Who are your favorite horror writers?

[Relic]

We love zombies, but I'm sure we're all lovers of the horror genre. Who are some of your favorite writers, old and new? I'll list my top 5: (please note neither Stephen King nor Dean Koontz makes this list. Koontz is more of a suspense writer now, and King is... well, King's just bad now.) 5) Jeff Ketchum (Love his gritty style and no-holds-bar writing. Bloody but damn good. Offspring was amazing, considering it was published way back in 1981. Peaceable Kingdom is a wonderful, absolutely wonderful short story collection. Wish he'd write more...) 4) Richard Laymon (He's no longer with us, but I always admired his writing style. Bare bones and muscular, with no fat whatsoever found in any of his numerous novels. His concepts and endings are sometimes a bit stretched and unrealistic, but his pacing was absolutely amazing. A damn good dialogue writer, too.) 3) Tim Lebbon (My favorite British horror writer, bar none -- sorry Ramsey Campbell. Wish he wrote more frequently, or maybe wish there was more of HIM over here in the States and would cross that great big pond more rapidly, but I think the man's bloody brilliant.) 2) Dan Simmons (He does it all, but this guy is the one guy I read and damn near cry because he's so f'ing good. He can do it all, and effortlessly, too. And anyone who's read his most-recent "The Terror," or even the menacing "Shrike" in his famous SF Hyperion series, knows this man can raise the goosebumps with the best of them. A top-notch writer and, one day, a grand master. 1) Richard Matheson (He's kinda morphed into lefty-liberal politics, which always makes me gag, but in his prime he was on top of the world, baby. From "Hell House" to "I Am Legend" to all the best "Twilight Zone" episodes, the man could do it all. A true horror legend and probably my overall favorite writer (though Simmons is rapidly charging up from behind).

[rightwing401]

1. Nevil Shute- wrote 'On the Beach'. My god, that was one of the most depressing books I have ever read. The worst part of it all was the overall understanding that he gives in the beginning that, no matter what, there is no hope and all the characters will eventually die of radiation posioning. In my opinion, this book should be a required reading for the head of state of every country in the world that has nuclear weapons. It truly shows the horror, futility, and sheer lunacy of nuclear war. 2. Ray Bradbury- wrote 'Fahrenheit 451'. Despite being written in the 1950's this man was a visionary of the dark future that lay ahead for society, where television has become a 'god' to the people. It's their lives and they can't comprehend an existence without it. They "talk like the tube, dress like the tube, raise their children like the tube, even think like the tube" (Howard Beal-Network) Books are a thing of the past and are considered evil, anyone caught even reading is arrested. A truly terrifying image of a society of television zombies, which in today's world, isn't so far fetched as it once was.

[wyvern1096]

Some faves, no particular order. Older Stephen King stuff (The Mist, The Stand, Christine) Robert McCammon Max Brooks (Finally, finally got my hands on World War Z last week) Brian Lumley ...and I've just suffered complete and total brain fade. I'll have to check my library for author names when I get home from work.

[Mr.Zombie]

Clive Barker & Robin Cook are a couple of my favorites.

[Mike70]

1. Nevil Shute- wrote 'On the Beach'. My god, that was one of the most depressing books I have ever read. The worst part of it all was the overall understanding that he gives in the beginning that, no matter what, there is no hope and all the characters will eventually die of radiation posioning. In my opinion, this book should be a required reading for the head of state of every country in the world that has nuclear weapons. It truly shows the horror, futility, and sheer lunacy of nuclear war. yeah boi!! one of my favorite books of all time. i have a gothic sense of horror (no not frakking goth, gothic). so i would go with: sheridan le fanu - writer of, among others, carmilla- one of the greatest horror things ever written. bram stoker- dracula would be enough. lord dunsany- some one who has influenced a huge range of writers- both fantasy and horror. lovecraft- a titan of american fiction who is just now getting the attention he deserves. arthur machen- this dude has influenced EVERY single horror writer worth a crap. "the great god pan" and "the white people" are absolute musts for any serious horror fiction fan. richard matheson-DUH. clive barker- well he is a freak and "in the hills, the cities" is (in my not so humble opinion) not only one of the greatest horror short stories ever- it is one of the greatest short stories ever - period. franz kafka- i dare you to not be freaked out by "the metamorphosis." nathaniel hawthorne- forget the poncy ass scarlet letter. this dude's short stories like "the minister's black veil", "rappucinni's daughter", and dr. heidegger's experiment" totally rock. among others who weren't horror writers per se but wrote the occasional horrific tale: henry miller- "the turn of the screw" oscar wilde: "the picture of dorian grey" A.C. Doyle: "the hound of the baskervilles" ...and I've just suffered complete and total brain fade. jesus h. christ in a chariot driven sidecar, i thought only people i grew up with used the term brain fade after the overkill song "brainfade." wow. i guess disney was right - it is a small world after all.

[Relic]

Agree about Barker's "In the hills" story. Just an exceptional, horrific story. The best of his "Blood" stories.

[Suicycho]

In no particular order Dean Koontz-Sure he's more suspense now, but some of his earlier stuff was really good monster movie horror. Brian Lumley Brian Keene Stephen King-His older stuff. Ever since he quit writing monster books, I haven't cared for him. Lovecraft Robert Howard-Most notable for the Conan stories, but he wrote some really creepy, horrific stuff in the Cthulu mythos.

[capncnut]

Clive Barker William Peter Blatty Poppy Z. Brite James Herbert Stephen King Ira Levin H.P. Lovecraft Richard Matheson Edgar Allan Poe Anne Rice Bram Stoker etc.

[fartpants]

Shaun Hutson rocks

[Danny]

H.P Lovecraft, Stephen King and Dean Koontz.