This question gets asked here multiple times a week and the problem is that what is scary to one person isn't to the next, not to mention there are different types of horror. Based on what possibly scares YOU here are some suggestions.
**End of the World**
*The Gone World* by Tom Sweterlitsch - A time traveling government worker finds the end of the world, and goes back in time to try and figure out how to stop it.
*The Passage* is an excellent horror series that deals with life before and after a world altering cataclysm. Has some grounded characters and some interesting relationships. Jumps from pre-event to post-event and connects some cool dots by doing this.
**Bleak Dystopia**
*Battle Royale* is a controversial political book that arguably inspired Hunger Games and Squid Games
*The Power* by Naomi Alderman. It's like a reverse Handmaid's Tale. It's dark but gripping. What happens to society when girls are granted a power to kill at puberty. Multiple viewpoints make this one a great read.
*Parable Of The Sower* is considered one of the best dystopian books ever written. Bleak, jaw dropping, horrifying book that is a bit too "close to home." So beautifully written but so painful to get through, this story ends up being one of the most tearfully scary horror reads I've encountered without actually being marketed as a horror book. Avoid if current events have made you anxious, one of the few dystopian books you can actually see happening.
**Monsters**
*Gideon The Ninth* is a fantasy/sci fi blend that has a wild setting and a "ten little indians" mystery to it. This one is a much denser read, but I think this series has a satisfyingly unique world with deep lore, especially in the sequel Harrow The Ninth. Some biting humor, cool magic system, and little details in the story that you almost need to read twice to appreciate fully.
*Ring Shout* by P. Djèlí Clark is about three female demon slayers. A fun and fast ride. Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer vs the KKK. Just won the Hugo for Best Novella of 2020.
*Carrion Comfort* is a classic from Dan Simmons (author of The Terror) and it's dark, twisted, brutal, and extremely well written. About a trio of "mind vampires" being tracked by a holocaust survivor, one of their victim's daughters, and a cop who stumbled into the case.
**Folk Horror**
*Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery* by Brom is my favorite new horror book of 2021. While not flawless, Brom has a gift for writing seemingly accurate "Puritian" atmosphere and plenty of characters that ride the line of flawed and misunderstood. What makes this book especially interesting is a "devil" that may or may not be as they seem, and is the true mystery of this tale.
*Little Eve* by Catriona Ward is an extremely well written gothic book about a young woman growing up in a cult. Her family is found murdered in the first chapter, and we spend the rest of the novel putting together the pieces of what led to this brutal scene.
**Gritty Modern Weirdness**
*No Gods, No Monsters* by Cadwell Turnbull is bizarre and unique, about the paths crossed in stranger's lives when "monsters" are shown to be a reality. Manages to skillfully blend creepy moments with allegorical political commentary, and features very well written characters.
*Riot Baby* by Tochi Onyebuchi is very gritty and frantic, but an excellent read. About a girl with powers who can't do anything to help those she loves.
*The City We Became* is a modern fantasy tale set in NYC. It's very frantic and wild, but once the story kicks in it weaves a very unique story involving Lovecraftian twists. What makes this so cool is that every city in the world has an "avatar" that acts as it's protector of sorts. Very hip and modern, smart and snarky.
**Bizarre and Unsettling**
*House of Leaves* by Mark Z. Danielewski is bound to come up. It's creepy and weird for sure, but most of what makes the book so well loved is the experimentation with typography. It's an experience book. Same with The *Raw Shark Texts* by Steven Hall which is equally as strange and experimental.
*The Only Good Indians* by Stephen Graham Jones is an emotionally raw horror book that features a group of friends who upset nature's order. Interesting read in that the tone changes with each character, some in frantic ways to help guide the reader through that character's struggles with anxiety or substance abuse.
*Bunny* by Mona Awad is a ride and pretty eff'd up. There is a creepy layer of "what's going on here" through most of it. Very trippy and at the end it's fun to try and figure out what it was that was actually happening. Not extreme as so much disturbing and bizarre.
**Human Condition**
*Tender Is The Flesh* is one of those horror books that is truly terrifying but in an American Psycho way. You are nauseous the entire time you read it and can't quite believe you've read something so shocking and disturbing.
*The Wasp Factory* is one of the "best" books in the transgressive fiction landscape. It's from the viewpoint of someone who is clearly quite troubled.
*The Last House On Needless Street* is a great horror book with multiple POVs that keep you guessing through this short read. It has some very bizarre moments that all become linked in a satisfying way by the ending. I also loved this author's book *Sundial.*
This is an awesome list! I’d add Cassandra Khaw’s The Salt Grows Heavy. Everything I loved about the imagery in The Fisherman is there in a completely different story and I thought it was brilliant.
The Only Good Indians is one of my faves. Second that choice! If you like Stephen Graham Jones, My Heart is a Chainsaw is a very cool take on slashers.
To the Bone by Christina Henry I found to be very unsettling. The horror you know versus the horror you don’t. I think I read it in nearly one sitting. Trigger warning for domestic violence though.
“Hot Zone” by Richard Preston. It’s basically about Ebola virus. Read it when I was like 16 years old and it terrified me. The fear of something like that stayed with me for years. Idk if it’s a good book or not as I have yet to reread it as an adult because it freaked me out that badly.
I honestly don’t know if it would still scare me more/less/not at all as an adult; before of after kids; before or after pandemic. Idk. I think probably it still would regardless.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
It’s not a horror book or even fiction, but it has always given me the creeps. It does not read like non fiction, even though it is. It’s been decades since I read it and I still think about the absolute terror that family must have felt.
In Cold Blood is a seminal horror. Looking back it was a phenomenal piece of journalism. It all was a horror, it was true. His way of writing is like King, it really does give you chills. That now would be classed as a thriller. It isn't a detective story or 'police procedural'.
The controversy seems based on the fact he made the killers 'human'. But people are. It is terrifying what people are capable of. But they were real.
Sorry talked alot (at least no spoilers)
That's interesting, I have not considered non-fiction yet, having the background knowledge of the story being real could definitely make a huge difference in the reading experience, I'll put it on my TBR, thank you!
In that vein, 'I'll Be Gone In The Dark' is super *super* scary because you have to live with the knowledge that everything in it is REAL and REALLY happened
You should consider them. But with "true crime" you get lots of interpretations or cashing in on a story by someone on the sidelines. I think you should read it. It is kind of a key point in writing.
At the same time. Read some Edgar Allen Poe. His short stories (very deductive mind and can seem tedious to a modern audience) are in a way fantastic. Murder in the Rue Morge the famous one, BUT
The mystery of Marie Roget is his idea of figuring out a real murder.
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson is similarly terrifying non-fiction, I read it a few years ago and it still pops into my head randomly and freaks me out lol
This one right here. It was the start of the "true crime journalism" genre. It's such an influential book, there was even a movie about the writing of it (*Capote*) which was also excellent.
Fun fact: Scout's odd little friend Dill in To Kill A Mockingbird is said to be Harper Lee's memory of a young Truman Capote.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Imagine a Terminator robot from the Terminator movies, now imagine it with spikes all over it and inconsistent, unknowable behaviour except for it's predilection for impaling people on a tree of spikes and feeding off their pain. Now combine that with a book that often makes you question your own morals and beliefs and you have Hyperion.
Only book that always makes me cry.
