate to see 120 Days of Sodom feature in one of our Sticky Top 100s. Please don't think I'm trying to undermine your selection:)

I would lobby against the inclusion of anything by de Sade, and not only because of his paedophile practices or sexually abusive attitude towards women in his private life but because his work is almost exclusively philosophy punctuated with pornography. Actually, some of his work is really just pornography punctuated with philosophy.

Whereas I very much admire much of what he stood for, and where and when he stood for it, I ultimately find him extremely unpalateable. I haven't seen Salo, and it may be presented as horror, but I have read Juliette and it's a contrast between wonderful segments of philosophy/social commentary and disgusting sexual 'sadism'.

That's a pretty weak argument. We're not going to start judging authors by their actions in life are we? If it's decided that the book isn't a work of horror that's fine, but you can't exclude someone because of your personal feelings towards him.

That's absolutely fair comment but it's really a combination of the two factors that would make me inclined to omit his work.

It is an interesting point about his prose in the context of modern cinema in that, during his own lifetime he sought to distance his work from the horror label (Gothic in particular), yet with the recent trend of torture movies, if his books were made into movies, they'd certainly be classified as such.

I'm just saying that, as books, they aren't horror.

Also, Wicker, I'd be interested to hear your view of Salo. I won't dispute that it falls into horror but is it, as numerous polls and renowned directors alike suggest, an important and historic piece of movie making?

I don't have a problem if it's decided that The 120 Days Of Sodom isn't a work of horror, but I have a serious problem with an author being excluded due to his personal conduct.

As for Salo, I'm not sure how "important" or "historic" it was, but it was not a simple exploitation film. Like the book, it was a social commentary on the wealthy and privileged using and abusing the lower classes (although I think the Marquis De Sade had far more fun writing his story than Pier Paolo Pasolini did making the film). It's very well made, but extremely difficult to sit through the more graphic scenes. My husband, on the other hand, said he was bored to tears by it, so go figure.

I guess what I'm building up to asking is, as a horror and cinema fan, do you think this is a 'must-see' movie? In the same way that The Passion of the Christ or Cannibal Holocaust are but not The Men Behind the Sun or August Underground...?

Like I said, I am not opposed to art forms that, while completely disgusting on face value, offer either something educational or morally enriching providing there isn't some sinister back drop to it.

Could I remind you of the guidelines set down by the president in the first post?

My only objection to this book would be that to my mind this is not horror, just like I would not call the Elsa movies horror. Yes there are horrible things happening to people, but then so are there in any action book, most historical romances, war books, you name it. I am not trying to define a genre here, however for me at least something bad happening to people, even allot of bad things happening to people is not enough to make it horror.

Perhaps we should debate what we define as horror. For let me tell you that if it is just something really bad happening to people then I would like to nominate Uncle Tom's Cabin and if we are including bad things happening to animals I will nominate Black Beauty. Both books have horrible, terrible things happening to the main characters and those around them.

Now Macbeth or Ulysses or for that matter Brother's Grim fairytales I can completely see on this list, however can you really see Black Beauty on it? File such a discussion might not be fitting on this thread itself, still should not the question be asked, what is horror? What makes something horror?

What is wrong with sexual sadism, granted the books in questions are far, far on the extreme side, but they have still inspired generations of us who are on the kinky side in the bedroom. :)

I hope it isn't too late for entries haha.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde
"Dracula" by Bram Stoker
"The Creatures of the Pool" by Ramsey Campbell
"The Hellbound Heart" by Clive Barker
"Psycho" by Robert Bloch
"Rosemary's Baby" by Ira Levin
"Shadows Over Innsmouth" by H.P. Lovecraft
"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
"Desperation" by Stephen King
"Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury

I know I listed some obvious choice, but in all honesty they got that way for a reason haha.

I would say yes; this is a must see film.

I'm not sure I understand where you're coming from at all in the latter paragraph.:confused:

By the way, neverending pointed out that the first thing the president said regarding this list was not to start arguments about people's choices; it would be decided at a later date by a panel of judges.

I know this isnt the thread for arguments as to what is horror. I just have to back up wickerfan-I have seen "salo" and would definitely class it as horror! For the simple reason that it scared the hell out of me and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since seeing it. I have not read "120 Days Of Sodom" but as this book influenced the film I think it should definitely be included according to the guidelines set by Doc Faustus.

For the record this isnt a tally post as I haven't read "120 Days Of Sodom" so can't back it up.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo

Sorry. If this was a test, I failed.;)

I might be putting myself inline for coping some flack here by getting involved in a subject I'm really not all that familiar with, but from my, very casual, observation of this thread, there doesnt seem to be much from what I always considered to be the pioneers of horror fiction. I'm thinking along the lines of Beckford and . Skimming through the posts I havent even seen Ann Radcliffes name mentioned yet.

Not ment as a criticism and I don't mean for people to defend or justify their picks. I would have enough trouble comming up with 10 horror novels to put a list together. I might be tempted to throw Wuthering Heights on my list too... Then again, I haven't read a Stephen King novel in my life and probably never will. :eek:

Why do you not mention some books by the authors you mention, everyone have different opinions on who was most influential in shaping the horror genre, I am looking forward to seeing your suggestions on what should be on the top 100 list.

I second the Hunchback Of Notre Dame, it is a great novel, and it definitely belong on a top 100 most influential horror books list in my opinion.

So throw a list together. Do the work instead of kibitzing.

Anybody who has given me a list of ten and feels that the ten did not express your needs well enough, give me ten more. Anybody who hasn't given me a list, give me twenty. Let's get a bigger sampling together. Radcliffe, Sade, Bronte...these are good additions. Good names to bring in. Let's up the tempo. I'd like to see three hundred books listed here by the middle of April.