Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Great Horror Books to Read During Spooky Season
26
items Horror books can be read anytime of year but there's something special about reading them during September and October (aka Spooky Season). I enjoy horror books (primarily psychological horror and thrillers without too much blood and gore) and these ...
Sections
5
Foreign Horror
Horror Thriller
Pure Horror
Young Readers Horror
Horror Short Story Collections and Novellas
Foreign Horror
These are my favorite horror books from writers outside the United States.
This is the book that inspired the movie “The Grudge” and its the first in a small series. I had trouble putting this one down. I should note this book is out of print and goes for a bit ($50ish) so if you find it cheap or really want to read it, gra...
The story follows a deadly curse in Japan that. It's a grudge that doesn't stop and quite possibly can't be stopped. Anyone unfortunate enough the ghost is killed by the grudge. When a volunteer for senior citizens goes to work in a new house in a qu...
The story follows a deadly curse in Japan that. It's a grudge that doesn't stop and quite possibly can't be stopped. Anyone unfortunate enough the ghost is killed by the grudge. When a volunteer for senior citizens goes to work in a new house in a qu...
Ju-On - Kei Ohishi
Let the Right One in is a Swedish novel that has spanned more than one movie adaptation thanks to its great story.
In fall 1981, an inconceivable horror comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenager is found drained of blood and the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at...
A new girl has also moved in next door whom he befriends. However, she is odd and mysterious and only comes out at night.
In fall 1981, an inconceivable horror comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenager is found drained of blood and the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at...
A new girl has also moved in next door whom he befriends. However, she is odd and mysterious and only comes out at night.
Let the Right One In - John Ajvide Lindqvist
Originally published in 1985 in Germany, Perfume takes place in 18th France. Set in the slums, it follows the life story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille who is born with a extraordinary gift of smell. This leads him into an apprenticeship with a well-ren...
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - Patrick Süskind
This is potent Italian horror novel. A journalist investigates a mysterious event from a decade earlier in Turin—a twenty-day outbreak of mass insomnia followed by inexplicable, violent killings and eerie supernatural phenomena. At the heart of the m...
The Twenty Days of Turin - Giorgio De Maria
Ring may be one of the best known Japanese horror novels in the last few decades. It spawned a cult-classic movie of the same name and “Sadako” has become a popular horror icon.
Ring follows a legend of a mysterious VHS tape that curses those who watch it. When his niece dies, Asakawa, a hardworking journalist, investigates the details of her death and learns of this legendary death tape. However, he soon finds out that curi...
This is actually a series, so if you enjoy the first book I can safely recommend its follow-ups!
Ring follows a legend of a mysterious VHS tape that curses those who watch it. When his niece dies, Asakawa, a hardworking journalist, investigates the details of her death and learns of this legendary death tape. However, he soon finds out that curi...
This is actually a series, so if you enjoy the first book I can safely recommend its follow-ups!
Ring - Koji Suzuki
The Hole is a South Korean novel that has some interesting twists and turns. It follows Ogi, who has just woken up from a coma following a devastating car accident that took his wife’s life and left him paralyzed and badly disfigured. His caretaker i...
The Hole - Eye-Young Pyun
Horror Thriller
There's horror and then there's horror that leans a hand to thriller as your heart begins to race, and you're unable to put the book down.
This is one of my all-time favorite Stephen King novels and horror books. I first read it years ago and still think about it and its certianly horror at its finest!
“It’s love at first sight for high school student Arnie Cunningham when he and his best friend Dennis Guilder spot the dilapidated 1958 red-and-white Plymouth Fury for sale—dubbed “Christine” by its original cantankerous owner—rusting away on a front...
“It’s love at first sight for high school student Arnie Cunningham when he and his best friend Dennis Guilder spot the dilapidated 1958 red-and-white Plymouth Fury for sale—dubbed “Christine” by its original cantankerous owner—rusting away on a front...
Christine - Stephen King
The Shining is one of the most infamous horror novels. It was also adapted into one of the most infamous horror-thriller movies by Stanley Kubrick, though Stephen King hated it. It's famous for a reason with a great plot, writing-style and a plethora...
Jack Torrance gets a new job at the Overlook Hotel and sees it as the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family (wife and young son) and...
Jack Torrance gets a new job at the Overlook Hotel and sees it as the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family (wife and young son) and...
The Shining - Stephen King
I first encountered Smith's “The Ruins” through the movie of the same name (which is good). The book is even better and offers a thrilling, tense story that is well-written and haunting.
The story follows four college-age friends who are on vacation in Mexico. When the brother of one of the friends disappears they decide to try and find him. Something seems amiss about just getting to the ruins he was visiting before disappearing. De...
The story follows four college-age friends who are on vacation in Mexico. When the brother of one of the friends disappears they decide to try and find him. Something seems amiss about just getting to the ruins he was visiting before disappearing. De...
The Ruins - Scott Smith
Clown in a Cornfield is the first book in a trilogy that was recently adapted into a movie (2025). It's a fun ride and a well-written book that's a great read for horror fans looking for something new.
The story follows Quinn Maybrook who has just moved to the tiny town of Kettle Springs with her father to find a fresh start. However, the town has recently undergone financial issues in the aftermath of Baypen Corn Syrup Factory being shut down. Ket...
The story follows Quinn Maybrook who has just moved to the tiny town of Kettle Springs with her father to find a fresh start. However, the town has recently undergone financial issues in the aftermath of Baypen Corn Syrup Factory being shut down. Ket...
Clown in a Cornfield - Adam Cesare
Dark Matter follows Jason Dessen, a physics professor who is abducted and thrust into a terrifying multiverse where each choice he never made has spun into a different reality. As he fights to return to his wife and son, he must face alternate versio...