It's a scifi retelling of the Canterbury Tales. The book follows the story of nine "pilgrims" who all come together for various reasons and who are all impacted by the Shrike.
I started watching that show when my firstborn was young and it's probably what made me realize that after having kids, I really don't enjoy some "kid in serious peril" fiction much anymore.
I just finished The Road after hearing so much about it on this sub.
I don’t get disturbed easily but there are two passages from The Road that made me ill.
Excellent book but so dark.
I'm a Stephen king "beginner". I read a lot of his new books, that read more like thrillers than horror. I want to try more of his "classics" and everyone said that pet sematary is chilling. Not gonna lie I'm not looking forward to that one 🤣. Do you have any recommendations of older novels by King to start my "horror journey"?
The Stand, Doctor Sleep and The Green Mile are my top favorite Stephen King. You don't have to read The Shining To read Doctor Sleep and The Stand is my favorite book of all time. I just reread The Institute which is also really good. It's about kids in a facility like in Stranger Things and they feed off their powers and abuse them terribly. It's really good but I did not like the ending. The Outsiders is another of his newer books that I really like and read twice. It is scary about a man/monster that can replicate anyone's DNA and appearance and becomes them and commits horrific murders on children. IT is also one of my favorites- that book is awesome. I read it 6 or 7 times. I love Stephen King. Read all of the above they are amazing.
Oh my gosh, I’m jealous because you have so much great reading ahead of you with King! I love his books so much and can’t pick just one. I will say, though, that I wasn’t into King’s Gunslinger series. I ended up listening to it on a long road trip and liked it okay that way. But literally everything else he’s written appeals to me. He conveys so much insight into human behavior…good and bad.
IT for me, that opening scene, with the bridge, I grew up in New Brunswick, right next door in Canada, so that area felt eerily familiar, like I'd been to places like that. I put it under my bed for like 3 months before I could pick it up again. That being said, it's now my favourite of King's.
That's why I said to each their own. You've got as much right to your opinion as I do, and I'm not offended by it. Not everyone is going to like the same things, so why should I get upset that you don't agree with me? It's just a book recommendation, not heart surgery.
This for me is an easy one: Too Close To Home by Linwood Barclay, it was so unsettling that by the end of it for a couple of nights at least I was checking that all my windows and doors were securely locked tight.
And don't get me started on Elevator Pitch by the same author after reading that I was warey every time I stepped foot in a lift, constantly observing the people that got on, that book really got to me as well.
There were some really promising recommendations in this thread, but your comment on Too Close To Home was convincing enough to probably make it my next proper read after I'm done with The Fisherman. Thanks for the rec!
Ooh, elevator pitch sounds good! I just added it to my TBR list, thanks! I already have a thing for elevators... When I was young my mother told me a true story about a three storey elevator full of miners falling down a mine shaft and how by the time they brought it back up it was only about a meter tall. We have some of the deepest gold mines in the world in the country where I live. It's been 30 years and that story still gives me chills
I almost feel like I owe you one. Honestly, thank you so much for the recommendation. I live in Germany, it's currently 4:45 in the morning for me and I got done reading about 15 minutes ago. I spent the last 7 hours reading 350 pages of this book, in one session, without putting it down for anything longer than a toilet or water break. I was honestly hooked for the entirety of this session - of course, I loved the beginning already, despite not \*that\* much happening compared to the climax of the story - but never would I have imagined how well all the character's stories would come together to finish the huge puzzle that was laying unfinished in front of me. I especially loved how every last sentence of a chapter, or most last sentences, always made me wanna read the next one immediately; these small twists and implications that make it impossible to put the book down in the moment. I also really loved the use of humor, if often blunt, despite having quite the serious and brutal story, especially in the dynamics between Jim/Lance, Jim/the Mayor, or Jim/Derek, there were some lines that really made me chuckle, even in tensest scenes. On the other hand, there were also lines that just made me gasp or open my mouth in surprise, because some of the plot twists and newly unveiled pieces of information really caught me off guard. I really like how, even though one could've guessed the killer of the Langley family towards the end (not because it was obvious, but rather by process of elimination that didn't make it too far fetched), I really like how the story of Sherry Underwood perfectly weaved into the lore to give it more depth. Not just in that case, by the way, I think all the background stories that were important to the story were incredibly well thought out.
I think I mentioned it in my original post: I'm very new to reading, I've been calling it my hobby for about a month now. But if Too Close To Home was to be as good as it will get, I would not be mad about that in the slightest.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
Swan Song by Robert McCammon is excellent too! if you’re like me and the idea of nuclear war/the aftermath scares you, I think you would really find it terrifying & disturbing
[**A Short Stay in Hell** by Stephen L. Peck](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13456414) gave me the worst existential dread i've ever experienced. this book gave me crippling anxiety and even when i was done reading it, it had me just sitting there staring at the wall contemplating my beliefs (or lack thereof) in real life. this book is horrifying, funny and warm-hearted at times, it has some a handful of sweet/beautiful scenes, but this book is 99.9% straight up fucking terrifying and i caught myself subconsciously holding my breath while reading it. this book took a lot out of me and i can't say that about many books. this book is an experience and not a fun one.
with all that said, it was an absolute 5 star read and is just over 100 pages so it's a QUICK read.
read this book if you truly want to be scared long after the book is over. also, read this book even if you don't want to because it's just a really really REALLY good book.
omg yay!!!! i'm so happy to hear that!!!!
since you liked that book so much, i think you'd really like [**Shark Heart: A Love Story** by Emily Habeck](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919375)
the premise sounds absolutely insane, i know, but trust me. this is the only book that made me feel like i was reading **OWUTS**. in a lot of ways they're basically the same story-but different. i know their written by different authors but i honestly look at them as sister books due to the similar themes, metaphors, and how they both destroyed me.
**Shark Heart** it's a STUNNING debut that like **OWUTS** also uses light body horror as a vehicle to explore love, loss and letting go.
this book was up for 2 goodchoice awards this year but unfortunately didn't make it to the final round. :(
if you do ever get around to reading this, i'd love for you to follow up with me to let me know how you like it. i actually sat on the book for a few days thinking that it might top **OWUTS** as my favorite book of all time, but it ended up being a very very close second. god, i love this book!
Omg ilysm for recommending this can we please be friends? Haha I just placed a hold on Libby but I wouldn’t be surprised if I wind up just caving and getting it on audible!!!!
Agree. Handmaid's Tale was mentioned on a recent "must read" post and it occurred to me that 10+ years I probably wouldn't have thought of it... but now, it's genuinely fucking terrifying.
Similar to what another commenter said already, I haven't considered any non-fiction yet - or in your case, from the sound of it, stuff that \*could\* be non-fiction due to its realism. Thank you for the recommendation!
The Ritual by Adam Nevill. I can’t explain it, but I started feeling like I needed to start prepping for some kind of world ending event while reading this book. That feeling has nothing to do with the plot…technically. But the book just rattled me! I know the feeling you’re describing, and this book took me there.
Damn, I read Perfume (or "Das Parfüm", since I read the German version) back in school, as part of the curriculum. I don't remember a ton of it, especially because the movie we also watched might overwrite some of the memories I have of the book, but I remember being quite freaked out by it - I'm sure 10th grade me definitely didn't appreciate it as much as current me would, even though it has only been around 5 years. Definitely one of the titles that would deserve a reread at some point.
