What has stayed with you?

[cloudy]

Abs and I were talking last night about stories that have stayed with us for years - in my case, some for decades. But, in thinking about the conversation, I realized that most of those I'd mentioned were short stories (or in one case, a short film) that I had read/seen when I was in my teens, most in my early teens. I wonder now if that was the determining factor, and not so much the subject matter.

Since the Halloween Contest is going on right now, our talk drifted naturally to scary subjects. Some Abs had read, some she hadn't, but the main ones I remember were all very scary, but not gory - psychologically scary:

The Langoliers, by Stephen King. Entirely improbable, but it scared the shit out of me anyway.

The Mist, again by Stephen King, and again, entirely improbable. Still scary.

The Dunwich Horror, by Lovecraft. Read it, is all I can say.

Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury. Not all that scary, really, but it definitely left its mark. I'm not sure why.

The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson. Evil story.

And, the one short film that was a tv movie in the 70's, I think: it was called Trilogy of Terror, and the one with Karen Black and that evil little statue. *shudder* I'd almost be afraid to watch it again.

What has stuck with you?

 

[Guest]

"I Have No Mouth, But I Must Scream"

A short story by Harlan Ellison, post apocalyptic, three men and a woman caught in the belly of a sadistic computer.

Just the thought of it makes my skin crawl.

 

[Stella_Omega]

It's interesting that you mention-- that the stories that stick with you are the ones you read as a teen. I still know every single word to every single song that I've ever heard-- up to my late twenties. After that, it became less automatic, and now song lyrics barely stay with me, no matter how may times I hear and enjoy the song. I think that there is a definite mechanism there...

Scary stories... I read all of Lovecraft, untill one of them suddenly hit me hard. It was called "The Color out Of Space." and it scared me so badly that I had to get out of bed and go into the living room for comfort-- admitting that I'd been reading with a flashlight when I should have been asleep...

Unfortunately, my folks were playing the Doors album "Strange Days" which is pretty spooky in itself-- and for years I couldn't hear those songs without flashing back to that story...

 

[Guest]

It's interesting that you mention-- that the stories that stick with you are the ones you read as a teen. I still know every single word to every single song that I've ever heard-- up to my late twenties. ...

Everything is so damn IMPORTANT when you're that age.

It's true for me.

Saw Pink Floyd's "The Wall" the first time when I was about 11(?).

Still now, two decades (that's all I'm admitting to!) loater, "The Trial" gives me shivers.

 

[christabelll]

The Langoliers, by Stephen King. Entirely improbable, but it scared the shit out of me anyway.
It was a great book though the movie sucked

The Mist, again by Stephen King, and again, entirely improbable. Still scary.
Ohh I have to go find that one...

Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury. Not all that scary, really, but it definitely left its mark. I'm not sure why.
Loved the book and the movie (think way back) and yeah to me it was scary.

I took out the ones that I didnt know...

And, the one short film that was a tv movie in the 70's, I think: it was called Trilogy of Terror, and the one with Karen Black and that evil little statue. *shudder* I'd almost be afraid to watch it again.
OMFG..... That little voodoo doll scared the piss out of me!

What has stuck with you?

Then I will add these

The Amiteyville Horror - sweet christ freaked me out for days!

"JAWS" I literally read the book about two months before the movie came out. The book didnt scare me... The movie terrorized me, and too this day I cannot get into the ocean above my shoulders. My little sis who saw it too cannot and will not swim in anything other than a pool. How many beach goers were shattered by the film?

"The Shining" well before the movie... Had me jumping at the slightest sound for weeks.

Alien - taut and fraught good god....screeeee!

And this old book... "Goat Song". It wasn't horrifying, nor was it neccessarily scarey. But it struck me as oddly fundamental and in some places engrossingly barbaric.

And, as Cloudy says, most of these books/movies were /read seen in early to late teens, and mid twenties. For scarey stuff these are them....

Oh and yeah have to bring it up...."The Exorsist" freakey and gross and evil and throughly intriguing.

