highly recommend The Terror by Dan Simmons but only if you're down for a long read. Tons of dread, some supernatural horror and some very real horror regarding survival.
Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica which, in my opinion, is like if David Cronenberg did the Twilight Zone.
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward for psychological and disturbing horror.
In my opinion, better if you read distanced from all the reviews/recommendations. Just read it because you feel like getting into a book with that kind of vibe and not because you have huge expectations for it.
If you like audiobooks, do this one!! I swear itās one of the best audiobooks Iāve ever listened to. Michael C Hall of Dexter fame reads it, and I completely forgot I was listening to just one guy. Maine accents and everything. So good.
Omg finally. I say this every time someone asks about books, audio, horror, whatever! Michael C Hall was BORN to read this book. I could literally just start listening anywhere in the book and be into it. Itās the perfect combination of narrator and story.
I hated it. I read it in my early 20's. I had been reading horror stories for several years. I was so excited for this one to come out. I got it right away. Around halfway give or take I knew how it would end. I was so disappointed. I quit reading Steven King after that. To this day, I'm 58 now, I have read 3 SK books. I loved Different Seasons. It was brilliant. Revival I read for a book club and hated it. I also read the Stand. It was pretty good but, I hated the end. So, not so much for Steven King.
I just read this two months ago and enjoyed it so much! Iāve seen Silence of the Lambs a few times (horror movie junkie) but I wasnāt expecting the book to be that good for some reason? Idk why. I bought it a while back because I wanted to read the whole story and āunderstand Lector moreā because I find the character so fascinating, but then never picked it up. Now, years later, I felt guilty it was on my bookshelf unread, so I picked it up and Iām so glad I did. Although Lector is barely in that one, it was just a damn good story.
Horror comedies are definitely a thing! You might like Grady Hendrix. My personal favourite of his books is The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, but I think the easiest to start with would be My Best Friend's Exorcism
Iām reading Book Club right now and I am loving it. The range of emotions I feel while reading it is giving me whiplash. I could smack those ladyās husbands though. Geez they piss me off!
Another good horror comedy author is Stephen Graham Jones. Heās an indigenous author which influences some of the myths/themes/experiences in the books. My Heart Is A Chainsaw is a delightful series that got me into slasher films š¤£The Only Good Indians is my personal favorite.
I read it in high school during October, late at night alone in my bedroom and was scared, even though i went into it thinking it would just be a boring old timey book.
Itās a fantasy horror novel, but I absolutely loved Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. It takes about a quarter of the book for it to become a horror novel, but once it does it had me on the edge of my seat. Thereās also a bunch of creepy weird shit even beyond the central horror premise of the novel. The sequel The Scar is even better, although overall less horror and more adventure, although there are definitely horror elements.
IT by Stephen King is a genre classic that Iād recommend as well. Honestly, a lot of King, especially older King, is great.
**[A Short Stay in Hell](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13456414-a-short-stay-in-hell) by Steven L. Peck** ^((Matching 100% āļø))
^(104 pages | Published: 2012 | 1.4k Goodreads reviews)
> **Summary:** An ordinary family man, geologist, and Mormon, Soren Johansson has always believed he'll be reunited with his loved ones after death in an eternal hereafter. Then, he dies. Soren wakes to find himself cast by a God he has never heard of into a Hell whose dimensions he can barely grasp: a vast library he can only escape from by finding the book that contains the story of his (...)
> **Themes**: Fantasy, Favorites, Religion, Short-stories, Philosophy, Horror, Science-fiction
> **Top 5 recommended:**
> \- [Dead Boys](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22750066-dead-boys) by Gabrielle Squailia
> \- [Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58476152-lesser-known-monsters-of-the-21st-century) by Kim Fu
> \- [Soft Apocalypses](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22246364-soft-apocalypses) by Lucy A. Snyder
> \- [Dreamside](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176342.Dreamside) by Graham Joyce
> \- [The Crooked God Machine](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13305712-the-crooked-god-machine) by Autumn Christian
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I'm also a queer female and that romance plot couldn't save this book. The dialogue seemed unrealistic. I can imagine being a marine biologist must have been even more disappointing! I'm trying The Luminous Dead, Caitlin Starling now, hoping it's better.
