I just discovered your channel and am loving this video! I subscribed. I’m a big King fan. Your choices are excellent! Needful things is, in my opinion, underrated. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos!
Kathy I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks for your comment! Stephen King is just amazing, I can't believe how diverse and consistently great his work is! So glad you enjoyed the video, especially from one Stephen King fan to another 😃
Thanks Quinn! So glad you're starting your Stephen King journey! And Pet Sematary's a fantastic place to start :) If you need any more recs, please don't hesitate to reach out!
@@Shelf-Esteem I watch all your videos on Stephen King! They have all been very helpful! If I have any specific questions I will definitely reach out! Thanks so much your awesome!
Top 3 novels: 1 The Stand 2 Pet Sematary 3 'Salem's Lot Novellas: 1 1922 2 Apt Pupil 3 The Mist Short Stories Top 5: 1 The Jaunt 2 Survivor Type 3 One For The Road 4 The Night Flyer 5 Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream
What a fantastic list!! The Stand is truly fantastic. Have you read Swan Song by Robert McCammon? It's post apocalyptic as well, and is reminiscent to King at his peak Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream was such a pleasant surprise, and great to see that the master still has it! Thanks for chiming in
@Shelf-Esteem Yes, I've read Swan Song but it has been a while. Post-apocalyptic fiction is among my favorite subgenres. Plus I've read a few of McCammon's works. The first was Mystery Walk as well as Mine. Then there is his short story collection called Blue World. (My favorite story from that one is Something Passed By). Sounds like we could talk a fair amount of shop!
Also while reading Salem’s Lot (still taking a break from Wheel of Time) I love how King brings this town to life with each of these townsfolk and their daily routines. I feel like reading Robert Jordan’s style of writing and how many characters he writes and their povs, that any book outside of the wheel of time will be a piece of cake lol. SK’s many characters in Salems Lot and their different perspectives has been a breeze and joy to read! Not taking anything away from wheel of time. Just an observation
Hey Thomas! Hahah I know the feeling all too well - Wheel Of Time is one of my fav series ever, and I had to take several breaks between books so as not to burn out :P But you're completely right, Salem's Lot is such a good example of what he'll later perfect in books like Needful Things and Under The Dome - a large cast of characters with unique personas and real character arcs! Hope you are enjoying the Salem's Lot journey, and happy reading man! :)
another one doing just short stories would be awesome! some of those are definitely very scary, and lots of variety like how you said it can be directly scary vs the implications can be scary.
Thanks Brian! And great choices for your top 3, those are all just incredible works of art! Pet Sematarys the one that really sticks with me as I’ve gotten older
Great choices Cathy! Needful Things is totally underrated imo. Leland Gaunt and the way he plays on the vulnerabilities of the people who enter his shop is just so twisted, in a way that only King can do. Have you seen the new Salem's Lot adaptation btw?
@@Shelf-Esteem No, I haven’t seen it yet but I am looking forward to it. Leland Gaunt is so evil, I was totally shocked at what he did to the town of Castle Rock and the people who lived there. I am currently reading Revival, but I think I want to reread ‘Salem’s Lot to see if it scares me as much as it did when I first read it…when I was much younger!
After I lost my cat last year I cant read pet sematary. My favorite Stephen King book is The Institute. My mom got me into Stephen King. She was reading IT when I was little without the dust jacket (and I couldnt read), I developed a fear of the drain. I still have a fear of clowns. It took me over 30 years to be able to watch the original, and read the book. (I borrowed the book my moms copy she read when I was little). I have reread IT several times and it is a very good story. I watched the new movies and I hated it. Mind you, I fear clowns.... it got really dark over the top.
