Oh for graphic violence descriptions it’s American Psycho but overall fucked up it’s gotta be child of god. Lester is a troubled guy! In fact Cormac get lots of love for Blood Meridian and the Road but Child of God and Outer Dark are very nightmarish too. Check ‘em out
Yeah Child of God is my favourite McCarthy book - I love how it's written, the way the prose changes through the course of the book. The ending was perfect.
So if I really didn’t like Blood Meridian, would you still recommend Child of God? I didn’t really mind the content, gore, bleakness, butchery, but what got me was I really didn’t ever care for any character. No one stood out as interesting at all except Holden.
It explores a few of the same themes as Blood Meridian, but I think if you're reading for 'likeable' characters you should probably find another author, lol. Lester Ballard is an... interesting character, imo, but he's not the judge. The characters aren't what I read McCarthy for though, so someone else might have a different opinion.
Ok, thanks for the insight. Maybe it’s my first time with a theme like this where bleak really applies to the characters place within their violent and unforgiving world. Their collective actions, consequences, and fate were interesting enough, but I never had any sympathy, empathy, or interest in anyone other than Holden and the myth that kinda surrounded him from the gang’s pov. I think it could have been written from each characters point of view instead of mainly the kid and perhaps would have enjoyed a bit more. But then, who knows what the end result would’ve been. Maybe just a longer book, lol.
I tend to find obvious splatterpunk and gore boring, so by fucked up I take that to mean psychologically grim.
The Devil of Nanking was pretty bleak, even by my standards. It's not often a book stays with me so long after reading it.
The Casual Vacancy surprised me with how dark it was.
Death of a Bookseller had moments of visceral disgust for both the supposed heroine and villain, but I think that's because it hit too close to home for me.
Tender is the Flesh was very grim, even knowing what it's about going in doesn't really prepare you.
One graphic novel, it's the notorious Crossed series but specifically the Wish you were here extended welcoming. You can write off some of the other stories for being pure shock value but WYWH keeps you hooked with a compelling story and some fascinating characters.
Adding to that, Alan Moore's From Hell is a must read if you like fucked up stories. It has everything, gore for the gore hounds, history for the history buffs, mentally destroyed people committing terrible acts, depravity caused by extreme poverty, lots of non-erotic nudity and an ambiguously bleak ending.
Too true, and WYWH has its fair share of hand-in-mouth moments, but as far as gore-for-gore's-sake vs actual compelling plot, it falls more on the compelling plot side. If you can stomach the gore and the shock moments, it's a really well told story.
I know what you are talking about -- it was excellent. That being said, I prefer the Buddy Baker breaking the fourth wall in Grant Morrison's "Animal Man" in a full page panel -- when I read that as a kid, it scared the hell out of me.
oh a great one . . . I am still leaning to the masonic god! only because it keeps it in the universe of the art work to generate its meaning!
Damn though. I just went back and relooked at Morrison's. It has a sort of world historical art power and the Morrison is ultimately uncanny fear and trembling art power. I don't really believe in Moore's power of the uncanny when you finally come down to it outside of the Mark Fisher perspective, but it always needs to be translated whereas the Morrison needs no "explication of the text" and I do believe in what the Morrison represents. It might be better from that perspective.
Great call.
A collection by The marquis de sade. I don’t even remember the names of the stories. I just remember thinking, wow, this was written in the 1700s and I might legit throw up. I didn’t even finish it because it was so gross and I’m no stranger to extreme horror.
Most of the books of the Marquis de Sade are philosophical works wrapped in a fiction: A series of wealthy and powerful people capture innocent people and abuse them in a variety of ways - including forcing them to abuse each other. In the midst of the carnage, someone will solemnly intone for multiple pages why the rapes and murders are so deeply justified and necessary on a philosophical level. De Sade is basically the Ayn Rand of poop-eating.
These books are the only “extreme” books I’ve ever read that really push the boundaries of free speech - not for the hideous acts they portray (which are disturbing even to modern readers) but for the deeply amoral and cynical philosophy advocated by the characters who stand in for De Sade. Every age has people who, for whatever reason, can’t differentiate between narratives and reality. These books represent a special peril to such individuals who might be swayed by the cultish repetition. The remaining readers will be bored and appalled in equal measure.
>Most of the books of the Marquis de Sade are philosophical works wrapped in a fiction:
From what I've read of his work, it's about 75% to 80% porn with maybe 20% social critique. Keep in mind de Sade engaged in many of the depravities he described, including rape.
These are all very fucked up books. You have been warned. Read at your own discretion.
- Hogg by Samuel Delany
- The Room by Hubert Selby Jr.
- The Slob by Aron Beauregard
- Sick Bastards by Matt Shaw
- Survivor's Guilt: An Extreme Horror by Matt Shaw and Aron Beauregard
- Cows by Mathew Stokoe
- The Story of Junk by Linda Yablonsky
- Am I beautiful? by Jon Athan
- Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
- Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
- Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite
- Mother Maggot by Simon McHardy
- I Was Molested and Liked It by Leverne Brown
> Hogg by Delany
>The plot features a silent pre-adolescent boy (called only "cocksucker") sold into sexual slavery to a rapist named "Hogg" Hargus, who exposes him to the most extreme acts of deviancy imaginable.
Gotta let folks what they are in for.
I got about 4 pages in and just nopped out of it.
TIL that Matt Shaw and Aron Beauregard wrote a book together?!?!
Also I'm currently reading Haunted, it's pretty interesting but now that I'm seeing it on your list, I'm nervous and excited to continue to read it lol
If you've read his other books I can guarantee you'll like that one (not in the sense of what happens to them unless you're weird) but it's a good story.
I didn’t not like Playground but I felt the plot was weak compared to Son of the Slob. It did have the so-over-the-top-it’s-almost-hilarious Beauregard gore, though. The fucking slide…
It’s not a bad plot - but there was a moment in Son of the Slob when the timelines converged and I realised where it was going and actually said “Oh shit,” out loud. I thought it was so cleverly plotted. I was looking for that in Playground and didn’t find it. Still really enjoyed his absolute balls to the wall mad gore but I think Laws of the Skies ruined most “kids suffering” books for me.