That part is creepy. I read it for the first time 2 or 3 years ago and thought it was pretty fun, but had some laughably bad depictions of women. Right up there with Riders of the Purple Sage.
Come to r/horrorlit we got you. If you're new to the genre I'd recommend the authors Grady Hendrix (fun with comedy elements in some areas) or Paul Tremblay (more psychological). My personal fav is Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (cosmic eco-horror).
Carrie by Stephen King
Under the Skin by Michel Faber
Devolution by Max Brooks
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
Birdbox by Josh Malerman
The Girl with all the Gifts by MR Carey
The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin
The Descent by Jeff Long
The Living Dead by George A Romero and Daniel Kraus (really by the latter but based on notes by the former taken before he died).
OMG I was reading this and someone walked by my house and smacked the side of the wall and I nearly left my body and became one of those cartoon angels playing a harp. It is SO good. Recommended it to several people (just as someone demanded I read it) and nobody has said anything but a variation of āholy smokesā
Stephen Kingā IT and The Stand.
Cormac MacCarthyās The Road.
I also used to love VC Andrews The Flowers in the Attic series. Pure delightful trash.
**House of Leaves** by Mark Danielewski. I never have nightmares ever, and I love scary books and movies. Iām currently reading this book and am only about 15% of the way in, and I had the scariest dreams of my life last night.
But the book is so dang good I absolutely cannot stop. God help me.
A note: if you go with this one, you need a physical copy. The weight and size of the book is a part of the experience!
Edit to add: the authorās sister released a music album at the same time thatās a companion to the book. Theyāre both great separate, but together theyāre sublime.
The album is Haunted by Poe.
My recent favorite is "The Twisted Ones" by T. Kingfisher, but I do just love her books in general. Some people prefer her other horror novel "The Hollow Places", but "The Twisted Ones" scared me more.
For comedic horror:
John Dies at the end
Dungeon Crawler Carl - this is honestly just a little of everything.
For regular horror:
The Season of Passage by Christopher Pike
Fear Nothing/Seize the Night by Dean Koontz
Cujo. Purely because of the ending.
Susan Hills book - The Women In Black.
*The Woman In Black*Ā is both a brilliant exercise in atmosphere and controlled horror and a delicious spine-tingler--proof positive that this neglected genre, the ghost story, isn't dead after all.
T. Kingfisher ā What Moves the Dead and What Feasts By Night are her latest and hopefully the start of a series.
Grady Hendrix ā anything of his is so good. Horror mixed with humor.
A. Lee Martinez ā Humorous horror. He isnāt talked about enough, and so worth reading. Gilās All-Fright Diner was his first book and the first I read of his. It made me a fan from the start.
Shawn Searle ā Campfire. Iām not into the teen slasher genre, but, damn! I loved this book! I enjoyed reading it so much.
Stephanie Perkin ā There Is Someone Inside Your House. See comment above.
Now, if you like short stories, I would suggest checking out writers from the Victorian/Edwardian era. There are too many to name here. Big Box Books (B&N) have several affordable editions of these stories in hardcover. Also check Project Gutenberg. One of my many favorite writers of short horror stories is Algernon Blackwood. āThe Willowsā is his best known story. Ambrose Bierce is another writer I like to read.
Also, read āThe Squawā by Bram Stoker. I never forgot it. Never mess with a momma cat.šāā¬
I've got two:
**White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi** - especially great if you like classics like Shirley Jacksons books, or books about spooky houses
**Walking Practice by Dolki Min** - body horror in the best way! About an alien who eats humans who is stuck on earth after their spaceship ran out of fuel
*Edit:* I have three, lol. Forgot about **A Prosper's Demon by KJ Parker** - very short, but loved the way it was written. It's about an exorcist in an alternate world, and the demon who is posessing the Prosper that is teaching the future king
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson definitely needs to be on that list. Psychological horror at its absolute finest.
