“I am Dead, but it’s not so bad. I’ve learned to live with it.”
When it comes to combining genres, horror and comedy seem like they would be at opposite ends of the spectrum. Like Count Dracula and a session on a sunbed, the two shouldn’t be able to mix. And yet, there are a number of reasons why the horror-comedy genre is actually surprisingly popular. Both rely on surprises and sudden developments as a way of garnering a reaction from their readers, with those reactions (if pulled off successfully) making for some of the most impactful and memorable stories. We all know how popular this genre is in the world of film, but why not join us at What We Reading as we explore some of the best horror comedy books?
Bunny – Mona Awad
A Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Horror, Mona Awad’s Bunny is a satirical dark academic novel. In it, readers follow an introvert named Samantha Heather Mackey. Samantha is repelled by her class of typical rich girls who all seem to move as one and who all refer to one another as ‘bunny’.
Things take a turn for the strange, however, when she is invited to the girl’s fabled Smut Salon. As Samantha is pulled further and further into the Bunnies’ workshops and off-campus activities, the walls of reality start to fall and all manner of otherworldly monsters start to be conjured together. An incredible dive into loneliness, belonging, friendship and the power of imagination, Mona Awad is one of the best female writers of her generation, and Bunny is already one of her classics.
Friday Black – Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
A New York Times bestselling debut release, Friday Black is a darkly satirical look at being young and black in contemporary America. A collection of short stories that place everyday ordinary characters into some of the most extraordinary circumstances. From racism to consumerism, Adjei-Brenyah delivers both horror and wit in equal abundance to create one of the freshest-feeling and most powerful voices on some of the most urgent issues facing society.
The Last Final Girl – Stephen Graham Jones
The Final Girl trope is one of the most recognisable parts of the horror formula and, as such, has been reimagined countless times in contemporary literature. The Last Final Girl is Stephen Graham Jones’ love letter to the classic B-grade slasher genre, whilst also standing on its own as one of the best horror comedy books in the business. Delivered almost as a movie script, readers follow Lindsay. Lindsay’s homecoming is disrupted by a serial killer wearing a Michael Jackson mask, with our final girl for the book barely escaping with her life.
In the wake of the attack, she brings together a collection of local misfits and virgins, with her next homecoming descending into a potentially bloody battle to be the last final girl left standing.
John Dies At The End – Jason Wong
One of the most significant horror comedy books in recent times, John Dies at the End has been lauded as ‘horrific, thought-provoking, and hilarious all at once’.
This genre-bending book follows two college dropouts who, after taking a new drug that promises some serious out-of-body experiences, discover that those who take it return unlike themselves. After they uncover an alien invasion of Earth, it is up to them to save the day. Unexpected, bizarre and still as funny as ever, John Dies at the End is an absolute thrill ride.
Horrorstör – Grady Hendrix
Anyone who has ever worked in the hellish environment of retail will find something to both laugh and scream at in Grady Hendrix’s Horrorstör. The book is set in the Orsk in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning the staff arrive to a series of strange occurrences, with bookshelves broken and glass shattered.
With the company hierarchy panicking over the plummeting sales the mess has caused, three employees volunteer for a gruelling nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift where they will encounter nightmares that defy their wildest imagination. Hendrix flatpacks the formula of a haunted house horror book with an all-too-contemporary environment for one of the most original and quirky titles in the genre!
How To Recognise A Demon Has Become Your Friend – Linda Addison
Author Linda Addison brings together a collection of sci-fi and horror short stories and poems in How to Recognise a Demon Has Become Your Friend. A snappy read from the first African-American to receive the HWA Bram Stoker award, the book’s stories feature recurring themes and characters, tying things together nicely. Blending the hilarious with the haunting (and sometimes heartbreaking), this is the perfect gateway read for those looking to broaden their horizons when it comes to horror poetry.
Check out the best Haunted House Horror Books
Welcome To Night Vale – Joseph Fink And Jeffrey Cranor
A New York Times bestseller from the creators of the Night Vale podcast, Welcome to Night Vale simultaneously provides an imaginative tale of mysteries and disappearances, whilst also presenting a poignant look at identity and belonging. Located in an unnamed part of the great American Southwest, Night Vale is a small community where ghosts, angels, aliens, and government conspiracies are all a part of the furniture.
Readers follow the stories of two women who call Night Vale their home, Jackie Fierro and Diane Crayton. Both find themselves being pulled into two very different mysteries, but both will find their stories converging with two words: ‘King City’. Hilarious, dark and mysterious throughout, the quirky characters and strange goings-on at Night Vale make for the perfect horror-comedy recipe!
Meddling Kids – Edgar Cantero
Bestselling author Edgar Cantero combines It with the humour of Scooby Doo in his horror comedy book, Meddling Kids. Readers follow the now grown-up members of the Blyton Summer Detective Club.
The group haven’t seen each other since their final fateful case together, though the memories of that investigation have haunted all of them throughout their lives. A wonderfully written homage to those Saturday morning cartoons we all used to watch, Meddling Kids sees the Blyton Summer Detective Club reunited once more to vanquish the very real monsters hounding them.
Check Out The Best Books Like Stranger Things
Popular Hits Of The Showa Era – Ryū Murakami
From the same author of Audition comes an incredibly interesting read that explores feelings of isolation and rejection. Popular Hits of the Show Era follows six socially awkward young men engaging in a turf war with six strong-willed middle-aged women.
The two groups are battling for supremacy across a Tokyo neighbourhood, however, things descend into total chaos when this feud turns deadly. Murakami does a stellar job of blending the outlandish with a scathing analysis of the tensions that bridge modern sexes and generations.
A Touch Of Jen – Beth Morgan
A Touch of Jen starts out as a typical quirky tongue-in-cheek comedy following couple Remy and Alicia. But as the pair both start developing an obsession for Remy’s former colleague Jen, Beth Morgan’s story descends into an altogether more grizzly tale.
When the pair run into Jen and her boyfriend, they are invited for a weekend trip away to a surfer’s resort. There, they do their best to fit in with Jen and her group’s influencer lifestyle, however, it doesn’t take long for their darkest desires and darkest fantasies to start taking over them.
Part comedic social commentary, part terrifying psychedelic horror, A Touch of Jen is an exploration into the wilder sides that sit just outside the image we portray ourselves with.
Warm Bodies – Isaac Marion
Isaac Marion introduces readers to R in his horror comedy book, Warm Bodies. R is a zombie who has no recollection of his name, or what his life or personality might have been like when he was a human.
And yet, there are differences between R and his fellow undead. He likes to ride escalators around the airport and listen to Sinatra and when he meets Julie, he begins to feel a connection, unlike anything he has ever felt before. Blurring the lines between dystopia, romance and comedy, Warm Bodies has become one of the most significant young adult reads in recent times, receiving an adaptation on the big screen in 2013.
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).