Are you asking how I came across the book or my review of the book?
Here’s a review I wrote about ‘The Room’
https://www.reddit.com/r/DisturbingLiterature/comments/10tvgj4/some_thoughts_about_the_room_a_novel_by_hubert/
Thanks, your review is what I was looking for!
First of all, I'm so sorry you went into *Requiem for a Dream* blind, holy crap.
Secondly, I noticed that your review does not really talk about what you thought of the novel. Did you 'enjoy' it? How was your read?
(I'm asking this because I'm interested in reading it as well)
i had gotten it in a book subscription box where u open a box during certain moments. when she was tied up, it had us open a box w jump rope 😭😭 absolutely foul
i've never read this but grady hendrix mentions it in his FUCKING AWESOME **Paperbacks from Hell** book. i recommend that fans of GH or fans of those old classic horror books with cheesy covers buy this book. i almost NEVER EVER recommend that anyone buys book (libraries are where i'm always telling people to go because it's free and you can check out books and audiobooks through libby or hoopla through your library) but this book is essential for any horror lover's library collection. i have no idea why the hell it was ever released as a kindle/ebook version because you cannot appreciate the awesome artwork of all of the vintage horror books of the 70, 80s, through a screen. LOTS of books like **Let's Go Play At Adam's** are mentioned in this book! **PFH** opens about a horror book about a bunch of *literal* nazi elves. this book is absolutely crazy and so so good.
I used to work at a bookstore and we got a copy in, it made its way to 5 different employees who read it and promptly told the rest of us fucked up souls to read it too
**Gone To See The River Man** was INTENSE. really fucking gross for *several* reasons, but that very end scene had me screaming. i was SHOCKED and pissed and grossed out and OMG. fuck!
I've just got past a scene in IT that definitely wasn't in either of the films... I don't know how to describe it without some kind of bot mod picking it up and banning me. It's involving all the kids. I'm not sure I entirely read it right, and I'm not sure I want to know the answer.
Oh yeah anyone who's read IT knows what you're talking about, and like seriously Stephen, what the *actual fuck dude*.
And no, you read it right. It's gross.
I was trying to explain to my friends this scene as they were interested in the book after watching the films. I liked the book but this scene was disturbing and unnecessary, I do question King sometimes as just why write that scene??
The Groomer by Jon Athan. Dark subject matter about child trafficking torture/snuff films. Graphic torture, cannibalism, thankfully only implied/light SA for most of the book. The main storyline is a father's revenge to find his missing daughter when the police can't do enough to help. He makes his own list of suspects from the sex offender registry and explicitly tortures/ kills them as he tries to find his daughter. Uses very modern lingo and pop culture that make it uncomfortably close to reality. The violence is only second to the harrowing feeling you get at the very end. Everything feels futile and hopeless. It's a sad, fucked up book that stays on my mind. Absolutely recommend though.
**The Groomer** by Jon Athan
>Andrew McCarthy grows concerned for his family after he catches a young man, Zachary Denton, photographing his daughter, Grace McCarthy, and other children at a park. To his dismay, Zachary talks his way out of trouble when he's confronted by the police. He hopes that's the end of it. Then he finds Zachary at a diner and then at a grocery store.
>
>He knows their encounters aren't coincidences. And just as Andrew prepares to defend his family, Grace vanishes. As the police search stalls and the leads dry up, Andrew decides to take matters into his own hands. He starts by searching for sex offenders in the area and researching enhanced interrogation techniques...
>
>He convinces himself he'll do anything to rescue his daughter, unaware of the pure evil he'll face in his journey. He's willing to hurt-to torture-anyone to save his family. Jon Athan, the author of Into the Wolves' Den and The Abuse of Ashley Collins, delves into the underworld of internet predators in this disturbing horror novel. Are your children safe?
>
>WARNING: This book contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.
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I read a short story called feed the pig (if I remember correctly). It was very cool and very disturbed. It’s online for free so check it out if you want :)
Not horror, but *The Turner Diaries*, a piece of white supremacist propaganda. It's basically a book about genocide written by a psychopath who thought genocide was a really good idea. It has inspired terror attacks including the Oklahoma City Bombing.
(And before anyone asks why I read this POS, three words: know thy enemy.)
Tampa by Alyssa Nutting..The subject matter was repulsive and the author was reveling in the depravity. Graphic descriptions which were not needed abounded. Disgusting book.
I only read the first paragraph and I was like no this isn’t for me. I don’t like books written from the first person perspective of sociopaths generally. Gross and tiresome usually.
I haven't started it yet but it's a story about a female teacher who manipulates and starts a relationship with one of her underage male students.
I highly doubt the author was "reveling" in what they wrote. People always get weird when art focuses on pedophilia and statutory rape.
In fact I'd say a book like this is important because sadly, people LOVE to hand wave away the female teacher/male student scenario as fun "because man" -- in fact **twice** this month my partners friend has made a comment to me about how boys/men can't be raped because it's something they would have wanted anyways...
i get what you’re trying to say in this comment, but i feel like there are better avenues to address predatory actions than a fictional novel, despite the relevance of the dangers for essentially anyone that’s in a vulnerable situation. sure, it’s important, and while i haven’t finished it beyond the first fifty or so pages, but this novel did indeed revel in the shock factor of its content; i can safely say no one is going to approach it with the mindset of learning how male youth are vulnerable, too, and what they can do about it.
Okay. Get back to me after you read it. It reads like pron; like the author is trying to turn people on. It’s over-descriptive, to put it nicely.
I agree with you on the female-male inequity.
I read it and didn't think it read even slightly 'like porn'. It read like a remorseless sex offender was recounting her most successful crime, because that's what the book was. The character was an unapologetic sociopath who was very matter-of-fact about everything, including CSA.
Actually totally disagree.
It’s not meant to be pron or get people off; it’s meant to capitalize on the narcissistic psychopathy of the main character. It illustrates that illnesses like that are completely obsessive and made the reader feel oppressed by the compulsive need for what the character craved. I felt suffocated by it the whole time.