I'm so sorry to hear about your cat Bekka. :( Losing a companion is so hard. We lost ours in December as well, and it was devastating! Def makes Pet Sematary be that much harder to read. I LOVE the Institute as well! Highly underrated imo. It's so visceral, and grabbed me immediately. Can't wait for the adaptation! IT is so good, though I'm the same way, tried reading it when I was 14 and it was way too much for me at that age lol! Just read it recently as well. Nice to meet a fellow SK fan! :)
This is a great list. I was skeptical when you said you ruled out the short stories, because I aways found them the most scary due to their inexplicable nature that occurs in a vacuum. 1408 and The Moving Finger in particular scare the bejesus out of me. I have reread the books so many times I had grown detached from the initial dread I felt on first reading them, but then when you described your what and whys, I could only think "that's fair". Because of the ending of Revival, it's my number 1. To me, it achieves everything Lovecraft ever aspired to. It made me wonder how King ever slept again after conceiving of the worst thing I ever heard. It still sometimes keeps me up nights. Especially as I get older.
Thanks so much Coreen! I was tempted to add short stories in there, as you’re right, a lot of them are quite scary actually - I was just having a hard time comparing them to longer works that slow burn over time. I know the feeling about Revival all too well! We all want to believe there’s something after this, and SK plays upon that fear of what exactly that is brilliantly. It still haunts me when I think about it! I wish they would do an adaptation of it - Mike Flanagan was supposed to, but the studio wanted to change the ending so he walked!
So much of the horror of Revival is existential, I would be hard pressed to believe it could be conveyed visually, but I think if anyone could, it would be Mike Flanagan. I'm super excited to see what he does with Life of Chuck, which now that I think of it, shares a lot of themes with Revival, if a very different veneer and conclusion.
@@coreenamartinez6114 Oh man, me too!! Life Of Chuck was such a unique story, and for very different reasons I would imagine as hard to adapt. Interested to see what Flanagan does with it! He's so good at pacing King's works in a way that others just can't nail imo
Ooo i have to check out your review! For me even being one of King's scariest, it's not a "keep the lights on" kind of scary, at least not as an adult. I first read it when I was 14 though and then it was a different story hahah
I can't think of a top 10 but I can make a top 5. 1. Pet Semetary 2. Library policeman 3. The Dark Half 4. Dolores Claiborne ( I despise Joe St. George in this story.) 5. The Shining (Mark Anthony Torrence Kitchen scene made me numb.) Mark is Jack's father that just unnerves me to my core.
Hey that's a great list! The Dark Half really doesn't get enough credit. I still have to read Dolores Claiborne, but have heard really great things! Hoping to get to it in December
@@Shelf-Esteem oh I agree the dark half scared me when I read it the first time when I was 16. The villian in that novel was absolutely feral and unhinged. However when I revisted it it felt more like a supernatural thriller with bits of dark comedy. Delores Claybourn was a very memorable read for me.
@@Kite562reviews Oh that's interesting! I have to revisit it again soon. I've been hearing such good things about Dolores Claiborne, can't wait to read it! Thanks for chiming in
oooo that's awesome! All the stories in Different Seasons are honestly awesome (The Body is a really great coming of age story too!) Looking forward to hearing what you think of Apt Pupil!
This was excellent Nikhil, and really helpful for me. I haven’t read enough King to have a list yet, but Salem’s Lot is my current favorite of his, and I’m loving the Shining so far. I do want to read Misery at some point, because I loved the movie, and I may read Pet Semetary, but I don’t know if I’m ready for the emotional destruction lol.
I’m so happy to hear that Chas! 😊 haha yeah Pet Sematary is so devasting lol BUT SO GOOD! Another one you might consider is Needful Things - highly underrrated and one of Kings best villains!
Awesome list Nikhil! Unfortunately I found The Langoliers a bit lackluster and not his best story. The concept is scary but I did not enjoy the characters or story. Apt Pupil on the other hand is absolutely chilling. I still need to read Revival. Misery is terrifying and what makes it more scary is the isolated setting, most of the story plays out in the single room/house. Reminds me of Gerald's Game. I am re-reading Salem's Lot in October for a book club. I think The Shining is Stephen King's most terrifying novel. I think it deserves a re-read and review sometime. Pet Sematary, in my opinion, is King's darkest, bleakest books but not his scariest, It is, as you you say, how far someone is willing to go for bringing back the ones we love. It is not so much about terror but love, loss, grief and obsession. Agree with It, would probably be my number two.😁My list may look just a little bit different from yours.
Thanks so much Cliff! :) I think you'd really like Revival, especially since you like coming of age stories. And the horror elements are fabulous! I really need to re-read The Shining, I found it hard to separate from the film, which I really enjoyed. Would love to hear your list!
Even though he's my favourite author, I haven't read enough to make my own top 10 ranking. I do plan to read these though. I have read some others, but of those in the video the only one I have read is Cujo.
I’m so excited for you to read more Stephen King! Cujo is such a great book. I only read a handful of his books until a couple of years ago, after which I binged as many as I could 😂
As the story goes Tabitha King told her husband not to submit Pet Semetary for publication. It was the death of the child by the truck which they had narrowly averted with one of their own. Too personal.
@@jeffkyler5660 hi Jeff, I didn’t know it was actually Tabitha that told Stephen not to publish! I remember hearing about locked it away for a couple of years. I’m so glad he decided to publish that one, one of my favorites
This was interesting. I thought I had read all of kings books but realized I’ve never read apt pupil or the library one you mentioned… hmmm 🤔 Also agree with many on this list….but one of my favs which is in his new crime genre is LATER. Man I listened to that on my earbuds while working late at night and I swear I kept seeing things out of the corner of my eye… the reader on that audiobook really makes you feel scared of the bad guy in it.
Ooo yes I loved Later!! I really should hear it in audio, that sounds like an amazing experience. Once I finish all of king I’m going to re-read and will try it with audio. I hope you enjoy Apt Pupil and Library Policeman!
For me I'm going with Pet Semetary as my number 1 scariest. Maybe it's because I'm a parent and this deals with the death of a child? Maybe it's because I had lost a family member when I was 15 and thought I would do anything for one more day with them.... and then in this book Stephen King is like... yeah about that, you might want to be careful what you wish for. The book IT was pretty scary, a creature that feeds off the the fears of the weak and vulnerable? I mean you might be reading it thinking, it's happening to them I'd be fine but pennywise is going to change his tactic to suit YOU. Right now I'm reading Misery, I'm 30% into the book (I'm reading on a kindle and keep track of percentage not page numbers, sorry) and this book has me stressed out. Like I feel like the worst has happened and I know being a third done that I haven't even gotten there.... and I saw the movie, I kind of feel like I know what might be down the road. The instability of Annie and not knowing what each visit from her holds or what she is capable of doing is anxiety inducing.
Gosh I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your family member 😓 that must have been so tough, and reading stories like this would imagine be especially triggering. To that point, IT feels similar to me!
@@Shelf-Esteem No worries, those connections to different story lines are what make people connect with books differently. I do think those shreds of truth are what make King such an effective writer though. It connects people to the books with elements that feel real or close to them.
What would be your top 10 scariest Stephen king story rankings? Have you read any on this list?
I just discovered your channel and am loving this video! I subscribed. I’m a big King fan. Your choices are excellent! Needful things is, in my opinion, underrated.
Looking forward to seeing more of your videos!
Kathy I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks for your comment! Stephen King is just amazing, I can't believe how diverse and consistently great his work is! So glad you enjoyed the video, especially from one Stephen King fan to another 😃
Thanks so much for this. Currently reading Pet Sematary!! I'm a newbie to the Stephen King world and loving videos like this!
Thanks Quinn! So glad you're starting your Stephen King journey! And Pet Sematary's a fantastic place to start :) If you need any more recs, please don't hesitate to reach out!
@@Shelf-Esteem I watch all your videos on Stephen King! They have all been very helpful! If I have any specific questions I will definitely reach out! Thanks so much your awesome!
@@quinncrochet19 so happy to hear that!!
