100 Novels All Horror Fans Should Read
Published by jharmon, January 10, 2011
Horror might be the oldest emotion known to mankind, which explains why it is such a prevalent genre of literature. But there are so many horror novels to read. Where to begin? Check out this list of 100 horror-related novels for a place to start. But be warned. Very little of this is … easy reading.
For sake of simplification and to beg off any early arguments, a number of the novels listed here might not strictly be considered “horror” by modern genre expectations, but all are at least related to the genre, influential upon the genre, and/or earlier incarnations of literature that would lend itself toward being horror or horror related.
- The Monk – by Matthew Lewis
- Dracula – by Bram Stoker
- Frankenstein – by Mary Shelley
- Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Castle of Otronto – by Horace Walpole
- The Picture of Dorian Gray – by Oscar Wilde
- Vathek – by William Beckford
- The Italian – by Ann Radcliffe
- The Missing – by Sarah Langan
- Headstone City – by Tom Piccirilli
- The Deceased – by Tom Piccirilli
- Interview with the Vampire – by Anne Rice
- The String of Pearls: A Romance – by multiple authors
- The Stand – by Stephen King
- Salem’s Lot – by Stephen King
- The Shining – by Stephen King
- It – by Stephen King
- The Midwich Cuckoos – by John Wyndham
- Ghost Story – by Peter Straub
- Shadowland – by Peter Straub
- Darkness, Tell Us – by Richard Laymon
- Funland – by Richard Laymon
- Blood of the Land – by Thomas F. Monteleone
- They Thirst – by Robert R. McCammon
- Swan’s Song – by Robert R. McCammon
- Blue World – by Robert R. McCammon
- The Hellbound Heart – by Clive Barker
- American Psycho – by Bret Easton Ellis
- The Keep – by F. Paul Wilson
- Blood Dance – by Joe R. Lansdale
- Monster Island – by David Wellington
- The House of Seven Gables – by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Abandon – by Blake Crouch
- Heart-Shaped Box – by Joe Hill
- The Alienist – by Caleb Carr
- Afraid – by Jack Kilborn
- One Thousand and One Ghosts – by Alexandre Dumas
- Darkly Dreaming Dexter – by Jeff Lindsay
- Red Dragon – by Thomas Harris
- The Silence of the Lambs – by Thomas Harris
- The Ruins – by Scott Smith
- Coma – by Robin Cook
- Whispers – by Dean Koontz
- Watchers – by Dean Koontz
- Lightning – by Dean Koontz
- The Stepford Wives – by Ira Levin
- Rosemary’s Baby – by Ira Levin
- The Phantom of the Opera – by Gaston Leroux
- I Am Legend – by Richard Matheson
- Hell House – by Richard Matheson
- Creature – by John Saul
- By Reason of Insanity – by Shane Stevens
- The Book of Days – by Steve Rasnic Tem
- Slob – by Rex Miller
- Drawing Blood – by Poppy Z. Brite
- The Girl Next Door – by Jack Ketchum
- Ladies’ Night – by Jack Ketchum
- The Shaft – by David Schow
- The Light at the End – by John Skipp & Craig Spector
- The End of Alice – by A. M. Homes
- Conjure Wife – by Fritz Leiber
- World War Z – by Max Brooks
- Hollowland – by Amada Hocking
- Ashes – by Scott Nicholson
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – by Seth Grahame-Smith
- 33 A.D. – by David McAfee
- Carrion Comfort – by Dan Simmons
- Creepers – by David Morrell
- Dead Until Dark – by Charlaine Harris
- The Human Chord – by Algernon Blackwood
- Twilight – by Stephenie Meyer
- Psycho – by Robert Bloch
- The Exorcist – by William Peter Blatty
- The Wolfen – by Whitley Strieber
- Lizzie Borden – by Elizabeth Engstrom
- Midnight Sun – by Ramsey Campbell
- The False House – by James Stoddard
- Sex and Violence in Hollywood – by Ray Garton
- The Haunting of Hill House – by Shirley Jackson
- We Have Always Live in the Castle – by Shirley Jackson
- The Rising – by Brian Keene
- Face – by Tim Lebbon
- Hotel Transylvania – by Chelsea Quinn Yarbor
- The Case of Charles Dexter Ward – by H. P. Lovecraft
- Necroscope – by Brian Lumley
- The Tain – by China Mieville
- Serenity Falls – by James A. Moore
- Zombie – by Joyce Carol Oates
- American Gods – by Neil Gaiman
- Skeletons – by Al Sarrontonio
- Live Girls – by Ray Garton
- Geek Love – by Katherine Dunn
- My Soul to Keep – by Tananarive Due
- Wuthering Heights – by Emily Bronte
- The Fog – by James Herbert
- The Spear – by James Herbert
- Audrey Rose – by Frank De Felitta
- Ratman’s Notebooks – by Stephen Gilbert
- Carmilla (novella) – by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
- The Dark is Rising – by Susan Cooper
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4
Liked it
Liked it
i like it
Horror isn’t my sort of genre
Too scary :-/
Great list! Horror rocks!
