Horror to Keep You Up at Night

By Kat La Mantia | September 6 2023 | AdultsGeneralAllPop CultureBlog

Horror lovers know that the electric shock of a good jump scare or the creeping shiver down your spine as you read a scary story in the dark is the kind of thrill that spooky season is all about. One of BookTok’s favorite genres, horror has been flying off the shelves at bookstores everywhere all year, and will certainly see a boost as readers get into the Halloween spirit. Classics like Frankenstein, American Psycho, and Dracula are annual favorites, with Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches books enjoying new fans this year after their adaptations into AMC streaming shows.

New horror authors continue to set trends and chart high on bestseller lists. Grady Hendrix and Riley Sagar have made their mark as modern horror aficionados with hits like The Final Girl Support Group and The House Across the Lake, respectively. Queer horror picks like Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, Tripping Arcadia, and Hell Followed with Us are trending high as one of this year’s favorite subgenres. Meanwhile buzzy new releases like the Jordan Peele edited Out There Screaming and Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest release, Silver Nitrate, have fans on the edge of their seat.

Don’t miss out on these terrifying favorites. See our highlights below, and then click through the title lists to browse even more classic horror along with modern bestselling and trending horror genre titles!

Classic Horror Titles

Trending Horror Fiction

Out There Screaming
An Anthology of New Black Horror
978-0-593-24379-4
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The visionary writer and director of Get Out, Us, and Nope, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions, curates this groundbreaking anthology of all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation.
$30.00 US
Oct 03, 2023
6-1/8 x 9-1/4
Hardcover
400 Pages
Random House

Carmilla, Deluxe Edition
The cult classic that inspired Dracula
978-1-78227-584-8
A stunning edition of the original vampire story that inspired Dracula — now with a haunting art deco design, vibrant red foil, and thoughtful layout for a seductive reading experienceSapphic longing meets gothic horror in this cult classic whose “exploration of obsessive first love [as] both exciting and monstrous” makes it “perfect for YA readers” and adult fans of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles (Kiersten White, author of The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein)
$18.95 US
Sep 07, 2021
5-1/16 x 7-13/16
Hardcover
160 Pages
Pushkin Press

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke And Other Misfortunes
978-1-80336-376-9
"Amongst the Top 50 Horror Books of All Time" - CosmopolitanThree dark and disturbing horror stories from an astonishing new voice, including the viral-sensation tale of obsession, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. For fans of Kathe Koja, Clive Barker and Stephen Graham Jones. Winner of the Splatterpunk Award for Best Novella.
$17.99 US
Sep 19, 2023
5-1/8 x 8
Paperback
288 Pages
Titan Books

Frankenstein
978-0-593-20339-2
Like the successful and collectible PUFFIN IN BLOOM collection, this is DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN like you've never seen them before! Deluxe, fresh, creative and collectible, these are classics for those who love to read them and those who want to look like they did!
$13.99 US
Aug 25, 2020
6 x 9
Hardcover
288 Pages
Puffin Books
Age 12 and up

Motherthing
978-0-593-46702-2
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A darkly funny take on mothers and daughters, about a woman who must take drastic measures to save her husband and herself from the vengeful ghost of her mother-in-law
$17.00 US
Sep 27, 2022
5-3/16 x 8
Paperback
288 Pages
Vintage

We Have Always Lived in the Castle
(Penguin Orange Collection)
978-0-14-312954-7
The Penguin Orange Collection: a limited-edition run of twelve influential and beloved Penguin Classics dressed in the iconic Penguin tri-band covers, with a touch of modern Deluxe design
$18.00 US
Oct 18, 2016
5-1/8 x 7-3/4
Paperback
160 Pages
Penguin Classics

My Best Friend's Exorcism
A Novel
978-1-59474-976-6
NOW IN TRADE PAPERBACK! It's Beaches meets The Exorcist in this heartwarming & horrifying coming-of-age novel by author Grady Hendrix (Horrorstor, Quirk, 2014). Two high school BFFs find their friendship tested when one of them is possessed by a demon.
$16.99 US
Jul 11, 2017
6 x 9
Paperback
336 Pages
Quirk Books

The Raven
Tales and Poems
978-0-14-312236-4
Part of a new six-volume series of the best in classic horror, selected by Academy Award-winning director of The Shape of Water Guillermo del Toro Filmmaker and longtime horror literature fan Guillermo del Toro serves as the curator for the Penguin Horror series, a new collection of classic tales and poems by masters of the genre. Included here are some of del Toro’s favorites, from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ray Russell’s short story “Sardonicus,” considered by Stephen King to be “perhaps the finest example of the modern Gothic ever written,” to Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and stories by Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, Ted Klein, and Robert E. Howard. Featuring original cover art by Penguin Art Director Paul Buckley, these stunningly creepy deluxe hardcovers will be perfect additions to the shelves of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal aficionados everywhere.The RavenThe Raven: Tales and Poems is a landmark new anthology of Poe’s work, which defied convention, shocked readers, and confounded critics. This selection of Poe’s writings demonstrates the astonishing power and imagination with which he probed the darkest corners of the human mind. “The Fall of the House of Usher” describes the final hours of a family tormented by tragedy and the legacy of the past. In “The Tell Tale Heart,” a murderer's insane delusions threaten to betray him, while stories such as “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Cask of Amontillado” explore extreme states of decadence, fear and hate. The title narrative poem, maybe Poe’s most famous work, follows a man’s terrifying descent into madness after the loss of a lover.
$26.00 US
Oct 01, 2013
5-1/2 x 8-1/4
Hardcover
352 Pages
Penguin Classics

