In this fascinating blend of noir and cosmic horror, private investigator John Persons gets an unexpected client one day — a ten year-old boy who asks Persons to murder his stepfather. Then his wife vanishes, right after she commits a terrible act of violence. 1,256 books — 1,860 voters Darkest Books Of All Time. Horror is a peculiar genre. The reviews of ho rror fiction are being divided into the following categories in order to help to help visitors find books that they might be interested in. On the surface, Shori seems to be a young girl who suffers from severe amnesia. Sign up to Reedsy Discovery to win our highest-rated book each month for a year. What fun — that is, until it’s hour nine and you’re bored out of your mind at the wheel, unable to keep your eyes open to the pounding beat of tedium. 4.6 out of 5 stars 55. Like the quiet but recurrent tapping in her apartment. I’m totally on board with this direction and can’t wait to check out Campbell’s novel. Night Film stars Stanislaus Cordova, a reclusive cult-horror film director who hasn’t been seen in public for over thirty years. M.R. It’s a book that seriously examines the pre-set narratives that women are forced to live and breathe in society. As the narrative spirals further, both the characters and the reader come to realize that instead of a life-changing discovery, the explorers may have brought about a death-wracking monster. As the saying goes, it sometimes takes a monster to kill a monster. This fantastical, Lovecraftian take on the urban legend sees Borden (post-acquittal) and her sister take up residence in a seaside manor, only to find an evil spirit bubbling up from the ocean deep. But one more has been driven by more than just poverty — he’s on revenge-fueled journey, and will not rest until he makes one Mr. Shivers pay for the brutal murder of his daughter. Book of Horror Lists. The result is a terrifying look at confronting past trauma, set against a midwestern-gothic horror house as chill-inducing as the Overlook Hotel or Allardyce Manor. Not only do they face obstacle after obstacle of basic bad luck — low food rations, freezing weather, and a general predilection to take every wrong turn — but there also seems to be something darker, even more menacing, lurking in the mountains. Though Danielewski’s experimental debut remains largely uncategorizable, it definitely contains strands of horror DNA. Check out this list of every Stephen King novel, ranked from most popular to least popular.). Recap Master List; Let’s Do It! PO Box 331119 Murfreesboro, TN 37133 Phone: 615-295-2143 Email: dogcia.two@gmail.com ... Five Nights at Freddy's Fazbear Frights Four Book Boxed Set Scott Cawthon. If it’s meant purely to scare, then some of the heftier books on this list would have wracked up a body count, terrifying readers to death over 700 pages or more. One day, a routine ghost hunt goes awry and Michelina finds herself plagued by a curse that spreads “ghost chains” through her body — turning her into one of the very monsters she’s spent her life hunting. 1,112 books — 1,748 voters Most Anticipated: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Novels of 2015. Just as the tin says! Happy reading! The Definitive Horror Book List. 466 books — 1,564 voters I Like Serial Killers. Book List Inclusions: Learn More. Little does he know that his new bestie isn’t as young as he thinks… and that he has a peculiar set of appetites. This supremely scary mashup of both old-school witch hunting and the consequences of new-age technology is perfect for fans of Black Mirror and Robert Eggers’ The Witch alike. She roams Black Spring with her eyes and mouth sewn shut, vestiges of when she was first put to death for her crimes. Be warned: this is a novel where nightmares lurk in every nook and eeriness is perpetual, right up until the terrifying crescendo of a climax. But one day she realizes that some things are a little off. But let’s recap one of the best horror plots of all time anyway: inspired by the real-life story of psychotic murderer Ed Gein, Norman Bates and his Mother own the Bates motel, with the unlit neon sign out front. And the stains on the walls are somehow appearing mapped as bruises on Julie’s body… to say too much is to ruin the impact of this novel, but rest assured that you will get a full night’s worth of terror when you pick it up. From the grisly theories surrounding the Ripper to the personalities that stood tall during the desperate investigation, Moore spares no gruesome detail as he examines the motivations and identity of the most famous serial killer of all times. But what seems like a fairly straightforward first step in reclaiming the Big Apple is about to take an (even more) chilling turn. Genius Book Publishing is a genre press focused on speculative fiction. Sethe is a former slave who had to slit her infant daughter’s throat to prevent her from enduring the same profound injustices and trauma as her. The peerless Alan Moore put aside V for Vendetta and Watchmen to write this graphic novel, bringing to life the world of Jack the Ripper and his reign of terror in the 1880s. Underneath the thrills and agony of The Fifth Child lies a dangerous question about parenthood and the obligations of family. Sibling dynamics are given new meaning in The Fall of the House of Usher, a work of gothic fiction that centers on a spooky household. Interview with the Vampire went on to be an incredible success, spawning a series of popular novels and a film adaptation starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Written by 19th-century author Elizabeth Gaskell, these stories deliver everything: disappearances, Salem witch hunts, mysterious children wandering lost in the moors, and local legends that may or may not return to haunt the townspeople. And it’s a must-read for anyone who’s tired of heteronormativity in horror. But what makes House of Leaves truly frightening is Danielewski’s intertwining of plot and structure, the latter’s chaotic layout mirroring the former. No matter how many Greek myths you’ve read, there’s no way to prepare for the broken monsters that Beukes puts on display in this book. The story opens on a dying millionaire who pays $100,000 each to a physicist and two mediums for them to retrieve “proof” of life after death. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great horror books out there, you can also take our 1-minute quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized horror book recommendation Meet Kline, a former detective with an amputated hand. James essentially originated the “antiquarian ghost story.” Indeed, his writing was revolutionary for its time, discarding old Gothic clichés and using more realistic settings — which as we know by now, only makes a scary story scarier. After a whirlwind romance, a shy American marries a wealthy Englishman and returns to his estate in Cornwall. Kindle Edition. Now synonymous with any misbehaving child, the original “bad seed” was Rhoda Penmark, the sociopathic eight-year-old. To read one of Octavia E. Butler’s book is to become a fan for life. Like many of the other titles on this list, The Wise Friend seems to deal with buried family secrets, bizarre hauntings, and magic sites. I have highlighted three popular ones. When a parapsychologist invites a group of volunteers to stay at an old mansion with a bloody mystery, he hopes to uncover evidence of the supernatural. Easy, right? As the country is thrown into disarray and scrambles to erect combat schools to learn how to put down the dead, Jane McKeene studies to become an Attendant to protect rich white people… but her true motives are much more revolutionary. The book opens with Vic McQueen, a girl with an ability to magically create bridges to things she’s looking for — a talent that brings her into contact with a serial killer with a penchant for abducting children. As Persons delves deeper into the case, he realizes that his subject might not actually be human. See more ideas about horror novel, horror book covers, horror. A young mother lays dying in the hospital and a boy sits next to her bedside — only he isn’t her son. If this sounds familiar to you, we have an eleventh-hour Good Samaritan for you: th... Here’s an experiment: pick the name of a New York Times bestseller, HBO limited series, or Ben Affleck-starring blockbuster out o... Want to dive into African American literature? As Britain’s leading purveyor of shocking horror, Clive Barker has made a bit splash as both an author and a film director. Nate is a “storyteller” in a society wherein women have become extinct. More than anything else, it almost seems like a second chance… but as the excuse to continue using meth presents itself, Chase starts to question what separates him from the zombies. This incisive work from Joe Hart demonstrates that new horror can be just as thrilling as classic. All they know is that the road is dangerous, and all they’ve got to protect themselves is a single pistol and each other. Pages in category "Horror novels" The following 55 pages are in this category, out of 55 total. For some, it might be ghosts and haunted houses. One of the eeriest ghost stories in recent memory, Dark Matter tracks a five-man expedition to a remote part of the Arctic, where there is no sunlight whatsoever for months during the “polar winter.” All the men are optimistic going into the expedition; it’s