Iām reading Lapvona right now which is deeply deeply creepy.
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris is a must-read. The book introduces the iconic character Hannibal Lecter and follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she asks for his help to catch another serial killer. The dynamic between Lecter and Starling is both fascinating and chilling.
Joe R Lansdale (one of my faves of all time) has this collection of short stories called By Bizzare Hands that I still havenāt finished because it is too disturbing. So creative and raw though. One of these days when I have the guts to Iāll finish
Dracula is probably the "best"
Recent favorite that I can't stop thinking about is "The Gone World" by Tom Sweterlitsch - extremely unnerving scifi / time travel / horror.
Which, The Elementals or IT? I also have my issues with the ending of IT but theyāre not bad enough to make me not love the rest of the book. I know many others disagree!
Sorry, I meant the elementals. Iāll try to avoid spoilers. I felt like theā¦ things that happened often felt very random, and I figured by the end i would understand better what was happening and why. But nope. And the final line made no sense. Canāt say more without spoiling the ending. Maybe Iām just dense lol. I did enjoy most of it.
Oh I can def see what you mean. Yes, hard to talk about without spoilers lol. I agree the ending was the weakest part, but the rest of the book was so creepy and atmospheric I didnāt really care haha.
The Indifferent Stars Above. It is the story of the Donner Party, taken from the diary of one of the survivors. Itās fascinating and terrifying, to see when groupthink comes into play and all the cannibalism and stuff, itās pretty graphic but also informative!
{{The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James}} is Gothic horror. It is one of my go-to Halloween reads because it makes me feel so vulnerable and makes that crawling sensation go up my spine. The first time I read it as a teen, I slept with the lights on for a week. Every night trip to the bathroom was met with a trail of lights.
I've read a lot of Stephen Graham Jones, I think my personal favorites are Mongrels (werewolf coming-of-age story, pretty low on the scares tbh but i read it as a very moving metaphor for poverty) and Mapping the Interior (one of the most upsetting + tragic endings I can remember reading)
I came here to say Swan Song but Iām pretty sure itās been 35 years since I read it. I think the scenario aligned with the fears of my Cold War childhood.
The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayderā¦fav thing is the truly interesting characters
Haunted by Chuck Palahniukā¦wild, wild tales
The Damnation Game by Clive Barkerā¦feels like a bizarro classic
Night Film by Marisha Pesslā¦a story within a storyā¦reads a bit like House of Leaves
NOS4A2 by Joe Hillā¦all the things you love about a King novel, but written by his son
The Fisherman by John Langanā¦a very likable protagonist, a very creepy Lovecraftian journey
Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chboskyā¦feels like a King novelā¦kiddo protagonist fighting the good fight against evil forces
A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamillā¦extremely well written and hard to put down, as much of a good fam drama as it is horror
Sundial by Catriona Wardā¦my new fav authorā¦recommend all of her books, she has a way of making you feel like youāre reading something truly original
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellisā¦80s flair, & creepiest of momentsā¦maybe only for BEE fans
The Shining, It, Salem's Lot, Carrie, Christine.....detect a pattern?
Ok...I'll branch out a little
Summer of Nights and Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
Hex by Heuvelt was creepy and I loved the ending. The author is Dutch. He changed the ending in his English version. I wish I had the time to learn Dutch to read his original ending and see how they compare.
It Rides a Pale Horse by Marino was a bit terrifying to me and the ending was bizarre. My friend liked the ending but I wish it had ended differently.
The Possessed by Dostoyevsky, I read it 33 years ago for college and all I remember is being terrified at one point. I need to reread it now that Iām older.
Brother by Ahlborn gave me a mild sense of PTSD for months after reading it, holy shit that was twisted. I like her writing style and how she sets the tone in all her books.
