The horror genre is filled with thousands of great horror novels. That makes choosing which ones to read a bit difficult. That is why we have made this list of the 30 must read horror books of all time. Keep reading to see what books made our list!
Choosing only 30 horror books means that many great novels won’t make the list. This list sheds light on the 30 must read books but it is only a starting point. With so many great horror books out there, 30 is not enough. You can see the full list below!
The 30 Must Read Horror Books of All Time
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- The Shining by Stephen King
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- It by Stephen King
- The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
- Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
- Ghost Story by Peter Straub
- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
- Ring by Koji Suzuki
- Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
- Pet Sematary by Stephen King
- Carrie by Stephen King
- Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
- The Stand by Stephen King
- At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft
- 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 Terror by Dan Simmons
- The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H. P. Lovecraft
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
- I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
- The Bad Seed by William March
- At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft
- We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
- Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Parasite Eve by Hideaki Sena
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Dracula
A classic horror novel that has become mainstream is Dracula by Bram Stoker. First published in 1897, the novel was considered the best vampire novel written in its time and labeled as too frightening for many readers. While Stoker didn’t invent vampires, his take on the creatures is the one that has come to define them.
Frankenstien
If you like horror novels, then you will love Frankenstein. It is worth reading the novel that many consider the first sci-fi novel and a novel that asks philosophical questions that readers are still thinking about to this day. Even over two centuries after the novel was published, it is still a great read and the monster created by Dr. Frankenstein lives to this day in many people’s mind.
The Silence of the Lambs
Is there a better thriller novel than Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris? When you are reading the novel, it doesn’t feel like there is. What makes this novel interesting is that it isn’t even the first novel in the Hannibal series. But it is definitely the best book partly because it centers around Hannibal.
Interview With a Vampire
While everyone knowsn about Dracula, a lesser known vampire novel that everyone shoul rea is Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. It tells the story of a vampire named Louis de Pointe du Lac who recalls his 300-year-old past. I love the different approach to the vampire genre and was mesmerized with this novel, helping this series sell over 80 million copies since publication.
Carrion Comfort
A horror novel that I loved was Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons. It is a story about vampires and Nazis and reads like a thriller. Simmons is a talented writer and this book is detailed and well thought out. It is a different take on vampires that will have you hooked until the last page.
Conclusion
Our list includes some classics because leaving them off would be a crime. Novels like Dracula and Frankenstein are the face of the genre. If you like horror, then those are worth reading and seeing how many novels have been inspired by them. They may be old but are still some of the best horror novels written.
That is all for our list of the 30 must read horror books of all time. Let us know in the comments which books should have made our list. Happy reading!
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