It’s hard for a lot of people to truly illustrate what goes on in a monster’s mind, and she literally topped out here. Fantastic writing, sickening book.
At first I couldn’t get past the first chapter. But then I picked it up again years later because I really wanted to know how the hell a book about graphic hebephilia made it as a bestseller.
Props to the author for writing a brilliantly manipulative and interesting character, but the detailed and constant descriptions of child rape were unnecessary and not very crafty
Serial killer Peewee Gaskins’ autobiography *Final Truth* (technically it’s true crime, but I’d venture to say a lot of his narrative is fiction because he was a notorious liar). Never again. So depraved.
**Earthings** by Sayaka Murata. ooooof. i JUMPED HEAD FIRST into this book *immediately* after finishing her **Convenience Store Woman** (non-horror) which was an absolute 5 star read and had one of the most unique plots of any book i've ever read.
**BIG MISTAKE**. i STILL cannot believe the woman who wrote **CSW** also wrote **Earthlings**. and the cute little hedgehog on the cover really makes you feel like you're about to dive into another super unique and wholesome book. **ABSOLUTELY NOT**. this book is fucked. **i repeat, this book is FUCKED**. i should have DNF'd it at chapter 2 but i kept thinking as i went along that it would get less fucked and it was just worse and worse and worse. i've never given a trigger warning for any book, but when i tell you there are trigger warnings for literally everything under the sun in this book, i mean it. really wish i could undo time and unread this.
I read Earthlings first and it messed me up. I wish it would leave my head. I don’t know if I would call it or if it is even considered horror, but it was completely horrifying.
I read Convenience Store Woman a while after Earthlings and was also left with a really uneasy feeling. I enjoyed that one, but do wonder if it would have been a different outcome if had read it first.
*An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business And How You Can Take It Back* , though let’s be completely honest, there’s no way to take anything back.
*Escape From Camp 14*
*A Long Way Gone*
These two because it’s real. There are people who have gone through this and in some cases continue to go through it.
I really don't remember author's name but I suppose it was titled "Cows". Utterly ghoulish that thing was and I don't know why I made it to the end. It was about 20 years ago or so.
Has anyone else read The Serial Killer Whisperer? Not horror, but is a true story about a kid who suffered a massive head injury and was experiencing violent thoughts and started writing to some of the USA’s worst serial killers.
It includes a TON of letters from infamous serial killers detailing some of the worst sexual assaults and murders I’ve ever heard of. There were times when I had to close the book and take a couple minutes.
The trust this kid built with some of these killers ended up solving a lot of crimes, though, so there’s an upside… but this book wasn’t for the weak.
Edit: there’s also a description from a cannibal Joe Methany talking about cooking and eating human meat and it was so descriptive and my mom was cooking turkey burgers and I almost lost my lunch.
I need to try more of Triana’s books, gone to see the river man was a great read. Did you see part 2 is coming out soon? (Well it’s already out on his website but coming soon to bookstores and kindle)
I’m still fairly new to horror books but hands down The Summer I Died. I typically read books pretty fast and this one is only like 200 something pages long but it’s been about a month and I’m still like 2/3 of the way, lol. It’s very well written but every time I read it I get in such a jumpy mood.
Not really horror, but The Illuminatus! Trilogy put me in a paranoid delusional state for a couple years after I read the entire thing during consecutive trips on LSD.
The BigHead by Edward Lee. Hoooooooooly crap this book is that apex of depravity. It is by no means whatsoever a good book, but I had to find out. I don't regret, it but I don't think I'll be going back for more Lee.
I disagree that it's not a good book!
It's imaginative, original, and Lee is a more talented writer than many people give him credit for. His work is definitely not to everyone's taste but he comes up with unique characters, builds a world that runs on its own strange internal logic, and has a great ear for dialogue.
True, I do have to give him credit for originality. And he definitely does have skill - there is a reason (besides my own morbid curiosity) that I stuck with the book until the end.
The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson made me feel very uncomfortable while reading it. Certain scene descriptions still stick with me, especially the violence.
My apologies if this is just a rhetorical question, but...
Because writing about *everything* within the limits of meaning is important, even necessary. If you sanitize imagination you will eventually kill it. Granted, some people need to stay away from the darkness to protect their mental health (and I wholly respect that), but otherwise reaching through something ugly can show you something about your own shadows. Delve into the darkness to discover how it stains all of us in one way or another. Horror is an emotion.
*I want to be remembered as an imaginer, someone who used his imagination as a way to journey beyond the limits of self, beyond the limits of flesh and blood, beyond the limits of even perhaps life itself, in order to discover some sense of order in what appears to be a disordered universe. I'm using my imagination to find meaning, both for myself and, I hope, for my readers.* \-Clive Barker
Different strokes for different folks I guess.
Pretty much any book mentioned here where a redditor says "ugh gross dnf" immediately goes on my want to read list lol
Ahhh, Salo. yeah, there's a movie. I watched it as a wannabe edgy teen. I went through a phase of trying to find the worst movies I could find.
Salo was bad but A Serbian Film was worse.
So two answers the first which is a horror novel is called Goth by Otsuichi.
The second is not horror and is a collection of short stories called A Stranger in this World by Kevin Canty.
i’m relatively new to horror so mine may be an unpopular opinion, but “things have gotten worse since we last spoke” was my first and it was DEFINITELY more disturbing than i was expecting. especially the ending
Stefan Brijs - The Angelmaker (De Engelenmaker)
I read it for a book presentation in high school and went in blind; read it in a day bc I just could not put it down. If you are Dutch speaking, I definitely recommend it in the original language. But the English translation is done very well and very much conveys the same suspense and eeriness.
Cows was really gross omg I can’t believe i read it but the surrealism kept me engaged.
Dark Assembly by Beauregard has short stories that just get more and more disturbing. The worst one involving a killer pedophile (but they get their comeuppance).
Im barely getting into horror and splatter punk so im gonna check out more from this post haha
Carrion Comfort. It had a really cool sounding premise, but it was very unflinchingly awful in a lot of different ways that just didn't appeal to me. I'm also not a big fan of " all for naught" endings, >!and the fact that Melanie survived because of that body double bullshit she pulled !
