Ranking every EXTREME horror book I've read

[@TheDarqProject13]

I read "The Girl Next Door" in 2023, in a single day. I heard it was the grandfather of extreme horror, so I was expecting a fun splatterpunk deal. Instead, it was emotionally damaging. For real. I kept reading hoping there'd be some hope at the end, then learning it was based on a true crime case was even more disturbing. Human beings are the real monsters, and that's why I tend to stick to paranormal/monster books.

[@TheDarqProject13]

Also: yes. "Gone to See the River Man" was one of the only extreme horror books I've seen folks talk about that I picked up this year that I truly enjoyed. It wasn't just icky for the sake of being gross, the characterization was wonderful.

[@MarquisLeary34]

Yep. Between that one and the other retelling "Let's Go Play at the Adams'", it gave me an existential crisis.

[@ShortandSweet54]

​@MarquisLeary34 I have that one! Also, I own The Plague Dogs, both I found at a used store.

[@galehutchinson260]

I know details about the real case. Compared to what happened to Sylvia Likens, that book is tame. Such as they wouldn't give her a toilet and wouldn't feed her for a week or more. Then would make her eat her own waste before they would feed her anything. The characterization wasn't strong so I didn't care about the girl being tortured. It suffered being from David's point of view. It should have been from the sister's point of view.

[@MarquisLeary34]

@@galehutchinson260 I researched the case too after reading the book. Can confirm. It's one of those cases that hurts your soul.

[@corneIius]

this was just a reminder that i need to finally read dead inside - i bought it last year but i’ve just forgotten about it.

[@pandastrix4082]

It’s fucking amazing, and laugh out loud hilarious

[@tristanpepper792]

I'm actually listening to it on Audible rn, it really is consistently funny and also consistently shocking. The writing isn't amazing tho, if you told me it was a Fight club xAmerican psycho fan fic I would believe you. The narration is very solid on the audible version too, the guy reading brings a good bit of life to the story and turns some passages from irredeemable cringe to really hilarious.

[@kayleighbrown459]

The worst thing about The Girl Next Door is that don't even have the comfort of knowing it's fiction. Cause it's not. It's heavily inspired if not just a strait up retelling of the Sylvia Likens case. This shit happened. ALL this shit happened.

[@ashleighcalvert8937]

I’ve never read the book but even watching a KZbin video was enough for me to feel it’s one the the worst true crime stories ever documented. The scariest part to me is seeing how people can go along with PERSONAL violence. We all know about people going along with violent cultures but to personally enact this kind of horror on someone is unbelievable.

[@kayleighbrown459]

@@ashleighcalvert8937 I haven't read the book and I have no interest in it. I just know what it's based on

[@cronosdimitri4584]

its not a retelling, its loosely based

[@MarquisLeary34]

Well it's BASED on the case, not a one-to-one retelling. An American Crime was more of a straight retelling.

[@adrianaslund8605]

That case got justice in the end.

[@ransomelocke3960]

I read "The Girl Next Door" and stayed up-to-date with who the people really are and where they are today. The sister of the tortured girl ended up having her own terrible tragic accident when her and her husband ended up driving off the side of the road and had to survive for days stuck in a snow drift surviving only on what they had in their car. It didn't end well for them. The woman who tortured the girl, died without ever facing the consequences of her actions. One of the girls who participated in the torture grew up to be a high school special ed teacher (or high school counselor?) somewhere in the midwest. She ended up getting let go when her identity was revealed and was forced to move to another town and changed her name. The characters in this book didn't just ruin their lives, they ruined every life close to theirs.

[@Aaron-zt5ee]

Didn’t the mom go to prison for a number of years?

[@MarquisLeary34]

At least the real life mastermind of the Likens case did do prison time, but she still got off light.

[@pandastrix4082]

Hey anda, I’ve been having a rly rough time mentally and been in a bad depressive episode and have been looking forward to this extreme horror video for a while. Waking up to see this was uploaded today filled me with so much joy and appreciation so I wanted to say thank you so much! Can’t wait to hear your extreme horror reads in 2024 😁🥳

[@chloopie]

My main takeaway from Tender is the Flesh was that no matter how hard some people try to be a good person, desperation can create the worst of monsters. I loved that book so much and I was definitely disturbed by it for at least a week after I read it. One if my favorites.

