I know, I know - "Best of" lists can be silly, but I didn't want to wrap up Fear Zone (more on that another day) without drawing up a list of the 25 most influential figures in horror. I kept the list short - 100 or even 50 seemed too ambitious, and the more names you add to a list the less significant their accomplishments seem - and I restricted myself to writers, filmmakers, and special make-up artists (and one "other"). Had I made a longer list, I would certainly have included film composers and actors. I'd like to hear who you would have included as well - and what cuts you'd make to allow for them.

25. Dan Curtis

Dan Curtis was a producer and director who never met a spider web, creaking door or howling wolf he didn't like. It would be easy to dismiss a good deal of his work as schlock, except for one thing: in the days before DVD, VHS or cable TV, Curtis was THE MAN. As a producer, he created the daytime gothic soap DARK SHADOWS, and not only was Barnabas Collins the first sympathetic, romantic vampire to tap into the public consciousness, but the flashback arc detailing Barnabas's origin provided the template for Anne Rice's INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE. Curtis produced THE NIGHT STALKER (adapted by his frequent collaborator, Richard Matheson, from an unpublished manuscript - which has since been published and reprinted many times - by Jeff Rice). THE NIGHT STALKER was the highest rated TV movie of its era, and spawned a successful sequel, THE NIGHT STALKER, directed by Curtis from an original Matheson teleplay. Curtis had nothing to do with the ill fated weekly version, KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER, which inspired Chris Carter's THE X FILES decades later. Curtis produced a slew of horror feature films and telefilms, including a pair of DARK SHADOWS features; DRACULA, scripted by Matheson and starring Jack Palance; BURNT OFFERINGS, scripted by William F. Nolan, who also co-wrote Curtis's seminal TRILOGY OF TERROR anthology with Matheson, based on Matheson's short stories. In later years, Curtis achieved "respectability" with the epic TV mini-series THE WINDS OF WAR and WAR AND REMEMBRANCE, but he returned to his horror roots for a slick prime time remake of SHADOWS and TRILOGY OF TERROR II, and he attempted to revive SHADOWS yet again.

24. Ed Gein

It is not my intention to glorify or reward twisted, psyhchotic serial killer Ed Gein, who was the embodiment of the term "suck puppy," but to acknowledge that his heinous exploits had a huge impact on horror pop culture. There would be no PSYCHO, no TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, no SILENCE OF THE LAMBS without him. His horrible escapades provided seeds of inspiration so horrible that Robert Bloch, Alfred Hitchcock, Toby Hooper and Thomas Harris had to water them down to make them palatable for public consumption. The films ED GEIN and DERANGED came the closest to telling the real tale, and neither of them are classics.

23. William Gaines

With his comic titles TALES FROM THE CRYPT and THE VAULT OF HORROR, publisher William Gaines thrilled young readers with shocking, grisly tales of horror that so repulsed conservative adults that Congressional subcommittee hearings led to the creation of the Comics Code and Gaines canceled the titles. Both comics were adapted into feature films, and CRYPT led to the popular HBO TV series, two additional features, and even a kiddie TV cartoon (perhaps the ultimate irony, given the controversial nature of the gruesome comic - take that, Moral Majority!). Gaines's creation also influenced Marvel and DC comics in the 1970s, and Warren's EERIE and CREEPY adult magazines. Stephen King, George Romero and Tom Savini collaborated on CREEPSHOW, a kitschy tribute to the original comic. The original comics have been republished as comics, hardcover collections, and omnibuses. The legacy of these books will live on for a long time to come, and rightly so.


22. Terrence Fisher

Hammer Films, aka "the House of Hammer," revived the Universal Monsters in all new adaptations notable for their Gothic atmosphere, heaving bosoms, overt sexuality, and Technicolor gore, and no single individual better represents the Hammer aesthetic than director Terrence Fisher, who started his career as an editor. Among the features he directed were THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, HORROR OF DRACULA, THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, THE MUMMY, THE BRIDES OF DRACULA, THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL, THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS, FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN, THE DEVIL RIDES OUT, FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED and FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL. He was behind Hammer's breakthrough films, their ride at the top, and their period of decline.