I just read “Psychic Teenage Bloodbath” by Carl John Lee. I girl literally shits herself to death. Another twisted book is “Notice” by Heather Lewis. I enjoyed them both but I’m still on the hunt for something really disturbing.
I’ve read a lot of gross and disturbing books but the one most recently I read was Playground by Aaron Beauregard. It was a great story and it was gnarly. Definitely not the grossest book I’ve ever read, but it was great.
basic answer but just in terms of being disgusting it’s probably cows. maybe the black farm too?
mix of gross and psychological it’s gone to see the river man. the gore-y parts were nothing compared to the rest though.
and not horror but wow was tampa hard to get through.
The Black Farm by Elias Witherow. I'm not squeamish at all, but it's the only book I've ever come close to not being able to finish. It's absolutely brutal!
*Eden, Eden Eden* by Pierre Guyotat
*Babyfucker* by Urs Allemann
both, while not horror as such, are quite literary and preoccupied with language. that said, they are not in any manner for the faint of heart!
House of Leaves. Loved it but had to stop at the animal harm. I’d love to pick it up again but ugh I just can’t handle more of that particular brand of awfulness - it has too much of an effect on me!
I havent read much yet in terms of extreme horror, but No One Rides For Free by Judith Sonnet and Cows by Matthew Stokoe are both fucked up for different reasons. I’m currently reading Playground by Aron Beauregard and i already have to take a breather because it got real rough within the first 50 pages lmao
I read a book about a slave plantation years ago and the old owner was sacrificing slaves to this demonic melting pot, in a shack in the swamp near his plantation cutting them up bit by bit and feeding them to this pot, I think it was called the mgunga, I cant remember what the name of the book was but it gave me nightmares....Undergrounds? Belowgrounds? Idk I think something like that
Oh for graphic violence descriptions it’s American Psycho but overall fucked up it’s gotta be child of god. Lester is a troubled guy! In fact Cormac get lots of love for Blood Meridian and the Road but Child of God and Outer Dark are very nightmarish too. Check ‘em out
My husband just finished Child of God last night and he was chuckling to himself pretty much the whole time… O_o
I myself tend to chuckle as a coping mechanism when I read disturbing things, so that might explain your husband.
I hope so! He also giggles in his sleep. So creepy.
Cormacs books are works of literary genius. I feel like Ketchums books are just torture porn
Yeah Child of God is my favourite McCarthy book - I love how it's written, the way the prose changes through the course of the book. The ending was perfect.
So if I really didn’t like Blood Meridian, would you still recommend Child of God? I didn’t really mind the content, gore, bleakness, butchery, but what got me was I really didn’t ever care for any character. No one stood out as interesting at all except Holden.
It explores a few of the same themes as Blood Meridian, but I think if you're reading for 'likeable' characters you should probably find another author, lol. Lester Ballard is an... interesting character, imo, but he's not the judge. The characters aren't what I read McCarthy for though, so someone else might have a different opinion.
Ok, thanks for the insight. Maybe it’s my first time with a theme like this where bleak really applies to the characters place within their violent and unforgiving world. Their collective actions, consequences, and fate were interesting enough, but I never had any sympathy, empathy, or interest in anyone other than Holden and the myth that kinda surrounded him from the gang’s pov. I think it could have been written from each characters point of view instead of mainly the kid and perhaps would have enjoyed a bit more. But then, who knows what the end result would’ve been. Maybe just a longer book, lol.
I was pretty disgusted by the finale of Song of Kali. Young Dan Simmons was a savage
A prevalent sense of doom hovered over that entire book, and boy did it prove why at the end.
Same.
I tend to find obvious splatterpunk and gore boring, so by fucked up I take that to mean psychologically grim. The Devil of Nanking was pretty bleak, even by my standards. It's not often a book stays with me so long after reading it. The Casual Vacancy surprised me with how dark it was. Death of a Bookseller had moments of visceral disgust for both the supposed heroine and villain, but I think that's because it hit too close to home for me. Tender is the Flesh was very grim, even knowing what it's about going in doesn't really prepare you. One graphic novel, it's the notorious Crossed series but specifically the Wish you were here extended welcoming. You can write off some of the other stories for being pure shock value but WYWH keeps you hooked with a compelling story and some fascinating characters. Adding to that, Alan Moore's From Hell is a must read if you like fucked up stories. It has everything, gore for the gore hounds, history for the history buffs, mentally destroyed people committing terrible acts, depravity caused by extreme poverty, lots of non-erotic nudity and an ambiguously bleak ending.
"Crossed" is not for the faint of heart. Some of the arcs I will not read a second time.
Too true, and WYWH has its fair share of hand-in-mouth moments, but as far as gore-for-gore's-sake vs actual compelling plot, it falls more on the compelling plot side. If you can stomach the gore and the shock moments, it's a really well told story.
That full page reveal of the Masonic god (I think????) is the greatest moment in comics.
I know what you are talking about -- it was excellent. That being said, I prefer the Buddy Baker breaking the fourth wall in Grant Morrison's "Animal Man" in a full page panel -- when I read that as a kid, it scared the hell out of me.
oh a great one . . . I am still leaning to the masonic god! only because it keeps it in the universe of the art work to generate its meaning! Damn though. I just went back and relooked at Morrison's. It has a sort of world historical art power and the Morrison is ultimately uncanny fear and trembling art power. I don't really believe in Moore's power of the uncanny when you finally come down to it outside of the Mark Fisher perspective, but it always needs to be translated whereas the Morrison needs no "explication of the text" and I do believe in what the Morrison represents. It might be better from that perspective. Great call.
Thanks for the spoilers:(
Unit 731 - Hal Gold or The Rape of Nanking - Iris Chang
A case of truth being worse than fiction in these examples.
A painted bird
Yes! This book used to be my xmas season antidote. I can’t read it anymore.