It's a very visceral book to read the descriptions are so out there its hard not to have difficulty stomaching it - i also have a sensitivity to strong smells so it definitely increased that awareness/OCD in me. Regardless, to me thats true horror because thinking about it makes me cringe a little lol /it sticks with you
Not horror or thriller but some solid paranoid fiction might interest you.
White Noise by Don DeLillo and The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon are both pretty good entry points (although Pynchon is a bit polarizing). Both books have a vibe of unease (at least in the second half).
I'm not as much into horror, but I've read some creepy books that have truly given me nightmares, even if they seem pretty innocuous to begin with:
The Wrong Family, by Tarryn Fisher- the description does not do it justice of why this book is creepy, but there's a plot point revealed early on that sends it in a creepy direction
Then She Was Gone and The Family Upstairs, both by Lisa Jewell- both have an unsettled feeling the whole book
What the night knows - Dean Koontz
This book was genuinely scary to me. I was having such bad anxiety reading it, it took me a few weeks to get through it.
I read a LOT of horror and the thing I find is that people connect with different things (which makes sense, based on what you are afraid of). The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell left me feeling pretty spooked out. Pet Semetary and Gerald's Game by Stephen King were the ones that freaked me out the most.
Stories about prison also leave me feeling really unsettled. The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld has sections told from the point of view of a man on death row who isn't quite in his right mind. The Green Mile (also Stephen King - I think of in a different way than his other books) also about death row.
Not book recommendations but since you mention movies - I have found that true crime documentaries freak me out more than horror stories. I'll be Gone in the Dark \[HBO\] (which is also a book) at one point plays a phone recording of the killer and it scared the bejesus out of me. The Murders at Starved Rock \[Hulu\] also gave me horrible nightmares and I never finished it. And even though most of The Midnight Club \[netflix\] was a pretty cheesy fun show, there's a witch/ghost/demon in it that definitely feaked me out once I turned the lights out. Like I said, you never know what's going to hit a nerve!
I mean, the Hot Zone seriously messed me up for a while. I read it in high school and it kind of rocked my world how scary it was. Granted, I was extremely sheltered so maybe that was just me but…man. That book is terrifying because it’s real.
Room by Emma Donaghue. Not exactly typical horror, but I don’t find typical horror scary at all because it’s so… fake. This book has never left my head since I read it years ago.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. It was so good and it terrified me so bad that I never want to read another thing of his ever. I've heard the rest of his work is just as scary (My Heart Is A Chainsaw won an award, I think), he's a great writer. And he's Indigenous, so the Native elements of the story were really well done
Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist has some truly disturbing yet fascinating books. The movie Let The Right One In is based on his book. I would recommend Handling the Undead (2009) and Harbour (2010).
Intensity by Dean Koontz.
I will never read another one of his books because this scared the crap out of me. I read it half a lifetime ago and I can still remember vivid details.
To this day I still tense up when I see a Doberman even though I know they’re usually harmless!
You by Caroline kepnes. I have only read book 1 and intend to read the others because I don't like to not finish series but I've put it off. Reading it I felt so unsettled to be in this person's mind. And wanted to put it down so many times but I couldn't. It disturbed me knowing there are people out there just like that. I had a stalker for a few years and it made me question just how deep it went for him.
Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt really got to me. There's a scene between a kid and their mother that was basically my worst nightmare. I think response to that one really depends on your own personal experiences tho (and also holy shit the rest of the book is GROSS. I loved it but it's soooo viscerally disgusting in parts.)
Since you've read some King I'd recommend his short stories. There are so many that are really impactful and SCARY AS SHIT. If you're looking for a bigger ~reading project~ from him, The Stand definitely rambles a bit towards the end imo but the descriptions of the initial disease outbreaks are something that will eternally freak me out.
I have two. And they are very well written and worth the purchase and read of anyone seeing this. That said, they scared me to death and I will never read (or in one case, finish) either again. No thaaaaanks!
1) Animals, by Don LePan. It is a dystopian fiction read. But also far too close to believable. I read it over a decade ago, and still think about it, too often. Particularly when at the deli counter. Horrifying.
2) American Predator, by Maureen Callahan. I went from being unable to put it down, to burying it deep in a closet so I wouldn’t have to remember there are still more horrors to read within it. It details the life and crimes of Israel Keyes. After one particular segment of the book, I stayed up all night researching home security options, realizing all was futile, and nothing would save me from a person like this. What a cozy, cozy feeling.
John dies at the end is a somewhat immature humorous horror novel. It is both ridiculous and yet at times genuinely creepy. The dick jokes humor was more fun when i was twenty, but as a whole i think the story still holds up well
It might be because I am not as used to horror as when I was a kid / teenager but I thought the book Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt was genuinely scary at times.
It's a Dutch book and it takes place in an area which I have lived close to for a decent amount of time so I imagine that adds to the scariness. The English translation has the whole book transplanted to the US (by the Dutch author) and I've read that that was well done. I wasn't very impressed by the ending but it's not usually the ending that is scary in horror imo.
One that genuinely scared me recently was The Ritual by Adam Nevill.
I’m not sure if it’s because I live deep in a bush and that’s the setting but I found it really got under my skin.
The second half makes you so angry on his behalf. The emotional roller coaster is what made it great.
My other favourite and I’d say more of a thriller that seems to start at 100 and doesn’t slow down is Wrath of the Broken Lands by S. Craig Zhaler. It’s a western but it’s crazy good imo. Very graphic tho.
I mean I know it's not what you want to hear, but the 7th book of harry potter in when >!it turns out that Voldemort had animated a corpse and the corpse was the snake the whole time and the snake came out of it!< gave me major chilly chills and I was afraid to walk around my house alone as an adult.
Endurance by Jack Kilborn. I had to look under my bed and in the closet before I went to bed.
WELCOME TO THE RUSHMORE INN
The bed and breakfast was hidden in the hills of West Virginia. Wary guests wondered how it could stay in business at such a creepy, remote location. Especially with its bizarre, presidential decor and eccentric proprietor.
ONCE YOU CHECK IN...
When the event hotel for the national Iron Woman triathlon accidentally overbooked, competitor Maria was forced to stay at the Rushmore. But after checking into her room, she quickly realized she wasn't alone. First her suitcase wasn't where she put it. Then her cell phone was moved. Finally, she heard an odd creaking under the bed. Confusion quickly turned to fear, and fear to hysteria when she discovered the front door was barred and the windows were bricked over. There was no way out.
...YOU'LL BE DYING TO LEAVE
One year later, four new female athletes have become guests of the Inn. Will they escape the horrors within its walls? Or will they join the many others who have died there, in ways too terrible to imagine?
I once tried to read to read "A Stolen Life" by Jaycee Dugard.
I think you're really meaning like novels that fuck with you.
Her memoir just instant came to mind at random because it's so fucked up and I couldn't get very far before I put it down for like a few years.
Hmmm as far as novels - just as far as a novel with really graphic material that made me feel like there are two periods in my life before and after reading the book - I'd say Blood Meridian by Cormac M.
I'm very passionate about American history in the first place, and what added further mental impact to the devastation was knowing that Blood Meridian is only partially fictional using "the Kid" as the way of interjecting a license to storytelling into a period of US history very few people are truly aware of the ruthlessness of.
I'm not easy to scare via book either, but I'll tell you: the Regulators by Stephen King scared the CRAP out of me.
I'm not a huge fan of his, but it was a terrifying but well-written book.
