From Gothic Gloom to Splatterpunk Gore: The Horror Fiction Quiz
Estimated Completion Time 5 min
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About This Quiz
The long history of horror fiction is a nightmare parade of ghosts, demons, murderers, monsters, zombies and other unspeakable entities. Take this quiz to test your knowledge of these spooky tales.
START QUIZ
The classic gothic horror novel "Dracula" is by what author?
The fountainhead of vampire fiction was written by Bram Stoker. (Don’t worry horror fans, the questions in this quiz get more difficult.)
Shirley Jackson wrote a 1959 novel that is widely considered one of the best ghost stories of all time. It was adapted into movies twice. What was it called?
"The Haunting of Hill House"
"The Haunting of Hill House" concerns a paranormal investigator seeking proof in a house known for tragic death.
In Robert R. McCammon's "They Thirst," vampires conduct a brutal takeover of what American city?
The vampires invade Los Angeles.
Brett Easton Ellis' 1991 novel "American Psycho" is about …
a murderous spirit that has been possessing people and forcing them to commit murder since the 1600s
a circus clown who murders children
a Wall Street broker who is also a serial killer
"American Psycho" is about Patrick Bateman, a suave Wall Street broker who murders people without a shred of remorse and really loves Whitney Houston.
"Lost Souls," "Drawing Blood" and "Exquisite Corpse" are horror novels by author Billy Martin, who at the time they were written went by what name?
Martin previously wrote under the name Poppy Z. Brite but has retired from writing.
Joe Hill, who has written four successful novels ("Heart-Shaped Box," "Horns," "NOS4A2" and "The Fireman"), is the son of what horror author?
Joe Hill's parents are Stephen and Tabitha King.
David Wong's comedy horror novel "John Dies at the End" was originally published how?
as an e-book only available within the online video game "World of Warcraft"
as a hardcover by a major publisher
as a free serialized story on Wong's website
Wong posted "John Dies at the End" for free on his website before it was purchased by a publisher and released as a paperback.
"The Turn of the Screw" is a classic ghostly novella, adapted to film numerous times and written by what author?
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
"The Turn of the Screw" is by Henry James, who also wrote "The Portrait of a Lady."
Who wrote "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Conqueror Worm" and "The Masque of the Red Death"?
Each of those classics was written by Edgar Allan Poe.
What novel is Anne Rice most well-known for?
"Interview With the Vampire"
Rice's vampire novels, including "Interview With the Vampire," were incredibly successful.
What William Peter Blatty novel, released in 1971, was made into a controversial movie with the same title?
"The Exorcist" was decried by religious leaders when the movie was released.
H.P. Lovecraft is known for pioneering what kind of horror?
unknowable cosmic entities from beyond time and space
doomed gothic romances with supernatural elements
Lovecraft's literary legacy is the idea of uncaring cosmic horrors that destroy sanity (or all of humanity) on a whim.
What was the first novel to use supernatural elements?
"The Mysteries of Udolpho"
Horace Walpole's use of supernatural elements in "The Castle of Otranto" was so unexpected that it was originally published as a "translation" of a medieval text, rather than the contemporary novel it was.
What is the full title of the iconic horror novel written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley?
"Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus"
"Frankenstein; a Tale of Man's Hubris"
"Frankenstein; the Monster Within"
Shelley started work on "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus" when she was only 18 years old.
What was Stephen King's first novel?
King struggled to write "Carrie," fearing he couldn’t identify with the problems of a teenage girl (albeit one with telekinetic powers).
Ray Bradbury's horror novel about an evil entity working at a traveling carnival and tempting people with their deepest desires is called …
"Something Wicked This Way Comes"
"The Man in the High Castle"
"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is a horror classic.
Clive Barker's "The Hellbound Heart" was adapted (by Barker) into what movie?
Barker wrote the screenplay for "Hellraiser" and directed it.
"The Between" is a novel about a man whose dreams suggest his reality isn't as solid as he thinks and that a childhood accident should have killed him. Who wrote it?
Tananarive Due wrote the unsettling "The Between."
Max Brooks' "World War Z" is a pseudo-documentary novel about what?
the formation of a nation of vampires
"World War Z" describes a zombie apocalypse as if it were a historical event.
Brian Keene's novel "The Rising" depicts a zombie apocalypse caused by what?
a military weapon that uses microchips to animate and control corpses
a particle accelerator experiment that allows demons to possess corpses
It's a particle accelerator to blame in "The Rising."
What is the name of the Peter Benchley novel that became a blockbuster movie and gave readers second thoughts about swimming in the ocean?
dunDUN dunDUN dunDUNdunDUNdunDUNdunDUN "Jaws"!
"Ghost Story" is the novel that established the horror writing career of what author?
Straub's "Ghost Story" is a tale of haunting and vengeance and was much more commercially successful than his earlier, nonhorror novels.
What novel about a family troubled by a demonic entity in their house, in which a series of brutal murders had occurred, was supposedly based on true events?
The family behind "The Amityville Horror" later admitted it was a hoax, but it's still a terrific ghost story.
Edward Lee's "The Bighead" is known for …
supposedly inspiring a series of actual murders
having the movie rights sold before the novel was even written
being one of the most disgusting, graphic and gross horror novels ever written
"The Bighead" is truly, truly vile and disgusting. For some horror fans, that's a warning. For others, it's more of a challenge.
Some elements of the first season of the HBO series "True Detective" were drawn from a book of short stories by Robert W. Chambers called …
"Forests Dark and Lonesome"
"The King in Yellow" is unsettlingly strange.
"Whispers," a novel about identical twin madmen on a killing spree, was the breakthrough novel for what best-selling author?
"Whispers" was a big hit for Dean Koontz, though he'd been writing novels for 10 years when it was released in 1980.
"The Walking Dead" TV series is based on a comic book series by what author?
The first issue of Kirkman's "The Walking Dead" was published in 2003.
Sarah Langan's novel "The Missing" is about a mysterious entity that makes the people in town do what?
commit suicide in gruesome ways
"The Missing" is a variation on the cannibal zombie theme.
The comic book miniseries by Steve Niles about vampires in far northern Alaska is called …
"30 Days of Night" was made into a commercially successful movie.
Chuck Palahniuk's "Lullaby" is about a man who develops the power to do what?
kill people just by thinking about a magic death poem
The "culling song" is a poem that kills — the novel is about the quest to find and destroy every copy of it.
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