Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Boogey Men


I’m reading Stephen King’s new novel Duma Key – a great big fat feast of a book.

I bought the book for summer reading at the cottage and started it there but had to put it down. Things go “bump in the night” at the cottage and the forest is a very inviting place for monsters, creepy crawly creatures and scary spectres. The lake holds its share of terrifying beasts as well. Think snapper – enhanced by King’s imagination and my own.

Even when I didn’t hear those bumps, the silence at night in cottage country scared me silly as I read. (And that was just the first chapter.)

So, I’m reading it in the noisy city and enjoying the characters, dialogue, suspense and anticipating THE HORROR THAT IS TO COME. (The really bad stuff has just started.) Here at home, there’s only the boogey man under my bed. And he’s been very quiet and complacent so far - has yet to reach up with his scabby claw and GRAB ME!

I must finish the book before heading back to the cottage this weekend.

Honestly, I’m such a wuss. I was searching for a scary monster/ghost picture to put with this post and got scared (just a little) looking at them. Hence, the not-so-scary picture above.
While I’m able to read horror stories, I don’t do well at horror movies. Reading, I am in control of what my mind takes in. Confronted with the visuals? Not so good.

14 comments:

Sherry said...

I love this post!! I love your words, your descriptive ability -- I think I'll be checking under my bed tonight to make sure there's no one there!!!

Angel said...

sometimes I find King so hard to read....I have "The Cell"..have started it twice but haven't been able to finish it...

let me know how this one turns out and if I should bother! ;)

oreneta said...

When you watch a horror movie, try turning off the sound. The music and effects impact on us more than the visuals, and moer subtley....hit the mute and see what happens.

Kelly said...

Haven't read King in years! I gave you an award over at my blog

Anonymous said...

stephen king reads like a comedy to me. i love his brand of horror, until it starts to become too silly. i haven't *completely* read any of his big fat novels, but i can truly say i've enjoyed reading them nonetheless.

Charlotta-love said...

Whew. I thought I was the only one with this problem. My family is out of state. It's been a week. I'm all alone...in a three story house...yikes! Each night I've either had people over so I wouldn't be alone or stayed on the phone until I was too tired to be afraid. I've intentionally NOT watched the new Batman since those images are likely to come over unannounced some late evening.

Finish the book quickly. :o)

Gary said...

You're scaring me! Sounds like a good S. King read though.

Beth said...

sherry:
Bwahahha!!
Just be careful where you read a horror story.

beth:
I can't let you know how it turns out - that would spoil the ending! But my guess is the good guys win - with some gory deaths thrown in. (Try "The Stand" - it was great.)

oreneta:
I'll try that IF I ever see another horror movie. The pictures on Google images scared me and there was no sound!

myutopia:
I'll check it out - and thanks.

seraphine:
"The Stand" was a classic - my favourite. No silly horror but a battle between good and evil.

charlotta-love:
You are definitely not alone with this problem but I have you beat. I'll get scared watching a horror movie with other people around.

gary:
Right, you're scared - you of the past great adventures and bears in your backyard!

contemporary themes said...

I had this problem when I read SILENCE OF THE LAMBS years ago. I was scared shitless. I read it alone during the late hours of the night, and I kept checking to make sure my doors were locked, even though that wasn't really what was scaring me in the book.

Beth said...

la la:
I "saw" the movie Silence of the Lambs - as much as I could see with my eyes covered - and I read another book of his and had bad dreams. (Okay, nightmares.)
No bad dreams so far with this book!

Mrs. G. said...

My daughter is reading this right now, and every so often, she sighs loudly, puts it down and decrees: I need a break from terror.

Patti said...

I thought that picture was plenty scary! It looks like my house!

Lynda said...

I forgot that he had a new book out - read a little of it online. Mr King is like my naughty secret - Love his books... can remember reading Salem's Lot when I was 15, in bed at night and scaring myself silly. I don't really do Horror movies either.

Undercover Mother said...

I saw that at the book outlet the other day, and twitched towards picking it up--now I will have to resolve to!

Lucky Duck with the cottage. I WANT A COTTAGE! To read at! Heaven!

Great post from a lifelong horror fan...