[@kylarusso1991]

As a chronic pain patient, myself I'm definitely interested in reading 'His Pain,.' Thanks for the rec!

[@simplybecause]

Why did KZbin decide I needed to see this? I had never even heard of extreme horror before, so how did I end up here?

[@AndaKent]

😂😂😂

[@aliceDarts]

Same right? 😅

[@ArisePass]

Same but I’m interested

[@brainworm205]

Same but im insanely interested. The algorithm actually working as intended 😂

[@Tribecasoothsayer]

KZbin knows you need it

[@amandalavery6282]

Awesome vlog! I too have difficulty finding ppl who appreciate the horror genre. Everyone i have talked to look at me like im crazy. I dont bring it up anymore. I agree about the hidden meanings and how we interpret them. Its very cathartic. Thank u for sharing how u feel. U r def a person that is so genuine. Thank u!

[@alexandrahill9176]

I love how you discussed "Dead Inside" and it's #1 on my extreme horror tbr list! Also since watching your videos, you've inspired me to get back into writing horror and get WILD with it! I too have loved horror since I was a kid and was considered "the weird kid" in class and I'm still weird. Thank you for making this!

[@AndaKent]

That's so awesome! And that's alright, we're all weird over here 😂

[@izzyboor4282]

I highly recommend Along the River of Flesh by Kristopher Triana! So good! with twists I did not see coming! I'm in the middle of Full Brutal and it's great, too! And I've picked out my next two Triana reads--Ex-Boogeyman and Toxic Love! Thanks, Anda! I just discovered your channel, and you're my favorite Booktuber!❤

[@caldadextra2063]

Carnie kind of just sounds like Killer Klowns from Outer Space

[@Fisheyesandmagpies]

I loved Tender is the Flesh. I agree with you about taking a more subtle (ha!) touch when it comes to social commentary. When an author gets too preachy it knocks me right out of the story. This was one of my favorite reads from last year, as well.

[@liam_wasnt_found8957]

I had to read playground after Tender is the Flesh bc i was very pissed when the teenagers tortured the puppies

[@_SunscreenQueen_]

I love gore, torture, and even real life things like the girl next door, but CANOT DO scat, gross food, and specific types of body horror think “woom”

[@HorrorLover-ui9cb]

Same

[@Chompz-at]

yeah i really hate gratuitous gross-out stuff :/ Not that i mind gross/gore stuff but i feel like it should add to the novel

[@pandastrix4082]

If you liked cows, I just finished Zola by D E McCluskey. 😳. That’s kinda all I have to say lol. It was funny but also easily the most disgusting book I’ve ever read in my life and I will never recover. It’s on kindle unlimited and it’s very short, highly recommend 👍

[@pandastrix4082]

Idk if you’ll see this but based on your list I have a couple 2024 recommendations I think you’ll love: Full brutal by Kristopher triana!!!!! The Resurrectionist by Wrath James White! Prodigal Blues by Gary A Braunbeck. Survivor by J.F. Gonzalez. The summer I died by Ryan C.Thomas. And finally, The black Farm by Elias Witherow Happy reading!! And thanks for a great year of creepy literature

[@erichodosh2933]

Full Brutal is utter garbage. Prodigal Blues is decent. The Summer I Died is completely forgettable.

[@pandastrix4082]

@@erichodosh2933 damn you must hate extreme horror seeing as you just negatively reviewed some of the three most popular and beloved books of the genre, maybe don’t read books you’re predetermined to despise 🤷🏻‍♂️?

[@erichodosh2933]

@@pandastrix4082 And if I hate Metallica and Pantera I guess that means I hate metal? No. It just means I'm looking for a level of quality beyond Wal-Mart. Tender is the Flesh and Exquisite Corpse were both very good.

[@pandastrix4082]

@@erichodosh2933 tender is the flesh a) is not extreme horror. And b) is LITERALLY sold at Walmart

[@diederdas27]

@@erichodosh2933 well aren’t you a special snowflake

[@forddaniel69]

Laterally, I just got back into reading and started with misery, and now im halfway done with tender is the flesh. Im definitely checking out the other books you read. Got yourself another sub.

