We’re already deep into fall and the Halloween vibes are irresistible. Am I the only one seeking something scary to read? Of course there are so many movies to watch, but why spend so much money on that when you can read a book that’ll keep you up all night out of fear and excitement?
I’ve gone ahead and made a list of some seriously scary books to get you in the Halloween spirit. Here are six of my favorites:
1. Carmilla (1872) by Joseph Sheridan LeFanu
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An oldie for sure, but a classic. Before Bram Stoker’s Dracula, there was Carmilla, which centers around a female vampire, her prey, a young girl of the same age, and their altering friendship. The girls find themselves closer to each other than they thought…
2. The Blind Owl (1936) by Sadegh Hedayat
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A personal favorite of mine, this book was actually banned from Iran because of its extremely ominous overtone. Around the time it was released, it was said to have caused some of its readers to commit suicide. The protagonist, an opium addict who is haunted by the loss of his lover begins to see a shadow of an owl on his wall.
3. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) by Ray Bradbury
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For fans of the supernatural, this book will surely have you spooked. Combining both fantasy and horror, the novel follows two best friends and their experience when a traveling carnival comes to their town. Ironically, the carnival visits their town in the month of October…
4. The Shining (1977) by Stephen King
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What would we do without Stephen King? Aside from the film adaptation being one of my top five favorites, The Shining is equally a scary read as much as it is a thriller to watch. In case you haven’t done either, the book is about a writer, Jack Torrance, his family, and the forces that posses them as they’re living in the haunted Overlook Hotel in snowy Colorado.
5. The Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe (1984) by Edgar Allan Poe
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I’m sorry, I absolutely cannot think of anything scary without thinking about the amazing Edgar Allan Poe. Of course there are tons of published versions of Poe’s works, but spending a good hour or two reading his stories back-to-back will have you feeling every type of terrified.
6. The Graveyard Book (2008) by Neil Gaiman
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Get ready for the unconventional: this is actually a children’s book. But, in a way, it isn’t. A boy named Nobody Owens, whose family was murdered by The Man Jack when he was a toddler, is adopted by ghosts who live in the graveyard. The story follows his adventures in the graveyard, the friends he makes, and The Man Jack’s search for the boy so he can finally finish the job.
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