Horror is a fascinating genre because it takes the fears of humanity and experiences in the dark corners of the psyche and examines them in the open as a powerfully imaginative literary genre. As a form, horror is about stories that frighten and fascinate, from the uncanny to the supernatural to the grotesque, unearthing the petrifying and the horrific. The best horror is designed to be frightening and disturbing in equal measure, which is part of what makes it so memorable.
Top Horror Books
There are horror novels that have set the standard in the world of literature, including Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897), and Stephen King’s The Shining (1977). These books are not just scary to read or re-read, but they define the very scope of the horror genre.
20. We Have Always Lived in the Castle, By Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle is one of the most peculiar and chilling novels in American literary horror history. Published in 1962, it is one of the last books Shirley Jackson ever wrote, and it captures her distinct sense of psychological horror and her unique toolkit for exploring human interiority and commenting on social mores. One of the novel’s central themes is the idea of physical and emotional isolation. This duality explores the human condition—the safety of familiar spaces and the suffocating effect they can have on the psyche. We Have Always Lived in the Castle was published by Penguin Random House.
Who should read: This novel is an excellent read for fans of psychological horror, literary fiction, or stories exploring themes of isolation and suspicion.
19. The Haunting of Hill House By Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson makes another appearance on this list again with her 1959 release, The Haunting of Hill House, a book that created a very different kind of classic horror literature. Jackson, who refused to be restricted by genre conventions, created a novel that offers a profound investigation of psychic hauntings, and more than six decades later, it remains a touchstone for authors and filmmakers. Though undeniably a creepy ghost story, The Haunting of Hill House is a work of unusual precision; its foundation is a studied examination of the dark, hostile space that exists between humans. Its sustained evocation of terror may be unique in that it deploys its chills in the service of a broader but no less terrifying analysis of human nature. The book revolves around four characters: John Montague, who is a scholar interested in proving that the supernatural exists; Eleanor Vance, an embittered nursery maid who has led a sheltered life taking care of her overbearing mother; Theodora, a bohemian artist; and Luke Sanderson, the young heir to Hill House. The Haunting of Hill House can be found at Penguin Random House.
Who should read: The Haunting of Hill House is a psychological horror book with gothic elements, making it an ideal read for a diverse range of readers who are drawn to classic horror.
18. Let the Right One In By John Ajvide Lindqvist
In John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Let the Right One In (2004), the Swedish novel from which a recent film is adapted, the “right one” turns out to be a vampire, a perfected version of the lonesome hero tapping on a latch still held on by a rickety thread. In this novel, Lindqvist turns vampire folklore inside out, blending the horror, romance, and drama of the vampire narrative with the gritty, grim worlds—of 1980s Blackeberg, a Swedish suburb near Stockholm—that have become a recurring theme in his work. Oskar, the middle-school boy at the heart of the novel, is a victim of bullies at school and haunted by vengeance fantasies outside it. He lives with his mother in one of the blocks of flats where life has been reduced to living with your back to the wall, where the “dull grey” high-rise buildings that make up the estate not only magnify the “harsh, colorless light” of the sky but also the “drab, gray monotone” of Oskar’s sullen mood—before the arrival of the new girl next door. Let the Right One In can be found at Macmillan Publishers.
Who should read: Fans of horror will appreciate Lindqvist’s new and unsettling look at the vampire, which is lonelier, sadder, more desperate than the traditional rendition, and less glamorous and romantic.
17. Lord of the Flies By William Golding
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (1954) is a psychological exploration of the dark side of human nature. In an under-defined wartime setting, the novel begins with a group of English schoolboys abandoned on a tropical island when their plane crashes into the sea. Their new world is one of adventure and freedom from adults. Yet this fantasy of innocence soon reveals itself as deluded as their attempts to build a political system on the island fail disastrously. The boys’ attempts to enforce order and civilization are exposed as efforts to attempt the impossible: as fragile constructions that dissolve like a mirage of contact with human reality. This is not a bunch of kids adapting to a fight for survival; it is a lucid and haunting statement on the tenuousness of civilization, showing how thin the veneer of post-Enlightenment, liberal society is. This book is available at Penguin Random House.
Who should read: Teenagers often identify with the novel’s survival themes and children’s drama, as well as its cast of adolescent characters and its fundamental themes of independence, authority, and survival.
