30 Scary Horror Books to Read With the Lights On

Spooky, creepy and sometimes downright disturbing, horror books aren't for the faint of heart. The best ones stick with you long after you've turned the last page, often because they play right into our deepest fears as humans. While many of us might think of thriller and horror books as one and the same, they're siblings, not twins. In his book about the horror genre, Danse Macabre, Stephen King explains that, “novels dealing with horror always do their work on two levels. On top is the ‘gross-out’ level ... but on another, more potent level, the work of horror really is a dance — a moving, rhythmic search. And what it’s looking for is the place where you, the viewer or the reader, live at your most primitive level.” Some horror books, like Mary Shelley's seminal Frankenstein, feature supernatural elements, but other excellent reads (think Alfred Hitchcock) are strictly, terrifyingly human. Thriller books, on the other hand, are all about suspense. The tension ratchets up throughout the story, keeping us turning those pages to learn what's going to happen next. For that reason, thrillers often follow the plight of one character or group of characters, while horror can feature multiple perspectives (even that of the villain).

Basically, a horror novel is supposed to be scary (and maybe a little gross). A thriller won't necessarily make you jump, but it should be exciting and suspenseful. Now that we've cleared that up, check out these shiveringly scary horror books. Don't worry, we've got a whole list of feel-good books to help you recover when you're done (unless you're in the mood for more horror, in which case you'll want to check out our favorite horror movies on Netflix).