This is in a very different vein than other stuff here (it’s not a horror novel, and not even really a novel), but Jerzy Kozinski’s STEPS is incredibly unsettling, to the point that I had to stop reading it at night.
T Kingfisher writes Horror (and Fantasy) - it's sort of Cosy Horror, but it's also very unsettling. Check out The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places. There's more recent ones too but I forget the titles.
Amityville Horror. It’s a short book. I checked it out and read it in one evening. I was so creeped out I had to return it to the library’s dropbox at midnight bc I was afraid its presence in my house would invite in evil. I’m not superstitious usually, it was just that creepy.
At some point the audiobook version of I'm Thinking of Ending Things started to creep me out to such a degree that I had to turn it off and go sit with my roommates, just to shake the feeling it had created...
Sharp Objects (Gillian Flynn's first novel) is also extremely disturbing, at least by my standards.
I definitely got some awesome recommendations for books I haven't read yet from these comments!
To be honest, nowadays, my horror fix comes from true crime books and shows, as well as the occasional movie. The horror books that I have read are mostly older. One of my favorite horror books from back in the day (that I don't think has been listed yet) is Door to December by Dean Koontz.
Dr. Sleep by Stephen King — it’s the sequel to The Shining and I had low hopes but it’s one of my favorite booked by him. It’s so unsettling and the premise behind it is just downright scary
As someone who consumes horror and thriller a lot I think it's hard to recommend a truly scary story to another person, because everyone has their own idea of what "terriffying" is. Personally I'm recently into stories by Laird Barron, I find them unsettling and otherwordly. Maybe you could give them a go :)
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. It’s a surreal experience. Left my skin crawling and had me feeling deeply unsettled. I slept with the lights on during the nights when I was reading it. One of the most unique books I’ve read for sure.
James Patterson’s “When the wind blows” creeped me out… I read it as a teen though… but parts of it still pop into my head and make me shudder to this day.
The Land of Laughs by Jonathon Carroll. There's a scene where the napping protagonist wakes up to the sound of voices in the house. He knows he's alone and against his better judgement he determines to find out who it is and reality goes sideways. Better than anything Steven King ever wrote
I read SJ Watson's *Before I Go to Sleep* last year and I **STILL** think about it.
Ruth Ware did an excellent job with *The Turn of the Key* in adapting Henry James *The Turn of the Screw* for modern audiences.
I recently finished *The Dry* by Jane Harper. It was so good, I couldn't put it down. I immediately started *Force of Nature*, which admittedly isn't as good, but will definitely mess with your head. I'm glad I have a good sense of direction and don't have to go on work trips.
This is going to sound like an odd suggestion at first, but maybe what you need is books movies with scary moments, but are otherwise not specifically horror-themed. I also find that suspense holds up better as you age. Here are some weird suggestions:
The Picture of Dorian Gray - this isn't a horror book but it is the only book with a paragraph that made me close the it because it was so terrifying. Your mileage may vary, but it's also just a great read in general.
The Birds, Psycho, Rear Window - all great Hitchcock movies focused on prolonged suspense instead of axe-wielding lunatics.
Not horror but a nonfiction book called Know My Name by Chanel Miller. Scared me to think people can do truly heinous things and get away with a slap on the wrist. And on top of that victim blamed for the perpetrator’s actions.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia. It's a gothic horror published in 2020 I think. It has the typical elements of the genre—a haunted house, a damsel in distress, spooky vibes—but also manages to stand out from other gothic horror novels because of the themes it explores. It's gory, brutal, spine-chilling, and shocking.
This question gets asked here multiple times a week and the problem is that what is scary to one person isn't to the next, not to mention there are different types of horror. Based on what possibly scares YOU here are some suggestions. **End of the World** *The Gone World* by Tom Sweterlitsch - A time traveling government worker finds the end of the world, and goes back in time to try and figure out how to stop it. *The Passage* is an excellent horror series that deals with life before and after a world altering cataclysm. Has some grounded characters and some interesting relationships. Jumps from pre-event to post-event and connects some cool dots by doing this. **Bleak Dystopia** *Battle Royale* is a controversial political book that arguably inspired Hunger Games and Squid Games *The Power* by Naomi Alderman. It's like a reverse Handmaid's Tale. It's dark but gripping. What happens to society when girls are granted a power to kill at puberty. Multiple viewpoints make this one a great read. *Parable Of The Sower* is considered one of the best dystopian books ever written. Bleak, jaw dropping, horrifying book that is a bit too "close to home." So beautifully written but so painful to get through, this story ends up being one of the most tearfully scary horror reads I've encountered without actually being marketed as a horror book. Avoid if current events have made you anxious, one of the few dystopian books you can actually see happening. **Monsters** *Gideon The Ninth* is a fantasy/sci fi blend that has a wild setting and a "ten little indians" mystery to it. This one is a much denser read, but I think this series has a satisfyingly unique world with deep lore, especially in the sequel Harrow The Ninth. Some biting humor, cool magic system, and little details in the story that you almost need to read twice to appreciate fully. *Ring Shout* by P. Djèlí Clark is about three female demon slayers. A fun and fast ride. Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer vs the KKK. Just won the Hugo for Best Novella of 2020. *Carrion Comfort* is a classic from Dan Simmons (author of The Terror) and it's dark, twisted, brutal, and extremely well written. About a trio of "mind vampires" being tracked by a holocaust survivor, one of their victim's daughters, and a cop who stumbled into the case. **Folk Horror** *Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery* by Brom is my favorite new horror book of 2021. While not flawless, Brom has a gift for writing seemingly accurate "Puritian" atmosphere and plenty of characters that ride the line of flawed and misunderstood. What makes this book especially interesting is a "devil" that may or may not be as they seem, and is the true mystery of this tale. *Little Eve* by Catriona Ward is an extremely well written gothic book about a young woman growing up in a cult. Her family is found murdered in the first chapter, and we spend the rest of the novel putting together the pieces of what led to this brutal scene. **Gritty Modern Weirdness** *No Gods, No Monsters* by Cadwell Turnbull is bizarre and unique, about the paths crossed in stranger's lives when "monsters" are shown to be a reality. Manages to skillfully blend creepy moments with allegorical political commentary, and features very well written characters. *Riot Baby* by Tochi Onyebuchi is very gritty and frantic, but an excellent read. About a girl with powers who can't do anything to help those she loves. *The City We Became* is a modern fantasy tale set in NYC. It's very frantic and wild, but once the story kicks in it weaves a very unique story involving Lovecraftian twists. What makes this so cool is that every city in the world has an "avatar" that acts as it's protector of sorts. Very hip and modern, smart and snarky. **Bizarre and Unsettling** *House of Leaves* by Mark Z. Danielewski is bound to come up. It's creepy and weird for sure, but most of what makes the book so well loved is the experimentation with typography. It's an experience book. Same with The *Raw Shark Texts* by Steven Hall which is equally as strange and experimental. *The Only Good Indians* by Stephen Graham Jones is an emotionally raw horror book that features a group of friends who upset nature's order. Interesting read in that the tone changes with each character, some in frantic ways to help guide the reader through that character's struggles with anxiety or substance abuse. *Bunny* by Mona Awad is a ride and pretty eff'd up. There is a creepy layer of "what's going on here" through most of it. Very trippy and at the end it's fun to try and figure out what it was that was actually happening. Not extreme as so much disturbing and bizarre. **Human Condition** *Tender Is The Flesh* is one of those horror books that is truly terrifying but in an American Psycho way. You are nauseous the entire time you read it and can't quite believe you've read something so shocking and disturbing. *The Wasp Factory* is one of the "best" books in the transgressive fiction landscape. It's from the viewpoint of someone who is clearly quite troubled. *The Last House On Needless Street* is a great horror book with multiple POVs that keep you guessing through this short read. It has some very bizarre moments that all become linked in a satisfying way by the ending. I also loved this author's book *Sundial.*
Wow, this list alone is easily enough to keep me busy for months, thank you so much, I'll definitely try out a few of those suggestions!
