The 59 Best Horror Books of All Time (in Case You're in the Mood to Ruin Sleep Forever)

Liz is returning to her hometown of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to attend her best friend's wedding. As a Black woman, she's less than thrilled at the prospect of spending time in the majority-white town, but decides to go and support her friend anyway. Things get scary when her best friend's daughter Caroline goes missing at the wedding. Liz realizes Caroline isn't the first Black girl to go missing in Johnstown and must find Caroline before she meets a truly horrifying fate.

If you like your horror with a dystopian twist, you'll be super into this novel. It follows a group of trans men and women fighting for survival in the wake of a plague that turns people with a certain amount of testosterone into feral monsters. The group traverses a post-apocalyptic New England landscape battling murderous TERFs, rich idiots, and all sorts of bizarre situations.

This 2023 hit horror novel focuses on Alice, whose life has spiraled out of control after spending a night in an abandoned house with two friends. Scarred by what took place that night, Alice must convince her friends to return to the house and face something sinister.

This tense novel centers on the residents at a boarded-up house on the edge of the woods: a teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, a man who drinks alone in front of the TV, and a house-cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. When a new neighbor moves in, secrets start to reveal themselves.

If the title didn't creep you out enough, get ready for the summary: A declared suicide victim's girlfriend, Maura, becomes the prime suspect of an investigation after the victim's sister, Holly, discovers a "game" she wanted to play. As the story unfolds, we watch Holly become more obsessed with her brother's passing and lured deeper down Maura's path.

This unique, groundbreaking novel follows Jade Daniels, a half-Indian girl with a difficult home life and a passion for horror movies. When her town of Indian Lake faces the threat of real-life horror, Jade uses her knowledge of horror movies to predict exactly what will unfold. In addition to being a gripping horror read, it's also a statement on Indigenous displacement and gentrification.

And if you loved "My Heart Is a Chainsaw," then be sure to check out the next story. After her conviction is overturned, Jade Daniels returns to Proofrock, only to face something dangerous. Dark Mill South, a convicted serial killer, is on the hunt after escaping from prison.

This dark thriller follows Vera, a woman who is returning to her family home after a long estrangement to take care of her dying mother...and the family home is where her infamous serial killer father murdered his victims. Add in the fact that Vera keeps finding creepy notes in her father's handwriting, and you have a book you won't be able to put down.

You know how in horror movies there's always one girl who survives the terrifying incident? The "final girl" we're following in this gripping novel is Lynnette, who survived a massacre. She's been meeting with a therapist and five other women who are also survivors of unspeakable horrors. When one of them misses a meeting, the rest of them realize their worst fears have come true and they'll have to fight for their lives all over again.

This chilling novel centers on a New England family struggling with their daughter's acute schizophrenia diagnosis. Fifteen years after an exorcism that resulted in tragedy, a bestselling writer interviews the younger daughter of the family and unearths secrets even more horrifying than imagined.

Set in 1987, Wasps in the Ice Cream follows Mark Prewitt and his new friendship with a Farrow sister, George, who is a practicing witch. Chaos begins after George invites him to a séance to contact her dead sister, who died under mysterious circumstances.

This tense, gothic-inspired book follows Noemí Taboada as she goes to rescue her cousin from a mysterious doom. Noemí arrives at her cousin's house in the Mexican countryside and finds herself unearthing stories of violence and madness.

This novel tells the story of Grace, whose widowed mother moves in with her during a pandemic. While they spend unavoidable time together, Grace notices a series strange events start happening around her. She even starts having nightmares about her disabled twin sister, who died when they were kids.

Holly Sherwin is about to get her big break after receiving a grant to get her play up and going. To get her creativity flowing, she decides to take some time to rehearse her play at Hill House on a getaway upstate. However, her time at the house is not what anyone would want. Frightened by the sounds she hears throughout the house, Holly begins to believe she is not alone.

This novel follows Bridge, a 24-year-old who is dealing with her mother's death. She soon discovers she can step into other realities, and Bridge decides to use this ability to find out what really happened to her mother.

This book tells the story of Sunny Lee, a member of an upcoming teen pop group, Sweet Cadence. When one of the members of her group suddenly passes away, Sunny's career begins to fade and she spends her days wondering what caused her bandmate's death. As Sunny tries to get back under the spotlight, a series of terrible events take place.

This book tells the story of Vesper Wright, a girl who left her religious family at the age of eighteen and was asked to never return. She receives an invitation to her cousin's family in the mail and even though something seems off, she decides to attend anyway. And things get sinister.

Looking Glass Sounds is a story of Wilder Harlow, an author who is about to write his final novel. As he begins his writing journey, Wilder starts to distrust his memory and experience extreme hallucinations. He believes someone (or something) is haunting him and worries writing this novel will be the last thing he ever does.

If you like your horror with a healthy dose of fantasy, you'll be into this book. It follows Apollo Kagwa, a new father who has been experiencing strange recurring dreams just like the ones he had as a kid. His wife, Emma, is struggling with postpartum depression, which pushes her to commit a horrifying act and then vanish. Apollo has no choice but to go on a fantastical quest to find a wife and child who are nothing like he'd imagined.

You've prob seen the movie at some point, and now it's time to read the book. In case you aren't familiar, this story follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she interviews Dr. Hannibal Lecter to gain insights on a serial murderer known as "Buffalo Bill."