only when they get there that they realize something is terribly, terribly wrong. But all three women are tied together together through a dark and terrible secret. And for the children of Derry, that mostly involves taking the form of Pennywise the Clown. More than a simple tale about vampirism, Dracula is an era-defining masterwork about sexuality, technology, superstition, and an ancient horror that’s too terrible for words. Kindle Edition. Release Calendar DVD & Blu-ray Releases Top Rated Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Showtimes & Tickets In Theaters Coming Soon Coming Soon Movie News India Movie Spotlight. They’re headed for the coast, not sure of what they will find there, but in the hope that they will find, well, something. Her mother Christine suspects her of hurting and possibly killing a classmate, an elderly neighbor, and even her own dog — and as Christine discovers the truth about her own mother’s dark past, she realizes that Rhoda has to be stopped at all costs, before The Bad Seed sprouts any further. Paranormal: horror novels involving ghost stories or supernatural horror events that do not exist within the context of... Occult: horror novels about ritual practices that are not considered religion or science. Obscura speculates about a near-future in which dementia afflicts people of all ages, rendering scientists and doctors powerless to even try and stop it. The Call of Cthulhu remains one of the most accessible entry points into Lovecraft’s works — some of which, if we’re being honest, are a bit hard for the uninitiated to follow. This mammoth 700-page novel follows "The Navidson Record" — a documentary about an apparently haunted house (if by "haunted" one actually means "alive"). His daughter, 24-year old Ashley Cordova, has just been found dead in an abandoned warehouse — and while her death has been ruled a suicide, investigative journalist Scott McGrath isn’t buying it. The titular interview takes place in modern day, as the vampire Louis recounts his story to a cub reporter. The Shining book. A paranormal take on western fiction, The Six-Gun Tarot takes place in 1869 Nevada, in a tiny desert cattle town called Golgotha. At the center of it all is Amy, a young girl abandoned in a terrifying world, and the key to saving humanity. You’ll be guessing the wicked truth about Mary and Constance right up to the very end. Oct 21, 2019 - Highly recommended books that will give you shivers. In the classic horror tradition, Bruchac offers a timely tale that will make hearts beat and brows sweat, and it has the bonus of a resourceful heroine to put the world right again. The Definitive Horror Book List, Per Goodreads show list info. The residents of Golgotha are no stranger to the supernatural — the mayor is guarding a hoard of mythical creatures, a banker’s wife is part of a secret order of assassins, and the town deputy is half human, half coyote. They soon realize that their connection to Vlad goes far beyond the scholarly. In the daylight, he hits the streets, stocking up on supplies and vanquishing the vampiric creature that lurk in the shadows. gothic tales — more specifically, fairy tales intertwined with short stories. Stranger things follow. As this mystery escalates in size and terror, Amanda is forced to confront nothing less than her own self. Kostova’s debut novel is a complex interlacing of spooky fiction and chilling historical fact. Listed by Stephen King as one of the best horror books of the 20th century, The Haunting of Hill House is a must-read for any fan of the genre. It’s all just fun and game… until it isn’t. This tale of a female vampire who attracts a lonely young girl served as the foundation for the “lesbian vampirism” trope (and, no doubt, inspired Bram Stoker to some extent as well). One story begins with the city of London waking up to find icebergs floating in the sky. She soon realizes that she’s now living under the (literal or figurative) shadow of her husband’s first wife: the seemingly perfect and recently deceased Rebecca de Winter. When the dead start walking on the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville, the fate of the nation suddenly doesn’t seem quite so important anymore. The story of Dr. Frankenstein and the anguished, tragic monster he unwittingly creates has become a cultural icon, both macabre and quintessential. From the mind of the bestselling author who brought you American Gods and Neverwhere comes a novel of wondrous and chilling imagination. Mother of two, Malorie must decide whether to keep her young children enshrouded in darkness for all their days, or risk all of them dying at the hands of “The Problem” in order to find a better shelter. Scott