Content Warning. Some of these books may include themes of kidnapping, cannibalism, psychological horror, violence, and/or gore.
HERRIMAN – During the Halloween season, people like to get into the mood with movies, shows, and books. Horror books have been a staple in Halloween culture since the conception of gothic literature. Horror authors have created a monopoly on the genre and fear has always been such a big aspect of Halloween. Horror books can create a great sense of atmosphere for the spooky season.
Mary Downing Hahn is a children’s horror author who has been publishing books since 1987. Her 2008 ghost story All the Lovely Bad Ones, finds two siblings pretending that their grandmother’s Vermont Inn is haunted by pranking the guests. They awaken the true, evil spirits of the inn. This book is perfect for people who want a short, fast-paced spooky ghost story perfect for the Halloween vibe.
Stephen King is an iconic horror writer, many of his books have been made into movies that are staple in the horror genre. Misery follows romance novelist Paul Sheldon who gets kidnapped by his deranged, self-proclaimed number-one fan, Annie Wilkes. The book is a psychological thriller that gets under the reader’s skin and makes them hope to never have a number-one fan.
Hunted by Darcy Coates is the perfect monster book for the spooky season. In the Ashlough Forest, 22-year-old Eileen goes missing. Her camera is discovered in a nearby river with odd photos taken on her camera during her disappearance. Her brother and his four friends search for her in the deep forest, soon they find out her disappearance wasn’t a mistake. But they are far too deep to get out. Hunted is a chilling, atmospheric mystery that makes the reader anxious about what lies beyond the trees.
Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica is a dystopian horror novel that takes place in a world where all animal meat is contaminated. The solution? Government-endorsed cannibalism. The main character, Marcos, is in the business of slaughtering humans, which are called ‘head.’ Marcos becomes conflicted with this new way of living and his losses from it. Tender is the Flesh is a gory, fast-paced horror that makes the readers question their morals and society.
Sometimes reality is scarier than fiction. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote dives into the horrors of the true crime case of the Clutter family. The 1959 murders of the Clutters would lead Capote to Holcomb, Kansas. The story unfolds through a triple narrative format. It recounts the lives of the victims, murderers, and bystanders, rendering the haunting tale of the Clutter family on paper. This suspenseful, true-crime account will give the reader chills from the horrors of a true story.
From gory monsters to paranormal investigations, the immensity of the horror genre will offer every reader a terrifying tale. This Halloween season, and the upcoming winter months, keep yourselves cold with one of these chilling stories. Happy Halloween!
