Horror! Terror! Books of Fear! Quiz

Answer: The Turn of the Screw

A novella written in 1898, "The Turn of the Screw" first appeared as a serial in "Collier's Weekly". At first glance, it appears to be a "Jane Eyre"-type Gothic story; a governess is hired to care for children in an old spooky house. But then there are the ghosts, apparently those of a pair of servants who used to work at the house and who are now after the children.

But are they truly after the children? Are the ghosts even real? The story has inspired debate over whether it truly was a ghost story or whether it was a story of the governess's descent into madness.

Answer: The Haunting of Hill House

All four of these works are set in small New England towns, with elements of the supernatural involved. 'The Haunting of Hill House' is the most explicit of them in this regard, and has been made into at least two film adaptations, both using the title 'The Haunting'. The 1963 British film starring Julie Harris as Eleanor has been listed as one of the scariest films ever made in a number of surveys.

Dr Montague rents the 80 year old Hill House because of its reputation, and invites Eleanor and Theodora to join him, along with the house's young owner Luke, to investigate the stories of ghosts that surround the isolated house. The caretakers refuse to sleep on the premises, and the four who do sleep there are increasingly disturbed by events. Eleanor in particular becomes distressed to the point that the others are worried about her, and force her to leave against her wishes. The reader never knows whether the subsequent car crash was an accident, suicide, or the result of the house's intervention.

Answer: Sandkings

George R.R. Martin first published "Sandkings" in "Omni" magazine in 1979 before including it in a collection of his short fiction that he published in 1981. It was adapted for the television show "The Outer Limits" for its 1995 revival as the first episode.

The story follows the rich (and bored) Simon Kress as he seeks something unique as a 'pet', and eventually finds the sandkings, which begin as four different colonies of insect-like telepathic creatures in a large terrarium, each a different colour (red, white, black and orange) that are versatile, will eat almost anything, and interact with each other as they build their own little castles and territories.

As with many horror stories, things get out of hand for Kress, who in his boredom had begun to mistreat his pets, and his colonies escape, leading to some unforeseen consequences.

Answer: It is based on truth

In this tale of horror, the narrative is centered upon the lost expedition of British Naval officer Captain Sir John Franklin. In 1847, while searching for the fabled Northwest Passage, this 130-man mission and their ship became stuck in the ice. Simmon's macabre imagination takes this historical event and spins a horrific tale of cannibalism as the men are preyed upon by a bloodthirsty ice demon.

This demon, known as Tuunbaq, is lifted directly from Eskimo mythology. The scariest parts of the book do not come from this monster, but rather from the way Franklin's men turn on each other in a fight for survival.

The potency of this novel comes from its vivid descriptions of the crew's descent into acts of horrific inhumanity and the final annihilation of the lost crew.

It is an interesting look into the psyche of man and his ability to succumb to animalistic tendencies when afraid.

Answer: The Call of Cthulhu

"The Call of Cthulhu" first appeared in the magazine "Weird Tales" in 1928. The story consisted of three tales, linked together in the notes left behind by a language professor who was an expert on ancient inscriptions. The three tales describe a creature called Cthulhu: "a pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings" and a cult that had developed around him. Cthulhu was alleged to be an extraterrestrial creature that lived under the sea and was able to communicate with humans in their dreams and drive them mad.

Answer: Richard Matheson

Possibly one of the scariest books ever written about haunted houses, "Hell House" was a huge hit for author Richard Matheson when it was published in 1971. The story tells of a dying millionaire who offers two psychics and a physicist one hundred thousand dollars apiece to spend one week in a reputedly haunted house.

The goal is to prove or disprove whether there is an afterlife. The Belasco House, the location of the story, is reputed to have been the cause of murder and insanity in previous attempts expeditions into this haunted edifice. Throughout the book, the spirits in the house prey on the lead characters, terrifying them by using their own personal fears against them. Tensions between the characters run high as they face the horror that inhabits the house.

This novel is full of suspense and is not for the faint of heart.

Answer: Bird Box

Although an odd name, "Bird Box", as Kyle eagerly recommends, is worth the read. Author Malerman writes a unique novel in which the main characters have to avoid seeing anything outside their household, or else become gripped with madness (which has already destroyed most of the world). Any trips out of the house must be made blindfolded and, of course, when the protagonist decides to make a run for it-- with two children-- thirty miles down a river-- that's not the easiest feat. How things get to this point are just as fascinating as the daring escape.

Of course, that's if you're looking for something contemporary.

Answer: The Black Cat

This story actually features two cats (unless, as the narrator suspects, the second one is the reincarnation of the one he had earlier killed after it stopped being friendly because he had gouged out its eye on a drunken impulse). The narrator is increasingly burdened with his guilty conscience over the destruction of Pluto, and sees reproach in numerous portents.

When the possible-reincarnation-of-Pluto nearly causes the narrator to fall down the cellar stairs, he is so enraged that he attempts to kill it with an axe, which he subsequently turns on his wife after she defends the cat.

He seals the body in a wall cavity that he then bricks up (as so many Poe characters seem to do), and believes he has gotten away with the murder until he raps on the wall and the cat he had accidentally sealed in with the body starts to wail, alerting the police to the fact that the wall is not solid. Like 'The Tell-Tale Heart', this is considered a classic study in the power of a guilty conscience to instill unbearable fear. So what do you have to worry about around the campfire?

Answer: Carrie

"Carrie" (1974) tells the story of Carrietta "Carrie" White, a senior at Thomas Ewen Consolidated High School. Carrie was often teased at school and abused by her mother, Margaret, at home. On May 27th, 1979, Carrie attended her high school's prom, and as the result of a fixed ballot race, she was elected Prom Queen. Waiting on stage to be crowned, Carrie and the Prom King, Tommy, were drenched in pig's blood, a prank conceived by one of Carrie's longtime bullies.

Humiliated, Carrie unleashed her telekinetic power, locking the gym doors, electrocuting students, and setting fire to the gym, leaving everyone inside to burn to death. When she returned home, Carrie's mother attacked her with a knife, resulting in Carrie's crucifixion of her mother and subsequent telekinetic stopping of her mother's heart. A frightening tale, to say the least.

"Christine" (1983) about a a demon car, "Dolores Claiborne" (1992) about a murderess, and "Lisey's Story" (2006) about a widowed novelist, are also famous horror and psychological thriller stories written by acclaimed novelist Stephen King.

Answer: Let the Right One In

Eventually made into an acclaimed horror film, "Let the Right One In" (originally "Låt den Rätte Komma In") was Lindqvist's first novel; shortly thereafter he was considered Sweden's answer to Stephen King due to his unique, human take on horror. He followed up with "Handling the Undead", "Harbour", and "Little Star".
"Let the Right One In" followed the story of Oskar who, struggling as a schoolboy in Stockholm, met a 'young' vampire named Eli who, as was revealed in the story, was much less innocent than she seemed. In his first collection of short stories, "Let the Old Dreams Die", he follows up with a sequel.

Kyle recommends this novel-- if you've already gone through "'Salem's Lot", of course.