10 Scary books that will keep you up at night!

You hear the creaking sounds of footsteps on the stained wooden floor behind you, your feet rooted to the ground. Fear grips your heart as you turn to see the source of the unholy creaking resonating across the cottage…. Few things can get the heart pumping like a spine-tingling horror novel, read on for ten reasons to keep the lights on!

IT — Stephen King

The book that made clowns scary, this Stephen King novel has had readers biting their nails for almost thirty years, and with good reason! IT is an eldritch entity which feeds off fear, to do so it manifests itself as our greatest trepidations. Of course, the fears of children are much more physical, so it chooses to feed off them by taking the shape that would horrify them most; werewolves, mummies, lepers and of course, clowns! This landmark of American Literature is sure to keep you engrossed as you follow seven adults who have to face the monster that tormented them as children.

Heart-Shaped Box — Joe Hill

An aging rock star, with a penchant for the macabre, discovers an unusual relic which he must have for his morbid collection. He purchases a suit from the internet, said to be haunted by the ghost of its former owner. Yet, what he buys is not a mere conversation-piece or trinket, but rather the stuff of nightmares as the ghost haunts and torments him, possessing his restored car, watching him from his television screen, standing outside his window, always dangling that menacing chain and razor-blade from its dead, boney hand.

The Ruins — Scott Smith

What starts off as a relaxing holiday in sun-drenched Mexico quickly becomes a harrowing ordeal as a group of friends set off into the jungle to find a missing friend. The ancient, Mesoamerican site houses a terrifying presence, a gruesome vine which slowly seeps into the group causing gradual panic and hysteria as they try to survive the physical and psychological torment of the underbrush. A literal shop of horrors which consumes and creeps, which will have you rushing to trim your garden!

The Ritual — Adam Nevill

There is a reason that the pagans used to worship the forest, the dense trees and eerie silence resonate with a mysterious aura. Four friends, attempting to reconnect, discover this the hard way as they stumble across a desolate hovel during a hiking trip. Within the dirt and blood smeared walls they discover the remains of an occult ritual, strange bones and sinister markings. They soon discover that an ancient beast is watching them from the darkness of the forest, and preying on them. This Lovecraftian horror is sure to send shivers down your spine!

The Lost Village — Neil Spring

If there’s one thing better than a gripping horror book, is a gripping horror book inspired by real-life events! “The Lost Village” is about the small hamlet called Imber, whose inhabitants were evicted at gunpoint by soldiers in 1943 and is being used as a military base. Incidentally, this is based on real-life events, the village of Imber is in the middle of the Salisbury Plain and used by the British Armed Forces. Strange lights have begun appearing above the base and are causing much disarray amongst the garrison. Our protagonist, Harry Price has been called to uncover the source of these strange doings, but what unfolds may have been better left undisturbed!

Hex — Thomas Olde Heuvelt

The town of Black Spring has constantly been terrorised by the ghost of the Black Rock Witch, a 17th-century witch whose eyes and mouth had been sewn shut. Her presence is a terrible curse on the town as any inhabitants who leave for longer than a few days are driven to suicide. The town has kept her presence a secret from the rest of the world, by discouraging people from visiting their town and forbidding the locals from uttering a word about the witch. A group of disgruntled teenagers attempts to go viral by recording the witch, but in doing so they incur her terrible wrath which brings the village to the brink of extermination!

Arrowood — Laura McHugh

McHugh’s horror is beautifully subtle as it relies on the tricks our very own minds, especially memory, play on us. Arden, our protagonist, is tormented by the memory of her twin sisters who had mysteriously vanished on her watch when she was just a teenager, her parent’s subsequent divorce only adds to her guilt. When she inherits the family house, which they had abandoned after the incident, she is determined to discover what really happened to her sisters and hopefully find closure. Don’t let the initial lack of blood and gore turn you away from this brilliant mind-gym of a book!

The Loney — Andrew Michael Hurley

You know a book is worth reading when the acclaimed Stephen King calls it “an amazing piece of fiction”! When the corpse of a young child is found washed up along the coast on the Loney, Smith is forced to come to terms with the repressed memories of a pilgrimage he had undergone forty years ago. His mother had taken their family to the Loney to find healing for Smith’s disabled older brother. Smith must bear the knowledge of what happened on that harrowing journey and the rites that occurred on that fateful crusade. A gripping page-turner, that will keep you awake long after you’ve finished the book!

Copycat — Alex Lake

When Sarah Havenant comes across an identical Facebook profile, she is initially amused. But as she delves deeper into this profile, she begins to discover something disturbing. Everything in the second profile is identical to hers. Her details, her photos, and information. Pictures from the day before, pictures from within her own house. But this is just to the beginning of her troubles because it seems that this stalker has been waiting for Sarah find it and now that she has, her life will never be the same again!

Bird Box — Josh Malerman

Do you remember when, as a child, you would close your eyes as you pass by a particularly spooky place? Now imagine that, but if you were to open your eyes and see “the creatures” you would be driven homicidally mad. That’s the initial premise for Josh Malerman’s masterpiece of a book. As the whole world is driven mad, survivors blindfold themselves so as to avoid seeing this unknown horror, training themselves perceive the world through sound. The protagonist, Malorie, is forced to travel to a refuge to ensure the safety of her children, but of course, keeping an eye out for danger is not so easy in a world where your eyes must remain shut!

These ten scariest, skin-crawling books are sure to keep you engrossed long into the night. Come by Agenda and pick these up at your own peril! If you must read them past the bewitching hour, be sure to check under your bed!