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From bone-chilling thrillers to grisly tales, you’ll be sleeping with the light on by the end of these horror books
There’s nothing like a good creepy story to scare the living daylights out of you – there’s a reason we’ve been indulging in ghost stories and tales of the supernatural since ancient times. If you’re a fan of a fright-night thrill, you’ll be pleased to hear we’ve rounded up the best horror books of all time.
From tormented spirits to soul-eating demons and everything in between, nearly every culture has some form of horror story designed to spark fear.
Although spooky season is still a few months away, you don’t need to wait until Halloween to pick up a book that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. To help you whittle down the options, we’ve reviewed some of the most chilling tomes within the horror genre.
Our list is by no means exhaustive – there are thousands of excellent novels spanning all sorts of themes and genres (techno-horror or femslash, anyone?). There is also plenty of debate about what can be classified as “horror”.
For this round-up, all but one of the books we’ve chosen have some element of the supernatural, whether that be ghosts or witchcraft. We’ve also tried to include books from across the spectrum, to appeal to as many readers as possible. If the book gave us the creeps, we’ve included it.
Not all books are created equal. We’ve flipped through many pages to find books that don’t rely on tropes and vague storytelling, while also keeping us engaged with the story throughout. Most importantly, we looked for stories that were truly scary and left us with a sense of unease long after we reached the final page.
It all depends on what you want from your horror reading – are you looking for supernatural elements? Are you more interested in the themes being discussed in the story? Are you looking for things outside the box? While we’d recommend every book in this list, The Silent Companions is likely to tick most people’s boxes – it’s got horror, emotion and beautifully written prose (not to mention the stunning cover). For something a bit different, The Dangers of Smoking in Bed is an excellent choice. Finally, if you’re someone who wants all the horror stories you can get your hands on, then Ghost, simply for the sheer number of its pages, is a top choice.
Need help choosing your next read? Take inspiration from the Booker Prize shortlist or the Women’s Prize for Fiction