Sometimes, you need a good scare. Whether you want to face your fears or create new ones, there are actually good reasons to love being scared. Take a look at ten of the best selling classic horror books of all time. And if you are looking for free horror books, see the horror section here.
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Author: Ray Bradbury
Why It’s Scary: Dystopian carnival with a carousel that causes carnival-themed pandemonium in a small town in Illinois.
Reviews: Customers love the plot twists and overall creepy nature of this book. It combines deep questions and philosophical issues with downright horrifying consequences.
House of Leaves
Author: Mark Z Danielewski
Why It’s Scary: A labyrinthine home complete with a monster. Eventually, the protagonist, Johnny, spirals into insanity in this eerily written book.
Reviews: Customers and Thrillist critics love the unique organization and writing style of this horror tale. Words and pages are scrambled, disorganized and add to the overall sense of fear and losing grip on reality.
The Girl Next Door
Author: Jack Ketchum
Why It’s Scary: They say the scariest tales contain a hint of truth. This book is based on real, horrific crimes. Not for the timid this novel describes the abuse and terrors inflicted on two teen girls.
Reviews: The psychological study of both the victims and abusers in this tragic tale help place it among the best horror books of all time for Barnes & Noble reviewers. Customers are both heartbroken and captivated by the story and its honesty.
The Exorcist
Author: William Peter Blatty
Why It’s Scary: Another based-on-reality story crafted with exquisite attention to detail. It describes in haunting detail the possession and exorcism of a 12-year-old girl.
Reviews: Customers love the philosophical and spiritual aspects of the book and the story it is based on. It’s still rated as one of the most scary books of all time by customers and critics alike.
Books of Blood
Author: Clive Barker
Why It’s Scary: Imagine terrifying scenarios from multiple stories at once. There are six volumes in this set, and each one contains several tales told by a medium visited by ghosts.
Reviews: Customers are stunned by these haunting and memorable tales. Everyone has their own favorite, and many customers are kept up at night by more than one of these short stories.
Terrifying Tales
Author: Edgar Allan Poe
Why It’s Scary: From a name synonymous with horror, Poe blends beautiful poetry with haunting stories. His work is so memorable, you’ll be thinking of it for many dark nights to come.
Reviews: Customers not only love the frightening concepts of these stories, but are also fans of the literary aspect of them. Like other collections, everyone has their favorite Poe short story.
The Amityville Horror
Author: Jay Anson
Why It’s Scary: There is nothing like a haunted house story to send shivers down your spine, especially when that story has such a grisly background. Follow the Lutz family as they endure each day in this Long Island home surrounded by the terrifyingly unexplainable.
Reviews: Readers appreciate the suspenseful nature of this book and how detailed each account of the paranormal is. Many also noted that the book is pleasurable to read.
It
Author: Stephen King
Why It’s Scary: Plenty of people fear clowns. Make that clown a supernatural entity that terrorizes an idyllic small town, and you are guaranteed a read that will leave you wary of every step long after you set the book down.
Reviews: Readers appreciate not only Stephen King’s signature storytelling, but also the 50s and 80s nostalgia the setting evokes. King writes so vividly that the readers themselves feel as though they are looking down into the bleak sewers of Derry.
The Haunting of Hill House
Author: Shirley Jackson
Why It’s Scary: This 1959 novel is the quintessential psychological horror story. It offers more than cheap scares; it haunts readers to their core with its biting character development and unshakably dreadful atmosphere. The novel follows four visitors of the ominous Hill House, who realize too late that their stay will change them forever.
Reviews: Many readers enjoy the subtle terror Jackson’s novel evokes. It is not explicit gore that makes one squirm but rather chilling writing that leaves the reader both unsettled and eager to turn to the next page.
Ring
Author: Koji Suzuki
Why It’s Scary: Who knew that something as innocuous as a videotape could spell someone’s demise? This novel explores this concept, all while providing the reader with a compelling story vividly grounded in the author’s home country of Japan.
Reviews: Readers have noted that the book is very precisely written, almost to the point of feeling scientific. Even so, the story itself still maintains a distinct surreal atmosphere that is hard not to be engrossed by. In sum, the book reads in places like an actual nightmare.
Ghost Story
Author: Peter Straub
Why It’s Scary: What happens when several old friends get together to share scary stories? As it turns out, their stories deliver much more than a couple fleeting moments of fear, because one in particular involves them and ties them to a particularly dark memory.
Reviews: One main selling point of this book to most readers is the way in which the story is told: through the points of view of five different people. It allows for the story to build tension naturally. Not only do readers find it to be a chilling book, many also appreciate the masterful writing style.
Find More Horror Books
If you wade through these classics and want more check out new horror books for your Kindle reader. There’s plenty of new free or budget books every week. From real-life stories to tales of complete fiction, horror books have a way of captivating your imagination and helping you face your fears.
