10 Spine-tingling Horror Books That Will Zero In On Your Darkest Fears

Terrifying Works of Horror: Our 10 Picks

Fun Activities for Horror Fans

For some of us, Halloween is a year-round event. Whether you want to prepare for next October, or always enjoy bringing a little spookiness into your life, here are some fun ideas you could try:

• Read horror books and Creepypastas
• Get a fog machine and make your own haunted house
• Bake spooky desserts, like zombie gingerbread men
• Decorate with cauldrons and skeletons
• Use a Ouija board to hold a seance
• Make a spooky playlist on your favorite music app

8 Great Horror Movies

1. Get Out (2017)
2. A Quiet Place (2018)
3. Halloween (1978)
4. The Shining (1980)
5. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
6. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
7. Evil Dead II (1987)
8. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Classic Horror Novels

The contemporary authors on our list are continuing a long tradition of writing about things that go bump in the night. Here are some classic horror novels that will send a shiver down your spine:

• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Why Do We Like Being Scared?

In Depth

While horror stories often feature frightening monsters relentlessly pursuing their prey, some of the most terrifying tales scare their readers by leaving them with a constant feeling of uncertainty. There's nothing more nerve-racking than following a protagonist who is forced to venture into the unknown and overcome harsh mental and emotional trauma. With that in mind, here, in no particular order, are ten spine-tingling horror books that will zero in on your darkest fears.

First up, at #1, we have "The Caretakers" by Adrian Chamberlin. Andy Hughes has a dark past that continues to haunt him. When he accepts a job to find a missing college student in Cambridge, he's reunited with his estranged girlfriend Jennifer and his friend Rob. The three of them realize that the Caretakers of the All Souls College are hiding a sinister secret, and together with a few other strangers they meet along the way, they must unravel the mystery behind the establishment and the evil group running it.

Next, at #2, is "The Fallen Boys" by Aaron Dries. After his eleven-year-old son shockingly commits suicide, Marshall Deakins discovers a flash drive that contains information hinting at a more horrifying truth. When he sets out to find the person responsible for his son's death, he inadvertently puts his life at risk and plunges deep into a world full of madness and torture.

When he sets out to find the person responsible for his son's death, he inadvertently puts his life at risk and plunges deep into a world full of madness and torture.

At #3 is Brian James Freeman's "The Painted Darkness." Still reeling from a traumatizing experience a few decades ago, Henry uses painting as a way to express his grief. A strange monster from his past is living in his cellar, and during one winter storm, he's finally forced to confront it. The story jumps between the past and present as Henry battles his personal demons, slowly revealing the truth behind his childhood trauma.

Next up, at #4, we have "Urban Gothic" by Brian Keene. Kerri and her friends are on their way home from a concert when their car breaks down in a dangerous neighborhood. After a heated encounter with some of the locals, they're forced to hole up in a seemingly abandoned old house. Unfortunately, terrifying creatures hide in the cellar, and they're hungry for human flesh. Will the group survive the night?

At #5 is "The Method" by Duncan Ralston. In an effort to save their failing marriage, Frank and Linda attend an expensive and unconventional therapy retreat at Dr. Kaspar's Lone Loon Lodge. There, couples are monitored and put through extreme survival situations that instill feelings of paranoia. When someone gets murdered at the secluded retreat, the couple struggles to figure out if it's all an elaborate ruse. With no one else they can really trust, they must work together in order to survive.

When someone gets murdered at the secluded retreat, the couple struggles to figure out if it's all an elaborate ruse.

Next, at #6, is Glen Hirshberg's "Good Girls." After a close encounter with a monster known as the Whistler, who took her daughter's life, Jess flees with what's left of her family to New Hampshire. She hires a girl named Rebecca to babysit her grandson, and remains silent about the family's unfortunate history. Unbeknownst to them, the Whistler is in town, and he has his eyes set on both Jess and Rebecca.

At #7 is "The Dreaming: The Collection," which includes all three books of Queenie Chan's manga trilogy. Jeanie and Amber are twin sisters who enroll at the Greenwich Private College, an exclusive boarding school full of dark secrets. They soon learn that students here often go missing without leaving a trace. When they start experiencing strange and very similar dreams, the twins realize that these visions may be connected to the mysterious disappearances plaguing the school, prompting them to start their own investigation.

Next up, at #8, we have "Into the Mist" by Lee Murray. Sergeant Taine McKenna and his men are tasked with protecting a group of civilian contractors as they explore Te Urewera National Park. What seems like a simple job quickly takes a turn for the worst when they're suddenly hunted down by a mythical creature known as the Taniwha. Stuck in a treacherous forest with a monster that they can't kill, McKenna and his men must find a way to escape before they all end up dead.

Sergeant Taine McKenna and his men are tasked with protecting a group of civilian contractors as they explore Te Urewera National Park.

Next, at #9, is Sarah Langan's "Audrey's Door." Audrey Lucas is a woman suffering from mental health issues who is still haunted by her traumatic childhood. After breaking up with her fiance, she moves into the Breviary, a beautiful apartment building full of cheap rooms. Over time, odd dreams and voices begin encouraging her to build a door for a mysterious purpose. Is she going insane, or is the building harboring an evil force that aims to destroy the world?

Finally, at #10, we have "White Walker" by Richard Schiver. When a strong blizzard hits Appalachia, the skeleton crew of a call center in the region is cut off from the outside world. The call center is suddenly haunted by the ghosts of children that died in the school that once occupied the land it was built on, and a man known only as the White Walker shows up and insists that they let him in.