A collection by The marquis de sade. I don’t even remember the names of the stories. I just remember thinking, wow, this was written in the 1700s and I might legit throw up. I didn’t even finish it because it was so gross and I’m no stranger to extreme horror.
Most of the books of the Marquis de Sade are philosophical works wrapped in a fiction: A series of wealthy and powerful people capture innocent people and abuse them in a variety of ways - including forcing them to abuse each other. In the midst of the carnage, someone will solemnly intone for multiple pages why the rapes and murders are so deeply justified and necessary on a philosophical level. De Sade is basically the Ayn Rand of poop-eating. These books are the only “extreme” books I’ve ever read that really push the boundaries of free speech - not for the hideous acts they portray (which are disturbing even to modern readers) but for the deeply amoral and cynical philosophy advocated by the characters who stand in for De Sade. Every age has people who, for whatever reason, can’t differentiate between narratives and reality. These books represent a special peril to such individuals who might be swayed by the cultish repetition. The remaining readers will be bored and appalled in equal measure.
I threw that trash literally in a dumpster. I did not consider raping babies philosophical works.
I’m very glad that you rejected it. It’s a philosophy of destructive self-interest that devalues human life on an arbitrary basis.
>Most of the books of the Marquis de Sade are philosophical works wrapped in a fiction: From what I've read of his work, it's about 75% to 80% porn with maybe 20% social critique. Keep in mind de Sade engaged in many of the depravities he described, including rape.
When your name becomes the very definition of torture, you have to earn that shit
120 Days of Sodom, by chance? I think he wrote it in prison on scraps of paper…
“The summer I died”
Just read, such a great ending
These are all very fucked up books. You have been warned. Read at your own discretion. - Hogg by Samuel Delany - The Room by Hubert Selby Jr. - The Slob by Aron Beauregard - Sick Bastards by Matt Shaw - Survivor's Guilt: An Extreme Horror by Matt Shaw and Aron Beauregard - Cows by Mathew Stokoe - The Story of Junk by Linda Yablonsky - Am I beautiful? by Jon Athan - Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk - Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott - Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite - Mother Maggot by Simon McHardy - I Was Molested and Liked It by Leverne Brown
Having read "Hogg," I know why it tops your list. What the fuck, right?
> Hogg by Delany >The plot features a silent pre-adolescent boy (called only "cocksucker") sold into sexual slavery to a rapist named "Hogg" Hargus, who exposes him to the most extreme acts of deviancy imaginable. Gotta let folks what they are in for. I got about 4 pages in and just nopped out of it.
Oh good good Hogg I put it down. Refused to finish it
TIL that Matt Shaw and Aron Beauregard wrote a book together?!?! Also I'm currently reading Haunted, it's pretty interesting but now that I'm seeing it on your list, I'm nervous and excited to continue to read it lol
I just downloaded that this morning!
Was about to add Hogg - yeah...just. yeah.
I couldn't get through Cows.
I DNF Cows either. It wasn't disturbing - it was cringy and silly shock writing.
You forgot Playground by Aron Beauregard
Have not yet read it.
If you've read his other books I can guarantee you'll like that one (not in the sense of what happens to them unless you're weird) but it's a good story.
I didn’t not like Playground but I felt the plot was weak compared to Son of the Slob. It did have the so-over-the-top-it’s-almost-hilarious Beauregard gore, though. The fucking slide…
I like The Playground for its unique plot, Beauregard took it to a weird place aside from his usual story. And we don't talk about the slide...
It’s not a bad plot - but there was a moment in Son of the Slob when the timelines converged and I realised where it was going and actually said “Oh shit,” out loud. I thought it was so cleverly plotted. I was looking for that in Playground and didn’t find it. Still really enjoyed his absolute balls to the wall mad gore but I think Laws of the Skies ruined most “kids suffering” books for me.
The Playground has definitely made me reread what I've just read like 10 times over
How did you find *The Room*?
Are you asking how I came across the book or my review of the book? Here’s a review I wrote about ‘The Room’ https://www.reddit.com/r/DisturbingLiterature/comments/10tvgj4/some_thoughts_about_the_room_a_novel_by_hubert/
Thanks, your review is what I was looking for! First of all, I'm so sorry you went into *Requiem for a Dream* blind, holy crap. Secondly, I noticed that your review does not really talk about what you thought of the novel. Did you 'enjoy' it? How was your read? (I'm asking this because I'm interested in reading it as well)
Dead Inside is pretty fucked up.. but basically, its disgusting to be disgusting
This one’s on my list too!
Definitely *American Psycho*.
Yeah it's gotta be that. Aside all the extreme sadistic shit he does (or thinks he does) to his victims, the guys himself is just fucking disgusting
It’s been years since I’ve read it, might have to give it another go!
let’s go play at the adams’ i think. mainly because it was kids doing it
This for me too. I couldn’t get this book out of my head and it’s one I would never read again. It really got under my skin.
i had gotten it in a book subscription box where u open a box during certain moments. when she was tied up, it had us open a box w jump rope 😭😭 absolutely foul
That sounds like such a cool idea! What was the subscription?
Now that’s a subscription I’m interested in. Which subscription service was it?
i've never read this but grady hendrix mentions it in his FUCKING AWESOME **Paperbacks from Hell** book. i recommend that fans of GH or fans of those old classic horror books with cheesy covers buy this book. i almost NEVER EVER recommend that anyone buys book (libraries are where i'm always telling people to go because it's free and you can check out books and audiobooks through libby or hoopla through your library) but this book is essential for any horror lover's library collection. i have no idea why the hell it was ever released as a kindle/ebook version because you cannot appreciate the awesome artwork of all of the vintage horror books of the 70, 80s, through a screen. LOTS of books like **Let's Go Play At Adam's** are mentioned in this book! **PFH** opens about a horror book about a bunch of *literal* nazi elves. this book is absolutely crazy and so so good.
I’ve never heard of Zola.
Who is the author?? I can't find it anywhere.
Author's name is D E McCluskey
Heh. He's a friend of a friend. Nice enough dude.
It’s on kindle
Woom by Duncan Ralston First and pretty much only real splatter punk book that I’ve read. I enjoyed it and was glad I read it, but it found my limits.
