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The air is getting crisper, the nights are getting longer, and All Hallows
Eve draws near. You know what that means: its time to curl up with a
book guaranteed to give you the shivers or at least make you check
the locks twice. Here, for your horrifying pleasure, are 50 of the
scariest books ever written in the English language, whether horror,
non!ction, or speculative futures you never want to see. One caveat:
the list is limited to one book per author, so Stephen King fans will
have to expand their horizons a little bit. Check out 50 books that will
keep you up all night after the jump, and add any other scary favorites
to the list in the comments.
IT IT, Stephen King , Stephen King
All right, lets get this out of the way up front: Stephen King is the you-
know-what of horror, and if there wasnt this pesky rule about keeping
it to one book per author, this list could almost be wholly populated by
his terrifying reads. This book might be the scariest of the lot, and has
the added bonus of being about fear itself the scariest thing of all.
Theres also a murderous, shapeshifting clown.
19h
20h
21h
22h
2d
2d
2d
3d
3d
3d
21h
2d
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4d
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BOOKS
The 50 Scariest Books of All Time
By Emily Temple on Oct 9, 2013 12:30pm
100
Piercing Piercing, Ryu Murakami , Ryu Murakami
This novel isnt boo scary; its more like set your teeth on edge for
days and make you never want to be close to anyone for the rest of
your life scary. The protagonist, overcome by an urge to pierce the
"esh of his newborn child, decides to do the right thing by capturing a
prostitute and taking his issues out on her. There is much talk of cutting
Achilles tendons and the horrifying things that can build up in a
ostensibly normal persons soul.
2w
2w
2w
2w
2w
Serbia Cancels Gay
Pride Over Violence
Fears
How Do You Win A
MacArthur Genius
Grant For Music?
Did A Police Beating
Contribute To This
Russian LGBT Activist's
Death?
Ted Cruz Fails To
Convince Enough
Republicans To Join
Him In Blocking
Funding Measure
Judge Allows Illinois
Marriage Equality
Lawsuit To Move
Forward
The Exorcist The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty , William Peter Blatty
Youve seen the movie, right? Well, the book is a hundred times more
frightening. Think about that.
Ghost Story Ghost Story, Peter Straub , Peter Straub
Straub is another master of contemporary literary horror, and Ghost
Story, which was his breakout book, remains one of his best. The
Chowder Society, a group of old men who gather to tell each other
ghost stories, are set upon by the horrors of their past and some
other horrors as well. Plus, Straub pays homage to the entire genre,
something that could have been hokey in lesser hands but turns out to
be fairly devastating in his.
American Psycho American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis , Bret Easton Ellis
This book is one of the most disturbing modern classics around, so
upsetting that in some countries it still has to be sold shrink-wrapped.
Sure, theres all the violence and upsetting sex, but whats really
terrifying is that the inside of Patrick Batemans head might be the
inside of anybodys.
Hell House Hell House, Richard Matheson , Richard Matheson
It was tough to put Hell House above I Am Legend, but hey, the world
is full of choices, and this writer !nds haunted houses scarier than
vampires. And, as Stephen King commented, Hell House is the scariest
haunted house novel ever written. It looms over the rest the way the
mountains loom over the foothills.
Dracula Dracula, Bram Stoker , Bram Stoker
Sure, youve seen every iteration of vampire there is by now, but the
original still has the potential to keep you up at night.
The Handmaids Tale The Handmaids Tale, Margaret Atwood , Margaret Atwood
Many speculative novels could have made this list, but Atwoods vision
is one of the scariest of all, perhaps because it just feels so possible
in it, the world is run by a religious, misogynistic society that keeps
women as breeders and laborers. Its fundamentalism taken to its
furthest point, something that should terrify everyone down to their
not-yet-uniform-issue boots.
The Best of H. P. Lovecraft The Best of H. P. Lovecraft, H.P. Lovecraft , H.P. Lovecraft
Or really any Lovecraft, who is the Captain of the heebie-jeebies (At the
Mountains of Madness would be a solid choice, but Best of covers all
the bases). This is a man whose guiding principle was cosmic horror,
so youd better believe hell chill you to your bones.
The Turn of the Screw The Turn of the Screw, Henry James , Henry James
A classic ghost story. Henry James knows what hes about.