16. The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night By Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
Published in 2022, The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night is the first volume of an exciting new graphic novel horror trilogy by award-winning team Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, the duo behind the New York Times-bestselling Monstress trilogy. The book is filled with atmospheric horror infused with rich emotional characterization and vivid storytelling. The story is centered around the Yi family, who run a floundering Chinese restaurant day and night and confront phantoms and jilou (ghosts stemming from ancestral secrets) who threaten the family’s future. This book is available at Barnes & Noble.
Who should read: For fans of Liu and Takeda’s previous works, this trilogy offers a new and exciting universe to explore, but new readers will find She Eats the Night to be a captivating entry point into the dark and spellbinding worlds these two creators excel at crafting.
15. Nothing But Blackened Teeth By Cassandra Khaw
In the 2021 horror novella Nothing But Blackened Teeth, Cassandra Khaw uncovers the terror that comes through tensions of family and relationships played off against a creepy Japanese haunted house (of the Heian era). The supernatural is tangled in the too-real with a wedding that turns into a nightmare, an evil samurai spirit, the ghost of an executed wife, and an ancient suicide pact, with all the terror playing out through the entirety of the wedding party. As Khaw keeps increasing the stakes of her horrifyingly good drama, she keeps telegraphing (as writers often do) where you, as a reader, expect to find satisfaction, comfort, and an ending. This book is available at Barnes & Noble.
Who should read: Horror enthusiasts will be fascinated by this story because it is a thrilling, culturally rich horror story that should appeal to a broad audience. This book is particularly for those with a penchant for tight-knit storytelling.
14. Road of Bones By Christopher Golden
Christopher Golden’s Road of Bones, which was published in 2022, is a vivid depiction of how far people will go out of desperation for freedom. The novel follows the harrowing journey of Felix Teigland, a documentary filmmaker who is determined to explore the infamous Kolyma Highway in Siberia, known as the “Road of Bones.” This road, built during Stalin’s reign, is notorious for being constructed on the corpses of prisoners who died during its construction. Felix, along with his team and a guide, venture into the Siberian wilderness to capture the haunted history of this road on film. This book is available on Macmillan Publishers.
Who should read: Readers who enjoy chilling suspense and eerie atmospheres typical of horror fiction will find Road of Bones deeply satisfying. The novel’s blend of ghostly apparitions and a sinister historical backdrop provides a fresh take on the traditional horror genre.
13. The Only Good Indians By Stephen Graham Jones
Stephen Graham Jones’ The Only Good Indians, is a book, published in 2020, that dives into the American Indian experience. This book is perfect for those who like their horror to make them think as well as make their skin crawl. The narrative follows four American Indian men — Lewis, Gabe, Cass and Ricky — whose life is shattered when, as boys, they stumble upon a terrible accident on an elk hunt. The incident breaks through their consciousness — and reminds them how far they’ve come and how much they’ve escaped — soon seems to be forgotten until, years later. What emerges, then, is a narrative terrain that deals with the role of culture, identity and guilt. The Only Good Indians can be found on Simon & Schuster.
Who should read: Readers who thrive on psychological horror and supernatural thrillers will appreciate the suspenseful, eerie storyline and the intense, haunting scenes of this book.
12. Doing Harm By Kelly Parson
Kelly Parson’s 2014 novel Doing Harm is a unique take on the ethical and moral dilemmas that pervade the medical field. It delves into the psyche of those who hold life and death in their hands. The story follows Steve Mitchell, a confident surgeon whose life seems perfectly on track with a promising career at Boston’s renowned University Hospital. The novel’s intensity ramps up when Steve’s world is turned upside down by a series of unsettling events. He discovers that a cunning and malevolent force within the hospital is causing inexplicable medical complications, and soon, Steve finds himself suspected of being the perpetrator. Doing Harm is available on Macmillan Publishers.
Who should read: Doing Harm by Kelly Parson is a good read for people who like medical-themed storylines and are fascinated by out-of-the-box plots.
11. Beloved By Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison’s Beloved (1987) is an American literary classic that is set in Ohio after the Civil War and tells the story of slave woman Sethe, who is still haunted by what she remembers of her enslavement, the murder of her husband and child, and the years she spent get her life back on track after she escaped. After she gains her freedom, she becomes haunted by the ghost of her dead baby, and in what appears to be a terrifying sequence, the infant’s ghost pushes Sethe to come to terms with the realities of her memory and the complex nature of the supernatural world. The novel brilliantly interrogates ideas of family, freedom and the legacy of the past. Beloved is available on Penguin Random House.
