10 Horror Books You Need to Try
We’re back with another book list! This time, we have 10 horror book we think you’ll love…
10) Hide by Kiersten White
Mack is confident she can outlast thirteen others in a high-stakes hide-and-seek competition held in an eerie, abandoned amusement park. The prize is life-changing, but as her fellow competitors start vanishing, she realizes this isn’t just a game—it’s a deadly trap. Desperate to survive, Mack must confront her darkest fears and join forces with those she once considered rivals. In this twisted competition, hiding might not be enough to save her.
9) What Happened Next by Jon Colt
In this dark dystopian book, anti-vaxxers were sent to live in prison camps called Distanced Living Centres. The virus went away after that. The vaccinated population lived their lives in bliss. But two years on, when the adults around them start dropping dead, 13 year old Milo Winters and a small group of youngsters must embark on a dangerous journey.
8) The September House by Carissa Orlando
Margaret refuses to abandon her dream home, even though every September the walls bleed, ghosts appear, and something terrifying lurks in the basement. While her husband Hal flees, Margaret stays—determined to endure the hauntings. But when their daughter Katherine arrives searching for Hal, the house’s dark secrets become impossible to ignore. As the hauntings intensify, Margaret must confront the terrifying truth about her home and the deadly secrets it hides.
7) Gone to See the River Man by Kristopher Triana
Lori’s obsession with notorious serial killer Edmund Cox leads her to take on a chilling task: retrieve a key from his remote cabin and deliver it to a figure known only as The River Man. With her sister by her side, Lori’s journey descends into a twisted nightmare, revealing her darkest secrets and a horrifying truth about The River Man—a creature beyond human, born from legend and terror.
6) Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima
A surreal and haunting debut collection that intertwines the strange and the intimate. At a Halloween party in 1999, a writer has an encounter with the devil, who reappears throughout her life, inspiring stories about the bizarre and the impossible. Set in surreal pockets of the U.S. and Brazil, these linked stories explore themes of ambition, fear, and identity through a unique lens. Lima’s narrative style echoes Kafka and Cortázar, crafting a powerful experience that lingers with the reader, blurring the line between reality and the surreal.
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5) The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Ricky, Gabe, Lewis, and Cassidy are haunted by a secret from a fateful elk hunt a decade ago. Now, a vengeful spirit is coming for them—and their children—one by one, wearing the faces of their loved ones. Trapped by their heritage and society’s rejection, they must confront this relentless force as it tears through their lives. Set against a vast, oppressive landscape, The Only Good Indians is a gothic horror tale of cultural identity and nature’s revenge.
4) The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce
Catherine Evans is determined to uncover the truth behind the tragic death of Ilsbeth Clark, a woman shunned by the townspeople of F–. But when her childhood friend, Elena, a successful author, returns to write her own speculative account, Catherine finds herself in a dangerous rivalry. As jealousy and old wounds surface, the tension escalates to a deadly climax. By summer’s end, one woman will be dead, and the other accused of murder.
3) Dark Matter by Michelle Paver
In 1937, desperate and lonely Jack seizes the chance to join an Arctic expedition, seeking a new beginning. But as the endless polar night descends on the remote outpost of Gruhuken, his companions abandon him one by one. Trapped in the frozen wilderness, Jack faces a terrifying realization: he’s not alone. In the darkness, something ancient and malevolent stalks him, and survival becomes a desperate battle against the unknown.
2) The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Winner of the 2023 Bram Stoker Award, this chilling Deep South horror novel is set in 1950s Jim Crow Florida. Twelve-year-old Robert Stephens Jr. is sent to the Gracetown School for Boys, a terrifying reformatory haunted by the spirits of past victims. To survive the cruel governor and his Funhouse, Robert must ally with these restless ghosts—but they have their own dark agendas. Perfect for fans of The Only Good Indians and Nothing But Blackened Teeth, this story blends historical horror with supernatural terror in a tale you won’t forget.
1) Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
Incidents Around the House is a terrifying novel from the bestselling author of Bird Box, told through the eyes of eight-year-old Bela. Her family is haunted by “Other Mommy,” a sinister entity demanding to enter her heart. As tensions rise and the entity grows stronger, Bela realizes that her family’s survival depends on her answer. This chilling tale explores the bonds of family amidst a relentless supernatural threat, offering a unique and horrifying glimpse into a child’s nightmare. Perfect for fans of psychological horror and supernatural suspense.