House of Leaves House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski , Mark Z. Danielewski
Not only is this book a mind-blowing haunted house story, its also the
only one on this list to actually give the reader the feeling of
claustrophobia via the very act of reading. A singular, expansively
existentialist horror story that will invade your mind for years to come.
The Haunting of Hill House The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson , Shirley Jackson
Heres another haunted house story or perhaps the haunted house
story, so often is it referred to as the best in its category. Its a much
more standardly built classic than House of Leaves to be sure, but dont
let that fool you. Its the oldest houses that have the most ghosts.
The Silence of the Lambs The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris , Thomas Harris
Heres another example of a !lm so famous it outshines the book in the
public imagination. But heres some news: the books way scarier.
Rosemarys Baby Rosemarys Baby, Ira Levin , Ira Levin
Ditto this one.
The Amityville Horror The Amityville Horror, Jay Anson , Jay Anson
Your typical paranormal horror story, made much more terrifying by
the fact (or at least the claim) that its all true. You may have to see it
to believe it, but you really wouldnt want to.
The Trial The Trial, Franz Kafka , Franz Kafka
The fear Kafka produces is an existential kind of fear, but its fear
nonetheless. Whats scarier than a lifetime of isolation,
misunderstanding, and relentless pursuit by forces that you cant
understand but who have complete power over you? Not much.
Books of Blood Books of Blood, Clive Barker , Clive Barker
Bleak, bloody and extremely psychologically upsetting, the !rst book in
Barkers series of short stories was hailed by Stephen King as the
future of horror when it came out in the mid-80s. With some 30
stories in the collection, theres something to terrify everyone.
Blood Meridian Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy , Cormac McCarthy
McCarthys 1985 masterpiece may not be horror, but its certainly
horrifying: bleak, bleak, bleak, and bloody, and bleak, a book that may
or may not leave you with no faith in humanity whatsoever.
Heart-Shaped Box Heart-Shaped Box, Joe Hill , Joe Hill
No, not Courtney Loves nether regions (although), but rather the
debut novel of contemporary horror great Joe Hill. The premise is a
little hokey an aging rock star buys a poltergeist-infected suit that
turns on him but the story will keep you up all night.
Carrion Comfort Carrion Comfort, Dan Simmons , Dan Simmons
Simmons has a number of strong contenders, but this one might just be
the scariest. In this world, a tiny cadre of humans have The Ability
that is, they can psychically control anyone, even from a distance.
Dont buy it? The novel won the Bram Stoker Award, The Locus Poll
Award for Best Horror Novel, The World Fantasy Award for Best Novel,
and The August Derleth Award for Best Novel. Just saying.
The Complete Tales and Poems The Complete Tales and Poems, Edgar Allan Poe , Edgar Allan Poe
You just cant have a list of creepy, mind-melding horror stories
without a little Poe, who knows just how to catch you with your heart
in your throat. Or under the "oorboards. Either way.
Dawn Dawn, Octavia Butler , Octavia Butler
Butlers science !ction and horror tends to be terrifying and beautiful at
the same time not an easy feat in which a tentacle-covered alien
race saves the last members of humanity, but demand a steep price.
Junot Daz called this one the scariest book hed ever read, writing,
This book still gives me nightmares and teaches you right quick that
no trade is ever free.
We Need to Talk About Kevin We Need to Talk About Kevin, Lionel Shriver , Lionel Shriver
Every mothers nightmare is that her son is a monster and that she
might be, too. Now we can all live it!
The Girl Next Door The Girl Next Door, Jack Ketchum , Jack Ketchum
Stephen King once called Jack Ketchum the scariest guy in America.
This book, one of his many greats, is truly terrifying and torturous in
every way. It investigates the horror families can in"ict on each other,
and will have you looking askance at every quiet house in the suburbs.
The Painted Bird The Painted Bird, Jerzy Kosinski , Jerzy Kosinski
In some ways, this list could be populated entirely by Holocaust novels,
but this one might just be the most harrowing. In it, a young Jewish
boy wanders around a series of small villages in Eastern Europe,
encountering cruelty upon cruelty and sexual abuses that will leave you
shuddering.
The Wasp Factory The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks , Iain Banks
A violent masterpiece with a killer twist.
The Cipher The Cipher, Kathe Koja , Kathe Koja
Jagged and surreal, Kojas debut novel is both an existential
masterpiece and scary as hell. A young couple !nd a hole in the "oor of
their apartment building, so black and bleak and alluring that it cant
be anything but oblivion. Obviously, they start poking stu# down it.