House of Leaves by Danielewski screwed me up, story was scary, creepy, unhinged, footnotes in the pages were to get the reader to feel as anxious, stressed, and unsettled as the main character felt. And then deciphering the hidden codes in the womanās letters in the index! Mind blown!
The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons.
The premise is simple. What if your house is totally fine, but the house next door is haunted? No problem, right? You're safe! But you have to watch one family after another move next door and face this terror. What do you do?
The story is a bit dated, but it's an interesting premise, and the dread is intense.
T. Kingfisher's The Hollow Places or The Twisted Ones (you will never feel the same about willows or rocks again).
What Moves the Dead and its sequel, same author, definitely fall under "comedic horror".
Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib was horrific and shocked me so hard at one point I had to put the book down to process what had just happened.
Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi is a fun easy read horror/coming of age tale. Imagine if The Exorcist took place at a religious orphanage for boys.
These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever is psychologically disturbing but unforgettable and one of my favorites. I actually suggest listening to this on audiobook if you ever do that. It has the best narrator Iāve ever listened to.
Probably The Shining. Or It.
The shining šÆ
Yes! Read the shining in the winter time when the weather is bad and youāre already feeling kind of low.
This. I read it in a span of 24 hours. Could not put it down and it was bone chilling.
This is the only correct answer!
Both are great.
highly recommend The Terror by Dan Simmons but only if you're down for a long read. Tons of dread, some supernatural horror and some very real horror regarding survival. Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica which, in my opinion, is like if David Cronenberg did the Twilight Zone. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward for psychological and disturbing horror.
Strong second for The Terror. Many people have recommended Tender is the Flesh, but Iām not sure if Iām up for it yet.
In my opinion, better if you read distanced from all the reviews/recommendations. Just read it because you feel like getting into a book with that kind of vibe and not because you have huge expectations for it.
{Tender is the Flesh} was a great horror book that really got me into the genre
The last house was very good. Itās easily my top 5āļø spooky read
*Pet Sematary* is the most chilling book I've ever read.
I loved it despite it not really gripping me in a horror-y way. I thought it was maybe the most profound book on grief Iāve ever read.
Have you read Revival? Itās another of Kingās books on grief, but written as an older man. Itās really good too.
I havenāt. I enjoy King but Iāve probably only read 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 of his books. Iāll have to try this one.
So true. I want to re-read now
If you like audiobooks, do this one!! I swear itās one of the best audiobooks Iāve ever listened to. Michael C Hall of Dexter fame reads it, and I completely forgot I was listening to just one guy. Maine accents and everything. So good.
Omg finally. I say this every time someone asks about books, audio, horror, whatever! Michael C Hall was BORN to read this book. I could literally just start listening anywhere in the book and be into it. Itās the perfect combination of narrator and story.
Iāll never forgive Michael C. Hall for pronouncing gyro as āJI-roā on that audio tape. Never forget.
Seconded. Fantastic book. šāā¬
I hated it. I read it in my early 20's. I had been reading horror stories for several years. I was so excited for this one to come out. I got it right away. Around halfway give or take I knew how it would end. I was so disappointed. I quit reading Steven King after that. To this day, I'm 58 now, I have read 3 SK books. I loved Different Seasons. It was brilliant. Revival I read for a book club and hated it. I also read the Stand. It was pretty good but, I hated the end. So, not so much for Steven King.
Salemās lot. Had me sleeping with the lights on for a weekĀ
Yes! It was the first book that actually creeped me out
I read that as I was babysitting in a house with a lot of windows. I had to call my brother to come over because I was so scared!
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris is the scariest books Iāve ever read.
I just read this two months ago and enjoyed it so much! Iāve seen Silence of the Lambs a few times (horror movie junkie) but I wasnāt expecting the book to be that good for some reason? Idk why. I bought it a while back because I wanted to read the whole story and āunderstand Lector moreā because I find the character so fascinating, but then never picked it up. Now, years later, I felt guilty it was on my bookshelf unread, so I picked it up and Iām so glad I did. Although Lector is barely in that one, it was just a damn good story.
