“For I see that then I was still all in a state of innocence, but that innocence, once lost, is lost forever.”
Are you a fan of spine-tingling tales that make your heart race and your skin crawl? From psychological horror to supernatural ghost stories, these terrifying reads are guaranteed to keep you up at night. Whether you’re a seasoned horror lover or someone looking to dip their toes in the genre, these creepy books will leave you sleeping with the lights on for sure. Perfect for fans of Stephen King, Shirley Jackson or modern thrillers, these chilling stories range from gothic horrors to nightmare-inducing psychological tales. If you’re brave enough to dive in, join us at What We Reading as we present a collection of the best horror books, carefully curated to provide maximum scares. Here are the most scary books you should never read at night.
The Haunting Of Hill House – Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House is a chilling classic and one of the best horror books ever written. The story follows four characters who gather at Hill House, a secluded manor estate with a history of unexplained phenomena. Dr John Montague, an investigator of the paranormal invites Eleanor, a shy and troubled young woman, and two others, Theodora and Luke to help him chronicle the house’s strange occurrences. As the group settles in, the house seems to awaken, targeting Eleanor in particular with terrifying manifestations. The line between the supernatural and Eleanor’s unravelling mind blurs, leaving readers to question the true source of the horror.
With its eerie atmosphere and psychological depth, The Haunting of Hill House is a terrifying book that will keep you up at night. Perfect for fans of gothic horror and a good ghost story, it’s a must-read for anyone looking for a truly haunting experience.
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The Only Good Indians – Stephen Graham Jones
Seamlessly blending classic horror, a dramatic narrative, and sharp social commentary, Stephen Graham Jones’ The Only Good Indians is the story of four American Indian men who, after a disturbing event from their pasts, are pitted in a desperate struggle for their lives.
Being tracked by a hellish entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent and vengeful way. With its creeping sense of dread, The Only Good Indians is a chilling tale of revenge, cultural identity and the cost of breaking from tradition and remains one of the most underrated horror books in the genre.
The Last House On Needless Street – Catriona Ward
One of the scariest small-town horror stories, Catriona Ward’s The Last House on Needless Street follows Ted, a recluse hiding out in a rundown house at the edge of a forest. Ted’s life is plagued by a number of eerie events, particularly the recent disappearance of a little girl named Lulu. When a new neighbour, Dee, arrives, determined to unravel the secrets behind her sister’s vanishing, long-kept secrets are soon brought to light.
Non-linear and brimming with unreliable narrators and bone-chilling twists, The Last House on Needless Street is one of the scariest horror books for subverting expectations and playing with perceptions.
The Little Stranger – Sarah Waters
One postwar summer in the home of rural Warwickshire, Dr Faraday is summoned to a patient at the lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two hundred years, this once proud and mighty Georgian estate is now in decline. Its masonry is crumbling, its gardens strangled by weeds and even the clock in its stable yard is permanently stuck on twenty to nine.
Hundreds Hall’s owners – mother, son and daughter – are struggling to keep pace with a rapidly evolving society outside, and are racked with their own issues within the home. But, are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than just a dying way of life? As he arrives at the home, Dr Faraday is about to discover how terrifyingly intertwined their story is about to become to his own in Sarah Waters’ The Little Stranger, a historical horror novel that is far scarier after dark.
I’m Thinking Of Ending Things – Iain Reid
Iain Reid’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a deeply unsettling psychological thriller that blurs the lines between reality and nightmare. The story opens with an unnamed woman joining her boyfriend, Jake, on a road trip to visit his parents who live on a remote farm. Although she is considering ending their relationship, she hesitates to voice her thoughts. As the trip gets underway, eerie details about Jake’s behaviour and their surroundings create a rising atmosphere of unease.
When they arrive at the isolated farmhouse, strange events and unsettling conversations with Jake’s parents only heighten the tension. The story soon begins to spiral into a nightmarish exploration of identity, memory and fear, helping to make this one of the best scary books to read, as well as one of the most thought-provoking.
Thirteen Storeys – Jonathan Sims
A dinner party is hosted in the penthouse of a multimillion-pound development. All the guests are total strangers, even to their host – the uber-wealthy owner of the building. None of them know why they have been selected to receive his invitation. Whether affluent or impoverished, other than a postcode, they all have one in common – they’ve all experienced a shocking and terrifying disturbance within the building’s walls.
By the end of the night, their host is dead and none of the guests have ever said what happened. His death remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in memory – until now. Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims features each of the guests recounting their terrifying experiences in one of the most darkly twisted, genre-bending haunted house horror novels going.
Check Out Our Thirteen Storeys Book Review
The Ruins – Scott Smith
Another one of the most scary modern horror books, The Ruins by Scott Smith whisks readers into the heart of the Mexican jungle. Two young couples are vacationing together enjoying sun-drenched days, drunken nights and the fun that comes with making friends with other tourists.
But when one of their friends’ brothers suddenly goes missing, they decide to venture deeper into the jungle to look for him. What begins as a fun day trip soon descends into a nightmare when they discover an ancient ruin site and the terrifying presence that lurks there.
Tender Is The Flesh – Agustina Bazterrica
Working at a local processing plant, Marcos works in the industry of slaughtering humans – though it has been a long time since someone referred to them as that. His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia and Marcos does all he can to stop thinking about what he does for a living. Eating human meat is now legal following the outbreak of an infectious virus, making all other forms of animal meat poisonous.
Then one day, he is given a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is strictly prohibited, punishable by pain of death, little by little, he treats her like a human being. Soon, he finds himself tortured by what has been lost – and what might still be able to be saved.
Home Before Dark – Riley Sager
Twenty-five years ago, Maggie Holt and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent just three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an experience Ewan later documented in a book called House of Horrors. His story of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a global hit, rivalling fellow haunted house tales like The Amityville Horror.
When Maggie inherits the house following her father’s death, she returns to the place to renovate it ahead of its sale. But, her homecoming is anything but warm. The locals aren’t pleased to see her, and Baneberry itself is filled with relics from another era that point to an unnerving number of dark deeds from its past. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences that resemble those described in her father’s book, she slowly begins to believe that what he wrote is more fact than fiction.
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The Woman In Black – Susan Hill
Another one of the best scary books to read if you’re on the hunt for a haunting gothic ghost story, Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black follows Arthur Kipps, a young solicitor who is sent to the remote Eel Marsh House to settle the affairs of a recently deceased client. The house emanates an eerie presence, isolated by treacherous marshlands and consumed by a perpetual fog. Arthur soon begins to witness unsettling phenomena, namely the appearance of a mysterious woman dressed in black.
As he delves into the house’s tragic history, he uncovers a tale of loss, vengeance and a malevolent spirit determined to wreak chaos. The atmospheric setting and creeping sense of dread make this one of the most chilling horror books to read at night for any fans of ghost stories, gothic fiction and supernatural terrors.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