They dont like what comes back.
Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies, William Golding , William Golding
How quickly our dearly held civilization can dissolve into madness.
The Ruins The Ruins, Scott Smith , Scott Smith
Right now you worry about ticks when you walk through the tall grass.
After reading this novel, youll never walk through the tall grass again.
Smith makes a convincing argument that nature is trying to kill you.
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, M.R. James , M.R. James
Another giant of the genre, James is a must-read for any horror fan. His
stories, though lacking in horri!c details, will creep up behind you and
sit on your shoulder, whispering in your ear, for a long, long time.
Naomis Room Naomis Room, Jonathan Aycli#e , Jonathan Aycli#e
In this terrifying book, a mans daughter is kidnapped, mutilated, and
murdered but perhaps does not completely leave this world.
The Ritual The Ritual, Adam Nevill , Adam Nevill
Campers in the woods is a pretty standard horror convention, sure, but
this version is guaranteed to give you the creeps. Youll rush to the
!nish in a warm, well-lit place, of course.
Johnny Got His Gun Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo , Dalton Trumbo
A World War I soldier wakes up in a hospital bed having lost all of his
limbs and facial features, trapped in whats left of his body, unable to
move or, at !rst, communicate, or even kill himself. If thats not horror,
nothing is.
Incarnate Incarnate, Ramsey Campbell , Ramsey Campbell
Campbell has a lot of scary books to choose from, but try this one, a
psychological nightmare that stomps all over the line between dreams
and reality.
The Woman in Black The Woman in Black, Susan Hill , Susan Hill
A mysterious, vengeance-!lled spirit stalks an English town, appearing
wherever children die. Subtle, short, beautiful and moody-scary, this
ones a classic Gothic ghost story.
The Great God Pan The Great God Pan, Arthur Machen , Arthur Machen
If you think Pan is a cute little fellow with a pipe, check yourself. This
terrifying novella, of which the great god Lovecraft wrote, No one
could begin to describe the cumulative suspense and ultimate horror
with which every paragraph abounds, features brain surgery and
Greek gods and murder. What more could you want?
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Alvin Schwartz , Alvin Schwartz
For every kid who grew up in the 80s or 90s, Schwartzs series was the
pinnacle of scary shit. Or perhaps it was Stephen Gammells ultra-
disturbing illustrations. Either way, weve never forgotten the
experience, so for children or not for children, this series makes the list.
The Big Toe, you guys.
The October Country The October Country, Ray Bradbury , Ray Bradbury
Bradbury is a master of the macabre, and this classic collection will
chill you, no matter in which month you read it.
White Is for Witching White Is for Witching, Helen Oyeyemi , Helen Oyeyemi
Lord, is this book unsettling. It will show you just what hunger can do.
Let the Right One In Let the Right One In, John Ajvide Lindqvist , John Ajvide Lindqvist
Vampires have become a little too familiar/sexy to be scary most of the
time, but this existential, unusual novel brings them back into the dark,
with streaks of pedophilia, bullying, castration, and love. As often, even
scarier than the movie.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Harlan Ellison , Harlan Ellison
In the title story of this collection, a supercomputer becomes intelligent
and kills o# the entire human race, minus !ve survivors, whom he has
fun torturing as they struggle to survive. It is one of the scariest things
youll read. And then you can play the video game Ellison made out of
it.
The Collector The Collector, John Fowles , John Fowles
A chilling novel of obsession and abduction, with no end in sight.
The Store The Store, Bentley Little , Bentley Little
Heres another book with a hokey premise an evil, Walmart-esque
store comes to consume a small town that bears it out with a lot of
scary.
Penpal Penpal, Dathan Auerbach , Dathan Auerbach
A truly creepy and unsettling book, Penpal began as a series of short
stories posted on Reddit, but ballooned into a novel that asks the
question: How far can you go into the woods?
In Cold Blood In Cold Blood, Truman Capote , Truman Capote
Sometimes hailed as the !rst non!ction novel, Capotes masterpiece,
which dramatizes the murder of a Kansas family, also elicited a lot of
questions, both at the time of its publication and more recently, about
how non-!ctional it really was. Either way, the book is a terrifying
investigation into murder and the unstable minds of killers, its
connections to reality, whatever they might be, only deepening the
fear.
