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The best horror books to read this spooky season

The best horror books to read this spooky season

by Eppie Shepherd and Katie Russell

29 August 2025

min read

Halloween traditions like trick-or-treating may come and go, but losing yourself in a creepy horror novel is timeless. Whether you're drawn to chilling gothic literature, psychological thrillers or full-blown supernatural terror, horror books remain one of the best ways to get into the spooky spirit.

Need some inspiration for your next scary read? You’re in the right place. We’ve put together the following guide to bone-chilling stories, cult classics, and new releases, to help you find the best horror books to read – if you dare…

Famous horror books you have to read once

You can’t beat a classic. If you haven’t read these famous horror books, you need to add them to your list.

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (1983)

You might have watched the jumpy Daniel Radcliffe film, but have you ever braved the original novel? The famously terrifying ghost story is guaranteed to keep you up at night. A junior solicitor is summoned to a funeral, where he sees a mysterious woman, dressed all in black. A creeping feeling of unease begins to take hold of him, especially when he learns of the woman’s terrible purpose…

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (1971)

Heads will (literally) turn if you read this one on your morning commute. The 1971 classic, which inspired one of the most terrifying films of all time, is the perfect horror book to read in autumn. When unexplainable noises and smells start to haunt a family home, a mother sees a troubling change in her 11-year-old daughter. Desperate, she calls in a priest – who fears she has been possessed by a demon. This calls for an exorcism, with terrifying consequences.

Pet Sematary by Stephen King (1983)

Sometimes dead is better. That’s the lesson at the heart of Stephen King’s deeply unsettling novel about grief, guilt and what happens when we try to undo the natural order. When Louis Creed moves his family to a quiet town in Maine, he discovers a makeshift pet cemetery behind their house – and something even darker hidden beyond it. Pet Sematary is widely regarded as one of King’s creepiest horror books, not just for its supernatural chills, but for the unbearable choices at its core.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959)

Shirley Jackson achieved fame with a short story in The New Yorker that involved a woman being stoned to death by the inhabitants of her own village, so it’s no surprise that she succeeded in inviting mounting dread and horror in her subsequent work. You may know The Haunting of Hill House from its Netflix or film adaptations, but the book is arguably more chilling – Jackson even manages to make a picnic on a lawn fill the reader with fear.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)

Regarded as one of the most famous horror books, Frankenstein is the novel where science-fiction began. You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s titled after the green zombie we know so well – many do – but the protagonist is actually the infamous doctor. Adopting a God-like complex, Dr. Victor Frankenstein pillages graveyards to fashion a mismatched creature, brought to life with a jolt of electricity. What happens next is truly terrifying, as the monster sets out on a mission of destruction.

Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)

Few characters in horror fiction have had the cultural impact of Count Dracula. Told through letters, diary entries and newspaper clippings, Stoker’s Dracula is the quintessential gothic horror novel – and it’s as unsettling today as when it was first published. When English solicitor Jonathan Harker visits a mysterious client in Transylvania, he soon finds himself witness to a series of extremely strange events…

Zone One by Colson Whitehead (2011)

This is no ordinary post-apocalyptic novel; with its style and emotional depth, Zone One is a literary horror masterpiece. A pandemic has devastated the world, dividing the population into the living and the living dead. The army has removed most of the infected people, but now it falls to a team of civilians to hunt down the “malfunctioning” infected, who exist in a catatonic state, unable to let go of their former lives. Zone One is told from the perspective of a volunteer, as he adjusts to a world that has changed beyond recognition.

Beloved by Toni Morrison (1999)

Pulitzer Prize winner Beloved explores the haunting grip of slavery on memory and motherhood. Set in post-Civil War Ohio, the story follows Sethe, a former enslaved woman, and the ghostly presence of her child – Beloved – manifesting in her home. With lyrical prose and psychological intensity, Morrison weaves a tale that’s less about monsters and more about the horrors real people created.

Reading lists

Beautiful horror books from our Clothbound Classics collection

Don’t miss these classic horror books from our Clothbound Classics collection for more timeless novels.