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer *sigh This list lost all credibility.
Great list, i’ve only read the classics of the 19th century. I’ll be starting with Stephen King some day soon, probably with Salem’s Lot which i’ve heard is one of his best.
I love Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I’m just getting into Robert McCammon and Peter Straub and both seem very promising so far.
How the f*** did Twilight beat Psycho on this list?!
um… Let the Right One In? Or tangentially Perfume? Ugh to Twilight.
Good list, but Horns by Joe Hill belongs somewhere on this list.
I’d question whether THE STAND was really horror. AMERICAN GODS and THE TAIN also feel like stretches (if THE TAIN is horror, why not PERDIDO STREET STATION?). LET THE RIGHT ONE IN seems like an obvious miss. THE TERROR as well, though CARRION COMFORT is Simmons’ more overt horror novel.
Also surprised not to see any George R.R. Martin. FEVRE DREAM is an obvious exception, and the excellent THE ARMAGEDDON RAG is arguably horror as well. If short stories also count if they are published as books by themselves (like THE TAIN), there’s also THE SKIN TRADE and SANDKINGS to consider (though sadly not MEATHOUSE MAN, probably his most disturbing psychological story).
Twilight does not deserve to be here. The only scary thing about it was the horrible writing.
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill should be on this list.
Overall I like the list. I can’t understand how Twilight made it on there at all either though. I’m glad to see several of King’s novels and think they were good choices. I can’t say I think Ladies Night would be in my top two Jack Ketchum novels, however. I love Ketchum and really enjoyed Ladies Night, but I think he has several novels that better illustrate his genius as an author of the human condition. Check out Off Season, Joy Ride, Offspring, or Cover.
This list is a complete joke for numerous reasons, but simply by having Twilight listed makes any chance of validity impossible. Next time you write a list of 100 horror novels make sure none of the vampire sparkle and that these is something actually horrific about the books listed.
The inclusion of James A. Moore, Ray Garton, John Saul and Frank DeFelitta means I can’t take this list seriously. I understand the list is one person’s opinion, but I can’t trust anyone who believes these people are good writers and have contributed something meaningful to the literature of horror. And where is John Farris? “The Fury”, or “All Heads Turn When the Hunt Goes By”, anyone?
Just to clarify … this isn’t a list of personal favorite horror novels or the greatest horror novels or anything like that. Read the title. It’s a list 100 horror fans “should” read, and that includes some stinkers ( cough cough — sparkling vampires — cough cough). Why include some stinkers at all? Partly for balance. If we haven’t read some bad literature, how the heck are we supposed to know what the good stuff looks like? And certain authors and books, whether good or not, have had their influence, and it’s not a bad idea for readers to be aware of those influences, even if they don’t appreciate or like those influences.
American Gods is horror?
*Elizabeth* Heart Shaped Box IS on the list. #34.
*jHarmon* thanks for the list (even if I do find a few that I would not have on my list). This is the first time I have seen someone attempt such a listing. Kudos. Gives me more options to explore– I see many I have not read.