10 Most Powerful Items In Horror Movie History

5. Sarah Bellows' Book - Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark

karen gillan oculus
Lionsgate

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark originated from a novel, so it's only fair that the power of this film is lodged firmly within the pages of a book. The tragic story of Sarah Bellows is what underlines the narrative of the movie, a woman tortured by her own family and locked in a basement. Her only reprieve comes in writing her own horror stories, which manifest with deadly consequences when her writing book is discovered by a group of teenagers in the abandoned house she died in.

The book is powerful for a myriad of reasons, not the least that all the things the book conjures aren't countered in any way - it brings about unstoppable, paranormal monsters that always win, written into existence to deal death before disappearing to never be seen again. The Pale Lady, the Jangly Man, the spider that impregnates a girls face with thousands of bugs: all are the stuff of nightmares, and all are born from one single indestructible source.

The book is a powerhouse of horror best left alone. Disturbing Sarah Bellows comes with consequences written in blood, and there's no way of erasing them.

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Horror film junkie, burrito connoisseur, and serial cat stroker. WhatCulture's least favourite ginger.