Our Share of Night
A Novel
978-0-451-49515-0
GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK • A woman’s mysterious death puts her husband and son on a collision course with her demonic family in the first novel to be translated into English by the International Booker Prize–shortlisted author of The Dangers of Smoking in Bed—“the most exciting discovery I’ve made in fiction for some time” (Kazuo Ishiguro).“A masterpiece of supernatural horror.”—The Washington Post“An enchanting, shattering, once-in-a-lifetime reading experience.”—The New York Times (Editors’ Choice)
$18.99 US
Sep 12, 2023
5-3/16 x 8
Paperback
608 Pages
Hogarth

The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories
From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce
978-0-14-144236-5
"The ghost is the most enduring figure in supernatural fiction. He is absolutely indestructible. . . . He changes with the styles in fiction but he never goes out of fashion. He is the really permanent citizen of the earth, for mortals, at best, are but transients."—Dorothy Scarborough This new selection of ghost stories, by Michael Newton, brings together the best of the genre. From Elizabeth Gaskell's "The Old Nurse's Story" through to Edith Wharton's "Afterward," this collection covers all of the most terrifying tales of the genre. With a thoughtful introduction, and helpful notes, Newton places the stories contextually within the genre and elucidates the changing nature of the ghost story and how we interpret it.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
$16.00 US
Apr 27, 2010
5-1/16 x 7-3/4
Paperback
464 Pages
Penguin Classics

Silver Nitrate
978-0-593-35536-7
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic comes a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about a curse that haunts a legendary lost film--and awakens one woman's hidden powers.
$28.00 US
Jul 18, 2023
6-1/8 x 9-1/4
Hardcover
336 Pages
Del Rey

Universal Studios Monsters
A Legacy of Horror
978-0-7893-4100-6
This updated volume is the perfect gift for any fan of horror movies and pop culture’s most iconic monsters. 
$45.00 US
Oct 12, 2021
9 x 12
Hardcover
268 Pages
Universe

The Hacienda
978-0-593-43670-7
Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches....
$17.00 US
Sep 26, 2023
5-1/2 x 8-1/4
Paperback
384 Pages
Berkley

'Salem's Lot (Movie Tie-in)
978-0-593-47019-0
SOON TO BE A NEW FILM, STREAMING ON MAX FALL OF 2024 • #1 BESTSELLER • #1 BESTSELLER • Ben Mears has returned to Jerusalem’s Lot in hopes that exploring the history of the Marsten House, an old mansion long the subject of rumor and speculation, will help him cast out his personal devils and provide inspiration for his new book.  "A master storyteller." —The Los Angeles Times
$18.00 US
Aug 02, 2022
5-3/16 x 8
Paperback
672 Pages
Anchor

Dissolving Classroom Collector's Edition
978-1-64729-160-0
Master of horror, Junji Ito's Dissolving Classroom now in a collector's package! "Dissolving Classroom is one of the strangest stories that Ito has ever created in his history as a horror mangaka, and considering the sheer amount of strange stories that he has formed in the past, this is really saying something." - comicbook.com
$24.95 US
Oct 25, 2022
Hardcover
182 Pages
Vertical Comics

J-Horror
The Definitive Guide to The Ring, The Grudge and Beyond
978-1-932234-08-4
Fans of J-Horror are a loyal bunch, but guide books to their preferred film genre have so far all been either long advertorials for one director, or pedantic diatribes laden with theoretical jargon. J-Horror is the encyclopedia and consumer guide to the genre filled with detailed commentary on over 80 films, by one of the most loyal fans of them all.
$14.95 US
Feb 27, 2007
5-1/2 x 8-1/2
Paperback
320 Pages
Vertical

Afterlife with Archie: Escape from Riverdale
Escape from Riverdale
978-1-61988-908-8
Afterlife with Archie takes the Archie universe in a new and exciting direction, placing the iconic Archie cast of characters in a dark and wickedly twisted horror comic book setting! Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Stephen King's The Stand [Marvel], Glee, Carrie [2013], and the forthcoming live-action Archie movie), Afterlife with Archie has crossover appeal with fans of comic book horror and the hugely popular zombie genre.
$17.99 US
Jun 10, 2014
6-5/8 x 10-3/16
Paperback
160 Pages
Archie Comics
Age 14 and up

Dracula
978-0-307-74330-5
Since its publication in 1897 Dracula has enthralled generations of readers with the alluring malevolence of its undead Count, the most famous vampire in literature. Though Bram Stoker did not invent vampires, his novel helped catapult them to iconic stature, spawning a genre of stories and movies that flourishes to this day. A century of imitations has done nothing to diminish the fascination of Stoker’s tale of a suave and chilling monster as he stalks his prey from a crumbling castle in Transylvania’s Carpathian mountains to an insane asylum in England to the bedrooms of his swooning female victims. A classic of Gothic horror, Dracula remains an irresistible entertainment of undying appeal.
$11.00 US
Jun 14, 2011
5-3/16 x 8
Paperback
400 Pages
Vintage

Pet
978-0-593-17544-6
Now in paperback, the National Book Award finalist and genre-defying novel by award-winning author Akwaeke Emezi that explores themes of identity and justice. Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look?
$11.99 US
Jan 19, 2021
5-1/2 x 8-1/4
Paperback
224 Pages
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Age 12 and up

Interview with the Vampire
978-0-345-40964-5
As readers prepare for the release of Prince Lestat, Anne Rice's new hardcover on-sale this fall, this gorgeously repackaged edition of the multimillion-copy bestselling classic of horror and eroticism takes them back to where it all began: the first chronicle of the legendary vampire Lestat.
$20.00 US
Mar 18, 1997
5-1/2 x 8-1/4
Paperback
368 Pages
Ballantine Books