The Greatest
Not too long ago, a good friend asked me, along with a selection of other horror-type people, this question for an article he was writing: Who is the greatest horror writer?
Well it got me thinking, and though I had it narrowed down to two writers, ultimately, my decision wasn't an overly hard one.
Now, 'greatest' means different things to different people.
For me, it had to satisfy these two critereas:
1/ Good writer. Not best (which to me is not the same as greatest), but still a damn fine writer.
2/ Influence. They had to have had a major, and lasting, impact on the genre.
So for me, there was only one name: Stephen King.
Say what you will about his writing (I admit it can sometimes be bloated, and, as is the case with writers such as King who are extremely prolific, his output is wildly uneven in terms of quality), but at his best, there is scarcely anyone who can touch him. He can tap into our most basic fears with frightening ease and create characters that are rich and more vivid than any other writer I know.
As for his his influence, well, aside from inspiring countless writers over the years, show me anyone who hasn't read at least one King story (horror fan or otherwise) and considering nearly every single word he has written has been adapted for the big - and small - screen at one time, is proof that his work has pervaded popular culture.
So that's my mumber one, but what about all those other great writers of the macabre?
Because I'm a list-a-holic (you'll be seeing a lot of top 5/top 10 type of lists in the future on this blog), I'll list my top 5 greatest horror writers.
But wait, there's more!
I'll also include my top 5 favourite horror writers at no extra charge, because (and I've had many a heated discussion with mates over this) greatest and favourite are vastly different.
And to make things fun, I'll include my favourite work by each author.
Top 5 Greatest Horror Writers:
1/ Stephen King (The Shining)
2/ Edgar Allan Poe (The Tell-Tale Heart)
3/ Richard Matheson (I Am Legend)
4/ H.P. Lovecraft (Dagon)
5/ Shirley Jackson (The Lottery)
Top 5 Favourite Horror Writers:
1/ Richard Laymon (Savage)
2/ Stephen King (The Shining)
3/ Edgar Allan Poe (The Tell-Tale Heart)
4/ Jack Ketchum (The Girl Next Door)
5/ Edward Lee (The Bighead)
Well it got me thinking, and though I had it narrowed down to two writers, ultimately, my decision wasn't an overly hard one.
Now, 'greatest' means different things to different people.
For me, it had to satisfy these two critereas:
1/ Good writer. Not best (which to me is not the same as greatest), but still a damn fine writer.
2/ Influence. They had to have had a major, and lasting, impact on the genre.
So for me, there was only one name: Stephen King.
Say what you will about his writing (I admit it can sometimes be bloated, and, as is the case with writers such as King who are extremely prolific, his output is wildly uneven in terms of quality), but at his best, there is scarcely anyone who can touch him. He can tap into our most basic fears with frightening ease and create characters that are rich and more vivid than any other writer I know.
As for his his influence, well, aside from inspiring countless writers over the years, show me anyone who hasn't read at least one King story (horror fan or otherwise) and considering nearly every single word he has written has been adapted for the big - and small - screen at one time, is proof that his work has pervaded popular culture.
So that's my mumber one, but what about all those other great writers of the macabre?
Because I'm a list-a-holic (you'll be seeing a lot of top 5/top 10 type of lists in the future on this blog), I'll list my top 5 greatest horror writers.
But wait, there's more!
I'll also include my top 5 favourite horror writers at no extra charge, because (and I've had many a heated discussion with mates over this) greatest and favourite are vastly different.
And to make things fun, I'll include my favourite work by each author.
Top 5 Greatest Horror Writers:
1/ Stephen King (The Shining)
2/ Edgar Allan Poe (The Tell-Tale Heart)
3/ Richard Matheson (I Am Legend)
4/ H.P. Lovecraft (Dagon)
5/ Shirley Jackson (The Lottery)
Top 5 Favourite Horror Writers:
1/ Richard Laymon (Savage)
2/ Stephen King (The Shining)
3/ Edgar Allan Poe (The Tell-Tale Heart)
4/ Jack Ketchum (The Girl Next Door)
5/ Edward Lee (The Bighead)
posted by BrettMcBean at 5:11 PM
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