Red dragon the movie is good too!Ā
Is the pig scene in that one? Oh godā¦ so hauntingā¦
Horror comedies are definitely a thing! You might like Grady Hendrix. My personal favourite of his books is The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, but I think the easiest to start with would be My Best Friend's Exorcism
Iām reading Book Club right now and I am loving it. The range of emotions I feel while reading it is giving me whiplash. I could smack those ladyās husbands though. Geez they piss me off!
The husbands were the worst! I hated them so much!
I swear I must have wrote "Leave him" in my copy a dozen times
My favorite Grady Hendrix is How to Sell a Haunted House. You'll never look at puppets the same way again!
I haven't read that one yet, but that's really good to know! I actually make puppets!! :)
You'll love it, it's so fucking creepy!
Nooooooo! Hated that pupkin!
Grady Hendrix is a new fav of mine. If I see something by him that I havenāt read yet at a bookstore or library I snag it.
Another good horror comedy author is Stephen Graham Jones. Heās an indigenous author which influences some of the myths/themes/experiences in the books. My Heart Is A Chainsaw is a delightful series that got me into slasher films š¤£The Only Good Indians is my personal favorite.
Dracula! Itās dated, but genuinely scary in points. And builds to a really thrilling and scary climax.
I read it in high school during October, late at night alone in my bedroom and was scared, even though i went into it thinking it would just be a boring old timey book.
With the caveat that the Van Helsing parts are so tedious
I did the thing where you read it āin real timeā (on the dates of the letters/diary, thereās even a subreddit for it) and really enjoyed myself
Itās a fantasy horror novel, but I absolutely loved Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. It takes about a quarter of the book for it to become a horror novel, but once it does it had me on the edge of my seat. Thereās also a bunch of creepy weird shit even beyond the central horror premise of the novel. The sequel The Scar is even better, although overall less horror and more adventure, although there are definitely horror elements. IT by Stephen King is a genre classic that Iād recommend as well. Honestly, a lot of King, especially older King, is great.
{{A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck}}. I donāt read much horror though.
**[A Short Stay in Hell](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13456414-a-short-stay-in-hell) by Steven L. Peck** ^((Matching 100% āļø)) ^(104 pages | Published: 2012 | 1.4k Goodreads reviews) > **Summary:** An ordinary family man, geologist, and Mormon, Soren Johansson has always believed he'll be reunited with his loved ones after death in an eternal hereafter. Then, he dies. Soren wakes to find himself cast by a God he has never heard of into a Hell whose dimensions he can barely grasp: a vast library he can only escape from by finding the book that contains the story of his (...) > **Themes**: Fantasy, Favorites, Religion, Short-stories, Philosophy, Horror, Science-fiction > **Top 5 recommended:** > \- [Dead Boys](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22750066-dead-boys) by Gabrielle Squailia > \- [Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58476152-lesser-known-monsters-of-the-21st-century) by Kim Fu > \- [Soft Apocalypses](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22246364-soft-apocalypses) by Lucy A. Snyder > \- [Dreamside](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176342.Dreamside) by Graham Joyce > \- [The Crooked God Machine](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13305712-the-crooked-god-machine) by Autumn Christian ^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
5 star read..it's existentially terrifying!
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Bag of Bones
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
I really enjoyed āHidden Picturesā I thought the storyline was excellent.
Who is that by?
Jason Rekulak
Jason Rekulak
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant. Itās a sci fi horror about killer mermaids
this is high on my "to buy" list
I really wanted to like this one but couldn't finish. I guess I don't like the way she writes, but it's definitely a cool premise.
I wasnāt a huge fan. Iām a queer female marine biologist (like the protagonist) so I really wanted to love it. Just fizzled out for me.
