1. It - Stephen King
Never has a book made me quite as scared as Stephen King's, It. The novel written in 1986 follows seven children who become victims of the disturbing actions of a clown named Pennywise. In 1957, a young boy called George Denbrough is playing in the street with his little paper boat until it gets stuck in the sewer. As George peers down into the sewer, his eyes meet those of Pennywise. Grinning, Pennywise offers George his boat back but as he reaches down to grab his paper toy, he is pulled into the drain and subsequently killed, unleashing a number of murders and disappearances. Years later, George's brother and some of his friends decide to go back to the town they once feared to face the beast that is wreaking havoc on their hometown but It is powerful and manifests himself in other guises to confuse the gang. King's novel is truly one of the scariest of all time, a killer clown on the loose murdering children is definitely one of the most terrifying situations most people could imagine and thanks to King's flawless writing, the 1000 pages of terror glide by in a novel that is impossible to put down yet heart attack inducing at the same time. You will be sleeping with the lights on for a very long time.