Books
From classics likeFrankensteinandThe Haunting of Hill Houseto newer releases likeMexican Gothic, our list has you covered.
But horror films couldnt exist without horror literature.
But theres more to horror novels than just the potential for cinematic adaptation, or vice versa.
But you might just wind up staying up all night worrying about them anyway.
The advent of film isnt the only thing thats shaped the genre, either.
Since the 19th century, when still-beloved Gothic classics likeFrankensteinandDraculamade waves, the genre has diversified.
Read on for a list of the best horror books to read now.
We only include products that have been independently selected by Bustle’s editorial team.
1
Frankenstein
If youre looking for a horror classic, theres no better place to start thanFrankenstein.
If that doesnt sound like something thatll keep you up at night, what does?
Its no wonder the story still resonates today.
4
Dracula
DraculaandDr.
6
Blind Owl
Blind Owlisnt for the faint of heart.
Hes addicted to opium, feeling scorned by a distant lover, having terrible visions and fantasizing about murder.
The resulting children are blond, uncanny, telepathic… and up to no good.
The novel was adapted into horror classicVillage of the Damnedin 1960, and remade by John Carpenter in 1995.
9
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Something Wicked This Way Comesmay be Ray Bradburys best novel.
But he wont be able to cover up for his brother forever.
The novels subtitle A Sequence of Unease tells you everything you should probably know.
16
Red Dragon
There are few characters in modern fiction more iconic than Hannibal Lecter.
McDowell blends haunting Southern Gothic imagery and mood with a family story thats by turns darkly funny and tragic.
ButBelovedis, in fact, a ghost story.
The resulting geeks are extreme and sometimes grotesque, but Dunn celebrates their strangeness.
The novel follows a woman named Miranda whose childhood home is sentient and xenophobic it lashes out at foreigners.
Things get especially bad when Miranda falls in love with a Nigerian woman in college.
And as if that werent enough, the house is also full of ghosts.
But over the course of his career, hes experimented across genres, including the zombie novel.
But ifThings We Lost in the Firewas influenced by Jackson, its also a distinctly Argentinian work.
It tells the story of Oghi, a man who inadvertently causes his wifes death in a driving accident.
34
Comemadre
This novella by Argentine writer Roque Larraquy is about as gruesome as they come.
ButThe Only Good Indians, one of his most celebrated novels, is a great place to start.
The book follows a group of young Blackfeet men who go hunting on land reserved for their tribes elders.
But what started off a lark goes wrong and ultimately leads to murder.
Things grow more serious for the local adults when their own children run away to join them.
38
Reprieve
James Han MattsonsReprieveis another novel that blends social commentary with horror.
If they can make it through the game without saying reprieve, they win a life-changing amount of money.
This article was originally published onApril 22, 2022