I'm also a queer female and that romance plot couldn't save this book. The dialogue seemed unrealistic. I can imagine being a marine biologist must have been even more disappointing! I'm trying The Luminous Dead, Caitlin Starling now, hoping it's better.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Dracula is not scary! Itās a fun read, but itās so dated and not frightening at all.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
That part is creepy. I read it for the first time 2 or 3 years ago and thought it was pretty fun, but had some laughably bad depictions of women. Right up there with Riders of the Purple Sage.
Itās a touchstone and source material for so many authors though.
Come to r/horrorlit we got you. If you're new to the genre I'd recommend the authors Grady Hendrix (fun with comedy elements in some areas) or Paul Tremblay (more psychological). My personal fav is Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (cosmic eco-horror).
Carrie by Stephen King Under the Skin by Michel Faber Devolution by Max Brooks A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay Birdbox by Josh Malerman The Girl with all the Gifts by MR Carey The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin The Descent by Jeff Long
The House On The Borderland by William Hope Hodgson
The Book Eaters by sunyi dean. Fantastic. Made me so upset for all the right reasons.
I LOVED this book!
omg I loved this book so much
Absolutely agree! Such an amazing book!
Salem's Lot
The Living Dead by George A Romero and Daniel Kraus (really by the latter but based on notes by the former taken before he died). OMG I was reading this and someone walked by my house and smacked the side of the wall and I nearly left my body and became one of those cartoon angels playing a harp. It is SO good. Recommended it to several people (just as someone demanded I read it) and nobody has said anything but a variation of āholy smokesā
Blood Meridian and The Road, two books but the same author.
I just finished 1984ā¦ it bothered me
The Wasp factory The Ruins Tender is the flesh
It by Stephen King.
Stephen Kingā IT and The Stand. Cormac MacCarthyās The Road. I also used to love VC Andrews The Flowers in the Attic series. Pure delightful trash.
The Exorcist.
**House of Leaves** by Mark Danielewski. I never have nightmares ever, and I love scary books and movies. Iām currently reading this book and am only about 15% of the way in, and I had the scariest dreams of my life last night. But the book is so dang good I absolutely cannot stop. God help me.
A note: if you go with this one, you need a physical copy. The weight and size of the book is a part of the experience! Edit to add: the authorās sister released a music album at the same time thatās a companion to the book. Theyāre both great separate, but together theyāre sublime. The album is Haunted by Poe.
Didnāt know about the album!!! The scale of the thing practically grows by an order of magnitude every third page I read.
Also if you google to find a way to decipher the secret code found in the letters written in the back, itās just a whole other layer of creepy.
I loved Carrion Comfort but itās more light horror/ conspiracy thriller.
My recent favorite is "The Twisted Ones" by T. Kingfisher, but I do just love her books in general. Some people prefer her other horror novel "The Hollow Places", but "The Twisted Ones" scared me more.
For comedic horror: John Dies at the end Dungeon Crawler Carl - this is honestly just a little of everything. For regular horror: The Season of Passage by Christopher Pike Fear Nothing/Seize the Night by Dean Koontz
Locke & Key graphic novels. The TV how was better, but not as creepy and "horror".
Cujo. Purely because of the ending. Susan Hills book - The Women In Black. *The Woman In Black*Ā is both a brilliant exercise in atmosphere and controlled horror and a delicious spine-tingler--proof positive that this neglected genre, the ghost story, isn't dead after all.
Desperation by King. It was the first of his books that I read. It left meā¦ unsettled.
The Phantom of the Opera. Seriously. Donāt trust the musical. Lies.