21. Jack Pierce

Although Lon Chaney was "The Man of 1,000 Faces," Jack Pierce created the all time iconic monster make-up for Boris Karloff as the monster in James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, and THE SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (directed by Rowland V. Lee). He also created the visages for Karloff in THE OLD DARK HOUSE and THE MUMMY, as well as Bela Lugosi's make-up in DRACULA and WHITE ZOMBIE. Pierce served as make-up artist on THE INVISIBLE MAN, THE RAVEN, TOWER OF LONDON, THE WOLF MAN and many others. A contract craftsman for Universal, he had his hands in and on some of the most memorable monster make-ups of all time, sometimes without credit, and ended his career working on the talking horse TV show MR. ED. From the FRANKENSTEIN sequels and ripoffs, THE MUNSTERS and Frankenberry cereal, Pierce left his mark on the world. When Hammer remade FRANKENSTEIN, they had to respect Universal's copyright on Pierce's make-up. He created several different looks for Frankie in the various sequels, and every one of them was outstanding.

20. Rouben Mamoulian

Mamoulian directed only one horror film in his distinguished career: 1931's DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, starring Frederic March and Miriam Hopkins. It remains the definitive version of Robert Louis Stevenson's novella, THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, but it is so much more than that: Mamoulian begins his film with an extended sequence shot from Dr. Jekyll's POV - paving the way for a cycle of slasher films decades later; the film contains remarkably frank sexual content; sophisticated dialogue and performances; and the most creatively staged and shot man-into-monster transformations ever committed to celluloid. The censors had a field day with certain scenes which were later restored, and the film remains a must-see high point in horror cinema. If you've never seen this film, make a point of doing so. The overrated Spencer Tracy version (for which Tracy won the Oscar that March deserved) was a direct remake.

19. Sheridan Le Fanu

Le Fanu was an Irish ghost story writer whose "Carmilla," published in 1872, influenced Bram Stoker's DRACULA, which was published 25 years later. In many ways, "Carmilla" paved the way for all of the sexual vampire tales today, particularly those featuring lesbianism. "Carmilla" has been adapted many times, most notably as Dreyer's VAMPYR (1931), Roger Vadim's BLOOD AND ROSES (1960), Hammer's THE VAMPIRE LOVERS (1970), and Harry Kumel's DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (1971) - not to mention a legion of soft core, direct-to-video and DVD T & A "films."

18. Val Lewton

Val Lewton wrote/produced some of the most elegant and sophisticated horror films of the 1940s, at a time when Universal's classic horror monsters were downgraded to monster mash team-ups and parodies. He is among the most important horror film producers who ever lived, and his masterpieces include THE BODY SNATCHER, ISLE OF THE DEAD, BEDLAM, CAT PEOPLE, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, THE LEOPARD MAN, THE SEVENTH VICTIM, and THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE. Lewton emphasized a poetic style over shocks, and he worked with such directors as Robert Wise and Jacques Tourneur. His films all share a similar style regardless of who called the shots, proving how important a producer can be.

17. James Whale

James Whale was a true artist. Despite a script marred by tedious dialogue, and a final film that lacked a real music score, he directed Boris Karloff in one of the great horror performances of all time, as the monster made by FRANKENSTEIN (1931). Whale directed iconic sequences that would be copied countless times: Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and hunchback Fritz (not Igor; he came along in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, the third entry in the series, not directed by Whale) robbing a cemetery; the electric laboratory; Frankenstein crying, "It's Alive!"; the first appearance of the monster; the monster accidentally drowning a little girl (cut by censors for many years); and the little girl's father carrying her corpse through the village. Though the film contained some of Whale's sardonic wit, that quality was much more evident in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935), one of the few sequels to improve on its antecedent, and Whale's masterpiece. BRIDE features some of the most exquisite direction, cinematography, and editing in cinema, regardless of genre, an amazing score by Franz Waxman, and more classic images and set pieces than I care to list. It was so important that Ernest Thesiger's line, "The bride of Frankenstein!" has confused generations regarding the identities of the monster and his creator. Whale directed the sardonic adaptation of H.G. Welles's THE INVISIBLE MAN; THE OLD DARK HOUSE; and several non-horror features. His last days were depicted - and speculated upon - in Bill Condon's wonderful GODS AND MONSTERS.