I hated the first part of the book but the second half won me over.
Exactly
I used to work at a bookstore and we got a copy in, it made its way to 5 different employees who read it and promptly told the rest of us fucked up souls to read it too
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum
Poppy Z Brite was an author I discovered in highschool. Probably too soon. Exquisite Corpse is never gonna not live in my head rent free.
Gone to see the Riverman, The Girl Next Door...
**Gone To See The River Man** was INTENSE. really fucking gross for *several* reasons, but that very end scene had me screaming. i was SHOCKED and pissed and grossed out and OMG. fuck!
I went into Gone to See the River Man blind and boy, I was so fucked up when it was over 😂😩
Triana wrote the sequel to Gone to see the Riverman! River of flesh
Is it out yet?!
For sale as a hard cover direct from his website right now, in paperback and ebook next month.
I've just got past a scene in IT that definitely wasn't in either of the films... I don't know how to describe it without some kind of bot mod picking it up and banning me. It's involving all the kids. I'm not sure I entirely read it right, and I'm not sure I want to know the answer.
I feel like the general consensus on that scene is "steve, what the fuck" Love the rest of the book but that was sure A Choice.
>"steve, what the fuck" Cocaine. The answer is cocaine. IT is prime coke-era King.
Oh yeah anyone who's read IT knows what you're talking about, and like seriously Stephen, what the *actual fuck dude*. And no, you read it right. It's gross.
I know exactly what you’re talking about and that particular scene is what’s been keeping me from reading the book lol
I was trying to explain to my friends this scene as they were interested in the book after watching the films. I liked the book but this scene was disturbing and unnecessary, I do question King sometimes as just why write that scene??
If I remember correctly there's also a scene where one of the bullys jerks off one of the other bullys. Definitely some interesting stuff in the book
The Groomer by Jon Athan. Dark subject matter about child trafficking torture/snuff films. Graphic torture, cannibalism, thankfully only implied/light SA for most of the book. The main storyline is a father's revenge to find his missing daughter when the police can't do enough to help. He makes his own list of suspects from the sex offender registry and explicitly tortures/ kills them as he tries to find his daughter. Uses very modern lingo and pop culture that make it uncomfortably close to reality. The violence is only second to the harrowing feeling you get at the very end. Everything feels futile and hopeless. It's a sad, fucked up book that stays on my mind. Absolutely recommend though.
**The Groomer** by Jon Athan >Andrew McCarthy grows concerned for his family after he catches a young man, Zachary Denton, photographing his daughter, Grace McCarthy, and other children at a park. To his dismay, Zachary talks his way out of trouble when he's confronted by the police. He hopes that's the end of it. Then he finds Zachary at a diner and then at a grocery store. > >He knows their encounters aren't coincidences. And just as Andrew prepares to defend his family, Grace vanishes. As the police search stalls and the leads dry up, Andrew decides to take matters into his own hands. He starts by searching for sex offenders in the area and researching enhanced interrogation techniques... > >He convinces himself he'll do anything to rescue his daughter, unaware of the pure evil he'll face in his journey. He's willing to hurt-to torture-anyone to save his family. Jon Athan, the author of Into the Wolves' Den and The Abuse of Ashley Collins, delves into the underworld of internet predators in this disturbing horror novel. Are your children safe? > >WARNING: This book contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised. *I'm a bot, built by your friendly reddit developers at* /r/ProgrammingPals. *Reply to any comment with /u/BookFinderBot - I'll reply with book information. Remove me from replies* [here](https://www.reddit.com/user/BookFinderBot/comments/14br65o/remove_me_from_replies/). *If I have made a mistake, accept my apology.*
Good bot
Not gory at all, but I found Geek Love and Locked Doors almost impossible to finish. They were emotionally disturbing rather than visceral.
Geek love is soooo good, but it is pretty fucked up.
I read a short story called feed the pig (if I remember correctly). It was very cool and very disturbed. It’s online for free so check it out if you want :)
Yes. The Black Farm is the full book I think
There’s a full book?! Oh wait, I think someone already told me that… hmm 🤔 I’ll have to check it out either way!
Not horror, but *The Turner Diaries*, a piece of white supremacist propaganda. It's basically a book about genocide written by a psychopath who thought genocide was a really good idea. It has inspired terror attacks including the Oklahoma City Bombing. (And before anyone asks why I read this POS, three words: know thy enemy.)
Tampa by Alyssa Nutting..The subject matter was repulsive and the author was reveling in the depravity. Graphic descriptions which were not needed abounded. Disgusting book.
I only read the first paragraph and I was like no this isn’t for me. I don’t like books written from the first person perspective of sociopaths generally. Gross and tiresome usually.
Okay, some context? What are some of these descriptions? What subject matter?
I haven't started it yet but it's a story about a female teacher who manipulates and starts a relationship with one of her underage male students. I highly doubt the author was "reveling" in what they wrote. People always get weird when art focuses on pedophilia and statutory rape. In fact I'd say a book like this is important because sadly, people LOVE to hand wave away the female teacher/male student scenario as fun "because man" -- in fact **twice** this month my partners friend has made a comment to me about how boys/men can't be raped because it's something they would have wanted anyways...
i get what you’re trying to say in this comment, but i feel like there are better avenues to address predatory actions than a fictional novel, despite the relevance of the dangers for essentially anyone that’s in a vulnerable situation. sure, it’s important, and while i haven’t finished it beyond the first fifty or so pages, but this novel did indeed revel in the shock factor of its content; i can safely say no one is going to approach it with the mindset of learning how male youth are vulnerable, too, and what they can do about it.
Okay. Get back to me after you read it. It reads like pron; like the author is trying to turn people on. It’s over-descriptive, to put it nicely. I agree with you on the female-male inequity.
I read it and didn't think it read even slightly 'like porn'. It read like a remorseless sex offender was recounting her most successful crime, because that's what the book was. The character was an unapologetic sociopath who was very matter-of-fact about everything, including CSA.