The best new horror books for Halloween

Looking for a modern read? Here’s some of the best horror novels from the last few years…

Burn the Negative by Josh Winning (2023)

If you’re looking for the book equivalent of the Scream franchise this Halloween, look no further. Journalist Laura is reporting on the remake of the horror franchise she starred in as a child – a cursed project, in which each of the actors died in the same way they had died in the film. When someone falls from a bridge in front of Laura on the new set, she fears the curse is back with a vengeance…If you enjoy Burn the Negative, we also recommend the slasher novels Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning and The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington.

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer (2024)

The most frightening horror concepts are the ones that feel real. In Marcus Kliewer’s debut novel, Charlie and Eve receive a knock on the door: a man and his family claim they used to live there and ask if they can look around. But as they enter, strange things start to happen and the family won’t take the hint that they’re no longer welcome. Then Charlie goes missing. This is an unsettling read from a razor-sharp new voice in horror fiction.

This Cursed House by Del Sandeen (2024)

In this Southern gothic horror debut, the year is 1962 and Jemma has left her life in Chicago for a well-paid tutor position in New Orleans. But as soon as she arrives, she realises the Duchon family have brought her there under false pretences. Their home is cursed, and they believe that Jemma, with her unique gift of seeing spirits, will be able to lift it. But as Jemma learns some horrifying truths about the ancestral home’s past, including its ties to slavery, she wonders if she’ll ever escape.

A Sliver of Darkness by C. J. Tudor (2022)

This is a bone-chilling collection of short stories from the author of The Chalk Man and The Gathering. In one story, a group of survivors wind up on a deserted island only to make a horrifying discovery; in another, a cold-hearted killer befriends a strange young girl at a motorway service station. These are chilling, creepy tales from the writer nicknamed "the British Stephen King", and they're sure to have you sleeping with the lights on.

Freakslaw by Jane Flett (2024)

In this queer literary horror, a sleepy Scottish town is rocked by the arrival of the Freakslaw – a travelling funfair populated by queer people and dazzling performers. The town’s teenagers are seduced by their arrival, and the dizzying possibilities they represent. But beneath the façade, these newcomers are harbouring a darker desire: revenge. As tensions with the locals escalate, a violence that has been simmering for years is about to be unleashed…

Old Soul by Susan Barker (2025)

Old Soul is a haunting exploration of identity and memory that blends reincarnation, historical fiction and psychological suspense. Set across multiple lifetimes, it follows a protagonist who begins to experience terrifying flashbacks of past lives – and a pattern of violence that seems to follow them through time. As the boundaries between past and present dissolve, Barker delivers a deeply literary horror novel that lingers long after the final page.

There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm (2025)

What if you could forget something the moment you learned it – and never realise it was gone? That’s the chilling concept behind this breakout work of internet horror, now in print for the first time. Inspired by the SCP Foundation mythos, There Is No Antimemetics Division follows a shadowy organisation battling threats that defy memory itself. Told through fragmented case files, it’s a mind-bending psychological horror novel about information, paranoia, and the limits of human understanding. A terrifying read that gets under your skin, even if you can’t remember why…

The Night House by Jo Nesbo (2023)

When 14-year-old Richard is sent to live with relatives after the death of his parents, he stumbles across a strange phone booth in the woods that may or may not connect him to the dead. What starts as grief-fuelled curiosity spirals into something far more disturbing in this chilling story about trauma, guilt and the nature of evil. Jo Nesbo might typically be known for gripping crime, but this dark and unsettling tale proves he can deliver a true horror.

Murder Road by Simone St. James (2024)

It’s the 1990s and a couple are off on their honeymoon, travelling through the Catskills. It starts off pleasantly enough, but after picking up a hitchhiker who later turns up dead, everything starts to head south. Accused of the crime, the newlyweds find themselves trapped in a ghost-ridden mystery that combines paranormal thrills with small-town secrets they wish they hadn’t discovered…

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (2025)

Grady Hendrix returns with a blistering blend of feminist rage and dark humour in this supernatural tale of rebellion. A secret coven of girls find power through witchcraft but as their magic begins to grow, so too does the danger. Hendrix turns a coming-of-age story into a chilling look at trauma, sisterhood and vengeance. Expect eerie twists, occult rituals and sharp social commentary in one of the best new horror books for fans of The Year of the Witching.