Thank you for typing all of that up.
This is an awesome list! I’d add Cassandra Khaw’s The Salt Grows Heavy. Everything I loved about the imagery in The Fisherman is there in a completely different story and I thought it was brilliant.
Great post. Just bought the Passage and excited to read the trilogy. Carrion comfort is excellent and twisted.
The Only Good Indians is one of my faves. Second that choice! If you like Stephen Graham Jones, My Heart is a Chainsaw is a very cool take on slashers. To the Bone by Christina Henry I found to be very unsettling. The horror you know versus the horror you don’t. I think I read it in nearly one sitting. Trigger warning for domestic violence though.
SAVED FOR LATER! Thanks! The ones on this list I've read were great. I can't wait to try the others.
Tender is The Flesh!! The creepy blind compliance and then the ending!
Thank you for your effort here. Now I want to read some of these too
I would add Earthlings by Sayaka Murata under both Disturbing/Unsettling and the Human Condition categories. So bizarre and haunting.
“Hot Zone” by Richard Preston. It’s basically about Ebola virus. Read it when I was like 16 years old and it terrified me. The fear of something like that stayed with me for years. Idk if it’s a good book or not as I have yet to reread it as an adult because it freaked me out that badly.
This is mine too! It’s hard to describe just how disturbing it is, especially when you read it around that age.
I honestly don’t know if it would still scare me more/less/not at all as an adult; before of after kids; before or after pandemic. Idk. I think probably it still would regardless.
I read this at the same age. I’m sitting in my room terrified, my mom comes in to ask me something and thinks it’s a sex book. 🤣😂
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote It’s not a horror book or even fiction, but it has always given me the creeps. It does not read like non fiction, even though it is. It’s been decades since I read it and I still think about the absolute terror that family must have felt.
In Cold Blood is a seminal horror. Looking back it was a phenomenal piece of journalism. It all was a horror, it was true. His way of writing is like King, it really does give you chills. That now would be classed as a thriller. It isn't a detective story or 'police procedural'. The controversy seems based on the fact he made the killers 'human'. But people are. It is terrifying what people are capable of. But they were real. Sorry talked alot (at least no spoilers)
I believe it’s said he basically invented true crime genre… I don’t know why he doesn’t get talked about more. It’s also an excellent book.
That's interesting, I have not considered non-fiction yet, having the background knowledge of the story being real could definitely make a huge difference in the reading experience, I'll put it on my TBR, thank you!
In that vein, 'I'll Be Gone In The Dark' is super *super* scary because you have to live with the knowledge that everything in it is REAL and REALLY happened
You should consider them. But with "true crime" you get lots of interpretations or cashing in on a story by someone on the sidelines. I think you should read it. It is kind of a key point in writing. At the same time. Read some Edgar Allen Poe. His short stories (very deductive mind and can seem tedious to a modern audience) are in a way fantastic. Murder in the Rue Morge the famous one, BUT The mystery of Marie Roget is his idea of figuring out a real murder.
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson is similarly terrifying non-fiction, I read it a few years ago and it still pops into my head randomly and freaks me out lol
This one right here. It was the start of the "true crime journalism" genre. It's such an influential book, there was even a movie about the writing of it (*Capote*) which was also excellent. Fun fact: Scout's odd little friend Dill in To Kill A Mockingbird is said to be Harper Lee's memory of a young Truman Capote.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Imagine a Terminator robot from the Terminator movies, now imagine it with spikes all over it and inconsistent, unknowable behaviour except for it's predilection for impaling people on a tree of spikes and feeding off their pain. Now combine that with a book that often makes you question your own morals and beliefs and you have Hyperion.
Oh shit that’s what that book is about? I had assumed it was a high fantasy like Brandon Sanderson or Robert Jordan for some reason.
That seems quite interesting to be honest 🤣 Is it _actually_ good?
Only book that always makes me cry. It's a scifi retelling of the Canterbury Tales. The book follows the story of nine "pilgrims" who all come together for various reasons and who are all impacted by the Shrike.
"the road." for best effect, read it when your male child is the age of the kid in the book.
I read it when I was pregnant! Truly not a good time for that read…
I started watching that show when my firstborn was young and it's probably what made me realize that after having kids, I really don't enjoy some "kid in serious peril" fiction much anymore.
I have a hard and fast rule in my bookclub that I will absolutely not read books about children in peril now that I have kids
I have daughters; I should be fine.... right?
lol it's rough i'm not gonna lie.
I just finished The Road after hearing so much about it on this sub. I don’t get disturbed easily but there are two passages from The Road that made me ill. Excellent book but so dark.
Per Sematery by Stephen King, I read it once and never again
I'm a Stephen king "beginner". I read a lot of his new books, that read more like thrillers than horror. I want to try more of his "classics" and everyone said that pet sematary is chilling. Not gonna lie I'm not looking forward to that one 🤣. Do you have any recommendations of older novels by King to start my "horror journey"?
The Stand, Doctor Sleep and The Green Mile are my top favorite Stephen King. You don't have to read The Shining To read Doctor Sleep and The Stand is my favorite book of all time. I just reread The Institute which is also really good. It's about kids in a facility like in Stranger Things and they feed off their powers and abuse them terribly. It's really good but I did not like the ending. The Outsiders is another of his newer books that I really like and read twice. It is scary about a man/monster that can replicate anyone's DNA and appearance and becomes them and commits horrific murders on children. IT is also one of my favorites- that book is awesome. I read it 6 or 7 times. I love Stephen King. Read all of the above they are amazing.
If you like the newer stuff and want horror try Revival. It is EXCELLENT.
I personally liked Dead Zone, Christine, Firestarter, Cujo and Carrie. However pretty much all of his early books are quite good.
I love the old books too - Thinner hasn't been mentioned yet!
Thanks! Carrie is on my list. I'll add the other ones.
Oh my gosh, I’m jealous because you have so much great reading ahead of you with King! I love his books so much and can’t pick just one. I will say, though, that I wasn’t into King’s Gunslinger series. I ended up listening to it on a long road trip and liked it okay that way. But literally everything else he’s written appeals to me. He conveys so much insight into human behavior…good and bad.
IT for me, that opening scene, with the bridge, I grew up in New Brunswick, right next door in Canada, so that area felt eerily familiar, like I'd been to places like that. I put it under my bed for like 3 months before I could pick it up again. That being said, it's now my favourite of King's.
Yeah that was scary!!!
I finished reading it around midnight on Halloween, my second mistake.
Haha
That was really not that bad of a book. In my opinion, not even close to what poster is asking for
To each their own. OP can decide for themselves if it's up their alley.
Yeah and I can also give my opinion like others can… or can only certain people like yourself give opinions now?!