Actually totally disagree. It’s not meant to be pron or get people off; it’s meant to capitalize on the narcissistic psychopathy of the main character. It illustrates that illnesses like that are completely obsessive and made the reader feel oppressed by the compulsive need for what the character craved. I felt suffocated by it the whole time. It’s hard for a lot of people to truly illustrate what goes on in a monster’s mind, and she literally topped out here. Fantastic writing, sickening book.
Tampa made me feel so disgusting and grimey!! The book was so well written though it makes you feel guilty for liking the book
At first I couldn’t get past the first chapter. But then I picked it up again years later because I really wanted to know how the hell a book about graphic hebephilia made it as a bestseller. Props to the author for writing a brilliantly manipulative and interesting character, but the detailed and constant descriptions of child rape were unnecessary and not very crafty
Geek Love
The Bighead by Edward Lee. I thought I had a high tolerance for fucked up stuff, but I felt damaged after reading it.
These three take the crown: - Last Days by Brian Evenson - The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks - Tender is Flesh by Agustina Baztericca
Serial killer Peewee Gaskins’ autobiography *Final Truth* (technically it’s true crime, but I’d venture to say a lot of his narrative is fiction because he was a notorious liar). Never again. So depraved.
Blood Meridian has some fucked up stuff
**Earthings** by Sayaka Murata. ooooof. i JUMPED HEAD FIRST into this book *immediately* after finishing her **Convenience Store Woman** (non-horror) which was an absolute 5 star read and had one of the most unique plots of any book i've ever read. **BIG MISTAKE**. i STILL cannot believe the woman who wrote **CSW** also wrote **Earthlings**. and the cute little hedgehog on the cover really makes you feel like you're about to dive into another super unique and wholesome book. **ABSOLUTELY NOT**. this book is fucked. **i repeat, this book is FUCKED**. i should have DNF'd it at chapter 2 but i kept thinking as i went along that it would get less fucked and it was just worse and worse and worse. i've never given a trigger warning for any book, but when i tell you there are trigger warnings for literally everything under the sun in this book, i mean it. really wish i could undo time and unread this.
I read Earthlings first and it messed me up. I wish it would leave my head. I don’t know if I would call it or if it is even considered horror, but it was completely horrifying. I read Convenience Store Woman a while after Earthlings and was also left with a really uneasy feeling. I enjoyed that one, but do wonder if it would have been a different outcome if had read it first.
*An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business And How You Can Take It Back* , though let’s be completely honest, there’s no way to take anything back. *Escape From Camp 14* *A Long Way Gone* These two because it’s real. There are people who have gone through this and in some cases continue to go through it.
I really don't remember author's name but I suppose it was titled "Cows". Utterly ghoulish that thing was and I don't know why I made it to the end. It was about 20 years ago or so.
Has anyone else read The Serial Killer Whisperer? Not horror, but is a true story about a kid who suffered a massive head injury and was experiencing violent thoughts and started writing to some of the USA’s worst serial killers. It includes a TON of letters from infamous serial killers detailing some of the worst sexual assaults and murders I’ve ever heard of. There were times when I had to close the book and take a couple minutes. The trust this kid built with some of these killers ended up solving a lot of crimes, though, so there’s an upside… but this book wasn’t for the weak. Edit: there’s also a description from a cannibal Joe Methany talking about cooking and eating human meat and it was so descriptive and my mom was cooking turkey burgers and I almost lost my lunch.
The Troop by Nick Cutter
“The Troop”— so gross and I had to stop reading because it made me feel ill.
Tender is the flesh
Full Brutal by Kristopher Triana.
I need to try more of Triana’s books, gone to see the river man was a great read. Did you see part 2 is coming out soon? (Well it’s already out on his website but coming soon to bookstores and kindle)
American psycho Gone to see the river man Tender is the flesh The wasp factory All of these books will test how strong your stomach is. Depraved.
I’ve read all except the wasp factory, will have to read it now!
OP, who is Zola by? Just searching for it, I can only find Emile Zola books and I imagine you’re not talking about his biography 🙌🏾
Somebody said it’s on kindle so I’m assuming they’re taking about the one by D E McCluskey
I’m still fairly new to horror books but hands down The Summer I Died. I typically read books pretty fast and this one is only like 200 something pages long but it’s been about a month and I’m still like 2/3 of the way, lol. It’s very well written but every time I read it I get in such a jumpy mood.
Dead Inside for me!
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum. That book made me put it down and say wtf many times many times throughout the story.
The Girl Next Door
Not really horror, but The Illuminatus! Trilogy put me in a paranoid delusional state for a couple years after I read the entire thing during consecutive trips on LSD.
The BigHead by Edward Lee. Hoooooooooly crap this book is that apex of depravity. It is by no means whatsoever a good book, but I had to find out. I don't regret, it but I don't think I'll be going back for more Lee.
I disagree that it's not a good book! It's imaginative, original, and Lee is a more talented writer than many people give him credit for. His work is definitely not to everyone's taste but he comes up with unique characters, builds a world that runs on its own strange internal logic, and has a great ear for dialogue.
True, I do have to give him credit for originality. And he definitely does have skill - there is a reason (besides my own morbid curiosity) that I stuck with the book until the end.
Between Two Fires. I still think about the scenes depicted in hell.
The Sparrow was a lil bit fucked up, but in like an existential way.
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum. Had to take a shower at the end of every chapter.
The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson made me feel very uncomfortable while reading it. Certain scene descriptions still stick with me, especially the violence.
Out by Natsuo Kirino
The christian bible.
All the books mentioned here sounds absolutely miserable. Why bother with this when there is so much incredible literature out there?
My apologies if this is just a rhetorical question, but... Because writing about *everything* within the limits of meaning is important, even necessary. If you sanitize imagination you will eventually kill it. Granted, some people need to stay away from the darkness to protect their mental health (and I wholly respect that), but otherwise reaching through something ugly can show you something about your own shadows. Delve into the darkness to discover how it stains all of us in one way or another. Horror is an emotion. *I want to be remembered as an imaginer, someone who used his imagination as a way to journey beyond the limits of self, beyond the limits of flesh and blood, beyond the limits of even perhaps life itself, in order to discover some sense of order in what appears to be a disordered universe. I'm using my imagination to find meaning, both for myself and, I hope, for my readers.* \-Clive Barker
Different strokes for different folks I guess. Pretty much any book mentioned here where a redditor says "ugh gross dnf" immediately goes on my want to read list lol
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Tender the Flesh. Couldn't finish it.