Swan Song Swan Song, Robert R. McCammon , Robert R. McCammon
Now heres the stu# of every aware citizens nightmares: nuclear war,
with a healthy dose of unambiguous evil and crazy people on the side.
Constantly compared to Kings The Stand, but somehow more brutal.
The Wolfen The Wolfen, Whitley Strieber , Whitley Strieber
Maybe the scariest werewolf book of all time.
The Hot Zone The Hot Zone, Richard Preston , Richard Preston
Yeah, this isnt even a horror novel, but rather an investigation into
infectious viruses, particularly that time Ebola broke out 15 miles from
DC, told thriller style. It will scare you into many extra hand-washings
to come.
The Killer Inside Me The Killer Inside Me, Jim Thompson , Jim Thompson
This novel is a horrifying, blistering, deeply upsetting trip into the mind
of a psychopath, hiding in the body of a normal guy. Unlike certain
other normal-guy-psychopath books, though, theres no ambiguity of
purpose. Monsters are among us.
Bram Stoker Bret Easton Ellis Cormac McCarthy
Dalton Trumbo Dan Simmons Edgar Allan Poe
Franz Kafka George Orwell H.P. Lovecraft Halloween
Harlan Ellison Helen Oyeyemi Henry James Iain Banks
Ira Levin Jack Ketchum Joe Hill Lionel Shriver
Margaret Atwood Mark Z. Danielewski Octavia Butler
Peter Straub Ray Bradbury Richard Matheson
Ryu Murakami Shirley Jackson Stephen King Susan Hill
Truman Capote Werewolves William Golding
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Add a comment 118 comments

Derrick Thomas ! Carleton University
What about Ambrose Bierce? He wrote many spooky stories and
actually disappeared in mysterious circumstances. "the Moonlit
road", "Incident at Owl Creek Bridge" etc. etc.
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 9 at 11:55pm 8
Kerry Baldwin ! ! Top Commenter
Hrrmmmslideshow alert.
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 9 at 8:43pm
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Fredrik Stark
http://avorwire.com/419194/the-50-scariest-books-
of-all-time/view-all/
Reply ! ! Like ! October 10 at 10:34am 23
Hemza Lasri ! NHTV Breda
Fredrik Stark I love you.
Reply ! ! Like ! October 10 at 4:27pm 6
Lisa Savarino Curley ! Top Commenter ! S.E. Louisiana
Fredrik Stark thank you!
Reply ! Like ! October 10 at 9:07pm
Joe Anci ! Brooklyn Law School
IT should not be on this list. The book completely falls apart halfway
through, leaving 500+ pages of the author scrambling to nd a
conclusion. I understand that people think that any scary book list
has to include a Stephen King novel, but almost any other King novel
(Pet Sematary anyone?) would have been a much better choice.
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 10 at 3:44pm
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6
Rebecca White ! Top Commenter ! New Albany, Indiana
Yes, I'd have gone for Pet Sematary
Reply ! ! Like ! October 10 at 6:08pm 7
Jack Baur ! Washington
Or Ze Shining?
Reply ! ! Like ! October 10 at 8:45pm 4
Lisa Savarino Curley ! Top Commenter ! S.E. Louisiana
I agree... IT isn't even the scariest King book.
Reply ! ! Like ! October 10 at 9:08pm 2
Stephanie Hauge ! Works at Department of Homeland Security
Why was "I am Legend" not on this list.... you mention on one of the
books putting it above "I am legend" and then it isn't even on the
list....
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 10 at 3:39pm 5
Rebecca White ! Top Commenter ! New Albany, Indiana
They explained that they limited it to one book per
author. And in their estimation, the other was better.
Reply ! Like ! October 10 at 6:09pm
Riley Courter ! ! Winona
Loved House of Leaves.
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 10 at 9:04am
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5
Joel-Steven Voicedude ! Top Commenter ! Freelancer at VoiceOver
No Helter Skelter? that's a glaring omission! But far better than
'Silence Of The Lambs' is Harris' "Red Dragon". I've read many of the
books on this list, but Dolarhyde's exploits were from the ONLY book
that woke me up in screaming night sweats!