Who should read: Readers who enjoy evocative stories by Black authors that tap into lush storytelling and provocative themes will enjoy this book.
10. Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories By Roald Dahl
Just before his untimely death in 1990, Roald Dahl – probably the finest short-story writer for children of the latter half of the 20th century – poured over 749 short stories in the General Reference Collection in the British Museum Library, in search of the 14 marvelous gems for this 1983 anthology. The only essential criterion for Dahl’s selection seems to have been the story’s chilling power: it had to be able “to whip your spine with icy fear” and “slither you toward unholy thoughts.” This spine-chilling collection is the perfect accompaniment to many such occasions. It is not only a spooky story collection, but the longest in existence since it delves deeply into dark human interiors to showcase the finest examples of its genre and how unsettling they are. This book is available at Macmillan Publishers.
Who should read: Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories is an excellent read for people who enjoy a collection of horror books.
9. Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman
Christopher Buehlman’s Those Across The River is a 2011 novel that follows the lives of a professor and his frail wife who retreat to their family estate in Georgia, where the crumbling remains of an ancient plantation lurk in the background. In 1935, amid a cloud of scandal, a professor and his wife seek refuge in their family estate in Georgia, shadowed by the crumbling remnants of an ancestral plantation. This setting forms the eerie backdrop for a tale steeped in Southern Gothic tradition and supernatural mystery. In a bizarre and chilling local custom, the townspeople engage in a monthly ritual where two pigs are sent across the river as sacrificial offerings but never return, sparking whispers and speculation about what dark forces might be claiming them. Those Across the River is available on Barnes & Noble.
Who should read: Christopher Buehlman’s Those Across The River is a great read for readers who enjoy horror, tradition and rituals from other cultures.
8. The Ruins by Scott Smith
Scott Smith’s The Ruins is one of those quick-in-quick-out page-turners but, thanks to the expert way the 2006 novel layers horror on horror, it also becomes a taut meditation on the nature of terror. It’s a novel for all those horror fans who are quick to notice the correlation between tales about a fantasy adventure that goes horribly wrong — about an ill-fated group of teenaged adventurers who, having found their summer paradise, assume the worst is over, who don’t suspect that the stunning beauty of their surroundings is like a veil concealing ancient horrors just waiting to be unveiled. The real terror might not be the supernatural at all, but the human: what we are all capable of. This book is available at Barnes & Noble.
Who should read: Scott Smith’s The Ruins is an excellent book for readers who enjoy horror, fantasy, adventure and fiction.
7. Coraline By Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman’s Coraline is a book, published in 2002, that does not rely on gore or shock alone, but instead on a creeping sense of dread and the realization that the world we take for comfort may hold darker depths. The book plays into one of our scariest fears: that a dark stranger can assume, seemingly effortlessly, the comforting guise of someone we love and trust. In Coraline, young Coraline Jones discovers a dark reflection of her own reality, where everything that seems familiar right down to the button on her shirt is, ultimately, weird and uncanny. Although this book is specifically marketed towards young readers, its ideas and plot can still seem particularly scary, especially for those who are not quite used to.
Who should read: Young readers who are ready to start engaging with the horror genre will find this book particularly compelling. It is available on HarperCollinsPublisher.
6. White Is for Witching By Helen Oyeyemi
Helen Oyeyemi’s White Is for Witching, is a 2009 book about the Silver family who are mourning the death of their beloved matriarch, Lily, when they move into a creepy old mansion on a cliff overlooking the sea at Dover. Miranda and Eliot, Lily’s twins, watch in horror as the two of them try desperately to keep the huge house from falling into ruin after their mother’s death. Miranda doesn’t handle her loss well: She begins to act strangely, experiences mysterious pains, sucks chalk and grows paler by the day. Her beloved family watches helpless and bewildered as their daughter changes. It’s a spine-tingling example of the Gothic, where the spectral merges irresistibly with the secret, navigating the maze of family demons and paranoid suspicion that can both feed and multiply by the daily repetition of isolation. This book is available at Penguin Random House.
Who should read: This book is a good read for people who are fascinated by the intrigue and suspense that captivates the reader long after the last page.