 

[BlackShanglan]

I don't have a great many frightening stories that have stuck with me. For some reason I do often remember "Elil-hrair-rah and the Black Rabbit of Inle'" from Watership Down. That, and Fiver sitting under the tree at Cowslip's warren, revealing the treachery of their hosts in "a story for Elil-hrair-rah to cry at."

 

[Guest]

I don't have a great many frightening stories that have stuck with me. For some reason I do often remember "Elil-hrair-rah and the Black Rabbit of Inle'" from Watership Down. That, and Fiver sitting under the tree at Cowslip's warren, revealing the treachery of their hosts in "a story for Elil-hrair-rah to cry at."

That was very spooky, wasn't it. What an incredible book.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I've said this before, but... The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

 

[impressive]

What has stuck with you?

Scary ...
The bathtub scene/chapter from The Shining.
Straub's Ghost Story.

Other ...
The Color Purple
Lovely Bones
Handmaid's Tale
Stranger in a Strange Land
The Stand
Jennings' Aztec series
Asimov's Foundation series
Dune

 

[cloudy]

okay, 'nother question: why do you think those particular stories/scenes have stayed with you so long?

Is it the age at which you read/saw them? Or is it the story itself?

 

[Stella_Omega]

I'd have to say that more stayed with me merely because of my age-- than because of any particular worth.

But I read Lia Francesca Block's "Dangerous Angels," about ten years ago-- I was living in Chicago, and that book gave me an incurable case of homesickness for Los Angeles. I blame her for bringing me back here, I really do.

Oddly enough, I just re-read it, about one month ago-- and still felt homesick!

 

[jomar]

These stuck given the time at which I read them:

Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
The Foundation books by Isaac Asimov
Dune by Frank Herbert

I used to read a lot of King and Lovecraft as well. It's fun to be scared but safe. And who of certain age can forget Carlos Castaneda? Is he still a rite of passage?

 

[Stella_Omega]

Why Asimov? Although some of his titles resonate for me-- "Podkayne on Mars" "The Stars Look Down" his stories never had much emotional depth, imo.

Dune, somewhat.

LOTR-- Jesus, it took decades for me to get away from that rut!

Books I read as a child; the Narnia series, especially "Voyage Of The Dawn Treader." I never got all the religious subtext, being raised atheist, and when Lewis piled it on heavy, I found it irritating. Likewise, the "farther in is farther out" routine at the end of "The last Battle" but obviously, I still remember it! And I remember being very sad that I could never have a shoulder-sitting, insect-eating dragon, like the girl in Earthsea.

"Still life with Woodpecker," Jomar? I still love his mantras; "Yuck" and "Yum"

 

[jomar]

Why Asimov? Although some of his titles resonate for me-- "Podkayne on Mars" "The Stars Look Down" his stories never had much emotional depth, imo.

Dune, somewhat.

LOTR-- Jesus, it took decades for me to get away from that rut!

Books I read as a child; the Narnia series, especially "Voyage Of The Dawn Treader." I never got all the religious subtext, being raised atheist, and when Lewis piled it on heavy, I found it irritating. Likewise, the "farther in is farther out" routine at the end of "The last Battle" but obviously, I still remember it! And I remember being very sad that I could never have a shoulder-sitting, insect-eating dragon, like the girl in Earthsea.

"Still life with Woodpecker," Jomar? I still love his mantras; "Yuck" and "Yum"

Yeah, "Still Life..." Go figure. It was the "How do you make love stay?" thing at that hit me at the time.

Asimov - just liked his stuff - the politics, logic, etc. I read a lot of his other things too. I think he has King beat for productivity.

 

[rgraham666]

I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream and 'Repent, Harlequin!' Said The Ticktockman. by Harlan Ellison are stories that have stuck with me since the first time I read them. Which, son of a bitch is nearly forty years ago now.

Starship Troopers By Robert A. Heinlein. I can't make a move politically without a nod to this book.

The Bully And The Crazy Boy. An interesting story about how insanity is more of a survival trait than intelligence.

At The Mountains Of Madness, Dreams In The Witch House and Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft. Creepy, creepy stories.

