Palahniuk's Reinvention of Horror

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the horror fiction of Chuck Palahniuk? Between 2003 and 2006, he put out three books (Lullaby, Diary, and Haunted) that were supposed to "reinvent the horror genre." I think Palahniuk can be pretty entertaining, but I didn't find the books to be alll that radical as works of horror.

My horror reading has tended to be very Lovecraft-centric, so I've always wondered if I'm missing something. So, any thoughts from the serious horror fans in this group? Palahniuk's horror trilogy: How do they rate as horror? Did they reinvent the genre, or were they just decent excursions from an author already known for shock value?

I'm not sure I consider it "horror" per say. While I've only finished Haunted and haven't gotten through his others, I'd say it was disturbing and entertaining, but not what I consider true horror.

For me, I have to get a sense of something scary, not just nauseating, to consider it true horror fiction. Maybe I'm wrong and this is the new face of the genre, but I sure hope not!

I agree with Klarsenmd about the trend to call nauseating things horror when they are not. It just doesn't work for me. I like my horror stories but they have to be frightening, not sickening.

I read Lullaby and didn't class it as horror. Neither did the library when I first borrowed it from them, it was just in general fiction. I liked the story enough to buy the book but it's never scared me. And I was tempted by Haunted but the cover and the description put me off because it sounded too nauseating to be either scary or a good story.

On just the one book I don't think I can say if he reinvented anything but for me good horror needs class and it needs to be creepy and build up slowly to something frightening.

I haven't read any Chuck Palahniuk. I know it's unfair, but I've kind of skipped his books just like I skipped Douglas Coupland and Anne Rice; because their fans get on my nerves.

I'll try him some day. Choke at least looks interesting (though maybe slightly similar to Fight Club?)...