"No great thing is created suddenly" -Doctor Sleep

There is nothing I love more than a good scary story, whether in book or movie form, but mainly books. I was a voracious reader when I was younger; always read higher than my grade level. I still love to read but the way my schedule is set up, I'm more into audio-books now. My love for horror began like most, with your Goosebumps and Scary Tales to Tell in the Dark book series in elementary school. Around 3rd or 4th grade I came across what was then my favorite book: Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn. Man! I read that book until it tore up, cover gone and pages missing. Remembering reading that book brings back happy memories.

When I was in the 5th grade, my older cousin had talked my grandmother into getting me some Stephen King books that year for Christmas. She got me four of his books in total: Night Shift, Different Seasons, The Eyes of the Dragon, and Skeleton Crew. I read Eyes of the Dragon first, which isn't scary at all, but I was hooked and soon became a lifelong Stephen King fan. I have read almost every fiction he has written, and watched most of the movies based on his works. The Stand (novel and mini series) will always be my favorite. The graphic novel is pretty dope too.

But of course, the one that scared me to the point that I had to put it down and turn on some lights is It. Pennywise the Dancing Clown gave me nightmares, smh.

This damn clown..

But at the same time, by the time I had got to It, I had read a good bit of King's novels. There are a lot of connections between his books, characters, towns, events. Multi-dimensional elements mixed in with his horror. I had never read Lovecraft, so King was my introduction to cosmic horror. I still don't know much about Lovecraft outside of Cthulhu. I know about the Crimson King and Randall Flagg though. About shining, the Talisman and the Black House, how if the Dark Tower falls, all life will cease to exist. How sometimes horrific shit just happens. And that, to me, no one encapsulates horror from a kid's point of view the way Stephen King can.

Horror novels of course lead me to scary movies. I don't really have a favorite horror movie though. I will always watch the classics, the slasher flicks, monster movies, hauntings and exorcism movies. Give me a good zombie or virus movie any day though. Train to Busan was the last zombie movie that I thought was really good, in a crazy way. John Dies at the End is a pretty crazy ride too. I need to see Heredity, I've heard nothing but good things about it. That and A Quiet Place. Honestly though, if it's in the horror genre I will probably watch. I'm down for all the scares. Even though I firmly believe jump scares are the shittiest way to get those scares, which is what modern horror films (especially American ones) lean towards. Faux horror, ugh.

I love the genre as a whole though and have since I was a kid. Longest love affair of my life lol.

Oh and by the way, that quote from the beginning is from Doctor Sleep, which is The Shining's sequel. Written by Stephen King, of course. Definitely one of my faves too.