[@markalexander3659]

You had me at "Hello, Creeps" ;)

[@hudsonhunter3659]

I def recommend Jon Athan’s extreme horror novels! The Groomer, Blender Babies and even Into The Wolves Den! They are super plot heavy and I couldn’t put them down! Also recommend Along the Path of Torment by Chandler Morrison (Same writer for Dead Inside). Also Zola and Grandpappy were some of the grossest books I’ve ever read! 😝

[@nuhuhbackoff]

🎶 Baby in a blender- I know, I know, it's seriooouuus 🎶

[@javeydones5163]

Son of the Slob is probably the worst thing I’ve ever read. I gave up after the halfway point and after having finished The Slob, I was just exhausted. If you could arrest someone for writing a book too fucked up, that’d be the book they wrote.

[@neversbird]

Thanks for another charming book suggestion episode. I look forward to a new year of new extreme horror reviews and recommendations

[@caitbeauty937]

The end of Dead Inside was ironically hilarious 😬😆

[@Tribecasoothsayer]

I’m so glad I found your channel. You’re actually fun to listen to! You have enthusiasm and your sense of humor speaks to me. Most of the others who talk about disturbing or horrific horror books seem like they hate talking about them, like they can’t fathom that the books were written, or the spend eons with all their disclaimers. So, kudos to you for actually loving the horror genre!

[@Vegan_Vampire666]

Great video and list! I highly recommend Exquisite corpse and The Resurrectionist! I think you'll like them a lot.

[@inuiri8365]

Just finishing up Baby Fights right now because of this. Legitimately so good!!

[@inuiri8365]

I found myself blown away by how well written it was

[@justinwilliams2955]

Loved gone to see the river man! I dnf'd the hell out of the girl next door about 180-something pages in. It got to the point that I was in fight or flight mode every chapter and thought - why am I putting myself through this? No desire to ever pick it back up

[@amandaszymczak388]

I was an avid reader many years, then quit. Just getting back into it....and ur videos have been a great goalpost for where to start! I like weird gross hard to read horror, so nice to see its not just me 😂

[@davidpawlowski7074]

Because of your review, I just ordered the Extended uncensored version of "Baby in a Blender"

[@user-kx7vq8yv8r]

Yo i just gotta say, i felt weird being addicted to extreme horror novels and wondered why i was at all. But your comment on feeling "dead inside growing up" really hit home.

[@seethreepio]

I used to be a huuuge extreme horror/splatterpunk fan and ultimately lost the taste for it, but Woom has such a place in my heart. I don’t know what it is, but the ending and the realization about the title actually shook me. Also recommend Penpal! I listened to it on Creep Cast and am 100% buying a physical copy

[@formulacloth9971]

Reading Tender Is The Flesh is what actually drove me to start reading books again. Before picking it up I had no expectations, I just saw it on my recommendation list for audio books on Spotify so I thought I would give it a read. I hated that book but in the best way. The ending left me with a black hole in my chest that made me want more books like that.

[@olsh666]

Anda, have you read any Poppy Z. Brite? Really well written extreme stuff. Exquisite Corpse is a good one to start with

[@TheWizardLibrary]

I absolutely loved Baby Fights! It is so funny and also has so much heart. I am looking forward to reading more of Robert Essig in the future because it was definitely a happy surprise.

[@AndaKent]

That's exactly how I felt! I was not expecting it to be so fun. Fun might be a messed up word to use but I think you understand what I mean 😂

[@JHardenFilms]

Highly recommend The Resurrectionist by Wrath James White. It is a great commentary on why we as readers enjoy extreme horror.

[@danieldelappe7830]

Ketchum is a Splatterpunk. Love his writing. The girl next store is messed up.

[@tabeatamm3594]

I read Tender is the Flesh because of you and I loved it so much. The ending messed me up.

[@vozezh3855]

Love your extreme horror videos!

[@briannab.1712]

I've never read any extreme horror, but what all this reminds me of is actually an essay we read in high school by Jonathan Swift. It's called A Modest Proposal and basically, he's describing in great detail how the poor could profit off of selling their babies as food. He has this whole system figured out for it! It's meant to be satirical, but some of us at school were freaking out thinking he was being serious. It's definitely one of the weirdest things I've read and it was written in 1729!

