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How novel, then, that what we consider scary varies from person to person
Some people quiver in fear at the mere suggestion of a ghost
For others, it’s the hulking figure with a knife at the ready that makes them queasy
Horror movies reflect the cultural anxieties of the time and place in which they’re produced, but
That’s not to say that horror literature can’t act as a barometer for our fears,
It’s no secret that horror novels boomed in popularity over the last half of the 20th
That dip in popularity lasted until the housing market collapsed in 2008
Below, I’ve picked out 50 of the scariest books of all time
There’s truly something here to scare the pants off of anyone and everyone
So if you don’t find a particular entry scary, well, thank all the Old Gods and
Recording these strange encounters for posterity, Clarke soon finds himself facing a seductress of great power
Lovecraft, The King in Yellow is a loose assemblage of stories centered around the titular, fictional play
Obviously, no list of the scariest books of all time would be complete without the quintessential dystopian
George Orwell’s classic tale of fascist England — now known as Airstrip One — centers on Winston: a
Nineteen Eighty-Four has become a cultural touchstone in the 70-plus years since its release
Let me preface this by saying that, thanks to a cognate in history and comparative religion, I
Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel draws on his firsthand experiences at Auschwitz and Buchenwald in this brief novel,
When it comes to haunted-house stories, it’s hard to beat this Shirley Jackson classic
The Haunting of Hill House follows a paranormal investigator and his two new assistants into the titular
As the central characters confront strange phenomena, they’re left to wonder whether Hill House is truly
The story here centers on the Rolfes: a family of city-dwellers looking for a peaceful summer getaway
Grady Hendrix characterizes The Auctioneer as “if Cormac McCarthy had written Needful Things,” and he’s right
John Moore ekes out a living on his family farm, located on the outskirts of Harlowe: a
Everyone is happy to help out with the policemen’s charity auctions, including John and his wife
Part true-crime story, part horror novel, and widely believed to be a hoax, The Amityville Horror is
Author Jay Anson and others — including Ed and Lorraine Warren of The Conjuring fame — purported Amityville to
Whether you believe in ghosts or not, this story of one couple’s hellish month inside the
Left with few options, Corrine turns to her estranged parents — millionaire Malcolm Foxworth and his unnamed wife —
What would you do if you found out your close friend was a serial killer? That’s
Rule went on to become one of publishing’s most famous true-crime authors, but it’s her
It was difficult to pick just one Stephen King book for this list
There’s a compelling argument to be made for Pet Sematary on the grounds of its relatability,
Nowadays, superstitious Frank contents himself with rituals that — he believes — protect the island he lives on with
Frank’s rituals often involve killing and mutilating animals, including the wasps of the novel’s title
But when his disturbed older brother, Eric, escapes from a psychiatric hospital and begins to make his
Too bad for them, because Tomie leverages her sex appeal to bring out the worst in others
The French call it “l’appel du vide”: the call of the void
It’s what draws us to the edge of the cliff and tells us to throw ourselves
It’s what told Nicholas’ girlfriend, Nakota, to check out the Funhole in their apartment building’s
And then Nicholas put his hand down the Funhole…and everything changed
The novel imagines that all human mitochondria form a sentient hivemind
This collective, known as Eve, can telepathically push individuals into doing its bidding, all with one singular
The Hot Zone resurged in popularity during the West African Ebola outbreak in 2014, and again as COVID-19
When he comes back to life with the ability to raise others from the dead, he’s
Andrew and Jay had every intention of killing one another when they met
Instead, these two cannibalistic serial killers fell into a perverse Bonnie-and-Clyde relationship of murder and mayhem
As they prey upon victims in New Orleans’ seedy underbelly, Andrew and Jay set their sights on
For nearly 40 years, the tragedy of Chernobyl has kept onlookers scrabbling for answers
Published 60 years after the massacre and offering an unflinching account of the atrocities, The Rape of Nanking
* Note: It’s worth mentioning here that Iris Chang’s research into this deeply disturbing subject matter
I don’t often put warning labels of this kind on the books I recommend, but please
The basis for the 1999 Takashi Miike film of the same name, Ryū Murakami’s Audition follows Aoyama,
But the widower’s new girlfriend has a dark side, and she’s never quite outrun the
This is one of the most polarizing horror novels I’ve ever come across
For those who enjoy it, however, House of Leaves proves to be a book that never quite
Yalo cannot remember committing the crimes he’s accused of
Her personal and professional relationships are beginning to sour
A folk-medicine practitioner warned Amanda about demonic possession, but people don’t really become possessed…do they?
