Horror Lovers — These Are the 13 Scariest Books Of All Time!

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

This isn't just a book; it’s an experience. Often cited as one of the most terrifying novels ever written, its maze-like formatting and claustrophobic premise — a house that’s physically larger on the inside than it is on the outside — will leave you feeling as disoriented and trapped as the characters themselves.

The Lottery & Other Stories by Shirley Jackson

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

You can’t talk about horror without the blueprint. Mary Shelley’s masterpiece is far more than a "monster" story; it is a haunting, existential look at what happens when humanity plays god. It’s Gothic horror at its most profound and unsettling.

The Garden by Clare Beams

The Troop by Nick Cutter

If gore is your thing, The Troop will deliver. Released in 2014, the story starts as a wholesome camping trip that quickly morphs into survival horror. That's because an emaciated stranger washes up on the remote island where Scoutmaster Tim Riggs and his Boy Scout troop are staying.

The stranger is infected with a genetically engineered parasite, and as the infection spreads, the group must try to make it out alive. This novel is fast and disturbing: you've been warned.

Revelator by Daryl Gregory

Revelator is a slow-burn horror tale that's steeped in Appalachian folklore. It starts in 1933, when a 9-year-old named Stella is left to be cared for by her grandmother, Motty, in Tennessee. Then, she discovers a dark family secret: an entity called the Ghostdaddy, which is her family's personal god.

Years later, Stella winds up going back home for her grandmother's funeral, only to find another child has taken her place as the family's chosen one.

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

The House Across the Lake, published in 2022, follows actress Casey Fletcher, who retreats to her family's lakeside home in Vermont following a series of personal issues. She begins drinking and gazing through a pair of binoculars when she becomes fixated on a couple across the lake, Tom and Katherine Royce.

However, things take a turn when Katherine vanishes without a trace, and Casey starts to suspect that Tom is involved. This eerie book will play with your mind until the very end!

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This 2020 book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia transports readers to a decaying mansion in the Mexican countryside, where debutante Noemí Taboada must unravel the truth behind her cousin's panicked letter for help. What she finds is a house full of secrets and a husband who's not what he seems.

The same year it came out, Mexican Gothic won the Readers' Favorite Horror award on Goodreads.

Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier

Rebecca was released in 1938, but it remains a classic that proves horror doesn't always need blood to be terrifying. When a young woman marries a widower named Maxim de Winter, she's swept away to his estate. Then, she finds herself haunted by the memory of his late wife, Rebecca.

This gothic work has since been adapted for theater, film, TV, and radio, and even won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century.

The Shining by Stephen King

While The Shining is a well-known horror novel, we still needed to include it on this list. After all, it's become a cult classic for a reason. The book follows Jack Torrance, who takes a job as the winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel and sees the opportunity as a fresh start for himself and his family. But the isolation and supernatural forces lurking within the hotel have other plans.

Jack starts spiraling into madness; meanwhile, his son Danny, who has psychic abilities, sees visions of what's to come. With its slow build and psychological torment, The Shining delivers on every level.

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

Finally, if you'd rather indulge in some briefer horror tales, you need to read Her Body and Other Parties. Published in 2017, it's a collection of short stories that use horror to explore gender and bodily autonomy.

This work was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction and will be hard to put down, no matter how unsettled each tale makes you feel.