[@ookami5329]

man sometimes I wish I could go back to being a kid and get freaked out over stuff like that again 😂

[@karthawne5]

"but thats really it" tells me you definitely have read some nessed up stuff cause human hotdogs sounds craaazy haha. Love the vid btw, even though i dont read horror

[@mateskrcmar8791]

Wow, just wow, thats an amazing list, thank you so much! Looking forward to reading some of these. At some of the book names/descriptions I literally laughed out loud, love it!

[@kidneystonequeen]

Dead Inside and Cows are two books that were on my list that I read because of your videos on them and they're now two of my favorite extreme horror novels/horror books in general. I read them one after another and the parallels are so crazy I could write an essay lol

[@kapattpaul]

I like this, when you go a bit deeper into each book.

[@JTrys]

And I sooo appreciate her linking the books so I can come back to the list without having to scroll through the entire video!

[@AlcoholAndAnimeNight]

First of all I want to thank you for this video. You have no idea how many videos I had to get through that were just lists of Steven King novels over and over. We get it. He writes scary books. This list had the properly gnarly and obscure stuff I was looking for. Nice work

[@SheJohns21]

I try to explain why I love “Dead inside “ and nobody gets it, I’m glad you do!!

[@Barryislarge]

The worst/best part about being a horror fan is chasing the rush of terror. Becoming numb to vanilla horror is a curse!

[@Brina1996]

I love your videos so much, I watch them while getting ready for work in the morning ✨

[@NicoleBolton87]

Dead Inside is one of my all time favorite books! So glad you liked it too!

[@fiendant]

I had never heard of Godless before. What a Godsend, thank you.

[@jessica57543]

There’s a sequel to The Slob, it’s called Son of the Slob. Also, like others have said, you should read Along The River of Flesh. It’s the sequel to Gone To See the River Man and it’s a continuation of Edmund’s story. It’s such a good book.

[@Books_on_the_Brain]

I loved Maeve Fly, but I was confused afterward when I found out it was being pconsidered extreme horror. I don't agree at all. I haven't read much extreme horror, and while Maeve Fly was pretty violent and gruesome, there were plenty of times where the author could have taken things much further that would have made it truly "extreme." I mean Mary by Nat Cassidy made me more uncomfortable than Maeve Fly did. I feel like labeling Maeve Fly as extreme horror was more a marketing trick than anything else.

[@muder0989]

“Extreme horror” to me is a type of story that unsettles your mind and spirit as much as your stomach. I love Richard Laymon because on a certain level he has accomplished that with a lot of his work but to me I just love his style of writing and what he perceives to be frightening. Not sure if you read him but his novel “cuts” is what I define as extreme horror

[@AuthorJamesFlynn]

Great video, Anda. Very insightful.

[@alanabrandt1553]

dead inside was one of my favorite reads from 2023, i love it so much😭

[@hannahlosangeles]

Your ROT shirt!!! The best haunted house

[@JohnSaxon-vw5vi]

All I can say is that you got me in to extreme horror so you messed up my mind big time lol 😂😂😂prayers and blessings for you and your husband and families love your Aussie family friend John ❤❤❤

[@nerdypenguin9164]

This is starting my tbr list for extreme horror. Normal horror just doesn't do it for me anymore, I want to find something that pushes things beyond the social norm.

[@gracex3217]

loooove your channel!! added all your favs to my tbr. i like jack ketchum but the characters in off season pissed me off so bad i didn’t rate it super high 😂

[@Tribecasoothsayer]

“Babies that are fed angel dust and made to fight to the death” 😂 That really made me chuckle

[@KanaChanxx]

I love finding more people who loved Dead Inside online. Not many people irl I can talk to about this book haha

[@violetmoonofthenorth]

I really enjoyed the extreme horror book videos 😄

[@Bookchara]

This is the second time within as many days that I’ve heard about The Girl Next Door. I’m tempted to pick it up.

[@omer-sela-rothenberg]

One of the most extreme books I've ever read wasn't really a horror book, it has some elements of horror and occultism and superstition but the real horror is in the brutal reality of the lives and inner thoughts of its characters. I'm talking about Fernanda Melchor's Hurricane Season, and I definitely recommend it for anyone who likes fiction that feels like the harshest reality imaginable while simoultaneously elevating it with a writing style that just won't take its foot off the gas for a single second. But of course there will be some things people will find offputting in these characters so discretion is advised.