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 10 at 8:26pm 4
Brad Rieman ! Fullerton co
As soon as I can a"ord to give some away, I'll send you a
copy of my rst novel 'THE MELTING.' Though, if you like
short stories, I've got a two book set coming out in about
a month, maybe I can get you one of those. Check out my
website BradRieman.com
Reply ! ! Like ! October 10 at 11:18pm 1
Tim Lattimer
Then there was the 2012 GOP Platform - yikes!
Reply ! ! Like ! October 11 at 2:09am 6
Val Campbell ! Las Vegas, Nevada
I agree on "Red Dragon", couldn't keep it, had to give it to
someone who wanted to borrow it!
Reply ! Like ! October 11 at 4:46am
Kevin Ryan ! Top Commenter
You lost me at the rst book. 'It' sucked in a major way...
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 10 at 7:18am 4
Sue Meine ! Winona, Minnesota
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 9 at 8:45pm 4
Rosalie Oliver
Agree! Geek love is awesome and very creepy!
Reply ! Like ! October 12 at 11:10pm
paknmail (signed in using yahoo)
There is a book of short stories, not written by, but compiled by
Alfred Hitchcock called "Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories That
Scared Even Me" that i really think should be on here. terrifying,
check it out.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/
485558.Alfred_Hitchcock_Presents
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 11 at 2:15am 3
Ira Iosebashvili ! Stony Brook University
I would say "Pet Semetary" was much scarier than "It." And the
scariest parts weren't the supernatural ones, but where King so
accurately portrays a father's grief at losing his child.
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 10 at 4:16pm 3
Carl Schreck ! Washington, District of Columbia
True dat.
Reply ! Like ! October 11 at 7:09am
Heidi Hendrickson
Johnny Got His Gun was also made into a movie which Metallica used
as a basis for their song One. Now that I know it is a book I will
denitely read it!
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 10 at 8:24pm 3
Josh Goldy ! ! Labour at Mark Gray's Automotive Inc.
No Chuck P?
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 10 at 3:52pm
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3
Sue Kiviat
I've read many on the list, could suggest another 50 that
belong, but Chuck's Rant is still the most disturbing story
I've ever come across.
Reply ! ! Like ! October 10 at 7:23pm 2
Shaun Provost ! Daniel Webster
House of Leaves is amazingly scary, and one of the best books I've
ever read period. A special note regarding Scary Stories to Tell In the
Dark: you MUST get an older edition. More recent editions have new
illustrations with a completely di"erent artist, and without Stephen
Gammel's amazing artwork the book just doesn't have the same
punch.
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Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 11 at 7:00am 2
Mike Burke ! Los Osos, California
Expected to see 3 that had me trembling: I Am Legend, by
Matthieson, and The Terror by Dan Simmons. And Salem's Lot by
King had me scared to put the light out... A few up there didn't scare
me at all, but everyone has di"erent fears...
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! Edited ! October 11 at 6:41pm 2
Brian McCall ! Top Commenter ! University of Kentucky
Seems some of you only think 'scary' means only in the horror sense.
Some of these are scary in the context of a fascist/dictatorial govt.,
or other oppressive control. Take The Handmaid's Tale, for instance,
or The Trial.
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 10 at 11:52pm 2
Rosie Amanda Bickersta!
IT's not the scariest of his books but im glad its number one as all
hail the King!! I would put TommyKnockers right up at the top. (as
well as so many of his Novella's.) but ultimately The Shining should
probably take a top spot too!
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 11 at 1:30am 2
Richard Bowers ! Paramedic at Pride Care Ambulance
50 Horror books and nothing by Dean Koontz? How about Brain
Lumley? I've red a chunk of these and will now read several more!
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 10 at 10:40pm 2
Patrick Roper ! ! Spring, Texas
I agree. Intensity is very much missing from this list.
Reply ! Like ! October 12 at 9:41pm
Follow
Brad Carroll ! Physics Professor / Yoga Instructor at Weber State
University / Yoga Jo's Studio
Where's Caitlin Kiernan? Especially "Threshold" and "The Drowning
Girl".
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! Edited ! October 10 at 7:27am 2
Scott Kimsey ! Bakerseld, California
Caitlin Kiernan denitely belongs on the list. I thought
Threshold was great, and The Drowning Girl is in my
stack of books to read.
Reply ! Like ! October 10 at 8:46pm
Warren Shaver !
Don't forget Thomas Ligotti's "Songs of a Dead Dreamer." Eerie and
nightmarish.
Reply ! ! Like ! Follow Post ! October 10 at 1:33am
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