We all know there’s almost nothing more satisfying than a horror movie marathon. Whether you’re alone or with friends, horror movies give an immediate, visceral thrill. However, horror books provide their own unique (or should I say “novel?”) thrill. They provide a longer, more sustained fright.
The words a good horror author writes take on a life of their own and work their way into your imagination, either consciously or subconsciously. In my humble opinion, a good literary scare lingers with you much longer than a visual one does. The words burrow in and stay there waiting, festering until the time is right to reemerge and scare you all over again.
So here, in no particular order, is my list of seven horror novels everyone must read.
Editor’s Note: I’ll be stepping into Adam Page’s post within these little blue boxes to let you know which of these horror books have movie adaptations as they’re fun to watch (for better or worse) after reading the source material! -Lauren*
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Stephen King writes in the introduction to my copy of Pet Sematary that he considers it his most frightening book saying, “Put simply, I was horrified by what I had written.” He also states that, “the fear bone, like the funny bone, is located in different places on different people.”
This novel terrified me. When the Creed family move to a big house in Maine, they find out the hard way that is was built near a Native American burial ground that can resurrect the dead. Dr. Louis Creed’s young son is run down in the street, and then Louis buries him in the foul and forbidden cemetery.
The (accidental?) death and rebirth of a toddler as something else is the focal point of this novel, but there are several other horrific elements in Pet Sematary. The ghost of Louis’ first patient appearing to him, with blood and brain running down his face, warning Louis not to attempt what he is thinking and the memory of his wife’s sister, Zelda, dying of meningitis are a couple of the standout horrors.
But it’s Pet Sematary‘s treatment of death itself that rattles the fear bone. Stephen King goes straight for one of the most brutal, and primal fears: the horrific death of a child. We’re horrified by what Louis Creed does to bring his son back, but we still ask ourselves, “Would I do that?”
People say King struggles writing endings. Not here.
Spoilers: The ending is bleak, nihilistic. He makes the reader question their own morality. But ultimately, we’re left with the book’s scariest line, spoken by neighbor Jud: “Sometimes dead is better.” Is it? I still don’t know.
Does Pet Sematary by Stephen King have a horror movie adaptation?
Yes! It has two: Pet Sematary (1989) and Pet Sematary (2019). And the 1989 version has a sequel!
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
When 12-year-old Regan MacNeil is possessed by Pazuzu, the story becomes about two priests — one younger who is dealing with deeply personal issues, and the older who has personal connections to the demon — as try to perform an exorcism.
The 1973 film version of The Exorcist is widely regarded as one of the scariest movies ever made, and has definitely caused more than a few sleepless nights for me. The novel was adapted for the screen by William Blatty, and the movie follows it closely. However, the novel’s words have a way of firing the imagination that the screen can’t match. When Regan uses a crucifix on herself, for instance, it’s shocking on screen but downright terrifying when you read William Blatty’s description.
We follow events from the point of view of Chris, Regan’s mother, allowing the psychological dread and terror to build slowly. At first there’s the denial anything is wrong. Then the odd occurrences; a death, a desecrated church, strange poltergeist-like incidents. These build gradually, until the proof of demonic possession is revealed, and events take a darker turn, as hard as that is to imagine.
Even now, after having been parodied to death, the book remains hard to read. The Exorcist is a horror book that will scare your socks off!
Does The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty have a horror movie adaptation?
Yes! As Adam Page mentioned above, The Exorcist has a very well-regarded film adaptation. (Though the sequels, particularly the second in the franchise, aren’t thought of nearly as well!).
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Wanting to assemble evidence of the supernatural, a paranormal investigator gathers together a group of people — strangers — who may have some psychic ability to the haunted Hill House mansion in New England. It’s there that the spirits focus their attention on Eleanor, one of the group.
While she’s arguably more famous for her novella The Lottery, it’s The Haunting of Hill House that cemented Shirley Jackson’s reputation as a horror master, and one of the most underrated authors in American literature.
In Danse Macabre, Stephen King called The Haunting of Hill House “one of the most important horror novels of the twentieth century.”
It’s a haunted house novel, with plenty of the standard haunted house tropes; odd writing on the walls, strange banging sounds, and mysterious, terrible smells. But Shirley Jackson writes about these experiences with a blunt, darkly humorous technique.
The Haunting of Hill House is a psychologically frightening book, and one to be read with perhaps a lone lamp bulb for company.
Does The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson have a horror movie adaptation?
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson was adapted into movies twice, both times shortening the title to The Haunting (in 1963 and again in 1999). In 2018, Mike Flanagan adapted it into a horror miniseries on Netflix — and they kept the full title intact!
