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100 New Horror Recommendations for (Nearly) Every Kind of Reader
It’s Horror Month here at Goodreads World Headquarters, and we’ve cooked up several curated collections to honor the genre. We even used a cauldron.
Our latest moonlit gathering celebrates the wide variety of stories you can find in the New Books section of the Horror Fiction aisle. To mix things up a bit, we organized this collection by reader type. What are you looking for, anyway? Vampires, traditional and otherwise? We’ve got that covered. Haunted houses? We’ve got that, too. There’s even a section here for horror-curious scaredy-cats.
We’ve also been tracking some specific recent trends, like the surge in scary stories about wellness and beauty culture. The horrors of parenting continue to inspire writers and readers, both. Then there are the perennial concerns about spooky little towns. Also: cults, meta-horror, trouble in space and under the waves. For aspiring genre fans, we’ve even included a YA section.
Heads up to the horror classicists: You won’t find any of the Old Masters below, so don’t bother appealing to Yog-Sothoth, or whomever. The books collected here are relatively new, most of them from the past few years, with an emphasis on what's brand-new in 2023. Click on the book cover images for more details about each individual title, and don’t forget to feed your Want to Read shelf.
Parenting is the most terrifying thing I can think of
These books confirm that it is in fact extremely scary.
"Jelly donut skin" sure sounds like body horror to me
Extreme beauty regimens that are literally to die for.
I'm a sucker for bloodthirsty vamps
You can inject these books straight into your veins.
Tell me about what's new in haunted houses
Let's show you some killer real estate!
But I'm a scaredy-cat...
Here are some books that are more on the "dark and creepy vibes" than the "you'll never sleep again" side of scary. You're welcome!
I like smart, self-aware, meta-horror novels
Here are some genre-savvy protagonists and metafictional horror plots for you.
Gimme some non-Hannibal cannibals
These flesh-eating fiends will make your skin crawl.
Ooooh, a cult? Sign me right up!
Look, some of us are just joiners, OK?
Can I get some big- (and small-) screen horror?
Hollywood's full of monsters.
I just want to read something with a totally unhinged premise
An island where everyone's obsessed with the year 1994? A woman who sells her hand and then feels it committing murder? Are these strange enough for ya?
Weird towns, weird towns! Love me a weird town!
Isolated places, satanic suburbs...these destinations might just prove final.
Space horror
No one can hear you scream, right?
What's scarier than the depths of the ocean?
Aquatic horror for those of you (rightfully) terrified of the sea.
I don't have much time. Can you scare me quickly?
Try these horror anthologies and short story collections.
Showe me ye olde tyme scaryes
Here's what's new in historical horror.
Can you recommend some YA horror to me?
Oh, can we EVER!
What kind of horror reader are you? Let us know in the comments below!
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Check out more horror coverage here:
Comments Showing 101-141 of 141 (141 new)
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message 101:
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Josee
(new)
Oct 18, 2023 12:55AM
*sighs and adds to my never ending tbr.
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planning to read any mystery, thriller or horror books this month but I still haven't finished the centre by ayesha manazir siddiqi, (not that it's not great, it is actualy!) because I am working and if I am having a rest, I put it on sleeping
Historical horror? I have a historical horror novel set in WW II with a vampire called the Last Night to Kill Nazis.
✼Summer✼ wrote: "I wish their was a good old fashioned spooky
(not gory) category. Something along the lines of The Uninvited Dorothy Macardle https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3......"
✼Summer✼ wrote: "I wish their was a
good old fashioned spooky
(not gory) category. Something along the lines of The Uninvited Dorothy Macardle https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3......"
I'm with you Summer. I like "Gothic" scary NOT so much blood. The Uninvited was great!
ouuuu this was definetly a nice touch, i started reading again and it all started with "The Butcher" by JH and i have so much on my TBR i'll be reading spooky stuff till next Christmas!
I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat 😅. Thanks for the suggestions, can't wait to try them out!
Great list! If you want to read a fresh take on horror, I highly recommend Nat Cassidy's Mary: An Awakening of Terror. One of my favorites of late! 🎃 Happy Halloween!
I love how this post currently has 666 likes lol
Therese wrote: "Jennie wrote: "In "Parenting is the most terrifying thing I can think of", you might want to read "We Need to Talk About Kevin" by Lionel Shriver. Truly horrifying."Oh, I just bought that! You're ..."
