THINGS THAT SCARE ME

In honor of Halloween, off the top of my head, here are the scariest things I have read:

1. The Dollhouse Murders, by Betty Ren Wright: A kids’ book in which dollhouse dolls come alive and reenact a murder; I still get goosebumps thinking of it.
2. Behind the Attic Wall, by Sylvia Cassedy: Another kids’ book in which dolls come alive; according to the Amazon reviews, these dolls are friendly and benevolent and help a young girl to find the love and security her family can’t give her, but all I remember is feeling terror at the concept. I mean, even the title is creepy-sounding.
3. “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson: Scariest short story ever.
4. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood: For obvious reasons, competes with 28 Days Later for worst-nightmare dystopia.
5. “All My Darling Daughters,” by Connie Willis: I love Connie Willis, but can’t recommend this highly, highly disturbing feminist short story that manages to include both animal abuse—which I particularly hate to read about—and sexual abuse; all the ickiness has a purpose and it’s well-written and thought-provoking, but I nearly became physically ill while reading it.