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This post is all about the most gruesome scary books for Halloween you will read. Halloween is a time when horror takes center stage and your favorite Halloween books make your imagination run wild.
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Halloween over the years has become a synonym for festivals, costumes, and holiday spirit. Beyond all the festivities connection with the macabre appearing in the literature goes way deeper. Books to read for Halloween and Halloween as a holiday are sharing a strong bond revolving around the exploration of our deepest fears. The Spirit of flickering candlelight and the rustling autumn leaves can take the written word to realms of darkness and terror. Serving as a conduit for the supernatural and the eerie, Halloween is the perfect time to dive deep into horror literature to test the limits of our imagination. Within the pages of horror literature, we find a treasure trove of unsettling narratives, here’s a carefully curated list of 10 must-read horror books for Halloween to help you find those pages.
Scary Books For Halloween
Kill Creek by Scott Thomas
For years forgotten old Finsch house at the end of a dark road in Kansas is about to be opened for four invited horror authors to spend the night. Well, the night didn’t go as expected. Kill Creek is one of the old-fashioned scary books for Halloween with a haunted story with a delightful twist.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The famous story of scientist Victor Frankenstein and his creation with the scientific experiment. Frankenstein is one of the most popular and best Halloween books considered the start of the Science Fiction genre and is one of the books to read for Halloween with a strong impact on popular culture and future writing.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
When visiting Transilvania to help with a house purchase in London, the lawyer Jonathan Harker escapes the castle when discovers that his client Count Dracula has vampire abilities. Dracula is one of the most influential scary books for Halloween full of bizarre incidents with iconic character.
Twisted by Jo Gibson
Only one novel from this book is focused on Halloween while the other two are focused on Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Seance at Jennifer Larkin’s Halloween party in a remote house in the middle of the woods turns participants into prisoners of vengeful spirits. Twisted is one of the scary books for Halloween considered a masterpiece by as many think master of suspense, Jo Gibson.
When Things Get Dark by Editor Ellen Datlow
Ellen Datlow’s collection of 18 short horror stories in honor of one of the best horror writers ever Shirley Jackson featuring today’s best horror writers such as Joyce Carol Oates, Elizabeth Hand, and many more. When Things Get Dark is one of my favorite Halloween books and is one of the scary books for Halloween that dives into both, the creepy realistic world and the world of occultism.
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White Is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
After being moved to a new gothic home in England, young girl Miranda has to face multiple struggles connected with generations of women in the Silver family. White Is for Witching is a special book on our list of scary books for Halloween and will keep you glued to the screen or book for many hours.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
A young woman after being married to a rich widower, finds herself face-to-face with the spirit of his late first wife named Rebecca. Rebecca is the perfect book in the collection of scary books for Halloween to make rainy October days pass faster.
Benny Rose, the Cannibal King by Hailey Piper
The urban legend of the Cannibal King, Beny Rose comes to life when Desiree St. Fleur and her peers try to pull a prank on a new girl from school while celebrating Halloween night in Blackwood, Vermont. Benny Rose is as many critics and readers stated by far one of the scariest books to read for Halloween.
Halloween Fiend by C.V. Hunt
Strang, a small quaint town every night is haunted by a creature named Halloween demanding offerings from every household. The consequences of refusing Halloween are far more terrifying than recurring demands. Halloween Fiend is another novel from our list of scary books for Halloween with a story that is indisputably absurd.
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul G. Tremblay
The last book on a list of scary books for Halloween is A Head Full of Ghosts, the story about a New England family told from the perspective of Marjorie’s sister Meredith. Marjorie Barrett is a young girl with obvious signs of acute schizophrenia. While the doctors remain powerless, the home of Barrett’s becomes a home of nightmares. A Head Full of Ghosts is one of the scary books for Halloween whose elements of catholic exorcism and demonic entities will haunt you in your dreams.