16. Roman Polanski

Ah, Roman. What a sad little man, in every sense of the word... but a genius, none the less. Despite his crimes, the fugitive filmmaker, currently awaiting extradition to the U.S., has left an indelible mark on horror cinema. His films REPULSION (1965) and THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS (1967) contain moments of brilliance, and ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968), his adaptation of Ira Levin's novel, remains the single greatest film version of a horror novel, paving the way for THE EXORCIST and THE OMEN and their brood of imitators. Polanski had other successes that proved his talent, such as CHINATOWN (1974), TESS (1979) and THE PIANIST (2002), but he's also responsible for such turkeys as PIRATES (1986) and THE NINTH GATE (1999). From his childhood in the Warsaw ghetto through the murder of his wife Sharon Tate at the hands of Charles Manson's "family" to his plea bargained confession as a statutory rapist to his flight from the U.S. to avoid prison time to his recent arrest in Sweden, this tortured artist's life is as fascinating as his film work. But a criminal is a criminal and he deserves to serve his time.

15. William Peter Blatty

Does an artist deserve to make this list for creating a single masterpiece? Yes, as I pointed out in the Rouben Mamoulian entry. William Peter Blatty's novel THE EXORCIST broke taboos and broke records. It is also a stunningly well written and convincing horror novel, inspired by a supposedly true story, and became the best selling modern horror novel until some guy named King came along. It also spawned one of the most effective and popular film adaptations of all time. I've not read Blatty's other works, like THE NINTH CONFIGURATION or LEGION, but images from the trailer for THE EXORCIST film seared my brain as a child. William Friedkin did a superb job directing the film version - arguably as good a job as Polanski did with ROSEMARY'S BABY - but I'm more impressed with what Polanski achieved without special effects.

14. Peter Benchley

While the 70s will be remembered for many pop cultural phenomena - THE OMEN, CARRIE, THE EXORCIST, THE SHINING, STAR WARS and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND - JAWS was the first of its kind: a blockbuster novel and the highest grossing film of its time, the first "must see" event film. I was disappointed when I re-read Benchley's novel a few years ago: it's very basic, very formulaic, and not very well written. But there is no denying that Benchley tapped into a primal fear that his entire readership shared. Screenwriter Carl Gottlieb, director Steven Spielberg, film composer John Williams, and actors Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw all improved on the author's initial vision, but it stated with Benchley, and if it ain't on the page it ain't on the stage. One of the greatest pop films ever made, whether you label it horror or adventure, sprouted from Benchley's imagination and spawned hundreds of imitators and spoofs. It still ain't safe to go back into the water.

13. Lon Chaney, Sr.

Lon Chaney was "the Man of 1,000 Faces," and he was also a one of a kind fusion of special make-up artist and actor. He will always be remembered as a pioneering make-up artist, but he really was a tremendous performer as well, and the combination of these crafts made him a unique filmmaker (he is often listed as the uncredited director of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA). His silent films remain as effective today as when they were first released, and he offered the definitive cinematic interpretations of PHANTOM and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, and his vampire make-up for LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT was far more effective and influential than what Jack Pierce was allowed to do on Bela Lugosi for DRACULA (and it's a lost film!). Cheney appeared in 161 films, directed 7, wrote 6, and was credited on make-up for only 4 (the other being THE UNHOLY THREE), yet he is remembered primarily for his make-up artistry. James Cagney portrayed him in the fictionalized biopic MAN OF 1,000 FACES, and son Lon Cheney, Jr. starred in OF MICE AND MEN and THE WOLF MAN (and its many sequels and cross-overs). Chaney is the one actor to make this list because he was such a complete performer.