Top 3 novels:
1 The Stand
2 Pet Sematary
3 'Salem's Lot
Novellas:
1 1922
2 Apt Pupil
3 The Mist
Short Stories Top 5:
1 The Jaunt
2 Survivor Type
3 One For The Road
4 The Night Flyer
5 Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream
Danny Coughlin was the most gripping story I’ve read by King yet
What a fantastic list!! The Stand is truly fantastic. Have you read Swan Song by Robert McCammon? It's post apocalyptic as well, and is reminiscent to King at his peak
Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream was such a pleasant surprise, and great to see that the master still has it! Thanks for chiming in
@Shelf-Esteem Yes, I've read Swan Song but it has been a while. Post-apocalyptic fiction is among my favorite subgenres. Plus I've read a few of McCammon's works. The first was Mystery Walk as well as Mine. Then there is his short story collection called Blue World. (My favorite story from that one is Something Passed By). Sounds like we could talk a fair amount of shop!
Also while reading Salem’s Lot (still taking a break from Wheel of Time) I love how King brings this town to life with each of these townsfolk and their daily routines. I feel like reading Robert Jordan’s style of writing and how many characters he writes and their povs, that any book outside of the wheel of time will be a piece of cake lol. SK’s many characters in Salems Lot and their different perspectives has been a breeze and joy to read!
Not taking anything away from wheel of time. Just an observation
Hey Thomas! Hahah I know the feeling all too well - Wheel Of Time is one of my fav series ever, and I had to take several breaks between books so as not to burn out :P But you're completely right, Salem's Lot is such a good example of what he'll later perfect in books like Needful Things and Under The Dome - a large cast of characters with unique personas and real character arcs! Hope you are enjoying the Salem's Lot journey, and happy reading man! :)
another one doing just short stories would be awesome! some of those are definitely very scary, and lots of variety like how you said it can be directly scary vs the implications can be scary.
That is a fantastic idea!! Thanks for suggesting it! I’ll read a couple more short story collections over the next couple months and then do one!
@@Shelf-Esteem awesome, I’m super excited to see it!!
Awesome list, man! My top-three scariest were probably PET SEMATARY, CUJO, and THE SHINING.
Thanks Brian! And great choices for your top 3, those are all just incredible works of art! Pet Sematarys the one that really sticks with me as I’ve gotten older
@Shelf-Esteem Same! That's the first King novel I ever read, and to this day, it remains the most impactful novel I've ever read by anyone.
@@brianbowyer1805 same!! First one for me too :) You never forget that first novel that propels you into become a book addict haha :)
I just finished Needful Things, which I thought was pretty scary. My favorite scary Stephen King is ‘Salem’s Lot.
Great choices Cathy! Needful Things is totally underrated imo. Leland Gaunt and the way he plays on the vulnerabilities of the people who enter his shop is just so twisted, in a way that only King can do. Have you seen the new Salem's Lot adaptation btw?
@@Shelf-Esteem No, I haven’t seen it yet but I am looking forward to it. Leland Gaunt is so evil, I was totally shocked at what he did to the town of Castle Rock and the people who lived there. I am currently reading Revival, but I think I want to reread ‘Salem’s Lot to see if it scares me as much as it did when I first read it…when I was much younger!
Such a great post, I envy your ease if speaking. Amazing. Great topic I could talk about him and all the art associated with him all day.
Thanks so much for the kind words Billy! I too could talk about Stephen King all day, hard to fit it all in a 20 min video haha! Thanks man 😊🙏🏽
After I lost my cat last year I cant read pet sematary. My favorite Stephen King book is The Institute. My mom got me into Stephen King. She was reading IT when I was little without the dust jacket (and I couldnt read), I developed a fear of the drain. I still have a fear of clowns. It took me over 30 years to be able to watch the original, and read the book. (I borrowed the book my moms copy she read when I was little). I have reread IT several times and it is a very good story. I watched the new movies and I hated it. Mind you, I fear clowns.... it got really dark over the top.
I'm so sorry to hear about your cat Bekka. :( Losing a companion is so hard. We lost ours in December as well, and it was devastating! Def makes Pet Sematary be that much harder to read. I LOVE the Institute as well! Highly underrated imo. It's so visceral, and grabbed me immediately. Can't wait for the adaptation!