The Telzey Toy by James H. Schmitz. This is where I got my love of strong female characters.

Neuromancer by William Gibson. Grabbed me from the first line and never let go.

Oh, Stella? Podkayne of Mars was a Heinlein book.

 

[christabelll]

Well.... Charlottes Web was the first profund read of my life (once it all clicked (the reading part)... I read it 20 some times in one year I was that fascinated with it. Something abou tthat little pig wilbur being loved and cherished and saved.... when as a child my life was sheer unrelenting hell helped me stay relatively sane.
Books became my escape act. I couldnt be yelled at or beaten if my nose was in a book.

Since I have always been interested in paranormal experiences
Amiteyville, Shining, Exorcist had a profound impact on me regarding light and dark, evil versus good etc. Amity and Exorcist were forbidden books for my age (10 and 12 at the time)... So part of why they stuck with me was breaking rules...

Goat Song lead me into my love of history at 14. I was reading books I had no business reading long before any of my classmates were even interested in casual reading.

Stranger in a Strange Land just about killed me to read. as was Anvil of God (or was it forge of God?) One reason was that I was severely questioning my religious views and place place in the scheme of things. One showed me the truth of the human condition and that is if we dont understand it frightens us and we always kill what frightens us. And the other showed me that Even in the darkest hour there is a light that shines for us to hold onto.

Never read but one of the dune books...

LOTR just plain Rocks!

Foundation read 5 of the 6 or so books then lost interest....

Those are just some of the reasons.....

 

[Stella_Omega]

...characters.

Neuromancer by William Gibson. Grabbed me from the first line and never let go.

Oh, Stella? Podkayne of Mars was a Heinlein book.

oops.. See? That's me and Asimov in a nutshell!

Gibson's earlier books are extraordinary. His later books are better plotted, maybe-- but some trick of the style is missing now. maybe?

 

[cloudy]

Amity and Exorcist were forbidden books for my age (10 and 12 at the time)... So part of why they stuck with me was breaking rules...

Your parents wouldn't let you read some things? How sad. I was very lucky in that my parents encouraged me to read, and to read whatever I liked. My mother and I used to trade novels back and forth.

 

[rgraham666]

Asimov did some really excellent short stories. The Final Question and The Nine Billion Names of God come to mind. I never really got into his Robot series, which is the first thing that always comes to mind.

And I agree about Gibson's early stuff. I've reread his Sprawl series at least a dozen times. I read the first one in his next series once, never again and haven't felt the urge to read the others. The first just didn't catch me the way his early work did.

 

[Fusionnée]

The Dark Half - Stephen King

 

[Guest]

Edgar Allan Poe late at night...

M.Z.Bradley's The Fall of Atlantis - dark, confusing, forever unexplained.

Maharat

 

[ABSTRUSE]

And, the one short film that was a tv movie in the 70's, I think: it was called Trilogy of Terror, and the one with Karen Black and that evil little statue. *shudder* I'd almost be afraid to watch it again.

What has stuck with you?

I still won't stick my hand under the couch!

 

[cloudy]

What do y'all think?

What was the determining factor? Why did the particular stories we listed stick so well? Were they that good? Or were we merely extremely impressionable?

 

[ABSTRUSE]

What do y'all think?

What was the determining factor? Why did the particular stories we listed stick so well? Were they that good? Or were we merely extremely impressionable?

Perhaps they created something in our minds, or should I say triggered something? Something taboo maybe that piqued our interests? Something we wish we thought of or that the author had the ability to express something we wanted to know more about?
Certain images, passages stick with me.

 

[glynndah]

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes My first real lesson in "What if that happened to me?" fiction.

"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury One of the saddest short stories I ever read (and saw as a television show, too) about being a new kid

My Side of the Mountain by Jean George Doesn't every kid want to go live in a hollow tree?

Joshua Son of None by Nancy Mars Freedman The cloning of John F. Kennedy and the inspiration for several term papers.

All those novels by Frank Yerby the librarian tsked about when I checked them out of the adult section when I was 12