The spooky month of October is here, made extra spooky by the fact that this entire year has been a long fucking nightmare. With that said, what better way to cope than by reading about poor bastards that have it worse than us.
So, here is a list of some of my favourite horror books of all time. I’m sure everyone and their pet Labrador has read Dracula, Frankenstein, At the Mountains of Madness, and all the other famous ones at this point, so I’ll try to avoid those. I’m also going to try to avoid talking about the actual plot for the sake of preserving the tension.
Of course, there’s going to be some dark stuff in these books so appropriate content warnings apply. Without further ado, let’s get started.
The Library at Mount Char, by Scott Hawkins
The Library at Mount Char is an absolute rollercoaster of a book which is going to leave you going “wait what the actual fuck” at one point or another. The premise is that a bunch of kids, including our protagonist, are adopted by a mysterious guy simply known as ‘Father’. The premise might feel a bit generic Urban Fantasy but the story swerves right into crazytown, with weird and horrifying stuff slowly ramping up. It’s hard to even begin describing things the part of the fun is how it catches you off guard almost constantly.
Of course, this isn’t going to be your thing if you’re the type who prefers subtle or lowkey horror. However, if you’re willing to go for a ride then give the Library at Mount Char a try.
Cold Hands in Mine, by Robert Aickman
Robert Aickman is among the most well-known figures when it comes to horror writing, and for a good reason. His short stories stories are rife with unexplained strangeness and ambiguity, and Cold Hands in Mine is him at his best. There are no answers or solutions here, and it’s likely that you might come out of the stories with more questions than you went in with.
The ‘horror’ in his stories, is almost never actually explained, with more words being spent on setting up the unsettling atmosphere than actually telling you what the fuck is going on. Of course, that’s what this brand of horror is all about.
The Fungus, by Harry Adam Knight
The Fungus throws all pretense of subtlety out the window and throws you neck deep into disgusting and visceral horror. Its premise is that the world is getting consumed by creepy mutant Fungus, and there’s not much else to the story. If there was any depth to the character and themes then it went right over my head. What we’re here for is the gory, pulpy horror with zero restraint.
There’s something admirable about how absolutely ridiculous it gets, to the point that things almost get comedic. Of course, there are certain topics that are handled appallingly, but that’s par for the course for 80s pulp horror.
Hell Hound, by Ken Greenhall
Hell Hound is a fascinating journey into the headspace of a amoral dog named Baxter. Instead of high-intensity action and gore, the book relies on slow and chilling kind of horror that is reminiscent of books like We Need to Talk About Kevin. It’s just an interesting look at just how alien the mind of a sociopath can be.
There is no schlock here despite the name, which probably had something to do with it not gaining traction back in the 70s. While there’s definitely levity in the form of dark humour, the book is as pessimistic as they come It’s just a miserable experience all around, in the best way possible.
Maynard’s House, by Herman Raucher
Maynard’s House is all about the horror of isolation, set in the backdrop of backwoods Maine. The story is about a war veteran who moves into a house formerly owned by his dead friend. The highly evocative writing not only makes the house and the frigid environment come alive, but it also makes the strange and eerie happenings feel highly gripping.
The main character’s paranoia, combined with the haunted house, leads to an amazing journey where we not only get some scares, but also a paints a stark picture of what trauma can do to people.
The King in Yellow, by Robert W. Chambers
Yeah, yeah, this book is already super popular but I couldn’t bring myself to not include The King in Yellow. This collection of short stories absolutely one of the best works of Lovecraftian horror out there. As some of you might know, there is a fictional play within this book known as The King in Yellow, which drives people insane after they read it. Fans of cosmic horror should know the drill by now but its execution is still among the best so you’re in for a ride.
The stories are not just about a spooky book that makes you want to murder your friends. Chambers does a great job of using social stigma, loss of sanity, and paranoia to create an eerie atmosphere that elevates this book above the schlock horror. The second half of this book, however, strays from cosmic horror and is quite down to earth and poignant, instead of terror inducing.
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