Halloween: Top 10 scariest books horror-enthusiast should read

Terrible Tales: 10 Books that will scare you into the Halloween mood

Amanda Lim

19 Oct 2015

updated the 20 October 2015 à 10:38

1/10
It by Stephen King
Picking just ONE Stephen King novel to feature was almost impossible. While many might argue that The Shining belongs on this list, we would like to point out that the idea of a murderous clown living in the sewers is pretty darn terrifying.
2/10
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
The real horror of this modern classic is not the scenes of unrestrained violence or disturbing sex, but the possibility that the madness of Patrick Bateman can be found in anyone. If you doubt it, the proof’s in the pudding. Creepily enough, this modern classic was a favourite of real-life serial killer Paul Bernardo and was thought to be his ‘bible’.
3/10
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The message of this dark children’s fairytale is simple: don’t take your parents for granted. Don’t be fooled by its colourful animated feature adaptation, Coraline is less whimsical and way darker. In this Neil Gaiman novel, a spirited girl named Coraline is led into the twisted wonderland where the Other Mother tempts Coraline to stay with her, but not before sewing buttons in place of her eyes and taking away her soul.
4/10
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
The feature film of the same name still remains the only supernatural horror movie to be nominated and awarded the Academy Award for best picture. Yes, it was that terrifying to behold. As horrible as the movie was, and the book is a hundred-folds more frightening. Talk about a red flag.
5/10
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
One of fiction’s most enigmatic and disturbingly charming psychopaths, Hannible Lecter, is the reason why this book is one of the modern classics. More than the chilling visions of rape and murder, the horror of this crime thriller is the cunning terrible men can possess to get away with horrifying crimes.
6/10
The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
This supernatural horror novel set the tone for a whole new generation of haunted house stories. We can’t decide which is more terrifying, the stories within the pages, or the fact that this is supposedly a true tale.
7/10
The October Country by Ray Bradbury
For obvious reasons, you might get the most potent effects of reading this collection of macabre tales during the month of Hallow’s Eve. However, this book is frightening enough to read at any time of the year.
8/10
The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe
We can’t list the horrifying and creepy without mentioning the master of macabre himself, Edgar Allen Poe. If we had to pick one of the many quietly frightful pieces to mention, The Tell-Tale Heart’s story of guilt is one that will haunt you for years to come.
9/10
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The story is straightforward enough. The Haunting of Hill House follows a pair of paranormal chasers and their investigation of a very old and very haunted mansion. Though simple, this book is widely regarded as one of the most influential and best modern ghost stories of the generation.
10/10
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
In this contemporary novel, an aging rockstar purchases a possessed suit on the Internet. The premise might sound a little ridiculous, but this sinister story is sure to keep you up all night.

You’ll be sleeping with the lights on for weeks after Halloween if you’re planning to catch up on some of these horrifying reads.

It is always a good time to curl up with a good book, but horror novels are best reserved for October, as Halloween draws near. Of course, these books are so terrifying that they transcend seasons and have the potential to scare you even on the sunniest of days.

While many readers might not take the horror seriously, it is within this genre that you can find the most gifted novelists. From Edgar Allen Poe to Stephen King, these writers are adept at digging out our worse fears, playing with our psyche like a kitten plays with a ball of yarn.

For your horrifying pleasure, we rounded up a list of terrible tales to guaranteed to give you the heebie-jeebies. Just be sure to check the locks thrice before switching off the lights.

Sleep tight…

Amanda Lim

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