📸: My painting
In the dead of the night, we had finished watching 'The Evil Dead' on a VCR that we rented for a day. I was a kid but I remember that I was not really scared. I even wandered in our courtyard alone while everyone dispersed, calling it a day, finally.
Then began my reading sessions with a magazine called Manohar Kahaniyan. Dadaji discouraged me from reading that magazine but I read it anyway, particularly horror stories. But I never felt scared even though I read those stories at night, under the lantern that cast eerie shadows. However, I enjoyed the tingling excitement, the sense of apprehension such stories caused.
(Until a few years ago. When I suddenly began to avoid horror stories as they made me uncomfortable for some reason.)
Later, after I got bored of Manohar Kahaniyan stories, my tryst with horror stories was somehow limited to watching movies or serials. Novels seldom captivated. Horror writing didn't excite me so I stopped picking horror novels.
But recently, I read two very unique, very well written horror novels, and they truly rekindled my interest in horror stories.
The first one was Let Him In by William Friend.
It's a very well written story, cleverly crafted. The writing is engaging, beautiful sometimes. A wonderful blend of paranormal elements and psychology, which makes it unpredictable and even more mysterious. The ending, although unconventional and kind of open ended, is very creepy.
The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses by L.V.Russell
It doesn't happen immediately, but you have this sense of apprehension, a nagging feeling that something is wrong and something is going to happen.
The credit goes to the writing and storytelling. It's a strange book (the strangeness shall remain unnamed). And slow paced, but the writing is so beautiful that I ―someone who's not a fan of slow paced, descriptive writing ―did not mind. In fact I liked the way it evoked an eerie sensation and painted vivid imagery.
A wonderfully creepy, mysterious and poignant read.
Oh, and I'd like to add Young Blood by Chandrima Das. The writing is beautiful and crisp. Stories are gripping. You would not want to miss a single paragraph. That engaging.
Every story is intriguing in its own way, so I loved them all, except 2-3 tales. But even though the concept of these 2-3 stories didn't excite me, the writing and storytelling gripped me for sure.
Do you enjoy horror books? Share your favourites?
A love for horror movies/books crept up on me stealthily and before I knew it, I had seen and read several of them. I will still not call myself a fan of the genre but there's something undeniably exciting about it.
ReplyDeleteTrue. Thank you.
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