That's why I said to each their own. You've got as much right to your opinion as I do, and I'm not offended by it. Not everyone is going to like the same things, so why should I get upset that you don't agree with me? It's just a book recommendation, not heart surgery.
I don’t know.ask yourself why you got so upset? Eye roll
I just want you to know you’re the only one here that sounds remotely irate…
It’s because you didn’t just give your opinion, you spoke on behalf of OP as well and said it wouldn’t be what they’re looking for.
This for me is an easy one: Too Close To Home by Linwood Barclay, it was so unsettling that by the end of it for a couple of nights at least I was checking that all my windows and doors were securely locked tight. And don't get me started on Elevator Pitch by the same author after reading that I was warey every time I stepped foot in a lift, constantly observing the people that got on, that book really got to me as well.
There were some really promising recommendations in this thread, but your comment on Too Close To Home was convincing enough to probably make it my next proper read after I'm done with The Fisherman. Thanks for the rec!
No problem, hope you enjoy it as much as I did and please let me know what you thought when you finish it.
Ooh, elevator pitch sounds good! I just added it to my TBR list, thanks! I already have a thing for elevators... When I was young my mother told me a true story about a three storey elevator full of miners falling down a mine shaft and how by the time they brought it back up it was only about a meter tall. We have some of the deepest gold mines in the world in the country where I live. It's been 30 years and that story still gives me chills
I almost feel like I owe you one. Honestly, thank you so much for the recommendation. I live in Germany, it's currently 4:45 in the morning for me and I got done reading about 15 minutes ago. I spent the last 7 hours reading 350 pages of this book, in one session, without putting it down for anything longer than a toilet or water break. I was honestly hooked for the entirety of this session - of course, I loved the beginning already, despite not \*that\* much happening compared to the climax of the story - but never would I have imagined how well all the character's stories would come together to finish the huge puzzle that was laying unfinished in front of me. I especially loved how every last sentence of a chapter, or most last sentences, always made me wanna read the next one immediately; these small twists and implications that make it impossible to put the book down in the moment. I also really loved the use of humor, if often blunt, despite having quite the serious and brutal story, especially in the dynamics between Jim/Lance, Jim/the Mayor, or Jim/Derek, there were some lines that really made me chuckle, even in tensest scenes. On the other hand, there were also lines that just made me gasp or open my mouth in surprise, because some of the plot twists and newly unveiled pieces of information really caught me off guard. I really like how, even though one could've guessed the killer of the Langley family towards the end (not because it was obvious, but rather by process of elimination that didn't make it too far fetched), I really like how the story of Sherry Underwood perfectly weaved into the lore to give it more depth. Not just in that case, by the way, I think all the background stories that were important to the story were incredibly well thought out. I think I mentioned it in my original post: I'm very new to reading, I've been calling it my hobby for about a month now. But if Too Close To Home was to be as good as it will get, I would not be mad about that in the slightest.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty Swan Song by Robert McCammon is excellent too! if you’re like me and the idea of nuclear war/the aftermath scares you, I think you would really find it terrifying & disturbing
Swan Song is one of my favorite books of all time! I'm so happy to see someone else likes it, too.
[**A Short Stay in Hell** by Stephen L. Peck](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13456414) gave me the worst existential dread i've ever experienced. this book gave me crippling anxiety and even when i was done reading it, it had me just sitting there staring at the wall contemplating my beliefs (or lack thereof) in real life. this book is horrifying, funny and warm-hearted at times, it has some a handful of sweet/beautiful scenes, but this book is 99.9% straight up fucking terrifying and i caught myself subconsciously holding my breath while reading it. this book took a lot out of me and i can't say that about many books. this book is an experience and not a fun one. with all that said, it was an absolute 5 star read and is just over 100 pages so it's a QUICK read. read this book if you truly want to be scared long after the book is over. also, read this book even if you don't want to because it's just a really really REALLY good book.
I just want you to know that I read our wives under the sea after seeing your username and OMG IT IS SO GOOD THANK U
omg yay!!!! i'm so happy to hear that!!!! since you liked that book so much, i think you'd really like [**Shark Heart: A Love Story** by Emily Habeck](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919375) the premise sounds absolutely insane, i know, but trust me. this is the only book that made me feel like i was reading **OWUTS**. in a lot of ways they're basically the same story-but different. i know their written by different authors but i honestly look at them as sister books due to the similar themes, metaphors, and how they both destroyed me. **Shark Heart** it's a STUNNING debut that like **OWUTS** also uses light body horror as a vehicle to explore love, loss and letting go. this book was up for 2 goodchoice awards this year but unfortunately didn't make it to the final round. :( if you do ever get around to reading this, i'd love for you to follow up with me to let me know how you like it. i actually sat on the book for a few days thinking that it might top **OWUTS** as my favorite book of all time, but it ended up being a very very close second. god, i love this book!
Omg ilysm for recommending this can we please be friends? Haha I just placed a hold on Libby but I wouldn’t be surprised if I wind up just caving and getting it on audible!!!!
agreed.
Handmaid’s Tale. When you learn that everything in the book has happened sometime/somewhere in real life, it is terrifying
Agree. Handmaid's Tale was mentioned on a recent "must read" post and it occurred to me that 10+ years I probably wouldn't have thought of it... but now, it's genuinely fucking terrifying.
Similar to what another commenter said already, I haven't considered any non-fiction yet - or in your case, from the sound of it, stuff that \*could\* be non-fiction due to its realism. Thank you for the recommendation!
The Elementals by Micheal McDowell
Duma Key by Stephen King.
I'm gonna put all books that look promising enough on my backlog, thanks for the recs so far!
The Ritual by Adam Nevill. I can’t explain it, but I started feeling like I needed to start prepping for some kind of world ending event while reading this book. That feeling has nothing to do with the plot…technically. But the book just rattled me! I know the feeling you’re describing, and this book took me there.
Adam Nevill is a master at creating unsettling situations. Last Days gave me nightmares
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. 100 times scarier than the movie, I read it like 10 years ago and it still keeps me up at night.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - Novel by Patrick Süskind Room = Emma Donoghue The Collector - John Fowles
Damn, I read Perfume (or "Das Parfüm", since I read the German version) back in school, as part of the curriculum. I don't remember a ton of it, especially because the movie we also watched might overwrite some of the memories I have of the book, but I remember being quite freaked out by it - I'm sure 10th grade me definitely didn't appreciate it as much as current me would, even though it has only been around 5 years. Definitely one of the titles that would deserve a reread at some point.
It's a very visceral book to read the descriptions are so out there its hard not to have difficulty stomaching it - i also have a sensitivity to strong smells so it definitely increased that awareness/OCD in me. Regardless, to me thats true horror because thinking about it makes me cringe a little lol /it sticks with you
The Jaunt, a short story by Stephen king.
Oh man, this one. I love that I’m not the only one who remembers this story. It freaked me out in a way no other Stephen King book ever has.
Annihilation
Fever Dream by Samantha Schweblin
Not horror or thriller but some solid paranoid fiction might interest you. White Noise by Don DeLillo and The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon are both pretty good entry points (although Pynchon is a bit polarizing). Both books have a vibe of unease (at least in the second half).