[@aacostasd]

I loved Holly because I never see anything spoken like that, and because it will be interesting to read it again in a few years and feel validated with what we went through.

[@johannemontvgue702]

Great video! I know I don’t have the gut to read any of these, but so interesting 😂

[@miyayume_eclectic_dream]

I wanted Dead Inside book for some time. Still haven't got it or read it. Maybe this year is the year. Love the cover!

[@KDee0110]

I love this so much! Thank you

[@sketchdag212]

Definitely right there with you with how beautiful dead inside and tender is the flesh were. Have you tried reading succulent prey yet???

[@laurenpickles287]

Tender is the flesh is such a good book , I picked it up in the bookshop randomly and best decision ever. Would recommend

[@BK_ZERO]

I have a condition called small fiber neuropathy which means that my small nerves are damaged so my entire body feels like it's constantly on fire and simple things like blinking, holding things and walking are excruciating. I can definitely relate to His Pain so will be definitely giving it a read - thank you for the recommendation!

[@nerdistheword6538]

Thanks to you, I read Maeve Fly and I REALLY enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to her next book that is supposed to come out in October. Not sure if you're familiar with him, but I really enjoy the works of Alex S. Johnson. I recommend Bad Sunset or Thee Order Ov Unholy Flesh by him, but he also does a lot of short story collections. He also co-created Floppy Shoes Apocalypse, which I highly recommend. Keep up the great content. :-)

[@elitsadimitrova8165]

My toxic trait is not being able to read or watch anything mildly scary, but still thinking I could get through any of those books easily

[@tokenguy1]

Gonna read all of these thank you!!

[@mikankitsune0440]

The Girl Next Door and the real case that happened is one of those stories that stay with you. Also, if you haven’t read it: *Exquisite Corpse* is a good extreme horror read, just very sad.

[@lamiadollers2020]

Thanks for the review,i love Horror Book

[@20DYNAMITE06]

You should check out Let's Go Play At The Adams' by Mendal Johnson. A similar pretext to The Girl Next Door, and also emotionally damaging - I think it too may have been inspired by what happened to Sylvia Likens. It focuses on children who abduct the babysitter who was left to watch over them for the week while their parents were out of town. LGPATA predates TGND by almost 15 years, and came out right in the middle of Gen X. I found it incredibly salient on the impact of neglect of children in their own homes by their boomer parents. I still think about this book regularly.

[@Winterlee01]

So happy to see another who loved Tender is the Flesh. I read it three years ago and haven't stopped thinking about it. Utterly un-put-downable! You're right; the underlying social commentary goes way beyond meat production. Only getting that out of it is..well, simple minded- sorry.

[@cherisemarshall]

There was a sequel to Off Season that was pretty good. It's called Offspring. It was the first book of his i read

[@whinegummi6329]

I love reading, especially horror etc. But in general I don't like yters that cover books. You are the exception, please stay the way you are. Thank you for your work.

[@evsadler5062]

I read "The Girl Next Door" about 15 years ago. Every time I see it on my bookshelf, I get this thought that I should read it again, but no... It is excellent, but you are right, it stays with you. Have you read "Magick" by Judith Sonnet? I read it recently & it disturbed me so much!

[@FilmoreGilmoor]

Just reminds me that I have to do more reading, you ever read Chuck Palahniuks Haunted ?

[@ivoryinterludes]

Read many of those and yesss, Dead Inside and Gone to see the Riverman are two of my favs as well! :D

[@effacalorie]

Why are you shocked that good horror existed in the 80s? That was literally the golden age of horror.

[@brandym3926]

If I heard her right, it wasn't that she was shocked it existed. She was shocked that it was popular and being sold in typical book stores.

[@Glaubermoledo]

Loved it! I grew up as well in horror and I have my fair share of being alone in my likings. Thanks for having a partner that shares a weird mind like mine 😂 I'm finishing my first book now, it's not extreme I guess, but I can't judge myself on that analysis hahaha Loved your channel! I'm from Brasil btw. There's always a certain beauty behind the ugliness of horror. Bye, talked too much already😂

[@swankscares]

If you like Tender is the Flesh, you'll love Meat! It was such a good story. So much more going on then the "people" good!