How could anyone possibly expect her to go on teaching after what happened to Manami? On her
Dale could have worked miracles with his ability to raise the dead
They never remember what happened to them, so Dale has managed to brutalize whomever he wants with
She’s his next-door neighbor, and she remembers exactly what Dale did to her and her husband
But how do you accuse someone of an unthinkable crime when he leaves no evidence behind?
Like every other person in her community, Vanja grew up naming the things around her — telling them
He’s moved every piece into place to get her right where he wants her…and he’
She’s everything he’s ever wanted in a lifemate, and he wants nothing more than to
So when Clarice spurns him, Teo has no choice but to show her exactly what she’s
Vanessa will have to tread carefully if she wants to unearth Wonderland’s secrets without riling the
So when Yeong-hye decides to stop eating meat to combat the graphic, bloody visions that haunt her,
It quickly becomes clear, however, that giving up meat won’t be enough to stop her suffering
As Yeong-hye pursues ever more extreme measures to end the disturbances, her close family push back — with
He’s unrelated to Amanda, but that doesn’t stop him from remaining at her side, constantly
Samanta Schweblin’s debut novel is a taut and psychologically terrifying experience
John Langan’s Stoker Award-winning novel follows two men, Abe and Dan, who form a hesitant friendship
They plan a fishing trip to Upstate New York, where a mysterious fishing hole is rumored to
Elsie’s marriage to Rupert was supposed to bring an end to her anguish and make up
In The Hunger, Alma Katsu offers a supernatural explanation for what led to the deaths of 39 people
Another Stoker Award winner, Gwendolyn Kiste’s debut novel spins the tale of a Cleveland neighborhood’s
The girls of Denton Street are changing into something inhuman
Copenhagen police have just discovered a connection between two recent murders — each of which bears a strange
One bears the fingerprints of another victim — a girl who has been dead for a year
With a mysterious killer preying closer and closer to their homes, two detectives enter a deadly game
Catriona Ward’s Shirley Jackson Award-winning sophomore novel gets its first U
The Adder will only spare the faithful, and Eve intends to receive the god’s powerful blessing
Queer victims of abuse often find themselves passed over in discussions about domestic violence, despite its pervasiveness
Carmen Maria Machado’s experimental memoir, In the Dream House, leans on horror tropes as it recounts
A Brooklynite angered by the sprawl of gentrification teams up with one of her neighborhood’s newest
Circumstances beyond her control forced Lena to drop out of college
She doesn’t have to worry about paying for housing or health insurance, and her salary easily
The company’s medical experiments could be total game-changers
As Lena spends more time in town, however, she begins to suspect that all is not as
There, they committed a transgression for which they have never atoned
Taking inspiration from Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows, T
Kingfisher’s The Hollow Places tracks one woman’s excursions into a parallel reality
Kara works for her uncle at his roadside attraction: the Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders,
Sixty years after Milagros’ unsolved murder, locals say she still haunts the south Texas town where she
After he purchases the plantation where Milagros died, Hector, a lapsed curandero, begins teasing out the mystery
Something big is brewing beyond the mortal realm, however, and soon, everyone will know Milagros’ story
Twenty years ago, Jena’s parents and siblings died in a fire
Aided by Rose’s caregiver, Jena dives into the dark history of her family’s property — only
Unable to bear life in their old home any longer, Thiago escapes to a remote cabin, looking
But whatever spirits haunted his Chicago apartment have followed Thiago to Colorado, and now he has nowhere
A chilling horror novel in the vein of Rebecca and Mexican Gothic, The Hacienda follows a blushing
Sure, questions linger about the death of her husband’s first wife
Eli had no reason to suspect that someone had tampered with her drink
Now, she’s trapped in a basement, and she knows no one will ever think to look
Eli’s captor wants something from her, something to do with her bestselling novels
Mario committed unspeakable crimes to afford his daughter’s medical bills
So why not steal from one of the world’s biggest organized crime rings? This job is
As Mario finds himself dragged deeper and deeper into the cartel’s underworld, he finds himself caught
Want more scary books to scare you into sleeping with the light on? Check out these bone-chilling