5. Something Wicked This Way Comes By Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) is pure Bradbury — dark, lyrical, filled with that wonderful, heavy foreboding that is often said to define his atmospheres. The novel isn’t Bradbury’s most commercially famous — that would be Fahrenheit 451 (1953) – but it is probably his best horror story. It is a story about a traveling circus full of carnival rides and games that comes to a town, and brings with it a strange and malicious man named Mr Dark who is able to grant the wishes of its residents in the most vengeful of ways. This book is available on Simon & Schuster.
Who should read: This book is a perfect read for people who enjoy dark horror and mysterious protagonists.
4. The House Across the Lake By Caroline Kepnes
Literary horror has an enduring fascination with secluded cabins and lake houses that offer the implausibly perfect setting for spooky acts and tit-for-tat paybacks. One of most effective uses of this trope is Caroline Kepnes’s 2022 novel, The House Across the Lake, where the widowed actress Casey Fletcher decides to spend some time alone in a holiday home in rural Vermont. Actually, alone is not how she wants it. So she ends up obsessively spying on her beautiful, wealthy neighbours. Before long, it dawns on Casey that those bubble baths and bracing runs in the woods aren’t all that’s going on, and that the couple appear to be directing an elaborate scam. This scam, it turns out, is being beautifully unravelled by Casey yet is seemingly about to be fatally undone by an increasingly erratic and dangerous off-scene partner. Her neighborly hobby turns into something much darker when one of her neighbors disappears without a trace.
Who should read: This book is a perfect read those who enjoy pulse-pounding suspense and intricate plot twists. The extra layer of mystery and horror makes this book especially compelling. This book is available at Penguin Random House.
3. Carrion Comfort By Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons’ 1989 novel Carrion Comfort has captivated horror fans with its unique and terrifying premise, offering a fresh twist on common fears. Although most people dread physical threats that could harm or steal their bodies, this novel introduces a far more sinister fear: The villain doesn’t seek to control one’s body but instead invades the human mind. In Carrion Comfort , the mind vampires are content to manipulate their victims from within by controlling their actions without ever needing to physically manifest. Dr. Saul Laski, a psychiatrist and concentration camp survivor whose haunting memories drive his quest. Armed with his sharp intellect, Dr. Laski is determined to uncover the origins of these malevolent forces and put an end to their reign of psychological terror. This compelling exploration of mind control and personal autonomy makes Carrion Comfort a standout in the horror genre, appealing to both aficionados and newcomers.
Who should read: This is a great book for readers who appreciate horror as a genre and like plots that are both mind-bending and intriguing. The book is available on Macmillan Publishers.
2. Frankenstein By Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley’s timeless 1818 masterpiece Frankenstein, has fascinated readers for over two centuries for good reason. The story poses a profound question that remains chillingly relevant even after so many years: What are the consequences when humanity dares to play God? The book centers around gothic horror, romantic tragedy, and philosophical inquiry and explores themes of ambition, responsibility, and the limits of human creativity. Shelley’s layered storytelling and attention to detail comes through as she explores the relationships between characters enhance the novel’s exploration of isolation and the desire for acceptance, making Frankenstein much more than just a horror story. Each reading of this tale about a visionary scientist and his monstrous creation offers new insights and emotional resonances. This book is available at Simon & Schuster.
Who should read: This is a great book for readers who are loyal to classic horror and love the intellectual aspects of it.
1. The Shining By Stephen King
It would be a travesty not to include Stephen King’s masterpiece on this list, and quite frankly, it is hard to pick just one. King’s The Shining follows middle-aged writer Jack Torrance who thought he would solve his creative block when he was hired as the winter caretaker of the historic Overlook Hotel; what could be a better opportunity for writing and family time than a secluded goldmine? As the snows fall and the temperatures plummet, the once-palatial hotel begins to morph into something like a prison. Cut off from the rest of the world, Jack’s psyche quickly begins to unravel. The yawning, empty corridors of the hotel echo only with the sinister creaks of buildings settling into place, and the haunting shriek of wind down its chimneys. These sounds seem to drive Jack towards a state of madness, rather than inspiring creativity. And this ultimately leads his wife and son to be at his mercy. The Shining is available on Penguin Random House.
Who should read: Stephen King’s The Shining is percet for people who are fascinated by the psychological aspects of horror and especially those who are fascinated by the breakdown of the human psyche under isolation and stress.