[@mzcyberbat]

I didn’t think must of girl next door. I was far more upset at EMMA KENNY doing her youtube vid on the case than his book. It wasn't that upsetting to me, it felt wooden. The actual story of that poor girl is heartbreaking though. I just didn’t think much of the book.

[@amandaszymczak388]

Apologies for multi commenting.....but im discovering a whole new lane of horror fiction with you 😂❤

[@writerme3247]

you made me curious and i’m not even into the genre. i’ll read some of it

[@reggiereads5989]

I really liked Dead Inside also. Definately one of the best extreme horror books out there

[@emmaberger3748]

I cannottttt add these to my goodreads omg people will be like ?!?!!!! Yikes. So. I guess I’m starting a new list???

[@emmaberger3748]

Nvm I don’t actually care that much what people think. True crime is already a popular interest in the world. It’s messed up but people get it

[@EggHeadJo]

Oh my gosh, I’ve read Gone to see the River Man and I really enjoyed that! Now I’m currently reading Dead Inside and oh my gosh, how do you manage to get through this? 😅

[@EggHeadJo]

Okay it’s getting good now!

[@EggHeadJo]

Wait, now it’s gone back to pretty damn insane

[@Timelodged]

​@@EggHeadJo What did you think of the ending?

[@EmilyStrohbeen]

If you haven't read yet, I highly recommend The Groomer, Broken Dolls, Zola, Violence on the meek and No one rides for free/ No one rides for free absolute chaos (sequel)

[@stevenobrien7686]

I know that really reading extreme horror books is your thing. But I would also be really interested to know your thoughts on Urban Spook's Analog Horror series "the Painter". It's here on KZbin, and the entries and series itself are all fairly short. But the series itself has gotten some pretty significant flack for the extreme nature of the subject matter, and it being perceived as disrespectful of it. I'll be honest I think it has more to do with the stigma around extreme horror itself as a genre. But I would be very interested to know what your thoughts on it are.

[@brightyell0wgun]

I loved "Gone to See the River Man" so much. Did you read the sequel? It was great too! :)

[@Parasiteve]

same story for me. im a girl who always loved horror stuff, mostly horror movies, and i could never find friends who were into that stuff either. i read the berserk manga and my god did that fug me up lmao. i saw this anime, i think called midori, and that fugged me up even more and that was before reading berserk! currently im reading blood meridian so i mean, i love horror stuff. i also like dissecting stuff like that. some of my fav horror movies today are italian giallo movies. dario argento and the other guy who i can't remember now, made soo many good horror movies. horror movies where they dont edit out the kills, they show them and my god are they horrible and glorious! my brain isn't working well today, i can't remember shet right now, but one of the movies has a scene that i think will always just make me shiver. i dont wanna spoil what it is but ill say what it involves: spiders. i love the scene but also hate it because of how much i hate it lol. its the second movie in a trilogy of movies from the director i can't think of right now. same guy made the zombi movie. city of the dead i think is the first movie in his dead series. the second one i can't remember and the third is house by the cemetary. so angry i can't remember the name of one of my fav italian horror movies.

[@Rickytickybobb]

I won’t lie, it’s strange hearing “I enjoyed that one a lot” while describing Playground…

[@lolaluftnagel8251]

Could you maybe give me some suggestions which extreme horror books actually have an engaging and interesting plot? Like a real storyline? I feel like many are just disgusting slice of life stories and I don’t find that interesting ❤

[@hudsonhunter3659]

I have found that Jon Athan books have a huge focus on plot. I recommend The Groomer, Blender Babies, Into The Wolves Den. But def check your trigger warnings because these can be very disturbing books. Blender Babies was an apocalyptic horror novel, The Groomer and Into The Wolves Den are both about child abduction and can be hard to get through but the writing keeps you engaged in the stories!

[@joshwilliams452]

Omg! I love horror books. Have you read any of Judith Sonnets?

[@jonoakley6795]

That one part of Cows will never get out of my head. 20 years later

[@booksandtropes]

Oh! I need some extreme horror recommendations :)