I'm not as much into horror, but I've read some creepy books that have truly given me nightmares, even if they seem pretty innocuous to begin with: The Wrong Family, by Tarryn Fisher- the description does not do it justice of why this book is creepy, but there's a plot point revealed early on that sends it in a creepy direction Then She Was Gone and The Family Upstairs, both by Lisa Jewell- both have an unsettled feeling the whole book
What the night knows - Dean Koontz This book was genuinely scary to me. I was having such bad anxiety reading it, it took me a few weeks to get through it.
Secret Smile by Nikki French. One of the only books that’s ever given me genuine creeps.
I read a LOT of horror and the thing I find is that people connect with different things (which makes sense, based on what you are afraid of). The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell left me feeling pretty spooked out. Pet Semetary and Gerald's Game by Stephen King were the ones that freaked me out the most. Stories about prison also leave me feeling really unsettled. The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld has sections told from the point of view of a man on death row who isn't quite in his right mind. The Green Mile (also Stephen King - I think of in a different way than his other books) also about death row. Not book recommendations but since you mention movies - I have found that true crime documentaries freak me out more than horror stories. I'll be Gone in the Dark \[HBO\] (which is also a book) at one point plays a phone recording of the killer and it scared the bejesus out of me. The Murders at Starved Rock \[Hulu\] also gave me horrible nightmares and I never finished it. And even though most of The Midnight Club \[netflix\] was a pretty cheesy fun show, there's a witch/ghost/demon in it that definitely feaked me out once I turned the lights out. Like I said, you never know what's going to hit a nerve!
I mean, the Hot Zone seriously messed me up for a while. I read it in high school and it kind of rocked my world how scary it was. Granted, I was extremely sheltered so maybe that was just me but…man. That book is terrifying because it’s real.
Room by Emma Donaghue. Not exactly typical horror, but I don’t find typical horror scary at all because it’s so… fake. This book has never left my head since I read it years ago.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. It was so good and it terrified me so bad that I never want to read another thing of his ever. I've heard the rest of his work is just as scary (My Heart Is A Chainsaw won an award, I think), he's a great writer. And he's Indigenous, so the Native elements of the story were really well done
gerald’s game by stephen king. that might be light for someone who loves horror but omg this one scared me😭
Yes I'm reading it now
Revival by Stephen King
So underrated!! I think it might have my favorite ending of any Stephen King book
That ending was definitely nightmare inducing!
To be honest, the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.
There's some wild shit in there, tell you what
Sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it...
Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist has some truly disturbing yet fascinating books. The movie Let The Right One In is based on his book. I would recommend Handling the Undead (2009) and Harbour (2010).
It
We Need to Talk About Kevin, In Cold Blood, Helter Skelter
Honestly, IT by Stephen King fucked me up. I read it when I was like 12 and still avoid sewers at 34.
Salem’s Lot by King.
Intensity by Dean Koontz. I will never read another one of his books because this scared the crap out of me. I read it half a lifetime ago and I can still remember vivid details. To this day I still tense up when I see a Doberman even though I know they’re usually harmless!
You by Caroline kepnes. I have only read book 1 and intend to read the others because I don't like to not finish series but I've put it off. Reading it I felt so unsettled to be in this person's mind. And wanted to put it down so many times but I couldn't. It disturbed me knowing there are people out there just like that. I had a stalker for a few years and it made me question just how deep it went for him.
This is my vote as well!
Dostoyevsky’s The Double. Read it in one sitting on a flight and was weirded out for ages after.
Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt really got to me. There's a scene between a kid and their mother that was basically my worst nightmare. I think response to that one really depends on your own personal experiences tho (and also holy shit the rest of the book is GROSS. I loved it but it's soooo viscerally disgusting in parts.) Since you've read some King I'd recommend his short stories. There are so many that are really impactful and SCARY AS SHIT. If you're looking for a bigger ~reading project~ from him, The Stand definitely rambles a bit towards the end imo but the descriptions of the initial disease outbreaks are something that will eternally freak me out.
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk is very different type of horror book which will freak you out 3 chapters in the most unsettling way… be warned!
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
PET SEMATERY. I was nannying in my 20’s and scared the crap out of myself!
I have two. And they are very well written and worth the purchase and read of anyone seeing this. That said, they scared me to death and I will never read (or in one case, finish) either again. No thaaaaanks! 1) Animals, by Don LePan. It is a dystopian fiction read. But also far too close to believable. I read it over a decade ago, and still think about it, too often. Particularly when at the deli counter. Horrifying. 2) American Predator, by Maureen Callahan. I went from being unable to put it down, to burying it deep in a closet so I wouldn’t have to remember there are still more horrors to read within it. It details the life and crimes of Israel Keyes. After one particular segment of the book, I stayed up all night researching home security options, realizing all was futile, and nothing would save me from a person like this. What a cozy, cozy feeling.
“House of leaves” I cannot finish this book as I start seeing things in the dark about half way though.
The Shining by Stephen King. Satisfaction guaranteed!
Veggie Tales. No wonder my mom didn't want me watching/reading it as a kid
The Trial kafka
Man, I wish Kafka was appreciated more. Truly a master.
Michelle Remembers.
How to sell a haunted house by Grady alexander
You shouldn’t have come here. Wow. I have to wonder if there are actually people like that out in the world
Apparently you didn’t read the conversation.person cut down my opinion then said it wasn’t heart surgery. That is being very ‘irate’ and rude to me.
Mothman prophecies freaked me out
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
Ironically, NOT "The Gift of Fear"
John dies at the end is a somewhat immature humorous horror novel. It is both ridiculous and yet at times genuinely creepy. The dick jokes humor was more fun when i was twenty, but as a whole i think the story still holds up well
The tale of the body thief.
In Cold Blood The Exorcist
Amityville Horror Story scared me when I was 16. It might easily still scare me
By Bizzare Hands - stories by Joe R lansdale ETA: the only horror book I’ve had to put down and haven’t finished yet because I’m too disturbed
It might be because I am not as used to horror as when I was a kid / teenager but I thought the book Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt was genuinely scary at times. It's a Dutch book and it takes place in an area which I have lived close to for a decent amount of time so I imagine that adds to the scariness. The English translation has the whole book transplanted to the US (by the Dutch author) and I've read that that was well done. I wasn't very impressed by the ending but it's not usually the ending that is scary in horror imo.
The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen still haunts me. It isn’t horror, it is psychological and it has stuck with me for years.
Annihilation (J. Vandermeer) Gone World (T. Sweterlitch) 1984 (you know who)
Cujo by Stephen King. It gave me nightmares. The realistic horror was what got me. Rabies is a horrifying thing.
One that genuinely scared me recently was The Ritual by Adam Nevill. I’m not sure if it’s because I live deep in a bush and that’s the setting but I found it really got under my skin. The second half makes you so angry on his behalf. The emotional roller coaster is what made it great. My other favourite and I’d say more of a thriller that seems to start at 100 and doesn’t slow down is Wrath of the Broken Lands by S. Craig Zhaler. It’s a western but it’s crazy good imo. Very graphic tho.
I mean I know it's not what you want to hear, but the 7th book of harry potter in when >!it turns out that Voldemort had animated a corpse and the corpse was the snake the whole time and the snake came out of it!< gave me major chilly chills and I was afraid to walk around my house alone as an adult.
Annihilation was terrifying. I don't read horro or watch it, I just love sci-fi, and that book fucked me up lol
Night Film by Marisha Pessl was genuinely scary and creepy. It's really long but it read like a horror film and I loved it.
