The Best Modern Horror Novels To Scare You Silly
The Best Modern Horror Novels That Are Scarier and Terrifying Than Stephen King’s Book
Have you been trying to find a good horror novel recently? It’s impossible to search for recommendations on any website without seeing Stephen King’s books everywhere. When we think of horror, Stephen King’s book will surely come to mind, but there are so many great new writers writing their own brand of supernatural horror.
The best thing about horror fiction is that there are many different types to choose from. Whether you’re looking for ghosts, crazy cults, psychopaths, or anti-utopian fears, these 5 stories will make everyone happy. Many of the authors on the list have written multiple horror books, so be sure to check out their other work. Here are five spooky horror stories you might like to read with the lights on!
The Best Modern Horror Novels To Scare You Silly
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1. Last days
by Adam Nevill
By Nevill, Adam (Paperback)
Reasons for recommendation:
You may have heard of the ceremony, which is Neville’s most popular novel, but this prolific British writer has written a lot about the supernatural. The Last Days is one of his most terrifying works.
The novel tells the story of a journalist named Kyle who is sent to investigate a creepy cult. The last remaining members of the cult have mysteriously died, and Kyle is racing against time to get the stories from him and solve the mystery that happened between them and the cult at the time.
This story takes us from England to France and finally to the deserts of the United States, where we learn that cults spend their last days trying to summon something long dead. As the fear of decomposition approached, journalists began to lose their minds.
The book will appeal to those interested in the cult, and Sister Catherine, a creepy and mysterious spiritual leader, will recall infamous characters from the past. Supernatural factors add up to a deeper level of terror.
Promising review:
I always cringe a little when I see a “the next Stephen King” blurb on the cover of a book and it actually does a disservice to this book. King hasn’t written a book this good in decades! This is by far the best horror novel I’ve read in a very long time and it recently came to me by chance.-Joe Owens
2. A Head Full of Ghosts
by Paul Tremblay
A Head Full of Ghosts: A Novel
By Tremblay, Paul (Paperback)
Reasons for recommendation:
Paul Tremblay will have a few jobs on this list. Ghost, published in 2015, won the Bram Stoker Prize for Fiction.
The story begins with an adult character named Melly who tells a journalist the strange story of his childhood. Mary’s sister, Marjorie, started showing strange demonic symptoms when they were young. Her parents allowed a television film crew to record her daughter’s terrible transformation, and her recently Catholic father wanted to film her exorcism. History goes back and forth between the past and the present. We see the Maria family divided, confused, and frightened by the chaos that surrounds them.
There are scenes in the novel that are reminiscent of The Exorcist, and Merri is an unreliable narrator, which leaves the reader off-balance in a terrifying way. A mind full of ghosts is more like a supernatural mystery than a large-scale feast of terror.
Promising review:
This was a good read — — but not a great one. The reason I begin with that assertion is that, based on the enormous amount of hype I read regarding this story, it did not come close (for me) to live up to that advanced praise.-Ray J. Palen Jr.
3. The Troop
by Nick Cutter
By Cutter, Nick (Paperback)
Reasons for recommendation:
Fans of “Filthy Body / Hero” will love this one.
This unit tells the story of a group of explorers trapped on an island. Their leader is infected by a terrible parasite while he tries to save an extremely thin, seriously ill, and starving stranger. The children find themselves struggling to survive, which uncovers the heroism of one man and the psychosis of another. The story unfolds through a variety of retellings, from a child, letters, and transcripts, including scenes from the animal lab that may make some readers miss their lunch.
If David Cronenberg had written Lord of the Flies, he would have seen an army like this, but it was much worse. Don’t blame me for not reminding you!
Promising review:
Everyone and their mother told me to read this book. I was very hesitant, gore porn is not my thing. While you cannot deny there is a place in horror for gore, and this is definitely a horror novel, I much prefer my horror to be more subtle and psychological, and supernatural. However, you can’t find new authors if you don’t get out of your comfort zone.-Angie N.
4. The Marriage Pact
by Michelle Richmond
Reasons for recommendation:
Marriage Contract is a novel and a psychological thriller that takes you into the spooky world of cults but in a more modern and realistic way.
Jack and Alice are newlyweds and they look very happy until Alice introduces them to the date. The couple joined the agreement without realizing that they were essentially a cult founded at all costs to protect the sanctity of marriage. The agreement is true and anyone who breaks the rules will be severely punished. Jack and Alice soon realized that they couldn’t escape the agreement, and if they wanted to live, they at least had to pretend to be a perfect match.
If you have seen the game in the movie (1997), you will know what suspense there is in a marriage contract. The feeling that someone is watching and controlling our lives from the outside is a fear that many readers will find disconcertingly familiar.
Promising review:
This was a thrilling intense read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author does a great job in leaving things so uncertain pretty much the entire novel — I was left with a strong feeling of dread the whole time of reading it and yet I absolutely had to know how it ended.-Squeal
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Originally published at https://www.readingandthinking.com on December 19, 2020.