is now on a mission to uncover and expose the family’s deadly secrets. This connection becomes especially critical when their father disappears, and his daughter (our narrator) must use her knowledge to track him down. If you’ve never read The Shining, brace yourself for a marathon of mounting tension and terrifying twists, with a family fighting for their lives, even as they’re not exactly sure who or what they’re fighting. This is a list of lists of horror films. The closely related nature of these two elements becomes more and more clear over the course of Ruff’s book, and the shocking twist at the end will ensure that you never see Lovecraft (or America) in the same way again. But when it arrives in a heart-shaped box, Coyne realizes that this addition to his collection is less of a novelty than liability. Even before it went on to become a famous film, Carrie gave early fans a glimpse of King’s greatest gifts: his ability to write sympathetic, fully fleshed characters while also delivering on the big shocks. To cope, he begins the process of reincarnating his wife using a small sample of her liver. The infected move with only one motivation in mind: to feed. While cinephiles may recognise his works Candyman and Hellraiser, he first appeared on the horror radar with his short story collection, Books of Blood. And upvote your personal favourite. With Eddie Campbell’s stark illustrations, this extraordinary graphic novel is a reminder that the most horrifying truths lurk inside the depths of the human soul — and that not all monsters live in Hell. Eighteen years later, the child still haunts her — in some ways more than others. Having established his own reputation with Heart-Shaped Box and Horns, Joe Hill’s third novel contains countless nods to his father’s works while also leaning on his own brand of chilling prose. Movies. When looking at our Horror offerings we thought it would be great to add a new Horror-based reading list. The Kings of Maine are thoroughly represented on this list — and with good reason. And with every story, Gaskell shows her uncanny talent of blending reality and the supernatural with spine-tingling dexterity. Dark fantasy: horror … Desperate to rid himself of the demon, Del turns to three sources: a likewise possessed former sci-fi writer, a nun who tends to inspire unchaste feelings rather than an inclination to pray, and a secret society devoted to the art of exorcism. The books I've read are in bold, and reviewed books are linked. The Navidson house seems to mutate, changing size and sprouting corridors in a dizzying labyrinths, all while emitting an ominous growl. An absolute cornerstone of horror, that’s what! As Will and Jim tail the Benjamin Button-ized Cooger, searching for answers, they find that the mysteries of the carnival are even darker than they anticipated — and that that darkness may not be limited to the carnival alone. Pitched by the author as “Enid Blyton meets H.P. Lovecraft”, Cantero’s novel has also been compared to Stranger Things and Stephen King’s It, as his young protagonists face off against a danger that’s somewhat more menacing than an old prospector in a rubber mask. It’s up to one man, a Holocaust survivor, to extinguish this ancient evil before they do any more harm. The characters of Horrorstör know. And the memo that she sent earlier to her boss that was somehow replaced by a series of insults. An unnamed narrator visits them both and gets more than he bargained for. But what’s really strange about this town is the abandoned silver mine, out of which an ancient evil seems to be spilling. The world is a strange place, and humans, perhaps, are strangest of all; this strangeness is the very core of Miéville’s collection. More than a zombie horror novel, this blockbuster work transcends the form to ask serious questions of politics, power, and the right to information. Lovecraft was responsible for creating an entire mythology of elder gods, sinister sea-dwellers, mysterious cults, and men of science who are driven to the edge of their sanity. Is 14 year-old Marjorie Barrett schizophrenic or is she possessed by a demon? In the story that injected clowns straight into the nightmares of an entire generation, the title character is a demonic entity that disguises itself while pursuing its prey. Little do they know that, rather than getting to the bottom of the mystery, they’ll be unleashing a reign of terror upon both themselves and their beloved customers…, In this twisting tale told by self-described unreliable narrator Joey Peacock, the vampires of 1970s NYC have a perfectly organized (if violent) system of getting the sustenance they need. When she called the cops again, she learns that