Top 10 Horror Books

WHERE TO FIND ME:

[shamamismael]

I like how the title is like "Boo".
Edit: Sorry...Murphy must have changed the title to top 10 spooky books. It was used to be "Boo".

[potatoemasher]

I read Uzumaki last month. It marked my transition into reading manga.

Also, for unsettling things, it's hard to do that better than Lovecraft.

[rajenbowman]

Haunting of Hill House perfectly captured the insecurity of not fitting in with the rest of the crowd for me

[Dobbsauthor]

At one point I read nothing but horror and Pet Sematary is perhaps the only book that literally haunted me, stayed with me all these years. You're right is is about grief and that's where the real horror comes from.

[taylorbyrd]

Merphy have you watched Midnight Mass yet? Hearing you talk about how much you love stories about small, seaside towns where something creepy and unsettling is going on reminded me of the show. It’s also a slow burn.

I highly recommend for anyone who hasn’t watched it yet.

[archlectoryarvi]

In case you haven't already, I highly recommend checking out Christopher Buehlman's standalone horror books.
His books read like Joe Abercrombie's if Joe Abercrombie was American and wrote horror.
Between Two Fires or The Lesser Dead is a great place to start.

[thingusbingus]

One of my personal favorites is Annihilation. It's is one of the few lovecraftian books that knows what make lovecraft scary, It has this constant feeling of dread that never leaves you. It's part of a trilogy but I think it works better as a standalone book, the other two explain f too much of the ambiguity.

[aspinamick]

I read The Troop on your recommendation and absolutely loved it. It was the first horror book of ever read that actually made me uncomfortable and creeped out. I've gone on to read the other books by Nick Cutter and he became an automatic buy for me! Love his books and writing style!

[devlyn]

I like T. Kingfisher's books for that uneasy/unsettled feeling horror. I'd describe her books as cozy horror which it turns out is exactly the kind of horror I like.

[elgamer]

Love the title, lol

I read Pet Semetary because of your recommendation and I loved it! The scariest part however, is that I cannot find my copy anymore...

[theresegretencord]

I recommend The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing—-it’s the second book in the Mo and Dale Mysteries series (middle grade) but I think you can skip the first and go right to it. It’s set in a small town where the main characters are investigating a haunting at the old inn. The writing is excellent— you feel like you personally know everyone in town, you like them all, and quite a few people get character arcs. It’s a combination of hilarious, sweet, sad, ridiculous, and scary, so it’s perfect for anyone who wants to read about some ghosts but doesn’t want to be stuck thinking about ghosts at 3am.

[PristineWhens]

I never connected to any horror stories or books. Until I read “Carrie”. I’m not a big Stephen king fan but I sadly related to carrie’s character and how she was picked on. Also the “horrors” and confusion that comes with growing up from a girl to a woman. 🤷‍♀️

[alishaplasker]

I love the horror genre. But I used to watch horror movies a lot more than read horror books. I have just started reading a few horror novels and am loving it. I especially love old horror novels and just finished reading the turn of the screw by Henry James.

[sapphirebre]

Love the spooky reading season! My first read this season was The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell. It’s a gothic, multiple timelines tale that was pretty eerie, but mostly I was blown away by the ending where she tied together all these subtle little details to create a banger of an ending. Definitely recommend!

[artofawr]

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury is in my October re-read this year. The guy is such a master of prose and I haven't read it in many years. I also share the "I'm not nuts about vampire fiction" mentality, but I just read Carmilla and it's pretty great. It's super short and satisfying.

[רוןגורליק-הע]

I’ll say some books that can be in this list
1.The turn of the screw which is amazing book
2. The woman in black that I really want to read.
3. The Graveyard book by Neil Gaiman which is more of just environmental book more friendly.
4.Coraline also a kids horror it’s really nice book.
5. We have always lived in a castle AMAZING book love it so much
6. The phantom of the opera also can be considered horror really good book.
7. Wuthering Heights not a horror but a really autumn kinda book

[DarkWatcherDS]

I remember the first time I read Haunting of Hill House I came away slightly disappointed because I expected it to be more openly scary, but the longer I sat with it the more I realized just how uncomfortable I was through the whole book. I was constantly on edge and after rereading it with being aware of that feeling holy crap is that book terrifying lmao

[nickk]

I absolutely love reading horror and love this video and all of the comments below! I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone below mention The Shining. My favorite book of all time. I read it right at the start of covid and being "trapped" in my house practically while the characters were also trapped in the Overlook added to my experience lol. Regardless, I love how vivid that story is! Thank you for spurring discussions!

[avriel]

I honestly don't read much horror, but I like the type that makes me worried when near windows. If I'm in the house at night and closets and windows are now taboo for me to get near or look into, then the book did its job.

[johnnymcjohnson]

My mom told me once about her experience reading IT by Stephen King. It was freezing winter and on her way from and to work she would always see thick steam rising from the gutters and it would send a shiver down her spine every time, thinking of what might be lurking there…