What to Read Next…If You Like Scary Stories

A friend of mine asked for recommendations for scary novels for her teenage son, since that’s apparently all he wants to read right now. I know the feeling. I first read Carrie when I was 11 years old. It may have been a smidge early, considering that I had nightmares for a week about pig blood and high school, but it kicked off a lifelong love of spooky stories. After Carrie, I wound my way through the spinner racks at the library, devouring all the Stephen King I could get my hands on, as well as John Saul, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker — if it had a neon red cover (bonus points for embossed blood), a shadowy figure, a rundown house, skulls, fangs, you name it, I read it. Not all of it was great, but it got the job done. As I got older I moved away from the spinner racks, but I still chased those stories. And every fall, I find myself doing it again.

Here’s my shortlist of favorites — the books that made me weep with fear (damn you, Danny Torrance) and kept me awake and afraid long after lights out. I’m running low on recommendations for my next scary read (The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters and Little Star by John Ajvide Lindqvist are on my nightstand now), so please comment liberally and add your own.

  1. The Shining by Stephen King — I vividly remember lying awake in bed, weeping, too terrified to fall asleep. Because hedge animals. And Room 217. And that mallet. The movie is great, sure, but oh, the book is so much better.
  2. Ghost Story by Peter Straub — Four old men are haunted by a secret that binds them together. To cope with their fear and guilt, they tell each other deliciously creepy ghost stories (who doesn’t). Scary stories within a scary story? Sold.
  3. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill — An aging rock star buys a dead man’s suit online on the premise that it comes with a ghost attached. One scene scared me so badly I still can’t think about it. Especially not at night.
  4. Swan Song by Robert McCammon — One of my favorite all-time horror novels. The world as we know it ends and survivors must gather to fight evil and save a girl named Swan. Epic, apocalyptic, scary as hell, but also brimming with hope.
  5. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson — Harrowing. Unnerving. Mesmerizing. The classic haunted house story. Begins with what might be the best first paragraph in all of literature. Should be followed up by Hell House and House of Leaves.
  6. Coraline by Neil Gaiman — Yes, this is technically for younger readers. But, damn. Coraline moves into a new house with her family, and finds a door that leads to a sinister mirror-world. With mirror-parents who have shiny black buttons for eyes. BUTTONS FOR EYES.
  7. Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig — Miriam Black has the power to see when people will die. Since she can’t stop it, she usually just ignores it. Until she meets Louis and realizes he might die because of her. So begins one of the best horror/fantasy series I have ever read. Scary, funny, and profane.
  8. The Good House by Tananarive Due — An old house, a family curse, and a malevolent spirit — the makings of a perfect horror novel. Twisted, creepy, and gorgeous at the same time. Plus, voodoo!
  9. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay — Dark and twisty psychological suspense. The Barrett family teeters on the brink while trying to figure out if 14-year-old Marjorie is losing her mind or possessed by a demon. The Exorcist meets Amityville Horror. Get a nightlight for this one.
  10. I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells —A teenager obsessed with serial killers is afraid of becoming one — until he meets one. Scary and original. Dexter meets Fright Night, with a dash of Encyclopedia Brown.

A few more for good measure (and because I can’t help myself):