When reading a horror book, you will never know what you get. But I do that what you will get afterwards is nightmares. There are a variety of horror books and it is something that many people love to read. That is why we decided to list the best horror books of all time!
Right off the bat, I will admit I am not the biggest horror fan. That is partly because I never really did have many horror books around my orbit. Most book lists don’t include many if any horror books and we will amend that mistake. You can see the full list of the best horror books below!
The Best Horror Books of All Time
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
- The Shining by Stephen King
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- It by Stephen King
- The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
- Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
- Ghost Story by Peter Straub
- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
- The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
- Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
- Hell House by Richard Matheson
- Ring by Koji Suzuki
- The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
- Bird Box by Josh Malerman
- The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
- A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul G. Tremblay
- I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
- Pet Sematary by Stephen King
- World War Z by Max Brooks
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman
- NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
- Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
- Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
- Carrie by Stephen King
- The Other by Tom Tryon
- Come Closer by Sara Gran
- Heart-Shaped Box: A Novel by Joe Hill
- Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
- The Stand by Stephen King
- At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft
- Zone One by Colson Whitehead
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
- The Bad Seed by Maxwell Anderson
Classics and a Lot of Stephen King
There are some classics on the list such as Dracula and Frankenstein. These books are the ones that had mass appeal and have pushed the genre forward. Plus, they are great novels that will give you food for thought.
A name that pops up a lot on this list is the king of horror himself Stephen King. Six books by him made the list and there are other books that could have also made the list. His son has two books on the list also! He goes by Joe Hill for all of you wondering why there is only one King mentioned in the list.
There are many great books on this list and I will be adding many of them to my reading list. One of the reasons I enjoy making lists like these are to find new books to read. Hopefully, this list also helps many other people discover new books.
Conclusion
That concludes our best horror books of all time list. What books should have made the list? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!
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Clive Barker?
Agreed with the Clive Barker comment. Weaveworld is as much fantasy as horror, but that would be my pick. Clark Ashton Smith could be on there too, though I’m only aware of his short stories. Still, the heading is best horror books, not best horror novels. Pick any of his compilations and you’re golden. And Barker’s Books of Blood beats out Weaveworld then.
No Edgar Allen Poe?, NO EDGAR ALLEN POE???
You know absolutely nothing. This is a joke.
A list of books, supposedly the “best”. With no qualifications, no reasons presented as to why these particular books are on the list, no standards to measure against. Basically, just a list of books.
You are so right. This article should be titled: a list of horror books that Ahaqir likes best, that was compiled in March of 2023
Necroscope,Neuroscience, Brian Lumley!!!
You guys ever John Farris ^ Son of the endless night * read it you’ll know fear!
Summer of Night by Dan Simmons. Very good book that should make the list. And nothing by Dean Koontz??
I have to agree. Dean Koontz is a master and I cannot believe he’s totally absent from this listing.
You’re missing watchers by Dean koontz. And I don’t think I would consider the stand to be a horror book. Stephen King himself refers to it as, a tale of dark Christianity.
Right of the bat I will admit to not be the biggest horror fan….. Then why are you writing down this list?
You clearly just looked up what’s popular and what sold well and then decided to write your little artikel around it. Come on man what actually is this?
Not even one Clive Barker novel?
I saw House of Leaves on the list and immediately stopped reading.