10 Terrifying Horror Novels To Read in the Dark

10 Terrifying Horror Novels To Read in the Dark

5 Great Horror Movies

1. Halloween (1978)
2. The Babadook (2014)
3. Get Out (2017)
4. Psycho (1960)
5. Rosemary's Baby (1968)

How To Get Into the Halloween Spirit

Horror is fun to read all year long, but it's especially great when everyone is getting into the spooky spirit to prepare for Halloween. Try a few of these ideas this October, or whenever you feel like adding a little extra creepiness into your life.

• 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
• Dress up in an awesome costume

Why Do We Like Being Scared?

In Depth

The horror genre captivates book lovers of different ages from around the world. The imaginative stories and characters keep the readers biting their nails, while hiding under their sheets. In no particular order, here are ten frightening novels that are great to read in the dark.

#1: "The Boy Who Drew Monsters" by Keith Donohue. Peter is a young boy with Asperger's disease and agoraphobia, rare conditions that got worse three years ago, when he almost drowned in the ocean. Since the incident, he spends all his time inside the house, drawing scary monsters. Things start to get creepy when his drawings haunt him in his nightmares. Soon, the apparitions escape his mind and start to affect the real world. When his parents realize that Peter is responsible for the weird happenings, they need to learn how to fight the beasts without harming their son.

#2: "Rise Again" by Ben Tripp. Danny is a sheriff who suffers from post-war trauma. Her alcohol problem worsens her condition and destroys her relationship with her younger sister. Things turn eerie when an epidemic starts turning victims into zombies, and many survivors seek refuge in her town. She witnesses the carnage of the zombies, and the heartlessness of humans when their survival is at stake. Danny goes on a journey to find her sister, defying the dangers that come her way.

Things turn eerie when an epidemic starts turning victims into zombies, and many survivors seek refuge in her town.

#3: "The Last Days of Jack Sparks" by Jason Arnopp. The mysterious death of writer and social media star Jack Sparks, stirs up a lot of controversy. His fans believe that his mockery of an exorcism in Italy directly caused his passing. This book tries to shed light on whether his death was caused by supernatural forces, or something that can be rationally explained.

#4: "Dead End Girl" by L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain. Violet is a rookie FBI agent who is tasked with investigating the recent killings in a sleepy town in Ohio. The killer dismembers his victims and seals them in garbage bags, before dumping them in stinky places. Working with very little physical evidence and two unreliable witnesses makes the case very complicated. As she gets closer to unmasking the killer, she finds herself at risk of becoming the next victim.

#5: "The Mall" by S.L. Grey. Dan works at a book store, a very boring job for an emo guy like him. Rhoda is a drug addict with many relationship issues. One day, Rhoda takes the boy she's babysitting into the store where Dan is working. She leaves the kid there while she goes outside to buy coke. When she comes back, she can't find him. Rhoda convinces Dan to help her in the search. Together, they explore the creepy corners of the mall, where something sinister lurks.

She leaves the kid there while she goes outside to buy coke.

#6: "The Young Ones" by Scott J. Holliday. The Bally-Hoo Island across the Detroit River holds a lot of mysteries. After being abandoned by its residents, spooky tales about it become the talk of the town. But these rumors don't stop Ellie and his three friends from visiting the place just for fun. Little do they know that the ferryman who takes them there has a devious plan in mind.

#7: "Rend the Dark" by Mark Gelineau and Joe King. Ferran is a young orphan who has the power to see monsters pretending to be humans. Because of this ability, he is recruited by an organization called the Order of Talan. His first task is to solve a series of disappearances in the city. His mission takes him to places where danger is imminent. The book is praised for its impressive character development and its depiction of a dark, scary world.

#8: "Song of the Sandman" by J.F. Dubeau. After a mass shooting at Cicero's Circus, Venus knows that her life will never be the same. The perpetrator is not human, but a spiteful creature that can wreak havoc at any time. After the killings, the town is abandoned by its people out of fear. The protagonist needs to take down the killer on her own, no matter what it takes.

After a mass shooting at Cicero's Circus, Venus knows that her life will never be the same.

#9: "Our Last Night" by Taylor Adams. Dan is a novice ghost hunter who hasn't seen a real apparition yet. His new case is promising: an antique rifle allegedly possessed by the devil. Rumor has it that whoever touches the gun will die within twenty-four hours. Dan gets his hands on it and eagerly waits for the supernatural encounter. He starts to see and feel the presence of a demonic entity that is much stronger than he expected. He calls the spirit of his dead girlfriend to help him suppress the devil.

#10: "Coldfall Wood" by Steven Savile. Several unexplained events happen in the woodlands of London. Six girls fall into a coma while a blind woman sees the world for the first time. All of them are chanting the words "The Horned God is awake." Police officer Joshua Raines is tasked with solving these puzzling phenomena as well as looking into the mysterious deaths of many villagers. Eventually, he learns that to stop the killings, he must confront a vengeful spirit.