12. Rod Serling

Some may argue that THE TWILIGHT ZONE was more about science fiction and fantasy than horror, but I disagree. The Twilight Zone is a land "between light and shadow," and it is usually a very frightening place. Serling and his writers and directors were more concerned with thought provoking, jaw dropping, scary revelations than they were about science, and THE TWILIGHT ZONE holds a special place in the annals of TV history. No TV series from its era plays as well today as Serling's creation. Serling went the straight horror route with the less successful NIGHT GALLERY, and there have been numerous remakes and revivals of TZ with varying results (just like the original series). Serling is also created with the statue of liberty ending featured in PLANET OF THE APES, which he co-wrote. TV will never see a genius on his level again.

11. Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock will always be remembered as a master of suspense and the macabre, but his contributions to horror, while few, are so important that no one can argue about his inclusion here. Hitchcock directed only two horror films - the black and white PSYCHO (1960), based on Robert Bloch's novel, and THE BIRDS (1963), based on the short story by Daphne Demaurier. They remain two of the all time horror greats, although critics often call THE BIRDS a "flawed" masterpiece. Screw 'em, I say. PSYCHO features the all time great murder scene, and it is completely Hitchcock's vision - re-read Bloch's novel (stunning on its own terms) if you disbelieve me. This infamous "shower scene" is responsible for the slasher craze that erupted a decade and a half later, inspiring the likes of Hooper, Bob Clark, John Carpenter and Sean Cunningham. That scene is so effective that it keeps audiences on the edge of their seats for the murders that follow, which are almost as effective because they build on audience expectations. THE BIRDS features several amazing set pieces and special effects, but is more notable from a historic perspective for another reason: several bickering characters hole up in a farmhouse seeking protection from an outside, fantastic force while their differences tear them apart inside their fortress. Sound familiar? No one but me ever seems to point out the remarkable similarities between THE BIRDS and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, which came later - right down to the shots of people boarding up windows - but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

10. George A. Romero

Are you as sick of flesh eating zombies as I am? It doesn't matter: they're here and they're here to stay. Romero - with the help of co-screenwriter John Russo - completely re-invented zombies in his film, originally called NIGHT OF THE FLESH EATERS, and they remain the dominant form of the species today, 41 years later. Zombie novels, zombie films, zombie comics, zombie short stories - I don't care who the authors and filmmakers are, they owe Romero their careers and some steep royalties. But I digress. Romero wrote and directed and refined the concept in DAWN OF THE DEAD, continued the concept in DAY OF THE DEAD, and then milked it to much less effect in the piss poor LAND OF THE DEAD and somewhat embarrassing DIARY OF THE DEAD. He's made a shit load of crappy movies while others have made a shit load of money off his ideas, but he will always be the man who directed NIGHT, DAWN and the amazing MARTIN, which remains his most personal and best realized film. Nothing he does will ever take away from his greatest accomplishments, and he's been one hell of an inspiration for independent filmmakers everywhere.

9. Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson wrote one (at least) of the great short stories, "The Lottery," and what is considered to be the finest ghost story of the 20th century, THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, which inspired one classic film, THE HAUNTING, directed by Robert Wise, and one Hollywood piece of crap, also called THE HAUNTING, "directed" by Jan de Bont, who should never be allowed to make a film again. I have to confess, I've always preferred THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE - both Matheson's novel and the film adaptation - and THE SHINING - both King's novel and Kubrick's film - and Peter Straub's novel GHOST STORY over THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, but this list isn't about "who would win in a fight" - it's about who had the greater influence, and none of the works I just listed would likely exist without Jackson's quietly powerful and insidiously creepy novel, which has defined the modern ghost story.

