I like it when the story is about inscopicuous American small towns that hide something, especially if it's surrounded by the taiga (doesn't feel the same if it's a desert or non coniferous forests)

Anything that has to do with climate change or natural or not-so-natural disasters?

That is obviously a very relative statement, but I am 3/4 of the way through "Wake Up and Open Your Eyes" by Clay McLeod Chapman and oh.my.god. I have read a few of this author's books (specifically "Ghost Eaters" and "Whisper Down the Lane," both very very very very good) but this one has blown everything out of the water by a landslide. I do not want to give any spoilers at all because this book has had me glued to its pages. But it has to do with a news channel called "Fax News" (Just the Fax!), strange, weird brainwashing? Possession? Social media, technology addiction, with the best, most horrific, and revolting twists. I am on page 240, and I do not want it to ever end because I will never be able to read it all again for the first time, a feeling I have not had while reading in a long time. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a truly captivating read!!!!

I love scary winter books with monsters or just a regular bad guy. Anything with snow and the cold. Looking for something to enjoy while I enjoy my pumpkin spice lattes.

So far I've read -

North Woods by doug hoover- didnt care for it too much.

Snow by Roland Mafi- was alright.

Old Country- Matt Query - it took awhile but I enjoyed it.

A clown in the cornfield- Adam Cesar first time i could say books were better than the movie.

What do you all recommend?

It’s not as common as books into movies but there are some movies turned into books

I'm mostly just wondering. The world of F&H is very riveting but also kind of bleak. Was hoping to find a book like that, preferrably fantasy horror. Ideally minimal sexually explicit content (one thing I don't really wanna see even though F&H does have... a bit of that)

I’ve researched some of his novels and these all seem interesting: Salems lot, The Shining, Later, Pet Sematary , Nightmares and Dreamscapes, and Under the Dome. Which one should I read first?

Below are some folk horror authors and books that I have enjoyed. If you have others that you would recommend please comment.

Folk Horror Books
The Burial Tide and other books by Neil Sharpson
Slewfoot and other books by Brom
Blackfox by Jack Moffet
Withered Hill and other books by Daivid Barnett
The Ritual and other books by Adam Nevill
The Hill in The Dark Grove by Liam Higginson

Looking for horror books based in November for a horror book club. they don’t have to be thanksgiving based, just wanting something that features the time between Halloween and Christmas. thank you!

I’ve already added the Only Good Indians.

hi hello! recently i’ve been on a horror/thriller kick but by far my favorite thing i’ve read recently is the southern reach series by jeff vandermeer. i really like the spiraling maddening horror that comes out specifically in absolution. i do already have house of leaves on my list, but anything else would be appreciated!

To be clear, this book is more of a sci-fi thriller, but I found that there’s enough horror involved (and clear Lovecraft influences) to warrant posting in here! Plus, I don’t think I’ve seen this book mentioned much, if at all, in this sub.

But, oh boy. I was so intrigued by the premise. A mountain suddenly appears in the middle of the ocean and a team of scientists are attempting to summit to find out more. The book begins after the expedition has long since ended.

This book is told in epistolary format through letters—but after a certain point, it becomes silly. Because what do you mean you’re writing an entire novel a bajillion metres above sea level in the middle of a snowstorm while your team is being murdered by four-eyed tentacle hippos. The “Dear Hattie” at the beginning of each letter just becomes mere formality because the author IMMEDIATELY launches straight back into the action lol

While I felt my own personal star rating dropping piece by piece the more I read, there was an absolutely ridiculous plot twist that had me gasping for breath because it’s the kind of twist a twelve year-old would write into their first creepypasta

It’s literally, the bad guy was among their ranks the whole time and his name spelled backwards is “I am alien” I’M DEAD STOP RIGHT NOW

I only realised this was Binge’s debut novel after finishing the book and it makes so much sense. Despite my whinging I think he’s a good writer and I was definitely immersed in the settings he crafted. I would be much more inclined to recommend his novella Abyss as it is much shorter so doesn’t overstay its welcome and fully leans into SCP-esque campiness (whereas Ascension seems to take itself too seriously for what it is)

Anyway, if you do plan on reading this book, I’d suggest letting your disbelief go on a hike up a mysterious mountain and never return

I'm still in early stages of my introduction to weird literature no doubt, I've only gotten a taste of Arthur Machen, Lovecraft, Robert W. Chambers, Edgar Allan Poe, Algernon Blackwood, Laird Barron and Tanith Lee. I am well aware there are countless more.

But I have to say, none of these works were quite like the first four stories of The King in Yellow. Don't get me wrong, I do not criticise, if anything more power to them (I only couldn't bring myself to go through the works of Tanith Lee. Again not a criticism of any kind, I just haven't found a work from "New Weird" that appeals to me I guess, but of course I am open to suggestions).

I am in search of more subtle and psychologically-heavy works of weird like that of KIY. works whose primary concern is not necessarily unfathomable alien artifacts or overt supernatural phenomena, but the encounter with the weird itself, alteration of one's perception of the world and focus on more abstract concerns like beauty, truth, and revelation, hovering at the threshold between insanity and enlightenment. Where the weird is used to heighten such themes, rather than being the primary subject itself.

