Greatest Horror Writer Of All Time If...

FantasticF · Sep 6, 2013

You're not allowed to say Stephen King. Sorry haha.

I'm just curious as to who people would say without King.

I grew up watching 80s horror flicks such as:
Return of the Living Dead
The Burning
Slaughter High
Lucio Fulci flicks

Basic stuff like that. From there, I got into writing horror.

So...

I'd just like to see what names pop up in a discussion minus King.

Have at it!

Calla Lily · Sep 6, 2013

Alphabetically, so I don't play favorites *cough* HPL *cough*:

Robert W. Chambers
MR James
HP Lovecraft
Robert McCammon
Oliver Onions
Poe

FOTSGreg · Sep 6, 2013

HP Lovecraft, as the father of American Horror is certainly high up on the list.

Let's see, by ranking,

1 - HP Lovecraft
2 - Edgar Allan Poe
3 - Robert Howard
4 - Bram Stoker
5 - August Derleth

Amadan · Sep 6, 2013

For impact on the horror genre, H. P. Lovecraft.

Richard Matheson is an underrated modern master.

Susan Hill and Shirley Jackson are both creepilicious.

I'd give honorable mention to Peter Benchley because I still don't like swimming in the ocean.

Alessandra Kelley · Sep 6, 2013

All time?

Dante Alighieri (seriously, take a good look at "The Inferno" some time)
Edgar Allen Poe
C. L. Moore
Shirley Jackson (who was also, surprisingly, a quite funny my-life-as-a-housewife essayist)

Calla Lily · Sep 6, 2013

I forgot Shirley Jackson!

Haggis · Sep 6, 2013

FOTSGreg said:
HP Lovecraft, as the father of American Horror is certainly high up on the list.

I might argue that Poe was the father of American horror, though he'd probably consider himself a poet first and a mystery writer second.

Alessandra Kelley said:
All time?

Dante Alighieri (seriously, take a good look at "The Inferno" some time)

Oh, I never would have made that connection. But yes. Absolutely.

Nobody should leave out Mary Shelly. Probably not Bram Stoker either. For current American writers I like McCammon and Jack Ketcham.

Rhoda Nightingale · Sep 6, 2013

Seconding Shirley Jackson and Lovecraft.

Also Clive Barker, and Ray Bradbury although he's not exclusively "horror"--more dark fantasy, although I guess you could apply that to both of them.

I've only read a handful of Ketchum's short stories so far, but they are pretty twisted and amazing.

James D. Macdonald · Sep 6, 2013

Jonathan Edwards: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. It's the underlying worldview of American horror.

williemeikle · Sep 6, 2013

A top 5 from me, as we're talking "all time"

M.R. James
William Hope Hodgson
Arthur Machen
Shirley Jackson
Ramsey Campbell

H P Lovecraft if I get another...

Calla Lily · Sep 6, 2013

Ah, Jonathan Edwards. If I had a TARDIS, one of my stops would be to attend the first delivery of that sermon.

FantasticF · Sep 6, 2013

Rhoda Nightingale said:
Seconding Shirley Jackson and Lovecraft.

Also Clive Barker, and Ray Bradbury although he's not exclusively "horror"--more dark fantasy, although I guess you could apply that to both of them.

I've only read a handful of Ketchum's short stories so far, but they are pretty twisted and amazing.

Good to see someone mention Clive Barker. Wasn't expecting that.

James D. Macdonald · Sep 6, 2013

How about Peter Straub?

Amadan · Sep 6, 2013

James D. Macdonald said:
How about Peter Straub?

I'd say he's most famous for his collaborations with Stephen King. So I wouldn't really rank him up there with the "greatest."

Haggis · Sep 6, 2013

If I didn't have to limit it to five I'd mention Straub too if for no other reason than Ghost Story. One of my all time favorites.

Calla Lily · Sep 6, 2013

James D. Macdonald said:
How about Peter Straub?

Ick. Telegraphs his plot points. The last book of his I read, I got through in 15 minutes by reading the first few paragraphs of every chapter. Same as reading the entire thing.

(iffy suggestion) Clark Ashton Smith

redfalcon · Sep 6, 2013

Lovecraft
Clive Barker
Richard Matheson
Ray Bradbury
Gary A. Braunbeck

FantasticF · Sep 6, 2013

callalily61 said:
Ick. Telegraphs his plot points. The last book of his I read, I got through in 15 minutes by reading the first few paragraphs of every chapter. Same as reading the entire thing.

(iffy suggestion) Clark Ashton Smith

Have you tried "A Dark Matter" by Peter Straub?

It's actually one of the better horror-ish books I've read in the past 3+ years.

williemeikle · Sep 7, 2013

Amadan said:
I'd say he's most famous for his collaborations with Stephen King. So I wouldn't really rank him up there with the "greatest."

We're not talking most famous here though, otherwise we'd be talking about folks like John Saul and Dean Koontz.

Straub's Ghost Story is one of the seminal horror novels of the last century.

FantasticF · Sep 7, 2013

williemeikle said:
We're not talking most famous here though, otherwise we'd be talking about folks like John Saul and Dean Koontz.

Straub's Ghost Story is one of the seminal horror novels of the last century.

Good point but I think it is a matter of opinion/perspective.

For some, fame means greatness.

Haggis · Sep 7, 2013

FantasticF said:
Good point but I think it is a matter of opinion/perspective.

For some, fame means greatness.

Sure. We're all different. For example, I can't deal with Lovecraft. I know. It's a sacrilege, right? But I just can't do it. Nevertheless I recognize and am appreciative of what his writing has meant to the genre.

Ramshackle · Sep 7, 2013

Some great and deserving names popping up here.

For me, it's got to be Richard Laymon. A fantastic entertainer and storyteller.

williemeikle · Sep 7, 2013

Ramshackle said:
Some great and deserving names popping up here.

For me, it's got to be Richard Laymon. A fantastic entertainer and storyteller.

Too rapey for me, I'm afraid. He's got a way with a story, but I got tired of the mistreatment of good looking women in his stories. I actually threw Resurrection Dreams across the room in disgust.

Calla Lily · Sep 7, 2013

Haggis said:
Sure. We're all different. For example, I can't deal with Lovecraft. I know. It's a sacrilege, right? But I just can't do it. Nevertheless I recognize and am appreciative of what his writing has meant to the genre.

And here I was starting to like you, Chihuey...

Ramshackle said:
Some great and deserving names popping up here.

For me, it's got to be Richard Laymon. A fantastic entertainer and storyteller.

Another instance of "not for everyone."

Laymon makes me want to bleach my brain.

I deliberately left off Bentley Little and Brian Keene because while I like some of their writing, I think their body of work is repetitious.

Cathy C · Sep 7, 2013

Let's see:

1 - HP Lovecraft
2 - Edgar Allan Poe
3 - Mary Shelley (mustn't forget Frankenstein!)
4 - August Derleth
5 - Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child (in their co-author state)

Greatest Horror Writer Of All Time If...

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