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
I went back and forth a lot on whether to include Blood Meridian or not. You won’t find it in the “horror books” section at your local bookstore or library, but this is a horror novel just the same.
When the protagonist, referred to simply as The Kid, joins a group of “Indian Hunters” during the Mexican-American war of the 1800s, he tries to adapt to the violence and depravity around him. Blood Meridian is a hard novel to get through, as Cormac McCarthy’s prose never lets up.
We are introduced to the 7-foot tall, albino Judge Holden. Totally bald. Toweringly gigantic. Supernaturally strong. Demonically violent. He ‘s a studious anthropologist and naturalist, a polyglot, an eloquent lecturer in fields as diverse as biological evolution and jurisprudence. He is an expert fiddler and nimble dancer. He’s also a liar, a sadistic killer, and very possibly a rapist and murderer of young children.
But just who is Judge Holden? Mortal man or supernatural being? Either way, he’s the stuff of nightmares.
There’s no light at the end of this particular tunnel. Bleak and full of despair from beginning to end, Blood Meridian is one of the more unhinged novels I’ve ever read.
Does Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy have a horror movie adaptation?
Not yet! Though it isn’t for lack of trying. In 2004, Ridley Scott was set to direct the adaptation of Blood Meridian; in 2016, James Franco took the reins; and, as of 2023, it seems to be finally happening with John Hillcoat directing (he also adapted Cormac McCarthy’s The Road in 2009).
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
Rosemary and her husband move into a luxurious new apartment and seem to have it all. But there’s something strange about her elderly, eccentric neighbors. Her husband begins acting strangely. Then Rosemary falls pregnant.
Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby was responsible for the massive horror boon that began in the late 1960s. It’s a definite slow burner, but works well bringing us into their lives and then ratcheting up the tension and fear until we feel like we can’t take it anymore.
We get our release in the final horrific pages, including a twist I did not see coming. Any horror novel that confronts the fear of motherhood, and new parenting, have this novel to thank.
Side note: Levin wrote a sequel several years ago. To be avoided like the plague.
Does Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin have a horror movie adaptation?
Yes! There’s Rosemary’s Baby (1968), directed by Roman Polanski with Mia Farrow as Rosemary; as well as the mixed reviewed 2014 TV miniseries starring Zoe Saldana (which attempted to adapt BOTH horror books… Maybe they should have taken Adam’s advice and avoided Son of Rosemary?).
Misery by Stephen King
It’s probably no surprise that Stephen King ended up on this list again. I could do a whole article on his work. And maybe I will. But here, author Paul Sheldon is rescued from a car wreck by nurse Annie Wilkes, who claims to be his number one fan.
From there, Annie forces Paul to write one more of his books, just for her. And Annie has ways of making Paul do what she wants.
This two-hander is an intimate and truly frightening story with one of horror’s most iconic villains and her obsessive love for Misery Chastain, the heroine of Paul’s bodice rippers. Annie is a killer, no doubt, and a vicious one at that; but King writes in a way that totally humanizes her, and makes her all the more frightening.
Add to this the body horror that happens to Paul in his accident and Annie continues with axe, electric knife, and withholding pain relief and you have King writing at his horrific best.
Does Misery by Stephen King have a horror movie adaptation?
Yes! Misery (1990) was directed by Rob Reiner, who also directed the horror film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Body (1982) as Stand by Me in 1986!
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.
A serial killer dubbed the Tooth Fairy is murdering families. FBI profiler Will Graham is called back to help catch him, and his own demons are reawakened. Visiting a certain Hannibal Lecter, whom he previously captured, to gain some insight, things go wrong fast as Lecter is still bent on revenge on Graham.
While The Silence of the Lambs is undoubtably the more famous horror book, Red Dragon is arguably the more horrific. This is the novel that introduced Hannibal Lecter, and here we see him truly dangerous, sitting in his cell and with only a phone, setting the Tooth Fairy onto Graham and his family.
And with Francis Dolarhyde, the Tooth Fairy/Red Dragon, Thomas Harris gives us a man soaked in blood, but also a man it’s possible to feel sorry for. A little.
Harris’ writing makes the characters come alive, which makes them all the more frightening.
Does Red Dragon by Thomas Harris have a horror movie adaptation?
Yes! There was Manhunter in 1986, Red Dragon in 2002, and the third/final season of Hannibal (2013) followed the Red Dragon/Francis Dolarhyde plotline for the last several episodes.
Which of These Great Horror Books Do YOU Plan to Read First?
So, that’s that. Seven novels — each one guaranteed to hit your fear bone in different places and cause a sleepless night or two.
Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think. What is the scariest novel you’ve ever read?
Image for Blood Meridian courtesy of IMDb, image of the library bookshelf via Pixabay, and all other images were purchased via MovieStillsDB.
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