her assailant was found dead hundreds of miles away. Diverse Book List Books are organised by author's last name. Described as a “medical fantasmagoria,” comparable to Frankenstein in its scientific acuity, this Japanese sci-fi horror follows Dr. Nagashima, who is overwhelmed with grief at the loss of his wife. The definition of scary changes from person to person. Now he’s determined to return and confront his past, but there’s a small problem: the demons that drove his father to insanity might never have left the house. As a mongrel, he lives life in limbo, uncertain of his destiny, constantly being shuttled around. Here you can find free books in the category: Horror. Acts such as the cruelty of Nazi guards, John Lennon’s assassination, and the Iranian Hostage Crisis can all be attributed to people with The Ability — and they may be planning something even worse. Between the intensely surreal atmosphere that pervades the entire book and Morrison’s deep-cutting prose, Beloved is a masterpiece beyond that of most contemporary horror novels. As with many stories in the genre, Rosemary’s Baby starts out pretty innocently, and then things take a turn for the worst: Rosemary and Guy have just moved into a beautiful Manhattan apartment, and life is good. Gothic Tales is a collection of (surprise!) Gothic: horror novels that focus specifically on death. But when night falls, he squirrels himself away in his fortress of a home and works desperately on a cure for an epidemic that has ended the human race. It looms over the rest the way the mountains loom over the foothills.”. This werewolf bildungsroman of sorts is pretty much the only one of its kind, and Jones' sharp, moving prose will have you sympathizing with monsters (or almost-monsters) in a way you never thought you could. Well, a couple of the books may have troll characters, I can't be sure, but the creator of the list warned aspiring authors against using it to plug their own books and unless Stephen King … A literary landmark of the 21st-century, The Exorcist is the deeply troubling tale of one child’s demonic possession and two priests’ attempts to save her from a fate worse than death. City of Glass is the first installment in Auster’s landmark New York Trilogy, and a genuinely psychedelic work of intertwining narratives. From the supreme master of shivers-down-your-spine horror comes a tale of Gothic surroundings and even more sinister, yet inscrutable, inner lives. There’s a mysterious door in Coraline’s new house. The Silent Companions combines spine-chilling thrills with compelling characterization. TV Shows. Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes. The Good House is named after a Sacajawea, Washington home that was much-beloved… until a young boy died behind its doors. Called a “love letter to an obstinate genre that won’t be gentrified,” Carmen Maria Machado’s debut short story collection was heralded when it was published. Some books will show up in more than one category. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym is a mixture of Moby Dick-esque maritime detail (it later inspired Herman Melville) and H.P. Lovecraft-style cosmic horror. Black humor and true fright clash in Ahmen Saadaw’s chilling retelling about a man named Hadi who aimlessly stitches together the body parts that he finds on the streets of Baghdad. Every so often, they gather to share ghost stories with each other. The best books, the best authors, the best-sellers. The horrors of Beloved, considered by many to be Morrison’s seminal work, are thoroughly intertwined with the ghastly history of America. Readers who love a slow build-up and the sensation of being watching will be thrilled. The basis for the Oscar-winning film, The Silence of the Lambs is the follow-up to Red Dragon, which was the first novel to feature cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Deemed a renegade agent by her own monster-hunting father, she must now find a way to rid herself of the curse before it’s too late. A group of old men in a quiet town call themselves The Chowder Society. In Hell House, the I am Legend scribe reaches terrifying new heights by expertly combining his flair for suspense with an intuitive eye for horror. Their victims are rendered helpless by both the incapacitating darkness and the vampires’ vicious attacks — attacks that Ben Templesmith depicts with such gory immediacy that his illustrations could almost be crime scene photographs. Schizophrenic or is she possessed by a demon might be ghosts and haunted houses mountains loom over the strengthens... So, you ’ ll surely enjoy White is for Witching own doom decide to overnight... 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