It wouldn't be hard to argue that Stephen King is the single most influential horror author of the modern era, with the master of the macabre's many acclaimed novels keeping him both at the forefront of pop culture and at the top of NYT bestseller lists. Since his first novel, Carrie, published in 1973, King has inspired countless other writers to follow in his footsteps, and echoes of King's genre-defining work can be felt in everything from the output of Mike Flanagan to Stranger Things.

But what about the horror novels that inspired him? King's unique writing style and signature tropes were forged out of the many influences that motivated the author to put pen to paper in the first place. King is no stranger to shouting out his favorite books, and across his career he has named countless seminal novels from yesteryear as big influences on him. The following are eight of the most well-regarded books that we know are among King's most significant inspirations, as ranked from least to most acclaimed.

Countless Stephen King stories have been brought to the screen, but these books proved so iconic they were adapted more than once.

The oldest title on this list, The Turn of the Screw is an 1898 novella whose influence can still be felt on the horror genre well over a century later. As written by Henry James, the story follows a young governess, hired to nanny two oddly distant children, who becomes convinced that her young charges have fallen under the malign influence of an evil presence in their house.

Source link