Could These Be The Scariest Books Of All Time?!

Continuing our ‘mood reading’ series, we’re cranking up the scare factor just in time for Halloween. As the holiday creeps closer, so do the scary vibes. If you find yourself itching for a fright, take a look at our list of the Scariest Books of All Time. We promise you’ll be sleeping (or not) with the lights on after reading these horror books. 

With a mix of classic tropes and fresh horrors, this list has something for every horror lover. From ghost deer and zombie cats to haunted houses and home invasions, these tales will have you facing your worst nightmares this October...

The Scariest Books of All Time

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

A mind-bending psychological horror and grim social commentary on the American Indian Experience for fans of Jordan Peele and Tommy Orange. 

The Only Good Indians follows the story of four American Indian men as they are haunted by a deadly elk hunting incident in their youth. Years later, they are being hunted down by a vengeful spirit. Using folklore, culture, and the potential folly of traditions, Jones tells a gruesome and gory fable full of symbolism and eerie terror.

This book kept me awake the entire night until I finished the final page and then I stayed awake because I was terrified. If you are a fan of introspective narratives, cultural identity, reckonings, and hauntings, you will find this frightening. 

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Ian Reid 

Jake’s girlfriend is thinking of ending things with Jake. Even though he is taking her to meet his parents, she doesn’t see a future. When she arrives at his parent’s home, things begin to get strange.  

This rollercoaster of near-philosophical torture brings unease, confusion, and mounting suspense. This is another book that I read in one sitting. Once I began the book, I refused to leave my room out of sheer anxiety that this book gave me. 

Books by Stephen King

What I consider to be King’s scariest works that also show his unmatched range of subject matter. 

It by Stephen King

Welcome to Derry, Maine. It’s a small city, a place as hauntingly familiar as your own hometown. Only in Derry the haunting is real.

They were seven teenagers when they first stumbled upon the horror. Now they are grown-up men and women who have gone out into the big world to gain success and happiness. But the promise they made twenty-eight years ago calls them to reunite in the same place where, as teenagers, they battled an evil creature that preyed on the city’s children. Now, children are being murdered again and their repressed memories of that terrifying summer return as they prepare to once again battle the monster lurking in Derry’s sewers.

IT and the creation of Pennywise the clown with the capability to turn into your worst nightmare and feed off your fear, was the least of my worries when I read this behemoth of a book. Rather, what terrified me the most was what the characters in the book were capable of when influenced - or not - by the power of fear. 

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

“When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic, rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Yet despite Ludlow's tranquility, there's an undercurrent of danger that lingers...like the graveyard in the woods near the Creeds' home, where generations of children have buried their beloved pets.

Behind the "pet sematary", there is another burial ground, one that lures people to it with seductive promises...and ungodly temptations. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there - one more terrifying than death itself and hideously more powerful.”

Similarly to IT, the horror in King’s Pet Semetary with the iconic zombie cat, is in the Creed family's grief. When the true power that grief holds over the family is realized, the horrific lengths they go to bring their loved one back is heartbreaking.

The Shining by Stephen King

“Jack Torrance’s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he’ll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote . . . and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.”

In contrast, the Shining is the quintessential psychological horror that asks readers to decide: is it cabin fever? Or is the Overlook Hotel Haunted? 

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

Frank’s search for pain and pleasure brings him to unlock a piece of hell on earth and he experiences the painful consequences. However, his brother's wife, Julia, fueled by her lust for Frank, finds a way to alleviate his suffering. The price to do so will cost her everything. 

Gorry, gruesome, and downright gross at times, Barker unlocked a new fear of the unknowable afterlife and the creatures that may reside there. Full of demonic lore and legends that seem far too real along with buckets and buckets of blood are reason enough to classify this as one of the scariest books of all time in my opinion.

Cabin at The End of The World by Paul Tremblay 

Eric, Andrew and their seven-year-old daughter Wen are vacationing in a remote cabin, with the closest neighbors being two miles away down a secluded dirt road. Hoping for a much-needed get away from the big city, the little family are happy to do without phones or wifi. 

One afternoon, four strangers arrive claiming that Eric, Andrew, and Wen have the power to save the world from catastrophe. They must make a choice between preserving their family or saving the world.   

The situations these characters are put in are unimaginable and heartbreaking. Horrifying apocalyptic events play in the background as intimate horrors unfold for an unexpecting family. The concept and the actions taken by some of these characters chilled me to my core. 

Intensity by Dean Koontz 

Chyna Shephard is hunting a murderer until she becomes the potential next victim of serial killer, Edgler Foreman Vess. Escape and her desire to save an endangered girl drive her to survive incomprehensible situations. Through these perils, she must face her past trauma and decide to settle for survival or for more.

Intense to say the least, Vess is a diabolical, evil villain who is a textbook psychopath. The torments that he inflicts on his victims are deeply disturbing. Readers will be gripped at every turn hoping that Chyna’s strength and growth will be enough to help her and Vess’ next intended victim survive. 

If these books don’t give you chills, nothing will. Pick a scary read (or two) and get ready to celebrate the spookiest night of the year with a thrill. Just remember—you’ve been warned!

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