Top Ten Horror Writers I'd Invite to my Halloween Party

What top ten horror writers would you dare to invite to your Halloween party? This page gives my top ten suggested authors and invites you to suggest your own favorites.

Which writers or authors do you think would make the best guests at your Halloween Party? Think of the stories these people could tell. The truly scariest ones would rate a special place in my heart. After all, what is Halloween for if not to be scared silly?

Some of my Halloween author invitees are known for their tales of horror and the supernatural. Others just write really scary books.

Either way, they'd make a wonderful addition to the guest list of this Halloween bash.

Scary books come in various genres. Any of them would be appropriate for Halloween reading and storytelling. Which ones are the most popular? Cast your vote.

First Invite goes to Steven King

It almost goes without saying, no Scary Author Halloween Party is complete unless Steven King shows up. Which of his many, many books of supernatural horror are the best? It's anybody's guess, but It, Salem's Lot and The Shining are certainly well known. Perhaps this master of supernatural horror would create a story just for us. Better be prepared to spend the night. King's not known for brevity.

Second Invite Goes to Washington Irving

Irving Washington is long deceased, but his memory lives on. Have you read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow? We studied it in school. Has there ever been a scene so scary as the clomp, clomp, clomp of the horse's hooves as the Headless Horseman overtakes his hapless victim in the night?

This classic is available at Amazon, both as a book and as an ebook for the Kindle. Trust me on this, if you've never read this story, it's a gem. In my opinion, the story is about a hundred times superior to the movie version.

I'm SO looking forward to Washington's ghost dropping by my Halloween party. He'll give Steven King a run for his money, for sure. Perhaps he'll bring Ichabod Crane along as a special treat.

Third on the Invite List

I read Dracula when I was approximately fourteen. It scared the dickens out of me. Night after night, I would lie in bed peeking at the window -- just in case Dracula or one of his vampire sidekicks was lurking outside waiting for an opportunity to sneak in. And birds? Who knew that vampires appeared as birds waiting to gorge on the unwary?

One of the reviewers on Amazon called this classic book. "The best horror story ever written." I tend to agree.

Therefore, if we can handle another dead guy showing up at the Halloween party, I definitely want Bram Stoker's ghost to put in an appearance.

We'll serve tomato juice and hope it fools the good Count Dracula.

Number Four Invite to Thomas Harris

Has there ever been a series of books so scary, so macabre, so sheer evil as the books featuring our anti-hero, Hannibal Lecter? Harris authored the Hannibal trilogy -- Silence of the Lambs , Hannibal and Hannibal Rising. He's also the author of Red Dragon and Black Sunday.

My friend was so appalled at the Hannibal series that she commented, "What sort of a sick mind would create such gore?"

I need Thomas Harris at my Halloween party. No Scary Author gathering worth its name would omit this writer. We'll serve fava beans and a good Chianti.

And the Fifth Invite goes to Anne Rice

It wouldn't do to have an all-male party, now would it? Anne Rice will add a feminine touch to our gathering. She must surely be the queen of the vampire genre, with her well known books, Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, the Queen of the Damned. and Tale of the Body Thief.

Rice brings a modern day approach to the whole vampire thing. She can certainly hold her own with the brilliant male horror writers at this party. And, since Anne is also known for her excursions into erotic fantasy, she can entertain us with tales of B&D and S&M if the party starts to get dull.

Invite Number Six Goes to Virginia C Andrews

V.C. Andrews died in 1986, but her spirit lived on -- TRULY! The family hired a ghostwriter to turn out family horror and gothic horror books written in her name. Well, only the real V.C. Andrews is welcome at this party. Oh oh -- I was going to say no ghost writers are welcome -- but Andrews herself will be a ghost writer -- so this whole thing could get very confusing.

Should Ms Andrews' ghost turn up, we will relocate the party to the attic - which will be well decorated with flowers, of course. My question now is what type of flowers are best for Halloween? Oh, I have an idea ... how about Black Dahlias?

In case you don't get the reference, J.V. Andrews best known novel is Flowers in the Attic

Our 7th Invite goes to Ira Levin

Another ghostly appearance is called for here. Ira Levin died in 2007. He is perhaps best known for his book Rosemary's Baby, which was made into a major motion picture starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes. In this story, Rosemary, an innocent American housewife, gives birth to a baby spawned by the devil. Wow, and you thought YOUR kid was hard to manage!

Levin's other achievements include The Boys from Brazil and the Stepford Wives. The expression "Stepford Wife" has become so ingrained in our culture that we use it to describe anyone who strikes us as being a mindless robot.

Beyond a doubt, Levin has much to offer at our Halloween party for writers. His brilliant writing style lead Stephen King to liken him to a Swiss watchmaker.

Eighth Invite to William Peter Blatty

Mr. Blatty is likely to be our most senior living horror writer at this Halloween bash. He was born in 1928.

Blatty has a number of fascinating novels under his belt, but he's probably best known for The Exorcist. A hugely controversial book at the time it was written, this book fast became a best seller and later was made into an award winning motion picture. The movie script was also written by Blatty.

William Peter Blattty, with his expertise in the field of demons and satanic possession, will have a lot to offer in this crowd of Halloween horror writers.

We'll be sure to include pea soup on the menu.

You know why.

Our 9th Invite Goes Out to Michael Crichton

The late Michael Crichton didn't write stories of the supernatural, but nevertheless, most of his books were thrillers in the scariest sense of the word. I think the genre would be techno-thriller.

Andromeda Strain was the first of his many books to make the big time, and it was the first of his books that I read. I was hooked from there on in. I believe I have read almost all of his wonderful stories.

Crichton is also known for Jurassic Park, Prey, State of Fear, The Lost World and many others. His last book, Pirate Latitude, was published after his death.

I picture Michael Crichton's ghost swooping in to our party with great tales of the technological dangers in the afterlife, and possibly brandishing a weapon brought back from one of his time travel excursions.

Jack Ketchum Gets Invite Number 10

Last but not least, we must invite Jack Ketchum. This writer's work is classified as horror, but his stories are not of ghosts and demons. Instead, his subjects are human beings -- of the horrible variety. In the best known of his books, The Girl Next Door, a young girl is tortured by a group of adolescents, and often with the encouragement of the girl's alcoholic aunt. One of Ketchum's earliest books, Off Season, involved cannibals who feasted on tourists to New England. The book was pulled from the shelves at the time it was written, but was re-released in 1999.

Ketchum has had seven nominations and three wins for the Bram Stoker awards.

I'm almost afraid to invite him, to be honest. He sounds like the most dangerous of all the guests. Still, I'm guessing that Michael Crichton can probably protect us with some amazing new weapons brought from the afterworld.