House on Haunted Hill-type horror novels?

[Zsinj]

Last weeken I saw probably the scariest, most disturbing horror flick I have ever seen in my life, and that was House on Haunted Hill. The modern version with Famke Jannsen (who played Jean Grey in X-Men and Xenia Onatopp in Goldeneye) . It was one of the best horror movies I have ever seen, I must say. I found that the scariest, most disturbing element in this movie was the fact that they were in a haunted insane asylum where a satanically sadistic doctor performed cruel, horrifying, torturous expirements on his patients, and the flashback scenes of that really freaked me out to say the least!
So I was wondering if any of you here could recommend to me any horror novels that are like House on Haunted Hill in the aspect of a sadistic doctor performing horrifying expirements on his patients in an insane asylum.
Also, since this borders along with this horror element pretty closely, I was wondering if you could also recommend any horror novels that have to do with medieval torture chambers and the Spanish Inquisition and that type of thing. Only don't include recommendations for any kinky sexual torture because that's not what I'm looking for at all. I'm looking for the crude, gothic, medieval variety.

[AuntiePam]

Have you read Thomas Harris's books? Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal -- psycho killers and torture.

How about Poe? The Pit and the Pendulum is good.

I'll check my shelves and see if I can find anything else.

[Zsinj]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, Auntie, but I was always under the impression the the Hannibal novels were senseless slashers. Is this true?

[fluffy bunny]

The final book- Hannibal does seem senseless in places, but the other 2 (especially Silence of the Lambs) are well written in terms of chills.

[ricoboc]

READ - GHOST - by Noel Hynd. You wont be disapointed.

[Randy M.]

...Hell House by Richard Matheson. You might like the movie version, too; _The Legend of Hell House_. The movie might be a bit dated now (1970s production) and probably because of ratings issues pulled its punches a bit -- there was a scene or two from the novel that I don't recall making to the screen.

A similar novel in set up to the Matheson but greatly more subtle and thus, for me, much stronger, is The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Somehow the focus on character and the mostly low key effects in this strike me as not quite what you're looking for. The 1963 or '64 movie adaptation, The Haunting, is striking and effective, one of the best horror movies of its era, and maybe of any era.

FYI: I read years ago that Matheson read Jackson's book, didn't feel she'd done justice to how a scientific expedition to a haunted house would be mounted and so wrote his own version. That is why the situations in the novels are so similar.

You might also look into the TV mini-series, _Rose Read_, scripted by Stephen King.

I've heard good things, too, about Douglas Clegg's Mischief, Nightmare House and The Abandoned (think that last title is right), which are all based in the same haunted house, but in different time periods, I believe.

Farther off topic, there's a ghostly movie without the house that just might set your hair on end, _The Ring_. Also, the more recent _The Grudge_ does have a house as setting for most of what happens; this is a movie that some find scarey (for instance, my family), and some don't (most everyone else I've talked to; I found it interesting and the imagery mostly effective).

Randy M.
(Oh, and I agree with the others about Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs -- startling, compelling, effective and disturbing. The movie of the latter is also very good.)

[juzzza]

Originally Posted by Zsinj

recommend to me any horror novels that are like House on Haunted Hill in the aspect of a sadistic doctor performing horrifying expirements on his patients in an insane asylum.

ha ha ha, can't help thinking of the book shop in Little Britain with that request!

"Margaret... MARGARET!"

.
.
.

"Yes?"

"The man wants to know if we have anything in the aspect of a sadistic doctor performing horrifying experiments on his patients in an insane asylum?"

It doesn't quite meet your specific criteria, but you may enjoy Daemonic by Stephen Laws. Probably the best 'house' in any horror novel I have ever read.

[Randy M.]

Originally Posted by Zsinj

So I was wondering if any of you here could recommend to me any horror novels that are like House on Haunted Hill in the aspect of a sadistic doctor performing horrifying expirements on his patients in an insane asylum.

I read the first graph and pretty much glossed over this, concentrating on haunted houses. Sorry. I'll try to read more carefully from here on.

I'll think about it but the only things coming to mind right now are an episode of last season's, "Dead Zone" TV show (and I'm not 100% sure it fits) and a recent episode of the new TV show, "Supernatural."


Randy M.

[Ouroboros]

I'll second the recommendation of Richard Matheson's 'Hell House'. Fantastic.

Also try UK author Simon Clark's 'Vampyrrhic' and 'Vampyrrhic Rites'. The former really involves an entire english town, although the fulcrum of most of the action is a small hotel. There is a haunted house / siege feeling to events.

[ArthurFrayn]

Hi horror forum -first post from a usual SF (and others) forum poster.

I'll third The Legend of Hellhouse, a great homage to The Haunting of Hill House. A favorite horror novel.

And I think the movie is still pretty cool:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070294/...c=2;ft=20;fm=1

[Darkin]

"The House On The Borderlands."

No sex but just good old fashioned scare the pants off you. Quiet Cthulhuesque though.

Also check out anything by H P Lovecraft... lots of creepy gothik house stuff in his Cthulhu mythos.

[Jay_lynn]

oh i love that movie (house on haunted hill) it was the movie that got me into watchin horrors. saw it when it first came out it wsnt that scarey ive have seen worse now that is atleast

[Drummer Gurl]

I saw dat movie when I was like seven. It was pretty scary but i live 4 scary movies. Dat's all i watchbecause i have two older siblings and they turned me on 2 dem.