This is a great thriller with horror and science fiction elements!
This is a great thriller with horror and science fiction elements!
Dark Matter - Blake Crouch
Pure Horror
There are stories that focus more on horror elements.
Carrie is one of Stephen King's most recognizable works. It follows the story of Carrie White, a teenager whose unpopular at school and subjected to her mother's religious fanaticism at home. She carries a secret however---that she has telekenetic po...
The book is quite good and a must read for horror fans.
The book is quite good and a must read for horror fans.
Carrie - Stephen King
One of the most well-known horror novels ever written, no horror book list would be complete without it. Dracula needs no introduction: Dracula has been a well-known media character reimagined hundreds of time and featured in everything from games to...
Dracula - Bram Stoker
Grady Hendrix has put out a lot of horror books in the last couple years and many have been very well received---My Best Friend's Exorcism is no exception. I throughly enjoyed this book and there were a couple times I laughed out loud.
It follows Abby and Gretchen, two girls who have been best friends since elementary school. After trying LSD for the first time, Gretchen isn't the same however. Abby grows increasingly concerned about her change in behavior and inability of others t...
It follows Abby and Gretchen, two girls who have been best friends since elementary school. After trying LSD for the first time, Gretchen isn't the same however. Abby grows increasingly concerned about her change in behavior and inability of others t...
My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix
I love a good folklore based horror story and “The Only Good Indians” fits that role perfectly. It follows four Native American men whose youthful mistake—killing a herd of elk on forbidden land—returns to haunt them years later. As a vengeful, super...
The Only Good Indians - Stephen Graham Jones
The Haunting of Hill House is a classic horror novel by well-respected horror writer Shirley Jackson. It was also adapted into a really good movie with Vincent Price.
The book follows a group of strangers who are invited to a notoriously eerie mansion to investigate its supernatural phenomena. As the house’s sinister influence grows, one woman in particular begins to unravel, blurring the line between haunting and...
The book follows a group of strangers who are invited to a notoriously eerie mansion to investigate its supernatural phenomena. As the house’s sinister influence grows, one woman in particular begins to unravel, blurring the line between haunting and...
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
Young Readers Horror
These are great books for young readers who enjoy horror.
I read this three book series many times as a kid and as an adult. If you were born in the 90s, you probably read this series known for its hard hitting horror stories and equally terrifying illustrations.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Three Books to Chill Your Bones - Alvin Schwartz, Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)
This is a very well-written novel targeted for kids but easily enjoyed by adults.
“When Mia and Uly are separated from their litters, they discover a dangerous world full of monsters. In order to find a den to call home, they must venture through field and forest, facing unspeakable things that dwell in the darkness: a zombie who ...
“When Mia and Uly are separated from their litters, they discover a dangerous world full of monsters. In order to find a den to call home, they must venture through field and forest, facing unspeakable things that dwell in the darkness: a zombie who ...
Scary Stories for Young Foxes - Christian McKay Heidicker (author) and Junyi Wu (Illustrator)
This is a spooky story for both young readers and adults. It was later adapted into a well-received movie. Coraline follows the titular young girl who steps through a door to find another house very similar to her own but with some improvements. Howe...
Coraline - Neil Gaiman
If you grew up in the 90s, chances are you read the Goosebumps books. They were widely popular and many were released. It has even seen a comeback thanks to two movies staring Jack Black as well as a series (there was also a decent one in the 90s).
I have to recommend the first Goosebumps book for this reason. It introduces Slappy, a living, evil dummy who saw a comback in other books. It was also the first one I personally read.
I have to recommend the first Goosebumps book for this reason. It introduces Slappy, a living, evil dummy who saw a comback in other books. It was also the first one I personally read.
Night of the Living Dummy - R.L. Stine
The Last Kids on Earth is a graphic novel series that follows 13-year-old Jack Sullivan, who has turned his treehouse into a fortress after the monster apocalypse, complete with snacks, video games, and makeshift defenses. When terrifying creatures, ...
The Last Kids on Earth: The Graphic Novel - Max Brallier
Horror Short Story Collections and Novellas
Horror stories don't always have to be long. Sometimes the shorter ones can pack the biggest horror punch.
I am Legend tetters the line between horror, thriller and science fiction. It follows the story of Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth. However, he's not completely alone, its just that every other man, woman, and child on Earth has become...
This novella (the book includes other short stories) has been adapted into two well-known movies, one titled “The Last Man on Earth” and starring Vincent Price and the other “I am Legend” starring Will Smith.
Be warned the book is a bit different from the more recent “I am Legend” adaptation but its a great read.
This novella (the book includes other short stories) has been adapted into two well-known movies, one titled “The Last Man on Earth” and starring Vincent Price and the other “I am Legend” starring Will Smith.
Be warned the book is a bit different from the more recent “I am Legend” adaptation but its a great read.
I Am Legend - Richard Matheson
On more than one occasion I've argued that Stephen King is usually a better short story writer than novel writer. This collection supports that argument and includes several fantastic short stories that I still think about years after reading. This i...
Night Shift - Stephen King
Edgar Allen Poe is one of the most well-known and influential gothic horror writers of all time. This collection features all of his works and makes for a great way to read a short story or poem (or a couple) to set the mood for horror season.
The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
I consider Skeleton Crew and Night Shift to have some of King's best works and showcases what a powerful horror writer he is. There are several short stories in here that are among my personal favorites across the genre.
Skeleton Crew - Stephen King
H.P. Lovecraft is one of the most influential horror writers to ever live. He established lore such as Cthulhu that is now a mainstay across the horror genre. This collection is his complete works and ranges from short stories to partial drafts and n...
H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction