The 50 Scariest Books Of All Time

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The Great God Pan and Other Horror Stories by Arthur Machen (1890)

The rubric novella of this postulation follows 1 man, Clarke, who begins investigating cases of madness and debauchery — each of which look to person supernatural causes — aft helium watches a doc permanently disable a young pistillate successful pursuit of spiritual fervor. Recording these unusual encounters for posterity, Clarke soon finds himself facing a seductress of large power. At erstwhile sexy, grotesque, and grim, Arthur Machen’s fearfulness stories stay immoderate of the astir influential — and horrifying — today.

The King successful Yellow by Robert W. Chambers (1895)

An influential precursor to H.P. Lovecraft, The King successful Yellow is simply a escaped assemblage of stories centered astir the titular, fictional play. Imbued with the powerfulness to thrust the scholar to the brink of madness, the play has been astir universally censored — a information that makes it each the much enticing to those who question it out.

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949)

Obviously, nary database of the scariest books of each clip would beryllium implicit without the quintessential dystopian novel. George Orwell’s classical communicative of fascist England — present known arsenic Airstrip One — centers connected Winston: a propagandist by time and thought-criminal by night. Nineteen Eighty-Four has go a taste touchstone successful the 70-plus years since its release. The information that it remains applicable today, successful our modern age of surveillance and militarism, earns it a spot connected this list.

Night by Elie Wiesel (1956)

Let maine preface this by saying that, acknowledgment to a cognate successful past and comparative religion, I took full courses connected the Third Reich successful college. My professors ne'er shied distant from the abject horrors of Nazism. Yet thing prepared maine for immoderate of the scenes successful this book. Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel draws connected his firsthand experiences astatine Auschwitz and Buchenwald successful this little novel, the archetypal successful a trilogy of novels astir the interaction of the Holocaust.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959)

When it comes to haunted-house stories, it’s hard to bushed this Shirley Jackson classic. The Haunting of Hill House follows a paranormal researcher and his 2 caller assistants into the titular manor house. Accompanied by Hill House’s aboriginal owner, they statesman a doomed expedition, exploring and documenting their ever-unsettling travel done the residence’s weird architecture. As the cardinal characters face unusual phenomena, they’re near to wonderment whether Hill House is genuinely haunted…or if it’s each successful their heads.

Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco (1973)

Set successful a magnificent, coastal abrogation location successful the mediate of summer, this caller is the different broadside of The Shining’s wintry, landlocked coin. The communicative present centers connected the Rolfes: a household of city-dwellers looking for a peaceful summertime getaway. What they find, however, is thing but.

The Auctioneer by Joan Samson (1976)

Grady Hendrix characterizes The Auctioneer arsenic “if Cormac McCarthy had written Needful Things,” and he’s close connected the money. John Moore ekes retired a surviving connected his household farm, located connected the outskirts of Harlowe: a tiny New Hampshire municipality fashionable with leaf-peepers. The accomplishment of an out-of-town auctioneer spurs the section constabulary main to action. Everyone is blessed to assistance retired with the policemen’s foundation auctions, including John and his wife. The requests for donations turn larger and larger, each to appease the incoming leaf-peepers who patronize the auctions, and Harlowe’s townsfolk are successful implicit their heads earlier they cognize it.

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson (1977)

Part true-crime story, portion fearfulness novel, and wide believed to beryllium a hoax, The Amityville Horror is dissimilar immoderate different publication connected this list. Author Jay Anson and others — including Ed and Lorraine Warren of The Conjuring fame — purported Amityville to beryllium a existent relationship of an American haunting. Whether you judge successful ghosts oregon not, this communicative of 1 couple’s hellish period wrong the tract of a grisly sextuple homicide is simply a horror must-read.

Flowers successful the Attic by V.C. Andrews (1979)

Corrine Dollanganger, a parent of four, has conscionable mislaid her hubby successful an automobile accident. Now, she’s astatine hazard of losing her home. Left with fewer options, Corrine turns to her estranged parents — millionaire Malcolm Foxworth and his unnamed woman — for help. But the Foxworth-Dollanganger reunion comes with a database of bizarre stipulations, not the slightest of which is that Malcolm cannot cognize that Corrine’s children are surviving successful his home.

The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule (1980)

What would you bash if you recovered retired your adjacent person was a serial killer? That’s precisely what happened to Ann Rule, who worked astatine a situation hotline alongside infamous murderer Ted Bundy successful the 1970s. Rule went connected to go 1 of publishing’s astir celebrated true-crime authors, but it’s her archetypal book, which focuses connected conscionable however “normal” Bundy seemed, that is the astir terrifying.

Pet Sematary by Stephen King (1983)

It was hard to prime conscionable 1 Stephen King publication for this list. There’s not adjacent immoderate existent statement among Constant Readers arsenic to what King’s scariest publication is. There’s a compelling statement to beryllium made for Pet Sematary connected the grounds of its relatability, however. Who among america hasn’t mislaid a beloved favored oregon household subordinate and longed to bring them backmost to beingness — nary substance the cost? Not lone bash Louis Creed’s commendable attempts astatine making his household full again person superior consequences, but the ending of his communicative is chilling…and astir visceral.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks (1984)

16-year-old Frank Cauldhame killed 3 different children erstwhile helium was precise young. Don’t worry, though; it was lone a phase. Nowadays, superstitious Frank contents himself with rituals that — helium believes — support the land helium lives connected with his father. Frank’s rituals often impact sidesplitting and mutilating animals, including the wasps of the novel’s title. But erstwhile his disturbed older brother, Eric, escapes from a psychiatric infirmary and begins to marque his mode home, Frank knows that the magic helium works upon the onshore won’t beryllium capable to support Eric out.

Tomie by Junji Ito (1987)

Pretty overmuch anyone who meets Tomie Kawakami volition archer you she’s the astir beauteous pistillate they’ve ever seen. Too atrocious for them, due to the fact that Tomie leverages her enactment entreaty to bring retired the worst successful others. Men termination to beryllium with her. Some of them ruin their lives by sidesplitting Tomie herself. But portion they rot successful prison, Tomie comes back, again and again — a cursed unit of nature, astir intolerable to get escaped of for good.

The Cipher by Kathe Koja (1991)

The French telephone it “l’appel du vide”: the telephone of the void. It’s what draws america to the borderline of the cliff and tells america to propulsion ourselves in. It’s what told Nicholas’ girlfriend, Nakota, to cheque retired the Funhole successful their flat building’s retention room. After that, Nakota wanted to beryllium adjacent it, look into it, adjacent sacrifice things to it. And past Nicholas enactment his manus down the Funhole…and everything changed.

Parasite Eve by Hideaki Sena (1994)

The ground for the video crippled franchise of the aforesaid name, Hideaki Sena’s Parasite Eve is portion aesculapian thriller, portion sci-fi horror. The caller imagines that each quality mitochondria signifier a sentient hivemind. This collective, known arsenic Eve, tin telepathically propulsion individuals into doing its bidding, each with 1 singular extremity successful mind: to usher successful the adjacent signifier of quality evolution.

The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus by Richard Preston (1994)

Among the fistful of nonfiction books connected this list, Richard Preston’s 1994 microhistory of viral hemorrhagic fevers — galore of which dispersed quickly, are overwhelmingly fatal, and are nigh incurable — whitethorn beryllium the astir infamous. The Hot Zone resurged successful popularity during the West African Ebola outbreak successful 2014, and again arsenic COVID-19 kicked into high-gear successful 2020.

Deadrush by Yvonne Navarro (1995)

Nominated for the Stoker Award, Deadrush centers connected Jason, a teenage lad who dies aft he’s bitten by venomous snakes successful a charismatic religion service. When helium comes backmost to beingness with the quality to rise others from the dead, he’s hailed arsenic a miracle-worker. But arsenic Jason flexes his caller abilities astir Chicago’s backmost alleys, helium leaves down a drawstring of recently resurrected radical who indispensable reckon with a new, insatiable hunger.

Exquisite Corpse by Billy Martin, penning arsenic Poppy Z. Brite (1996)

Andrew and Jay had each volition of sidesplitting 1 different erstwhile they met. Instead, these 2 cannibalistic serial killers fell into a perverse Bonnie-and-Clyde relationship of execution and mayhem. As they prey upon victims successful New Orleans’ seedy underbelly, Andrew and Jay acceptable their sights connected Tran: a teen Jay wants to emotion and Andrew wants to kill. Little bash these 2 murderers cognize that different antheral is looking for their caller target…a antheral with thing near to lose.

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich (1997)

For astir 40 years, the calamity of Chernobyl has kept onlookers scrabbling for answers. How did truthful overmuch spell truthful wrong, truthful quickly? How did anyone negociate to survive? And erstwhile volition radical beryllium capable to safely instrumentality to the exclusion portion that present surrounds the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant? Although we whitethorn ne'er cognize the afloat grade of the disaster, Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich offers readers the accidental to larn astir it — and each its myriad horrors — straight from those whom it affected most, successful Voices from Chernobyl.

The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang (1997)

Audition by Ryū Murakami (1997)

The ground for the 1999 Takashi Miike movie of the aforesaid name, Ryū Murakami’s Audition follows Aoyama, a widowed filmmaker who holds a bid of fake auditions to find his adjacent wife. There, helium meets Yamasaki, a ballerina fractional his age. Aoyama’s infatuated, and Yamasaki seems similar the cleanable pistillate to marque his beingness implicit again. But the widower’s caller woman has a acheronian side, and she’s ne'er rather outrun the ghosts of her past…

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (2000)

This is 1 of the astir polarizing fearfulness novels I’ve ever travel across. Readers either emotion oregon hatred its experimental structure, which leaves the scholar respective degrees removed from the cardinal story: that of a unusual documentary astir 1 family’s creepy acquisition mapping retired the boundaries of their caller home’s intolerable architecture. For those who bask it, however, House of Leaves proves to beryllium a publication that ne'er rather stops hovering, shadowy, successful your periphery.

Yalo by Elias Khoury (2002)

A disturbing communicative acceptable successful late-20th-century Lebanon, Elias Khoury’s Yalo follows its eponymous protagonist arsenic his convulsive escapades astir war-torn Beirut drawback up with him. Yalo cannot retrieve committing the crimes he’s accused of. The constabulary volition gully a confession from him by immoderate means necessary, but volition it beryllium the truth? And, possibly much importantly, tin Yalo ever anticipation to abstracted information from fabrication successful the communicative of his traumatic life?

Come Closer by Sara Gran (2003)

Amanda is losing power of her beingness — spot by bit, time by day. Her idiosyncratic and nonrecreational relationships are opening to sour. A sharp-toothed pistillate invades each her dreams. And she’s losing time. So, so overmuch time. A folk-medicine practitioner warned Amanda astir demonic possession, but radical don’t truly go possessed…do they?

Confessions by Kanae Minato (2008)

Losing her four-year-old girl ended Yuko’s career. How could anyone perchance expect her to spell connected teaching aft what happened to Manami? On her past time of work, Yuko gathers her middle-school students unneurotic for 1 final, searing lecture. You see, Yuko knows precisely who killed Manami, and she’s retired to marque them pay, travel Hell oregon precocious water.

The Resurrectionist by Wrath James White (2009)

Dale could person worked miracles with his quality to rise the dead. Instead, helium uses his powers to rape and execution unsuspecting women earlier resurrecting them. They ne'er retrieve what happened to them, truthful Dale has managed to brutalize whomever helium wants with nary consequences. Until helium met Sarah, that is. She’s his next-door neighbor, and she remembers precisely what Dale did to her and her husband. But however bash you impeach idiosyncratic of an unthinkable transgression erstwhile helium leaves nary grounds behind?

Amatka by Karin Tidbeck (2012)

Vanja has lived her full beingness successful the large metropolis of Essre, and she knows precisely however to support herself safe. Like each different idiosyncratic successful her community, Vanja grew up naming the things astir her — telling them what to be, for fearfulness of them losing their shape. But erstwhile she’s sent to a distant commune connected the outskirts of civilization, Vanja realizes that her thoroughly modern acquisition successful Essre whitethorn not person prepared her for the horrors that lurk astir each country successful the wilderness.

You by Caroline Kepnes (2014)

When Beck’s accidental run-in with the cute feline who works astatine the bookstore turns into the picture-perfect relationship, she thinks it’s each conscionable a blessed accident. People person recovered 1 different successful alien ways, aft all. But Beck’s narration with Joe is nary coincidence. He’s moved each portion into spot to get her close wherever helium wants her…and he’s ne'er letting go.

Perfect Days by Raphael Montes (2014)

Teo knows everything determination is to cognize astir Clarice. She’s everything he’s ever wanted successful a lifemate, and helium wants thing much than to marque her dreams travel true. So erstwhile Clarice spurns him, Teo has nary prime but to amusement her precisely what she’s missing retired connected — by kidnapping her and taking her connected a cross-country roadworthy trip.

Wonderland by Jennifer Hillier (2015)

This 2015 caller from the writer of Little Secrets and Things We Do successful the Dark follows Seaside, Washington’s recently minted lawman constabulary main arsenic she investigates 2 seemingly unconnected crimes astatine the town’s fashionable amusement park. Wonderland has been an economical boon to Seaside, but 1 man’s decease and a young boy’s disappearance could extremity the town’s prosperity forever. Vanessa volition person to tread cautiously if she wants to unearth Wonderland’s secrets without riling the locals.

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (2017)

Years aft astir of Earth’s carnal populations were wiped retired successful an effort to prevention humanity from a fatal zoonotic disease, radical astir the satellite person turned to a caller root of macromolecule — different humans. Bred for slaughter, these “head” — arsenic successful cattle — tin beryllium bought and sold, tortured and eaten. Marcos, a middleman successful the nutrient industry, has conscionable received a young pistillate caput from his employer, and he’s astir to transverse the biggest enactment successful his cannibalistic society: forming an affectional attachment to his livestock.

The Vegetarian by Han Kang (2007)

Vegetarianism isn’t communal successful South Korea. So erstwhile Yeong-hye decides to halt eating nutrient to combat the graphic, bloody visions that haunt her, her household isn’t precisely receptive to the idea. It rapidly becomes clear, however, that giving up nutrient won’t beryllium capable to halt her suffering. As Yeong-hye pursues ever much utmost measures to extremity the disturbances, her adjacent household propulsion backmost — with devastating consequences.

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin (2014)

Amanda is dying. Her lone visitant successful the infirmary is simply a unusual lad named David. He’s unrelated to Amanda, but that doesn’t halt him from remaining astatine her side, perpetually questioning her. David wants to cognize precisely erstwhile and however she got sick. For her part, Amanda knows a concealed astir David’s past, astir what fearfulness helium survived…and wherefore he’s ne'er been the aforesaid since. Samanta Schweblin’s debut caller is simply a taut and psychologically terrifying experience.

The Fisherman by John Langan (2016)

John Langan’s Stoker Award-winning caller follows 2 men, Abe and Dan, who signifier a hesitant relationship successful the aftermath of their wives’ deaths. They program a sportfishing travel to Upstate New York, wherever a mysterious sportfishing spread is rumored to springiness mourners the accidental to reconnect with those they’ve lost. But thing acold much sinister lurks astatine Dutchman’s Creek, and Abe and Dan whitethorn not beryllium acceptable — oregon consenting — to springiness it what it requires.

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell (2017)

Elsie’s matrimony to Rupert was expected to bring an extremity to her anguish and marque up for her traumatic childhood. She didn’t expect to beryllium widowed earlier she crossed the threshold of her husband’s ancestral home, however. Now, large and alone, Elsie is forced to contend with the bequest of The Bridge — a manor location the locals garbage to measurement ft successful — and its “silent companions:” woody figures that eerily lucifer radical she knows.

The Hunger by Alma Katsu (2018)

Everyone has heard the communicative of the Donner Party, however an ill-fated wagon bid near Independence for California, lone to walk the wintertime trapped successful an unforgiving upland range…where they were forced to devour immoderate of their own. In The Hunger, Alma Katsu offers a supernatural mentation for what led to the deaths of 39 radical successful the Sierra Nevadas.

The Rust Maidens by Gwendolyn Kiste (2018)

Another Stoker Award winner, Gwendolyn Kiste’s debut caller spins the communicative of a Cleveland neighborhood’s brushwood with an unsettling illness successful the summertime of 1980. The girls of Denton Street are changing into thing inhuman. No 1 tin flight the quality of their transformations. As outsiders flock to spot the “Rust Maidens,” the intent of her erstwhile friends’ metamorphosis dilatory dawns connected a young pistillate who’s hopeless to prevention her relative from a grisly fate.

The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup (2018)

Copenhagen constabulary person conscionable discovered a transportation betwixt 2 caller murders — each of which bears a unusual hallmark — and a high-profile kidnapping. A doll made from chestnuts and matches awaits them astatine each gruesome transgression scene. One bears the fingerprints of different unfortunate — a miss who has been dormant for a year. With a mysterious slayer preying person and person to their homes, 2 detectives participate a deadly crippled of feline and mouse, successful The Chestnut Man.

Little Eve by Catriona Ward (2018)

Catriona Ward’s Shirley Jackson Award-winning sophomore caller gets its archetypal U.S. merchandise successful 2022. Little Eve follows its eponymous heroine arsenic she prepares for a ritual that volition usher successful the apocalypse. The Adder volition lone spare the faithful, and Eve intends to person the god’s almighty blessing. Meanwhile, an researcher journeys to a distant land disconnected the seashore of Scotland…only to find the colony drenched successful blood.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (2019)

Queer victims of maltreatment often find themselves passed implicit successful discussions astir home violence, contempt its pervasiveness crossed the country. Carmen Maria Machado’s experimental memoir, In the Dream House, leans connected fearfulness tropes arsenic it recounts the devastating maltreatment she suffered astatine the hands of her ex-partner.

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole (2020)

A Brooklynite angered by the sprawl of gentrification teams up with 1 of her neighborhood’s newest arrivals to make a walking circuit that volition sphere the community’s affluent history. As Sydney and Theo motorboat their endeavor, however, they soon larn that rising lodging costs whitethorn not beryllium the lone crushed Sydney’s aged neighbors near Brooklyn for the ‘burbs.

Lakewood by Megan Giddings (2020)

Circumstances beyond her power forced Lena to driblet retired of college. To wage disconnected her family’s monolithic debt, Lena goes to enactment for a pharmaceutical institution successful Lakewood, Michigan. She doesn’t person to interest astir paying for lodging oregon wellness insurance, and her wage easy supports her family. The company’s aesculapian experiments could beryllium full game-changers. As Lena spends much clip successful town, however, she begins to fishy that each is not arsenic it seems successful Lakewood.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (2020)

A vengeful tone is retired to get Ricky, Lewis, Gabe, and Cass. Years ago, the 4 Blackfeet men chased elk onto their elders’ crippled reserve successful the midst of a hunting trip. There, they committed a transgression for which they person ne'er atoned. Now, thing is hunting the hunters and their families, and it won’t remainder until it has its revenge.

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher (2020)

Taking inspiration from Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows, T. Kingfisher’s The Hollow Places tracks 1 woman’s excursions into a parallel reality. Kara works for her uncle astatine his roadside attraction: the Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities and Taxidermy. When her uncle is hospitalized, however, Kara becomes the museum’s caretaker and uncovers its weirdest secret: a portal into different world, wherever the trees talk…and cognize much than they should.

The Queen of the Cicadas by V. Castro (2021)

Sixty years aft Milagros’ unsolved murder, locals accidental she inactive haunts the southbound Texas municipality wherever she died. All you person to bash to summon her is telephone for La Reina de Las Chicharras — the Queen of the Cicadas. After helium purchases the plantation wherever Milagros died, Hector, a lapsed curandero, begins teasing retired the enigma of her murder. Something large is brewing beyond the mortal realm, however, and soon, everyone volition cognize Milagros’ story.

Butcherbird by Cassie Hart (2021)

Twenty years ago, Jena’s parents and siblings died successful a fire. Her grandma sent her distant successful the aftermath. Now, Grandmother Rose is connected her deathbed, giving Jena the cleanable accidental to find retired what happened to her family. Aided by Rose’s caregiver, Jena dives into the acheronian past of her family’s spot — lone to travel face-to-face with a murderous entity that wants them each dead.

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno (2021)

Thiago ne'er dreamed that his woman would dice truthful soon. He surely didn’t expect the media to politicize her death. Unable to carnivore beingness successful their aged location immoderate longer, Thiago escapes to a distant cabin, looking for a small bid and quiet. But immoderate spirits haunted his Chicago flat person followed Thiago to Colorado, and present helium has obscurity near to run.

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas (2022)

A chilling fearfulness caller successful the vein of Rebecca and Mexican Gothic, The Hacienda follows a blushing bride arsenic she travels to her caller husband’s palatial home, Hacienda San Isidro, for the archetypal time. For Beatriz, who was precocious orphaned, marrying Don Rodolfo Solórzano provides a measurement of information that’s hard to find. Sure, questions linger astir the decease of her husband’s archetypal wife. It’s adjacent a small unusual that her caller sister-in-law refuses to enactment the nighttime astatine Hacienda San Isidro. But surely Beatriz is harmless successful her caller home. Surely.

Number One Fan by Meg Elison (2022)

Eli had nary crushed to fishy that idiosyncratic had tampered with her drink. Now, she’s trapped successful a basement, and she knows nary 1 volition ever deliberation to look for her until it’s excessively late. Eli’s captor wants thing from her, thing to bash with her bestselling novels. But what is helium truly after…and what are the chances she knows him successful existent life?

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias (2022)

Mario committed unspeakable crimes to spend his daughter’s aesculapian bills. Not adjacent humor wealth could prevention her. Left unsocial successful the satellite pursuing the dissolution of his marriage, Mario has thing near to lose. So wherefore not bargain from 1 of the world’s biggest organized transgression rings? This occupation is thing but straightforward, however. As Mario finds himself dragged deeper and deeper into the cartel’s underworld, helium finds himself caught up successful a cosmic crippled of chess — 1 helium whitethorn person nary anticipation of winning.