We Dare You
By Erin Poche, Editor
Horror fiction is a unique genre, wide open for interpretation. Some readers classify Toni Morrison’s Beloved in this category with the harrowing evils of slavery and a ghost as a main character. Or H.G. Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau, which is more along the lines of science fiction. Fantasy horror like Stephen King’s Pet Sematary is just plain terrifying by all standards, with most fans citing it as his scariest, including the author himself.
Keep reading for our top ten scariest books of all time. By all benchmarks—these titles are classified as adult horror. These books are meant to rattle, disturb, and basically scare the pluck out of you. King of Horror, Stephen King usually topples most lists with three or four books, so we’ve started with him.
The Shining by Stephen King (1977)
A recovering alcoholic spends the winter with his family in the haunted Overlook Hotel. Cabin fever gets them good just when a blizzard hits the area. As most great books are made into movies, the 1980s film version starring Jack Nicholson still strikes terror as an ax-wielding psycho dad chasing his family through a hedge maze. It also has a pair of creepy twins, blood-filled hallways and redrum.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959)
Four researchers visit an old mansion to investigate haunting rumors. All is well until the house claims one of the visitors and refuses to let go. The book spurred two feature films and a hit Netflix series. If you like a character-driven ghost story that weaves a menacing plot, The Haunting of Hill House fits the bill by a masterful horror writer.
Readers Tip: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson was written before The Hunger Games. If you haven’t read Jackson’s short story, you need to. It’s a dark, disturbing tale about everyday evils in a small town.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (1971)
A desperate mother and two priests fight to save her young daughter from demonic possession. This unusual paranormal story is considered by many to be the most frightening novel ever written. The book later became an acclaimed Academy Award-nominated movie starring Ellen Burstyn and Max Von Sydow.
Pet Sematary by Stephen King (1989)
A Boston couple and their two small children move to a small town in Maine and discover a mysterious burial ground deep in the woods behind their new home. Noted as the scariest of all King’s books, it is a tall order considering he’s written over 90 novels. The book plays on our desire to reunite with our lost loves – but at what cost?
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (2003)
This psychological thriller follows two U.S. marshals tracking an escaped mental patient from a hospital for the criminally insane. Sinister Nazi-like experimental testing might also be happening in the hospital. All hell breaks loose when a killer hurricane wreaks havoc on the island.
Fun Fact: Amazon’s website database of books, Goodreads, saw a significant surge in horror reading in the summer of 2020, which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. Coincidence? Or do readers’ preferences reflect the subconscious subliminal mind of our collected psyche?
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (2000)
A young family moves into a new home and encounters strange things. The house is not only bigger on the inside than out, but there is a savage, growling presence coming from a closet, threatening to consume them. This debut novel has been classified as ergodic literature, a gothic novel, and even a love story. Do not be fooled, it may be all these things, but it is pure horror with edges of science fiction.
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin (1967)
A young pregnant woman experiences nightmares and a growing isolation despite her smothering creepy neighbors and emotionally distant husband. Soon the woman Rosemary suspects the baby she’s carrying might be the seed of Satan.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (1962)
Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked is the story of the Pandemonium Shadow Show, a traveling carnival led by a malevolent force. The circus ventures to a small town and offers the residents dark gifts like the fountain of youth when you ride the carousel.
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (2015)
When Stephen King admits a book “scared the hell out of me,” you know it’s a humdinger fright. A teenage girl with schizophrenia, believed to be possessed by demons, ends up on a reality show called The Possession. This psychological thriller about an American family blends chilling psychogenic suspense and supernatural events.
Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (1988)
You may have seen the movie, but the book is way more terrifying. As FBI trainee Clarice Starling searches for a serial killer named Buffalo Bill, she must visit another serial murderer in a high-security prison. The former psychiatrist/inmate develops an attachment to the young Clarice.
Other noteworthy contenders include Anne Rice’s The Witching Hour, the 1818 classic Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Another great one by Jackson – We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
Also be sure to check out BDR Publishing’s recommendations for Monster Horror Books.
