- Horror movies are a good treat during Halloween
- Horror books however, unlike movies, present a doubly rewarding entertainment experience and could be a good idea in 2023’s Halloween
- These books are not for the faint of heart, but if you love all things spooky and unsettling, you’re in for a treat
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Are you ready for a spine-tingling Halloween adventure?
While scary movies are a popular choice, there’s a whole world of terrifying stories waiting for you in the pages of horror novels.
This year, we’ve handpicked seven of the scariest books to help you get into the Halloween spirit. These stories will make your heart race and your skin crawl, so get ready for some serious chills and thrills.
Imagine being transported to creepy, supernatural worlds, where everyday things become downright eerie.
These books are not for the faint of heart, but if you love all things spooky and unsettling, you’re in for a treat.
Here is our list of the most bone-chilling horror novels that will make your Halloween unforgettable.
The Exorcist
The Exorcist is a 1971 horror novel written by American writer William Peter Blatty and published by Harper & Row. The book details the demonic possession of eleven-year-old Regan MacNeil, the daughter of a famous actress, and the two priests who attempt to exorcise the demon. The novel was the basis of a highly successful film adaptation released two years later, whose screenplay was also written and produced by Blatty. More movies and books were eventually added to The Exorcist franchise.
William Peter Blatty’s Novel The Exorcist.
Ghost story
This 2010 novel starts with a man named Donald Wanderley traveling with a young girl whom he has apparently kidnapped. Eventually, Donald and the girl arrive in Panama City, Florida, at which point the novel jumps back in time to the events of the previous winter. Living in the small upstate New York town of Milburn (a fictional location which is indicated to be in Broome County east of Binghamton) are four elderly men who are members of a clique called the Chowder Society: John Jaffrey, a doctor; Lewis Benedikt, a retired entrepreneur; Sears James, an attorney; and Ricky Hawthorne, an attorney and James’ partner. For the past 50 years these best friends have gathered together and told each other stories and have been great companions. However, their group once consisted of five members. One year earlier Jaffrey had thrown a party at his house in honor of a visiting actress named Ann- Veronica Moore, and their fifth member, when a very bad tragedy happened. Check it out to know more.
Interview with the Vampire
Interview with the Vampire is a gothic horror and vampire novel by American author Anne Rice, published in 1976. It was her debut novel. Based on a short story Rice wrote around 1968, the novel centers on vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac, who tells the story of his life to a reporter. Rice composed the novel shortly after the death of her young daughter Michelle, who served as an inspiration for the child-vampire character Claudia. Though initially the subject of mixed critical reception, the book was followed by many widely popular sequels, collectively known as The Vampire Chronicles. A film adaptation was released in 1994, starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, and a television series premiered in 2022. The novel has also been adapted as a comic three times.
The Only Good Indians
The plot in this truly horrifying novel involves a blackfeet man named Ricky. Ricky leaves a bar to urinate outside and catches an elk stumbling into several cars in the parking lot, damaging them. Ricky tries to calm the elk but is caught outside with the damaged cars by the white bargoers. He is chased by them into a field, at which point he sees the reflections of the eyes of a herd of elk. Ricky is beaten to death. The story then moves to Lewis, one of Ricky’s childhood friends who has likewise moved off their reservation. Lewis is married to a white woman named Peta and works as a postal worker. One night while fixing a light, Lewis sees the image of a dead elk on the floor below and almost falls to his death, but is saved by Peta at the last moment. Lewis begins to shamefully reminisce on an event from his adolescence involving an elk and seeks to repeat the vision by marking out the shape of the elk on his floor in tape.
It
It Is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It was his 22nd book and his 17th novel written under his own name. The story follows the experiences of seven children as they are terrorized by an evil entity that exploits the fears of its victims to disguise itself while hunting its prey. “It” primarily appears in the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown to attract its preferred prey of young children.
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared in the second edition, which was published in Paris in 1821.
Dracula
Dracula is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. An epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking a business trip to stay at the castle of a Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula. Harker escapes the castle after discovering that Dracula is a vampire, and the Count moves to England and plagues the seaside town of Whitby. A small group, led by Abraham Van Helsing, investigate, hunt and kill Dracula.
The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House is an American supernatural horror drama streaming television miniseries created and directed by Mike Flanagan, produced by Amblin Television and Paramount Television, for Netflix, and serves as the first entry in The Haunting anthology series. It is loosely based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson. The plot alternates between two timelines, following five adult siblings whose paranormal experiences at Hill House continue to haunt them in the present day, and flashbacks depicting events leading up to the eventful night in 1992 when the family fled from the mansion. The ensemble cast features Michiel Huisman, Elizabeth Reaser, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, and Victoria Pedretti as the siblings in adulthood, with Carla Gugino and Henry Thomas as parents Olivia and Hugh Crain, and Timothy Hutton appearing as an older version of Hugh.