The scariest horror books you’ll ever read

If you’re after something truly terrifying, this list of the creepiest horror books is guaranteed to get you shaking in your boots.

The Shining by Stephen King (1977)

Set in an isolated hotel cut off from the world, The Shining follows Jack Torrance, a struggling writer and recovering alcoholic who takes a job as winter caretaker. With his wife and son in tow, he hopes for a fresh start – but the Overlook Hotel has other plans. Haunted by ghosts both literal and psychological, Jack begins to unravel, while his son Danny’s psychic “shining” reveals horrors the adults can’t see. Claustrophobic, creeping and completely terrifying, this is one of the scariest horror novels of all time – and a masterclass in how madness takes hold.

The Hunger by Alma Katsu (2018)

If Stephen King dubs a novel as “deeply disturbing”, you know it’s going to leave a mark. Alma Katsu’s The Hunger retells the infamous story of the Donner Party with a supernatural twist, turning a historical tragedy into a slow-burning horror of isolation, starvation and something even darker lurking in the wilderness. As tensions mount and supplies dwindle, the group begins to suspect that the real danger may not just be the harsh terrain, but something evil among them.

Night Film by Marisha Pessl (2013)

When the daughter of cult horror filmmaker Stanislas Cordova is found dead, disgraced journalist Scott McGrath becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind her death – and her father’s dark legacy. What follows is a descent into a shadowy world of paranoia, underground screenings and unspeakable secrets. Told through interviews, web pages and case files, Night Film plays with format to draw readers into a story where nothing is quite what it seems. It’s a clever, compulsive thriller that blurs the line between horror and reality.

House Of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski (2000)

This horror starts with a house that’s bigger on the inside than on the outside – and from there, everything begins to unravel. House of Leaves is a clever example of modern horror fiction: a novel within a novel, layered with footnotes, transcripts and typographical twists that force the reader to navigate the story in every sense. At its heart is a family documentary that never quite adds up, and a growing sense of dread that something is watching from the dark. Unsettling, brilliant and unlike anything else you’ve read, this is horror for the brave and the curious.

The Terror by Dan Simmons (2010)

Being left stranded in an icy, lifeless expanse is arguably scary enough, but when author Dan Simmons took the events of Captain Sir John Franklin's lost expedition in the mid-19th Century and added dismembered Inuits, monstrous polar bears and a rapidly depleting crew, it became utterly horrifying.

Frequently asked questions

What is the scariest horror book ever written?

There’s no ‘one’ scariest horror book – for some, it’s the slow-burn psychological dread of The Haunting of Hill House or The Shining. Supernatural fans will say The Exorcist or House of Leaves. And more recently, books like Burn the Negative and There Is No Antimemetics Division have introduced new kinds of fear, tapping into media horror, memory loss and self-erasing ideas. Horror is personal, but these titles are often considered among the scariest horror books ever published.

What is considered the best horror novel of all time?

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Dracula by Bram Stoker are often considered the most influential horror novels of all time, having shaped the entire genre from the 1800s. For modern readers, The Shining by Stephen King and Beloved by Toni Morrison stand out for being powerful, literary explorations of fear, trauma and the unknown. But the best horror novel is often the one that speaks to your deepest fears – whether that’s monsters, ghosts, or complete isolation.

Which Stephen King book is the scariest?

Stephen King has written dozens of terrifying books, but The Shining is often named as his scariest thanks to its claustrophobic setting, descent into madness, and supernatural twists. Pet Sematary is another top contender, dealing with grief and resurrection in a way that unsettles long after you’ve finished. For fans of short stories, Night Shift offers dozens of bite-sized frights, while It delivers epic-scale horror that spans generations.

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