IT is so good, though I'm the same way, tried reading it when I was 14 and it was way too much for me at that age lol! Just read it recently as well. Nice to meet a fellow SK fan! :)
I’m currently reading Needful things, it’s brilliant. I’m really enjoying it.
Ooo I so wish I could read that for the first time again haha! So happy youre enjoying it!! Can’t wait to hear what you think when you’re finished! 😊
This is a great list. I was skeptical when you said you ruled out the short stories, because I aways found them the most scary due to their inexplicable nature that occurs in a vacuum. 1408 and The Moving Finger in particular scare the bejesus out of me. I have reread the books so many times I had grown detached from the initial dread I felt on first reading them, but then when you described your what and whys, I could only think "that's fair".
Because of the ending of Revival, it's my number 1. To me, it achieves everything Lovecraft ever aspired to. It made me wonder how King ever slept again after conceiving of the worst thing I ever heard. It still sometimes keeps me up nights. Especially as I get older.
Thanks so much Coreen! I was tempted to add short stories in there, as you’re right, a lot of them are quite scary actually - I was just having a hard time comparing them to longer works that slow burn over time. I know the feeling about Revival all too well! We all want to believe there’s something after this, and SK plays upon that fear of what exactly that is brilliantly. It still haunts me when I think about it! I wish they would do an adaptation of it - Mike Flanagan was supposed to, but the studio wanted to change the ending so he walked!
So much of the horror of Revival is existential, I would be hard pressed to believe it could be conveyed visually, but I think if anyone could, it would be Mike Flanagan. I'm super excited to see what he does with Life of Chuck, which now that I think of it, shares a lot of themes with Revival, if a very different veneer and conclusion.
@@coreenamartinez6114 Oh man, me too!! Life Of Chuck was such a unique story, and for very different reasons I would imagine as hard to adapt. Interested to see what Flanagan does with it! He's so good at pacing King's works in a way that others just can't nail imo
Finished pet Sematary! Did a review on it and it was amazing but wasn’t as scary as some people made it out to be.
Currently reading Salems Lot!
Ooo i have to check out your review! For me even being one of King's scariest, it's not a "keep the lights on" kind of scary, at least not as an adult. I first read it when I was 14 though and then it was a different story hahah
I can't think of a top 10 but I can make a top 5.
1. Pet Semetary
2. Library policeman
3. The Dark Half
4. Dolores Claiborne
( I despise Joe St. George in this story.)
5. The Shining (Mark Anthony Torrence Kitchen scene made me numb.) Mark is Jack's father that just unnerves me to my core.
Hey that's a great list! The Dark Half really doesn't get enough credit. I still have to read Dolores Claiborne, but have heard really great things! Hoping to get to it in December
@@Shelf-Esteem oh I agree the dark half scared me when I read it the first time when I was 16. The villian in that novel was absolutely feral and unhinged. However when I revisted it it felt more like a supernatural thriller with bits of dark comedy. Delores Claybourn was a very memorable read for me.
@@Kite562reviews Oh that's interesting! I have to revisit it again soon. I've been hearing such good things about Dolores Claiborne, can't wait to read it! Thanks for chiming in
Loved the Dark half
AND YES Different Seasons is awesome! So far have only read Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (obsessed) and now super excited to read Apt Pupil.
oooo that's awesome! All the stories in Different Seasons are honestly awesome (The Body is a really great coming of age story too!) Looking forward to hearing what you think of Apt Pupil!
I agree with most of this. Leon Gaunt is a terrifying villain. Dark Half is so scary.
Oh totally! Needful Things is highly underrated imo. So glad you enjoyed and found the dark half as scary as I did!
Loved this video! Added some goodies to my reading list!
Oooo kimu I can’t wait to hear which one you’re going to read next!!
This was excellent Nikhil, and really helpful for me. I haven’t read enough King to have a list yet, but Salem’s Lot is my current favorite of his, and I’m loving the Shining so far. I do want to read Misery at some point, because I loved the movie, and I may read Pet Semetary, but I don’t know if I’m ready for the emotional destruction lol.