8. Ira Levin

Like his contemporary, Richard Matheson, and his literary descendant, Stephen King, Ira Levin helped pull horror out of creaky haunted houses and into contemporary America, be it in an apartment building or the suburbs. Levin recognized that horror is most disturbing in utterly familiar and believable situations. His greatest works - ROSEMARY'S BABY and THE STEPFORD WIVES - feature people we recognize, with problems with which we certainly empathize, in settings that are mundane and situations that are utterly fantastic and yet somehow believable. His novels are fairly short and contain a degree of social satire, but they always feel real. Rosemary Woodhouse and husband Guy are like so many Manhattan couples, seeking the perfect life in the perfect apartment. So what if Guy sells Rosemary's ovaries to the devil in exchange for the career he wants? No other author, in any genre, better satirized the plight of American women in the 1970s than Levin did in THE STEPFORD WIVES. DEATHTRAP was merely playful, and THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL may have been too incredible to truly believe, but Levin was a master craftsman. It's hard for people today to remember just how many possession and demonic kid movies passed through theaters in the 1970s as a result of THE EXORCIST and THE OMEN, which both owe their existence to ROSEMARY'S BABY. Levin was truly the Stephen King of the late 1960s and early 1970s. His best was so good that it's easy to forgive his worst, like the godawful ROSEMARY'S SON, which was even worse than the terrible TV movie sequel LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ROSEMARY'S BABY.

7. Richard Matheson

Simply put, Richard Matheson is one of the best there is at what he does - and he does a lot: short stories, novellas, novellas, TV movie scripts, theatrical screenplays. The man has been writing some of the most important horror fiction around for decades. Matheson holds the word "horror" in disdain, but there is no convincing way to downplay his contributions to the field. I grew up watching Matheson's work, and adaptations of his work, on TV without even knowing it: episodes of THE TWILIGHT ZONE, the TV movies THE NIGHT STALKER/NIGHT STRANGLER, TRILOGY OF TERROR, DUEL, THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, THE OMEGA MAN, THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE, his various Edgar Allan Poe adaptations for Roger Corman. I've probably read I AM LEGEND more times than any other novel and it still packs several punches. His writing is lean and concise, with no pretense or overwrought style, and his work continues to appeal to new filmmakers and viewers with each generation; look at the cult following for SOMEWHERE IN TIME and the box office success of WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, A STIR OF ECHOES and the recent (mediocre) I AM LEGEND. His six-page short story "The Box" has just been adapted into a new movie starring Cameron Diaz that opens this Friday, and his fiction is constantly in print; his teleplays and screenplays have been published as expensive limited editions. Like Charles Beaumont, William F. Nolan and Rod Serling, Matheson deals with the human condition in horror, fantasy and science fiction, and nobody does it better.

6. Edgar Allan Poe

Poe was the first great American horror writer and the creator of modern detective fiction. He wrote poetry and short stories, rarely exploring longer fiction, and labored over every sentence he committed to paper. He was an amazingly prolific writer for a man who died at age 40, and his best works - "The Raven," "The Tell Tale Heart," "Murders in the Rue Morgue," "The House of Usher," and "The Pit and the Pendulum" - seep into the reader's brain because of the beauty of his language. His stories have attracted filmmakers because of their rich atmosphere and dark beauty, and confounded them because of their brevity. Matheson's scripts for the Roger Corman films of the 1960s proved entertaining enough, but rarely attempted to truly evoke the great atmosphere of Poe's tales.