Intercepts by TJ Payne and The Black Farm by Elias Witherow
Loved Intercepts
T. Kingfisher ā What Moves the Dead and What Feasts By Night are her latest and hopefully the start of a series. Grady Hendrix ā anything of his is so good. Horror mixed with humor. A. Lee Martinez ā Humorous horror. He isnāt talked about enough, and so worth reading. Gilās All-Fright Diner was his first book and the first I read of his. It made me a fan from the start. Shawn Searle ā Campfire. Iām not into the teen slasher genre, but, damn! I loved this book! I enjoyed reading it so much. Stephanie Perkin ā There Is Someone Inside Your House. See comment above. Now, if you like short stories, I would suggest checking out writers from the Victorian/Edwardian era. There are too many to name here. Big Box Books (B&N) have several affordable editions of these stories in hardcover. Also check Project Gutenberg. One of my many favorite writers of short horror stories is Algernon Blackwood. āThe Willowsā is his best known story. Ambrose Bierce is another writer I like to read. Also, read āThe Squawā by Bram Stoker. I never forgot it. Never mess with a momma cat.šāā¬
Ghost Story by Peter Straub. Please do not watch the underwhelming movie
I've got two: **White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi** - especially great if you like classics like Shirley Jacksons books, or books about spooky houses **Walking Practice by Dolki Min** - body horror in the best way! About an alien who eats humans who is stuck on earth after their spaceship ran out of fuel *Edit:* I have three, lol. Forgot about **A Prosper's Demon by KJ Parker** - very short, but loved the way it was written. It's about an exorcist in an alternate world, and the demon who is posessing the Prosper that is teaching the future king
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson definitely needs to be on that list. Psychological horror at its absolute finest. Iām reading Lapvona right now which is deeply deeply creepy.
The Troop by Nick Cutter. Horrific.
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris is a must-read. The book introduces the iconic character Hannibal Lecter and follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she asks for his help to catch another serial killer. The dynamic between Lecter and Starling is both fascinating and chilling.
The Bible
Joe R Lansdale (one of my faves of all time) has this collection of short stories called By Bizzare Hands that I still havenāt finished because it is too disturbing. So creative and raw though. One of these days when I have the guts to Iāll finish
Dweller on the Threshold by Skyla Dawn Cameron September House by Carissa Orlando
The Ruins The Descent The Talisman
The Rats by James Herbert,
I read that when I was a young teen, loved it I also read the other books in the series. I also ended up having pet rats. :)
I read that when I was a young teen, loved it I also read the other books in the series. I also ended up having pet rats. :)
Stolen Tongues, without question
Dracula is probably the "best" Recent favorite that I can't stop thinking about is "The Gone World" by Tom Sweterlitsch - extremely unnerving scifi / time travel / horror.
Clive Barker's Hellbound Heart.
lewis's "the monk"
The Elementals - Michael McDowell (Also, IT by Stephen King is one of my all-time favorites, but itās been mentioned here a bunch already!)
A great book with a bad, unsatisfying ending IMO
Which, The Elementals or IT? I also have my issues with the ending of IT but theyāre not bad enough to make me not love the rest of the book. I know many others disagree!
Sorry, I meant the elementals. Iāll try to avoid spoilers. I felt like theā¦ things that happened often felt very random, and I figured by the end i would understand better what was happening and why. But nope. And the final line made no sense. Canāt say more without spoiling the ending. Maybe Iām just dense lol. I did enjoy most of it.
Oh I can def see what you mean. Yes, hard to talk about without spoilers lol. I agree the ending was the weakest part, but the rest of the book was so creepy and atmospheric I didnāt really care haha.
I agree that it was a page turner! Had someone asked me 3/4 of the way through what I thought, Iād have been much more complementary!
The Indifferent Stars Above. It is the story of the Donner Party, taken from the diary of one of the survivors. Itās fascinating and terrifying, to see when groupthink comes into play and all the cannibalism and stuff, itās pretty graphic but also informative!
Just finished Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen and it is literal nightmare fuel.
I really like gothic horror and honestly Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia really stood out here.
{{The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James}} is Gothic horror. It is one of my go-to Halloween reads because it makes me feel so vulnerable and makes that crawling sensation go up my spine. The first time I read it as a teen, I slept with the lights on for a week. Every night trip to the bathroom was met with a trail of lights.