I would say "enjoy" but that's not really the right word. It will stay with you ...
Isabella wrote: "This horror month I'll be taking on two Gothic novels: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a eternal classic that I've owned for years but never got to read, and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, w..."I'm reading 'Mexican Gothic' right now. It's really quite good. A little slow to start, but it picked up. Last week I read 'The Death of Jane Lawrence' and it was pretty scary as well. This is pretty much the only time of the year I ready spooky stuff. Enjoy 'Frankenstein!'
Missing representation from some scandinavian authors on your lists..
✼Summer✼ wrote: "I wish their was a good old fashioned spooky
(not gory) category. Something along the lines of The Uninvited Dorothy Macardle https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3......"
Cat wrote: "I personally appreciate the unhinged suggestions! I am not easily scared so anything weird intrigues me."
Shameless promo: Try Deadfall Mall by Michael Nohe. Set in an abandoned mall in Minnesota on Halloween. Like a haunted mall version of Ten Little Indians.
Shelby wrote: "There goes the tenuous grasp on my tbr lol."I've fully given up on having a grip on my tbr, it's ridiculous
Pumpkinlight Manor™ wrote: "If I can add my own suggestions, I want to mention:...
•Salem's Lot"
I agree completely. The amount of dread that builds up is palpable.
Do you know what books are really, really perfect for Halloween? Stephen King books. His latest release, Holly, is wonderful. And if you prefer his old works, then there's The Shining, It, Misery, The Stand, 'Salem's Lot!, Pet Sematary, Needful Things, Cujo, Cycle of the Werewolf... and many others.
I'll stick to my romance books, some of these covers are going to give me nightmares. Thank you, but no. :)(Lol)
I m reading something different this October, a nonfiction book. It's Buried Alive by Jan Bondeson. It's about the fear of being buried alive and how people in the past tried to fix this. I'm now reading a chapter on safety coffins in the past. The chapter on Waiting Mortuaries is very disturbing!!!
Thank you for the perfect list! I want to be scared but I also want to sleep again :)
Vanessa wrote: "I will continue my tradition of reading R.L. Stine for horror month instead of the choosing one of the alarming suggestions above .Happy Halloween bookworms 🎃"
Same for me. And I'll rewatch the 1995 series of Goosebumbs :) Nothing beats Stine for me!
Your Cannibal category missed Stephen King's "Holly," which only came out in September of this year.
✼Summer✼ wrote: "I wish their was a good old fashioned spooky
(not gory) category. Something along the lines of The Uninvited Dorothy Macardle https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3......"
Yes!!! Gore is not horror!
Shelby wrote: "There goes the tenuous grasp on my tbr lol."hahahaha love it
Absolutely love the recommendations and the sense of humor!PS one GREAT parenting horror book I recently read is “Baby Teeth” by Goodreads author Zoje Stage. Highly recommended.
I really would like to read a good scary book (esp ghosts or witches) where I don't have to worry about a dog or cat getting hurt. Any suggestions welcome.
Where's Aesthetica? Do I have to read these books if horror isn't my favourite genre?
I tried to make a rule to read one or two goosebumps books each year for halloween, really enjoy that series.
Totally need to read Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly DeVos. It's YA horror.
And now I have more books on my TBR list. Oh well.
Might I recommend anything by Simone St. James for getting spooky but not quite horror/gore. I have loved all her books
I am recommending GOTHIC CANDY FLOSS, a collection of horror and Dark Fantasy shorts for readers from 13+ Gothic Candy Floss : a collection of horror stories
Why would they suggest The Devil Takes You Home for scary cats?! I love horror and that book was INTENSE! I loved it
For Young Adult, I highly recommend THE EERIE BROTHERS and THE WITCHES OF AUTUMN by Sheldon Higdon. It's a sweet tale for ages 8-13. An enjoyable read.
Its been long since I have been in this section .. I 've got my picks . Happy Halloween yo ppl
The fact that I have heard of only about 10% of these books in my horror groups on Goodreads and Facebook make me wonder if they are any good. There are a lot I recognize and haven't read yet but even more Ive never heard anyone I know speak the good graces of.