5. H.P. Lovecraft

Lovecraft has never been more popular than he is today, and the fact that horror fans appreciate his fiction over the popular (some of them) movies that helped revive interest in his work speaks volumes. Lovecraft was a pulp writer, and like Poe, very prolific. He's most famous for creating a dimension wherein reside the Old Ones, ancient godlike creatures trying to break into our world. Lovecraft dealt with male characters, usually explorers and scientists, and a sense of dread. Other than his "Herbert West, Re-Animator" stories, he rarely dealt with gore or violence. "The Call of Cthulhu" and "The Dunwich Horror" are two of his most popular tales, and "At the Mountains of Madness" his epic novella. Also like Poe, Lovecraft's fiction has pretty much defied successful screen adaptation. THE DUNWICH HORROR manages to be both faithful to the source material and ridiculously trippy; Stuart Gordon's RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND include very recognizable Lovecraft material, but the author was not known for gruesome humor or sexy S & M conventions. One of the challenges for filmmakers is that Lovecraft specializes in "unspeakable" horrors, and directors and special effects artists need to visualize these forces. Still, although Lovecraft's work has remained in print, I credit Gordon with reviving interest in this great writer's work. If you haven't seen it, the recent b & w silent THE CALL OF CTHULHU is well worth seeking out. Fan clubs, critical societies and all manner of fan bases have developed in honor of this imaginative author, the father of "Weird" fiction.

4. Robert Louis Stevenson

Stevenson is certainly not considered a horror writer, but his horror novella THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE is as important to horror fiction and cinema as either FRANKENSTEIN or DRACULA. There are no classic, iconic werewolf novels, and JEKYLL & HYDE remains the definitive man-into-monster-tale, a meditation on man's id. It stands the test of time and continues to be re-interpreted. Rouben Mamoulian directed the best film version, but there have been many, many others: Spencer Tracy won an Oscar for the dual role; Kirk Douglas starred in a TV musical two decades before another musical version became a Broadway hit; Jack Palance did an amazing job in a Dan Curtis TV movie. And the beat goes on.

3. Stephen King

Stephen King is the most popular horror author of the 20th century, a fact that's easily proven by sales figures. He continues to write at an alarming pace, even after his announced retirement (he's no worse than a middle aged boxer in that respect). His best novels - CARRIE, SALEM'S LOT, THE SHINING, THE STAND, THE DEAD ZONE and IT - have sold millions, spawned movies and TV mini-series and TV remakes and TV series and comics. There is no denying his talent, his popularity, his influence or his success. In the 1980s, he made horror fiction so popular that every author and publisher on the planet - even those who despised horror - jumped on the bandwagon; the market became glutted and imploded... and King remained standing. His nonfiction books DANSE MACABRE and ON WRITING are eminently pleasurable and informative reads. I can't comment on his last dozen (two dozen?) novels, because I find them overlong and lost interest in them a long time ago, but Stephen King is The Man, The King.


2. Mary Shelley

A young poet created a novel about a scientist playing God and creating a monster from human cadavers, and that Gothic tale remains one of the definitive creations in horror literature, having spawned movies, TV series, movies, toys, movies, comic books, movies, novels, and movies... FRANKENSTEIN remains a towering work of imagination and stands alongside DRACULA as one of the all time classics of literature, a giant that refuses to go away. I was tempted to put Shelley and Stoker in a tie for first place, for they have been equally influential... but for all its strengths, FRANKENSTEIN remains a somewhat clumsily written work, with all sorts of silly coincidences and conventions. If you don't believe me, re-read it... or the Cliff's notes... or DANSE MACABRE. But Shelley and Stoker pretty much go hand in hand, as do Dracula and Frankenstein's monster; you and I will be long gone from this earth by the time anyone knows if anyone else on this list was as important to the generations of readers, film goers, and creators as Shelley and Stoker have been.

1. Bram Stoker

In DRACULA, Stoker created the ultimate villain; a novel that mixed and matched different vampire legends from around the world; a distinctly anti-Christian motif; a look at sexuality in repressed Victorian England; and the world's first group of vampire slayers. The novel is long, with a complicated structure, dense narrative, and colorful characters. It has survived good and bad TV and film adaptations, and has directly inspired numerous other novels, including King's SALEM'S LOT. It's a rich novel, which is why filmmakers and readers are so attracted to it. Take a look around you: vampires are as prevalent as zombies and have been so longer. DARK SHADOWS, I AM LEGEND, SALEM'S LOT, THIRST, CARRION COMFORT, INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, TWILIGHT, TRUE BLOOD - none would exist without Bram Stoker's DRACULA, the ultimate horror novel. If you've never read it, visit your favorite book store now.