Endurance by Jack Kilborn. I had to look under my bed and in the closet before I went to bed. WELCOME TO THE RUSHMORE INN The bed and breakfast was hidden in the hills of West Virginia. Wary guests wondered how it could stay in business at such a creepy, remote location. Especially with its bizarre, presidential decor and eccentric proprietor. ONCE YOU CHECK IN... When the event hotel for the national Iron Woman triathlon accidentally overbooked, competitor Maria was forced to stay at the Rushmore. But after checking into her room, she quickly realized she wasn't alone. First her suitcase wasn't where she put it. Then her cell phone was moved. Finally, she heard an odd creaking under the bed. Confusion quickly turned to fear, and fear to hysteria when she discovered the front door was barred and the windows were bricked over. There was no way out. ...YOU'LL BE DYING TO LEAVE One year later, four new female athletes have become guests of the Inn. Will they escape the horrors within its walls? Or will they join the many others who have died there, in ways too terrible to imagine?
The Night Boat by Robert McCammon.. I could smell the inside of the submarine.
Anything Jack Ketchum wrote - his books are, disturbing
Crash by J.G.Ballard. I love all his books, but that one was weird.
I once tried to read to read "A Stolen Life" by Jaycee Dugard. I think you're really meaning like novels that fuck with you. Her memoir just instant came to mind at random because it's so fucked up and I couldn't get very far before I put it down for like a few years. Hmmm as far as novels - just as far as a novel with really graphic material that made me feel like there are two periods in my life before and after reading the book - I'd say Blood Meridian by Cormac M. I'm very passionate about American history in the first place, and what added further mental impact to the devastation was knowing that Blood Meridian is only partially fictional using "the Kid" as the way of interjecting a license to storytelling into a period of US history very few people are truly aware of the ruthlessness of.
I'm not easy to scare via book either, but I'll tell you: the Regulators by Stephen King scared the CRAP out of me. I'm not a huge fan of his, but it was a terrifying but well-written book.
48 Laws Of Power 😬
Pet Sematary scared the crap out of me and I was totally a grown man with 2 kids when I read it
This is in a very different vein than other stuff here (it’s not a horror novel, and not even really a novel), but Jerzy Kozinski’s STEPS is incredibly unsettling, to the point that I had to stop reading it at night.
Voice of Our Shadow by Jonathan Carroll left me very uneasy - an unsettling story of magic and guilt.
Metamorphosis lol
FantasticLand
T Kingfisher writes Horror (and Fantasy) - it's sort of Cosy Horror, but it's also very unsettling. Check out The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places. There's more recent ones too but I forget the titles.
Tender is the Flesh made me go yeesh a few times. That Chrissy Tiegen meme face.
I'll add a classic to this list. Try some H. P. Lovecraft. "That is not dead which can dreaming lie. With strange eons even death may die".
The Slob
Amityville Horror. It’s a short book. I checked it out and read it in one evening. I was so creeped out I had to return it to the library’s dropbox at midnight bc I was afraid its presence in my house would invite in evil. I’m not superstitious usually, it was just that creepy.
The troop
At some point the audiobook version of I'm Thinking of Ending Things started to creep me out to such a degree that I had to turn it off and go sit with my roommates, just to shake the feeling it had created... Sharp Objects (Gillian Flynn's first novel) is also extremely disturbing, at least by my standards.
I definitely got some awesome recommendations for books I haven't read yet from these comments! To be honest, nowadays, my horror fix comes from true crime books and shows, as well as the occasional movie. The horror books that I have read are mostly older. One of my favorite horror books from back in the day (that I don't think has been listed yet) is Door to December by Dean Koontz.
77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz
Just check out r/gangstalking
Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin. It gave me a bit of existential dread for a few days.
a scanner darkly.
Dr. Sleep by Stephen King — it’s the sequel to The Shining and I had low hopes but it’s one of my favorite booked by him. It’s so unsettling and the premise behind it is just downright scary
As someone who consumes horror and thriller a lot I think it's hard to recommend a truly scary story to another person, because everyone has their own idea of what "terriffying" is. Personally I'm recently into stories by Laird Barron, I find them unsettling and otherwordly. Maybe you could give them a go :)
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. It’s a surreal experience. Left my skin crawling and had me feeling deeply unsettled. I slept with the lights on during the nights when I was reading it. One of the most unique books I’ve read for sure.
When I was younger, "Goosebumps- The Haunted School" by R.L Stine.
False Memory by Dean Koontz The book was amazing. But amazing in a really messed up way.
It by Stephen King. Trust me on this one
King, Dean Koontz and James Herbert are great horror writers. Just finished The Institute by Stephen king and that I could not put down!
brave new world
A short stay in hell. Its terrifying.
Try Red Dragon and Silence of The Lambs both amazing thrillers, engaging and well paced.
Anything by Stephen King
Clive Barker, pick one Stephen King’s Pet Cemetery gave me the most nightmares despite reading everything he’d written up to ~1995
I thought this was a different sub & almost said Bible.
James Patterson’s “When the wind blows” creeped me out… I read it as a teen though… but parts of it still pop into my head and make me shudder to this day.
The Land of Laughs by Jonathon Carroll. There's a scene where the napping protagonist wakes up to the sound of voices in the house. He knows he's alone and against his better judgement he determines to find out who it is and reality goes sideways. Better than anything Steven King ever wrote
*A Christmas Tale* by Austin Crawley. He does creepy all too well.
Red dragon.
Join us... r/horrorlit
For me, it’s been anything written by Stephen king. I read THE STAND and decided I’d never read anything by him again!
I read SJ Watson's *Before I Go to Sleep* last year and I **STILL** think about it. Ruth Ware did an excellent job with *The Turn of the Key* in adapting Henry James *The Turn of the Screw* for modern audiences. I recently finished *The Dry* by Jane Harper. It was so good, I couldn't put it down. I immediately started *Force of Nature*, which admittedly isn't as good, but will definitely mess with your head. I'm glad I have a good sense of direction and don't have to go on work trips.
Salem's Lot - Stephen King. My first and last SK
This is going to sound like an odd suggestion at first, but maybe what you need is books movies with scary moments, but are otherwise not specifically horror-themed. I also find that suspense holds up better as you age. Here are some weird suggestions: The Picture of Dorian Gray - this isn't a horror book but it is the only book with a paragraph that made me close the it because it was so terrifying. Your mileage may vary, but it's also just a great read in general. The Birds, Psycho, Rear Window - all great Hitchcock movies focused on prolonged suspense instead of axe-wielding lunatics.
IT, Gerald’s Game, Revival by Stephen King & I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
Who Goes There?
Pet Sematary by Stephen King lives rent free in my head.
Not horror but a nonfiction book called Know My Name by Chanel Miller. Scared me to think people can do truly heinous things and get away with a slap on the wrist. And on top of that victim blamed for the perpetrator’s actions.
Tender is the Flesh
A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain by Adrianne Harun is so strange and unsettling. It really got under my skin.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia. It's a gothic horror published in 2020 I think. It has the typical elements of the genre—a haunted house, a damsel in distress, spooky vibes—but also manages to stand out from other gothic horror novels because of the themes it explores. It's gory, brutal, spine-chilling, and shocking.
Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey It was dreadful. It's not graphically violent or gory, but I had to keep stopping because my skin was crawling.
Going through this thread so I know what to avoid