Top Ten Best Horror Books That Will Keep You Up At Night

If you’re an 80’s horror fan, you’ll be obsessed with this book. David Sodergren wrote Maggie’s Grave in a way that makes it seem more like watching a movie than reading a book. It’s got some funny scenes, but every moment is undercut by unsettling tension .

Here’s the premise: In a tiny Scottish village, a group of youths come face-to-face with their home’s bloody past when they disturb the grave of Maggie, the so-called witch executed for sorcery in 1657.

Though this book may seem campy at first, you will be shocked by every moment of Maggie’s graphic revenge. Content warning: this book is a major gore-fest.

A deep-sea voyage to the Mariana Trench. A mockumentary gone wrong. Flesh-eating mermaids. This horror book has got it all.

Into the Drowning Deep is a hauntingly beautiful yet intense tale about Tory, a marine biologist who joined the messy group of scientists tasked with uncovering the fate of a mockumentary crew that had ventured into the Mariana Trench. While that mockumentary would have been a fictional tale of ancient deep-sea creatures, Tory and her crewmates will soon learn that the filmmakers discovered reality in their fantasies.

Amidst the deep sea horror, Mira Grant also writes a cast of complex characters, complete with messy relationships and romance galore.

This horror book is perfect for those who love haunted houses. Giving the vibes of The Conjuring, Annabelle, and Insidious, The Exorcist’s House is a riveting tale of (you guessed it) an old creepy house with something evil trapped within. The previous owner thought he had sealed away the old evils of his career, but that all changes in 1994, when the Hill family moves in and discovers his handiwork.

Though Nick Roberds nods to classic haunted house tales in this book, The Exorcist’s House contains its own unique twists and turns that will make you check behind your shower curtain whenever you take a midnight pee. If you want some demonic insomnia-juice, check this one out.

A Sci-Fi Horror — Arachnophobes beware. When scientists do what scientists do and go too far on an experiment, massive clusters of spiders spread across the planet, devouring unsuspecting victims within moments. South America is quickly infested, and China inexplicably drops a nuke on itself. In this tense horror-apocalypse, a diverse cast of characters are faced with their impending doom and are forced to answer the question, “Can we survive?”

When I learned about this book, I thought the premise was silly. I’m not usually afraid of spiders, but I’d be hard pressed to find another book that made my skin absolutely crawl the same way The Hatching did.

If you’re a fan of detective stories, then this rec goes out to you. P.D. Alleva’s Golem can be summed up as “noir meets demons meets Frankenstein” in the best (and most horrifying) way.

Commonly described as being in the same lane as Silence of the Lambs, this book follows Detective John Ashton, a newly promoted investigator tasked with finding the daughter of a district attorney. His lead is Alena Francon, a once-admired artist now hospitalized at a psychiatric facility. What seems like a missing persons case turns into a demon hunt as John is forced to find Alena’s last creation: a beautiful but deadly statue called Golem.

Fishing-based folk horror may not have been on your reading bingo card this year, but you need to make an exception for The Fisherman by John Langan. Celebrated as psychological folk horror, this book explores themes of grief while taking the reader down a creek of cosmic terrors.

The book is about two widowers, Abe and Dan, who develop a friendship after losing their wives. After ignoring a fisherman’s tale of an unmapped creek that locals avoid, they encounter Der Fisher, an entity that will force them to answer the chilling question: What would you do to get back what you’ve lost? 

As the title suggests, this rec is a gothic tale that lovers of Mary Shelly and Edgar Allen Poe will adore. Whatever you’re looking for in a gothic horror book, Mexican Gothic has swirling mist, a foreboding mansion, and an old family seemingly cursed with madness.

Our heroine is Noemí, who travels to her distant relatives’ house, High Place, after receiving a concerning letter from her cousin. Though High Place seems beautiful, she is quickly unsettled by the distant relatives that live there. As the story progresses, the line between reality and insanity is blurred, and the visit turns into a desperate fight for survival.

This one is a classic, and boy does it still hold up. Queen of Horror Shirley Jackson takes us into a world that is imaginative, trippy, and disturbing. In We Have Always Lived in the Castle, we follow a pair of sisters, Merricat and Constance, who are ostracized from society after most of their family was poisoned to death. In this horror book, it's people who are the monsters instead of ghosts, demons, and eldritch horrors.

This story is told by Merricat, which makes the tale even more unsettling. Both childlike and sadistic, Merricat is a fascinating character, and forcing the reader to be trapped in her troubled mind gives the book a claustrophobic air that gives you first-person access to blood-curdling horror.

The tale of a family inheriting a beautiful mansion only to find it to be haunted is a tale as old as time. In the Lonely Hours stands out thanks to Shannon Morgan’s gorgeous writing. Simultaneously romantic and eerie , this book introduces us to a cast of characters that we follow in the Scottish countryside castle, which is, of course, haunted by dozens of ghosts.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is a classic haunted house story. The entire book is permeated by a sense of unease. Best of all, underneath the spooks are the tragic tales of the dead that the living are forced to confront. 

Whoops! Another rec by David Sodergren. What can I say? The man can write the spooky stuff. If you’re looking for a modern twist on H. P. Lovecraft’s Leviathan horrors, then this is the book for you. This heart-pounding creature horror will keep you biting your nails throughout the whole story, with a sprinkle of existential terror to boot. Seriously, this book is insane (and you will love it)!

Here’s a glimpse into the story: Two estranged sisters, Ana and Rachel, decide to take a vacation to Thailand to reconcile their relationship. Disaster happens when the pair find themselves stranded on a deserted island with no way to contact the outside world. Bad turns to absolutely awful when the sun sets and the sisters are faced with the mind-bending terrors in the shadows.