Best horror

[Shasti]

Love Stephen King for his ability to find horror in the everyday, and also to envision such vast fantasies;
Peter Straub is immensly talented - I've got to say they are pretty much neck and neck with their ability to write horror and fantasy;
Graham Masterson is wonderful;
Depending on what sort of horror you like - eg, gothic, classic, fantasy, murder-mystery, then a few others include;
'Where Serpents Lie' by T Jefferson Parker - easily one of the scariest and tense books I've ever read about a psychopath in our midst;
'The Mermaid's Singing' and 'Wire in the Blood' by Val McDermid;
'Skull Session' by Daniel Hecht - just damn scary;
'The Church of Dead Girls' by Stephen Dobyns - builds and builds in fear.
Some good 'late night reading'!

[Carla Hurst]

Stephen King is the top in this classification IMO

[PhotonicGuy]

I like Stephen King most, but Howard Phillips Lovecraft is also scary.

[StephenKingman]

Stephen King, naturally. Nobody comes even close to matching his unique skill of creating a terrifying sense of unreality within the confines of printed word. He invites the reader into his worlds, be they haunted hotels, deserted apocalyptic wastelands or even high school and immerses them in spine chilling situations. I was genuinely petrified reading The Shining and Geralds Game, just two of his many classics...

[C0ldf1re]

King is good, but he doesn't match good old Poe for me. But I see public opinion is against me on this one!

[laci_baby]

King is good, but he doesn't match good old Poe for me. But I see public opinion is against me on this one!

My votes for Poe too!! I mean Pet Cemetary had me creeped out by Cemetaries, but Poe had me freaked out by everything.

[readerromance2003]

Anything by Christopher Pike!

[shayna]

Stephen King is pretty untouchable. I would say he wears the crown for the king of horror (pun).

[Pm7lucas]

Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, Anne Rice

Paula

[Ali hamza]

Tomatometer .
It was the best of horror movies, it was the worst of horror movies! The genre renaissance of this past decade continues unabated .