One of the most messed up Stephen King novels is 'Pet Sematary'. The idea of a burial ground that brings things back to life in a distorted way is truly disturbing. The family's grief and the consequences of using the cemetery are just nightmare - inducing.
'It' also falls into this category. The shape - shifting entity that preys on children, exploiting their fears. The whole concept of a town haunted by this malevolent force that resurfaces every few decades to continue its reign of terror is extremely messed up. It delves deep into the childhood traumas and fears that can follow people throughout their lives.
'Misery' is quite messed up. The idea of an obsessed fan holding an author captive and torturing him is horrifying. Annie Wilkes is a character that you love to hate, and the power dynamic between her and Paul Sheldon is so wrong and disturbing.
One of the darkest is 'Pet Sematary'. It deals with the theme of death and the unnatural resurrection of the dead, which brings a lot of horror and unease. The idea of burying loved ones in a cursed place and what comes back is truly terrifying.
The dark man Randall Flagg in 'The Stand' is a major dark aspect. He represents pure evil, gathering his own group of followers and causing chaos and destruction. He has the ability to manipulate people and is behind many of the most tragic events in the post - apocalyptic world. Moreover, the true nature of the mist in 'The Mist' is quite dark. It contains all kinds of terrifying creatures, and the hopelessness of the people trapped in the supermarket, not knowing what lies outside in the mist, is a very dark theme.
Well, Pennywise from 'It' is surely one. As I said before, it's a clown that terrifies children by exploiting their fears. It lurks in the sewers and has a long - standing pattern of murder and mayhem. Another is Annie Wilkes from 'Misery'. She imprisons her favorite author and subjects him to all kinds of physical and mental torture, which is really dark. She's a seemingly ordinary person who can turn into a monster.
Among his many works, if we consider just three, 'The Shining' is extremely popular. It has been adapted into a well - known movie. 'It' is also very popular, especially with the recent movie adaptations that brought the terrifying Pennywise the Clown to a new generation. And 'Carrie' is popular too, as it was one of King's early works that really put him on the map.
Well, often it's the themes he uses. For example, in 'Misery', the idea of being held captive by a deranged fan is really dark. It plays on our fears of being at the mercy of someone unstable. It shows the power imbalance and the horror that can come from it.
There's 'Salem's Lot', which is about vampires taking over a small town. It creates a really spooky atmosphere. 'Cujo' is also one of his works. It's about a rabid dog that terrorizes a mother and her child. And 'The Dark Tower' series is a huge epic that combines elements of western, fantasy, and horror, following the journey of the gunslinger Roland towards the Dark Tower.
One of the 'most messed up' visual novels could be 'Danganronpa'. It contains disturbing themes such as murder, psychological abuse, and a battle - royale - like situation where students are forced to kill each other to survive. Another one might be 'Umineko no Naku Koro ni' which has complex and often dark family secrets, along with some rather mind - bending and disturbing plot twists. Also, 'School Days' is known for its rather messed - up relationship dynamics that lead to some very unexpected and often negative outcomes.
Most of Stephen King's novels are set in various American settings. Sometimes it's a small, creepy town or a big city with a dark underbelly. The locations often contribute to the creepy and mysterious atmosphere of his stories.
Stephen King often bases his novels in fictional towns or settings that draw inspiration from various locations in the United States, but there's no one specific place that dominates.