Can you believe it? Another year has come and gone! It was great that horror authors, once again, had so much to offer in such a short amount of time. Almost every horror book I read this year was mind-blowing, so bear with me as I try to narrow down the massive list to ones that I think are Must Reads.
From novels making their debut in 2025 to slightly older works getting new (or more accessible) editions this year, these are what I consider the seven BEST 2025 horror books:
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8114 by Joshua Hull
From author/screenwriter Joshua Hull (Mouth, Glorious) comes the tale of a small town haunting that will stick with you long after you’ve read the last page.
After finding out that his friend committed suicide in the dilapidated ruins of his childhood home, Podcaster Paul returns home to find answers. After interviewing old friends and locals, he discovers that something sinister may have been occurring for longer than he can remember.
8114 has the perfect balance of mystery, humor, and absolute terror.
8114 by Joshua Hull on Amazon | Follow Joshua Hull on Instagram | Released August 26, 2025
Watching Evil Dead: Unearthing the Radiant Artist Within by Josh Malerman
Here’s a non-fiction selection from Josh Malerman (Bird Box, Incidents Around the House). The New York Times bestselling writer recounts a night that simply started out as watching the classic Sam Raimi film with his partner and friends, but turned into so much more.
Not only is Watching Evil Dead: Unearthing the Radiant Artist Within a great discussion on the craft of writing, it’s also about how to find the art in life, love, and facing your fears. I highly recommend the audio version read by the author himself.
Watching Evil Dead: Unearthing the Radiant Artist Within by Josh Malerman on Amazon | Follow Josh Malerman on Instagram | Published September 16, 2025
Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer
A queer woman must fight for her life using crafting supplies. The concept alone sells itself in Jenny Kiefer’s (This Wretched Valley) latest.
Ruth gets fired from her job at New Creations, a mega church-owned craft store, and sets out to get revenge. Things go haywire after her former coworkers lock her in the store and chaos ensues. Seriously, Crafting for Sinners gets INSANE and it’s one of the most original 2025 horror books – and horror stories in general – out there!
Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer on Amazon | Follow Jenny Kiefer on Instagram | Published October 7, 2025
Rubbery by River City Rules
Thats right, the author of this monster novel also runs my city’s local meme page, which might make Rubbery the most obscure of my favorite 2025 horror books.
River City Rules’ Rubbery is funny, fast-paced, and it’s got a monster straight out of a terrible B-movie!
Sam and his friends are on a bowling date when it’s interrupted by a commotion. Together they find themselves facing the craziest apocalyptic threat imaginable.
Rubbery by River City Rules on Amazon | Follow River City Rules on Instagram | Published April 23, 2025
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
A Victorian ghost story that oozes dread the whole way through.
“The Silent Companions” are figures that are little TOO lifelike and spend their time unleashing psychological terror on pregnant widow Elsie. She can’t turn a corner without running into one of the painted wooden figures, and Elsie’s sure that she saw one figure’s eyes following her!
Read or listen to Laura Purcell’s The Silent Companions if you like the feeling of being watched even though you’re certain that you’re the only one home.
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell on Amazon | Follow Laura Purcell on Instagram | Published 2017; Audiobook October 21, 2025
Afterlife with Archie: Escape from Riverdale by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa with Illustrations by Francesco Francavilla
Every generation, going back over 80 years, has been introduced or re-introduced to Archie and his gang of friends! From the original comics, to the original comic books, to the various cartoon/animated adaptations in the 1960s-1980s, to the Sabrina the Teenage Witch TV show in the 1990s-2000s, to the Riverdale TV series in the 2010s-2020s, to so many other adaptations in-between. I love Archie Comics and you probably do too! I’ve noticed that there’s a huge amount of crossover between horror fans and Archie fans and it’s always EXTRA fun when the two fandoms merge in a more obvious way.
Afterlife with Archie might seem like an odd choice for my favorite 2025 horror books (since it was originally published in 2014), but I didn’t want you to miss out. It was difficult to get for a while, but recently became more available again as of a couple months ago (both as a paperback and, now, as a digital book).
This graphic novel takes some of fan favorite characters – Archie, Jughead, Josie and the Pussycats – and puts them in a straight up horror story. After casting a spell to bring Jughead’s beloved dog Hot Dog back to life, Sabrina Spellman accidentally starts a zombie apocalypse. Archie and the gang must team up and escape Riverdale before they’re all devoured by the undead ghouls. Fans of Archie old and new will find something to love here.
Afterlife with Archie: Escape from Riverdale on Amazon | Follow Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa on Instagram | Follow Francesco Francavilla on Instagram | Published June 5, 2014; but recently made more available again due to the upcoming Afterlife with Archie series announcement in October 2025.
Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle
Four years after a disaster that comes to be known as the Low Probability Event kills 8 million people in one day, a former probability statistics instructor names Vera is roped into investigating a casino. An impossibly lucky casino that may be tied to several deaths.
If you’re looking for a surreal, bloody, thrilling from start-to-finish horror novel… then this is YOUR lucky day!
Fun Fact: the audio version of Chuck Tingle’s Lucky Day is narrated by none other than Matilda herself, actress Mara Wilson, and it’s perfect!
Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle on Amazon | Follow Chuck Tingle on Instagram | Published August 12, 2025
Which of My Fave 2025 Horror Books Are YOU Reading First?
Whew! So that about covers it for my favorite novels this year. I covered a couple more 2025 horror books on my Summer/Vacation Horror Novels list that were also mind-blowingly awesome, but these were best of the best that got me through the latter half of the year.
And remember, with Christmas coming up, these picks make great gifts for the horror readers in your life. Happy Holidays, Everyone!
Book cover/review images provided by AJ Spencer. Featured/top image is a free stock photo of a book from Pixabay that we drew spooky fog and words on.