I’m so happy to hear that Chas! 😊 haha yeah Pet Sematary is so devasting lol BUT SO GOOD! Another one you might consider is Needful Things - highly underrrated and one of Kings best villains!
Great list. I am hoping to get to Needful Things and Revival before the end of the year.
I’m scared to watch the Salems Lot adaptation 😬😂
Hahahah I’m about to post a video about it 😂😅 can’t wait to hear your thoughts on needful things and revival!!
Awesome list Nikhil! Unfortunately I found The Langoliers a bit lackluster and not his best story. The concept is scary but I did not enjoy the characters or story. Apt Pupil on the other hand is absolutely chilling. I still need to read Revival. Misery is terrifying and what makes it more scary is the isolated setting, most of the story plays out in the single room/house. Reminds me of Gerald's Game. I am re-reading Salem's Lot in October for a book club. I think The Shining is Stephen King's most terrifying novel. I think it deserves a re-read and review sometime. Pet Sematary, in my opinion, is King's darkest, bleakest books but not his scariest, It is, as you you say, how far someone is willing to go for bringing back the ones we love. It is not so much about terror but love, loss, grief and obsession. Agree with It, would probably be my number two.😁My list may look just a little bit different from yours.
Thanks so much Cliff! :) I think you'd really like Revival, especially since you like coming of age stories. And the horror elements are fabulous! I really need to re-read The Shining, I found it hard to separate from the film, which I really enjoyed. Would love to hear your list!
Even though he's my favourite author, I haven't read enough to make my own top 10 ranking. I do plan to read these though. I have read some others, but of those in the video the only one I have read is Cujo.
I’m so excited for you to read more Stephen King! Cujo is such a great book. I only read a handful of his books until a couple of years ago, after which I binged as many as I could 😂
As the story goes Tabitha King told her husband not to submit Pet Semetary for publication. It was the death of the child by the truck which they had narrowly averted with one of their own. Too personal.
@@jeffkyler5660 hi Jeff, I didn’t know it was actually Tabitha that told Stephen not to publish! I remember hearing about locked it away for a couple of years. I’m so glad he decided to publish that one, one of my favorites
This was interesting. I thought I had read all of kings books but realized I’ve never read apt pupil or the library one you mentioned… hmmm 🤔
Also agree with many on this list….but one of my favs which is in his new crime genre is LATER. Man I listened to that on my earbuds while working late at night and I swear I kept seeing things out of the corner of my eye… the reader on that audiobook really makes you feel scared of the bad guy in it.
Ooo yes I loved Later!! I really should hear it in audio, that sounds like an amazing experience. Once I finish all of king I’m going to re-read and will try it with audio. I hope you enjoy Apt Pupil and Library Policeman!
For me I'm going with Pet Semetary as my number 1 scariest. Maybe it's because I'm a parent and this deals with the death of a child? Maybe it's because I had lost a family member when I was 15 and thought I would do anything for one more day with them.... and then in this book Stephen King is like... yeah about that, you might want to be careful what you wish for. The book IT was pretty scary, a creature that feeds off the the fears of the weak and vulnerable? I mean you might be reading it thinking, it's happening to them I'd be fine but pennywise is going to change his tactic to suit YOU. Right now I'm reading Misery, I'm 30% into the book (I'm reading on a kindle and keep track of percentage not page numbers, sorry) and this book has me stressed out. Like I feel like the worst has happened and I know being a third done that I haven't even gotten there.... and I saw the movie, I kind of feel like I know what might be down the road. The instability of Annie and not knowing what each visit from her holds or what she is capable of doing is anxiety inducing.
Gosh I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your family member 😓 that must have been so tough, and reading stories like this would imagine be especially triggering. To that point, IT feels similar to me!
@@Shelf-Esteem No worries, those connections to different story lines are what make people connect with books differently. I do think those shreds of truth are what make King such an effective writer though. It connects people to the books with elements that feel real or close to them.
💙
Thanks Sam!!