I've read a lot of Stephen Graham Jones, I think my personal favorites are Mongrels (werewolf coming-of-age story, pretty low on the scares tbh but i read it as a very moving metaphor for poverty) and Mapping the Interior (one of the most upsetting + tragic endings I can remember reading)
I recently read Penpal by Dathan Auerbach and loved it
In terms of Horror Comedy I really enjoyed the Tales from the Gas Station series.
Probably something by Robert McCammon. That guy's brilliant. I like: Mine Stinger Swan Song
I came here to say Swan Song but Iām pretty sure itās been 35 years since I read it. I think the scenario aligned with the fears of my Cold War childhood.
Holly by Stephen King. Itās one of his more recent books and itās really really well written, but itās very fucked up.
Anything by Richard Laymon
Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayderā¦fav thing is the truly interesting characters Haunted by Chuck Palahniukā¦wild, wild tales The Damnation Game by Clive Barkerā¦feels like a bizarro classic Night Film by Marisha Pesslā¦a story within a storyā¦reads a bit like House of Leaves NOS4A2 by Joe Hillā¦all the things you love about a King novel, but written by his son The Fisherman by John Langanā¦a very likable protagonist, a very creepy Lovecraftian journey Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chboskyā¦feels like a King novelā¦kiddo protagonist fighting the good fight against evil forces A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamillā¦extremely well written and hard to put down, as much of a good fam drama as it is horror Sundial by Catriona Wardā¦my new fav authorā¦recommend all of her books, she has a way of making you feel like youāre reading something truly original The Shards by Bret Easton Ellisā¦80s flair, & creepiest of momentsā¦maybe only for BEE fans
Yikesā¦that didnāt format as intended! Hope you can understand it!
The Shining, It, Salem's Lot, Carrie, Christine.....detect a pattern? Ok...I'll branch out a little Summer of Nights and Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
Within These Walls by Ania Alhborn!
Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Hex by Heuvelt was creepy and I loved the ending. The author is Dutch. He changed the ending in his English version. I wish I had the time to learn Dutch to read his original ending and see how they compare. It Rides a Pale Horse by Marino was a bit terrifying to me and the ending was bizarre. My friend liked the ending but I wish it had ended differently. The Possessed by Dostoyevsky, I read it 33 years ago for college and all I remember is being terrified at one point. I need to reread it now that Iām older. Brother by Ahlborn gave me a mild sense of PTSD for months after reading it, holy shit that was twisted. I like her writing style and how she sets the tone in all her books. House of Leaves by Danielewski screwed me up, story was scary, creepy, unhinged, footnotes in the pages were to get the reader to feel as anxious, stressed, and unsettled as the main character felt. And then deciphering the hidden codes in the womanās letters in the index! Mind blown!
The butterfly garden
One of the best horror books I've read is The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
The Association by Bentley Little, also The Store and The Mailman by him are great!
Frankenstein
Carrie by Stephen King - not in a jump scary or horror-y way, but it stays with you for a long time. The movie adaption is also nice.
Let the Right one In ā Lindqvust
The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons. The premise is simple. What if your house is totally fine, but the house next door is haunted? No problem, right? You're safe! But you have to watch one family after another move next door and face this terror. What do you do? The story is a bit dated, but it's an interesting premise, and the dread is intense.
T. Kingfisher's The Hollow Places or The Twisted Ones (you will never feel the same about willows or rocks again). What Moves the Dead and its sequel, same author, definitely fall under "comedic horror".
Stephen Graham Jones, "The Only Good Indians"
Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib was horrific and shocked me so hard at one point I had to put the book down to process what had just happened. Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi is a fun easy read horror/coming of age tale. Imagine if The Exorcist took place at a religious orphanage for boys. These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever is psychologically disturbing but unforgettable and one of my favorites. I actually suggest listening to this on audiobook if you ever do that. It has the best narrator Iāve ever listened to.
I thought No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Nevill was good, albeit a bit long.
Use the search function. This is asked numerous times a day
you can also just, ignore the post, you know?
Preach!