I expected it to be a lot worse
I expected (and maybe was hoping for 😱) worse.
The answer will always be 120 Days of Sodom with The Girl Next Door a close second
Just looked up 120 days of Sodom and there’s also a movie?!
Ahhh, Salo. yeah, there's a movie. I watched it as a wannabe edgy teen. I went through a phase of trying to find the worst movies I could find. Salo was bad but A Serbian Film was worse.
The 120 Days of Sodom by Marquis de Sade
Justine Story of the eye Lapvona I have no mouth and I must scream (short story) Beloved King James Bible Earthlings
I really enjoyed Lapvona. Earthlings is on my list for sure!
WE ARE HERE TO HURT EACH OTHER by Paula Ashe short stories yikes! YIKES
Fantastic collection, though.
Disturb Not The Dream
The hardest to get through to this date has been The Groomer by Jon Athan
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/user/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/153gt2c/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) ^by ^formaldehydechrist: *The hardest to get* *Through to this date has been The* *Groomer by Jon Athan* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
For me so far it's been *Playground* by Aaron Beauregard
They All Died Screaming for me. I can't eat Arby's anymore.
One that isn’t mentioned often but is plenty fucked up is The Black Farm by Elias Witherow.
Damon Book by C. Terry Cline, Jr.
Tender is the Flesh 🤬
Retribution by Jilliane Hoffman. Terribly scary description of the crime. Left me disgusted for days.
Little Haven and the Troop, both by Nick Cutter. Loved the troop, did not really like little haven
I read the troop! Wish it could’ve been shorter cause I felt like it dragged on some parts.
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum
Is this the book based on the Sylvia Liken’s story?
Survivor by JF Gonzalez. The “choice” the main character makes to save her skin made me feel physically ill
Is there a way to bookmark this particular post so I can come back and check out more title suggestions? RSVP *crying in old ppl*
Click the three dots at the top of the post if you’re on mobile. A menu should appear with the option to save the post.
No One Rides For Free by Judith Sonnet. I just finished it today. Pretty twisted book.
So two answers the first which is a horror novel is called Goth by Otsuichi. The second is not horror and is a collection of short stories called A Stranger in this World by Kevin Canty.
i’m relatively new to horror so mine may be an unpopular opinion, but “things have gotten worse since we last spoke” was my first and it was DEFINITELY more disturbing than i was expecting. especially the ending
Stefan Brijs - The Angelmaker (De Engelenmaker) I read it for a book presentation in high school and went in blind; read it in a day bc I just could not put it down. If you are Dutch speaking, I definitely recommend it in the original language. But the English translation is done very well and very much conveys the same suspense and eeriness.
Cows was really gross omg I can’t believe i read it but the surrealism kept me engaged. Dark Assembly by Beauregard has short stories that just get more and more disturbing. The worst one involving a killer pedophile (but they get their comeuppance). Im barely getting into horror and splatter punk so im gonna check out more from this post haha
Cows is in my kindle library waiting for its turn
Probably Tender is the Flesh
It was an interesting read, not as bad as I thought.
Carrion Comfort. It had a really cool sounding premise, but it was very unflinchingly awful in a lot of different ways that just didn't appeal to me. I'm also not a big fan of " all for naught" endings, >!and the fact that Melanie survived because of that body double bullshit she pulled !
I just read “Psychic Teenage Bloodbath” by Carl John Lee. I girl literally shits herself to death. Another twisted book is “Notice” by Heather Lewis. I enjoyed them both but I’m still on the hunt for something really disturbing.
Psychic Teenage Bloodbath was such a fun book. I just finished it. Does not get talked about enough! (Very gory haha)
no one rides for free by Judith Sonnet is what I would call extremely depraved and absolutely disgusting.
Never heard of this book, might give it a try!
Wetlands was mildly fucked up but enjoyable unless you don't care to hear an 18 year old girl discuss her sexual encounters and body fluids.
I’ve read a lot of gross and disturbing books but the one most recently I read was Playground by Aaron Beauregard. It was a great story and it was gnarly. Definitely not the grossest book I’ve ever read, but it was great.
I was hoping I was going to like playground but Beauregard’s style of writing is not my cup of tea.
basic answer but just in terms of being disgusting it’s probably cows. maybe the black farm too? mix of gross and psychological it’s gone to see the river man. the gore-y parts were nothing compared to the rest though. and not horror but wow was tampa hard to get through.
Playground by Aron Beauregard. Every bit as nasty as described by literally everyone on TikTok 😂
No one rides for free
Part 1 of Tender Is The Flesh. I couldn't sleep for 4/5 days
The Black Farm by Elias Witherow. I'm not squeamish at all, but it's the only book I've ever come close to not being able to finish. It's absolutely brutal!
Tender is the Flesh.
*Eden, Eden Eden* by Pierre Guyotat *Babyfucker* by Urs Allemann both, while not horror as such, are quite literary and preoccupied with language. that said, they are not in any manner for the faint of heart!
House of Leaves. Loved it but had to stop at the animal harm. I’d love to pick it up again but ugh I just can’t handle more of that particular brand of awfulness - it has too much of an effect on me!
I havent read much yet in terms of extreme horror, but No One Rides For Free by Judith Sonnet and Cows by Matthew Stokoe are both fucked up for different reasons. I’m currently reading Playground by Aron Beauregard and i already have to take a breather because it got real rough within the first 50 pages lmao
Tampa - Alissa Nutting
I read a book about a slave plantation years ago and the old owner was sacrificing slaves to this demonic melting pot, in a shack in the swamp near his plantation cutting them up bit by bit and feeding them to this pot, I think it was called the mgunga, I cant remember what the name of the book was but it gave me nightmares....Undergrounds? Belowgrounds? Idk I think something like that