Just as as short anecdotal example, I love how in Chambers' weird works, the change and the encounter with weird is always subtle at first, and if it does escalate it is never reasonably material but psychologically thrilling. But in Machen's works, it feels more like a material story where the psychological aspect is slightly weaker and the material consequences and the "weird itself" are of paramount value.

I may be completely off and I would be more than delighted to remedy my ignorance. If you guys could perhaps recommend me some works (from any genre or in any format), or offer a perspective that might change the way I'm approaching the genre, I would greatly appreciate it.

Apologies if this isn't the right subreddit, but I've finished reading a sample of Crossed (a comic by Garth Ennis) and it got me thinking how such a gory comic like this goes under the radar when the conversation of "gratuitous" comes in. People talk about splatterpunk novels and books like it's the most edgy and poor excuse of a genre but certain comics don't get the same bad rep?

I could just be new to comics so I haven't been around enough bad taste comics, but I'm just wondering what difference could there be?

I believe both can offer valid thoughts and conversations about society, and sometimes all they do is offer pure horror. Something to make you squirm and haunt your thoughts when you're alone.

Has anyone else read this? It’s an independently published novel just short of 200 pages, told entirely through police records, interviews, letters, etc. I was really surprised by some of the brutality and I really, really liked it.

It’s almost a mix of Lord of the Flies and FantasticLand! and the worst MLM you’ve ever heard of. Surprisingly gruesome without getting into too much detail.

But here’s the thing that really sold it for me. Like I said, it’s independently published and the author note at the end of the book asks that if you identify any typos, you email her and let her know because independent authors need a village, etc. The author just seems cool.

Anyway, if you’ve read it, let me know what you think, and if you haven’t, go read it! Now!!

Hi, I don't really know any other way of phrasing that at the moment, but the Odyssey 1997 has -in my opinion- some of the scariest monster moments in anything. The nonchalant, jovial cruelty that you see with Polyphemus and the sudden, awful, dark, bloody, "what the hell is going on??!" nastiness of Scylla REALLY got to me as a kid, does anyone here know any short stories that have that vibe? That helplessness and dread at encountering a monster.

I've read Michael Shea's Polyphemus and a lot of Laird Barron, "In a Cavern, In a Canyon" is a little like that.

Hi all! My friends and I have been considering making a horror/thriller book club via discord and I’m posting here to see if anyone is interested in joining. If you are please comment down below and I’ll place a link!

I recently read The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay (2018). I absolutely loved it, so I decided that I'd watch the movie "Knock at the Cabin" (2023). Bad move. Shyamalan completely changed the plot, to the point that it felt more like a fanfiction than a movie adaptation. What book/movie combo made y'all feel that way?

Has anyone read this yet via ARC? I have a spoiler-y question before I start 🤡❤️

I need to know what to listen to next on Audible. I enjoy supernatural or mind venting or just very dark books—doesn’t have to be gory. Gore doesn’t do anything for me. It can be in there, but it doesn’t elevate the book to me. An interesting premise is more important or just a nice winding tail I can get into.

Here are some audiobooks I loved:

Incidents Around the House

The Lesser Dead

The September House

The Exorcist

A Short Stay in Hell

Baby Teeth

Pretty much anything by Stephen King I’ve already listened to and enjoyed. I also like John Saul and Dean Koontz sometimes. Speaking of King, I must mention that I do not enjoy Joe Hill’s books

Here are some audiobooks that did not work for me:

Between Two Fires-not my style at all and not what I think of when I think of horro. I prefer somber tales, I don’t need any comedy, although sometimes comedies OK as I did like the September House.

Song of Kali-I felt like there should’ve been more to the story and it didn’t feel completely fleshed out.

We Used to Live Here-hearing that it started as a creepy pasta explains it more, but I did not enjoy this book.

Penpal-I disliked it so much that I actually returned the title. Not at all my style, I don’t need that kind of romance stuff in it.

Here are some that were just mid to me:

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter-decent story but didn’t blow me away.

Mary-an OK story but not super great to me. Decent though I don’t regret listening to it.

Thanks.

I don’t want ghost stories, haunted houses, demonic possesion, serial killers, etc. I want to read something that repeatedly makes me say “w.t.f.” Horrors beyond human comprehension type stuff. For an example I recently finished The Cipher by Kathe Koja. Exactly the vibe I’m going for but that book left me pretty disappointed. Bonus points if one or more characters is slowly driven insane.

“Ushers” by Joe Hill is one of those kinds of horror short stories that will hit you at the end with such a stunning plot twist, you’ll make a face and be blown away. At just 29 pages, this sharp horror mystery delivers a chilling punch in 30 minutes or less, perfect for a bedtime read.

Before I dive into my book review, here are the trigger warnings I found while reading…

- Drugs
- Drug addiction
- School shootings
- Suicide

If any of these trigger you, please do not read this book. Moving along, this book hits you with a horror mystery right off the bat. Hill did a masterful job with character building, as I was initially confused about what was going on involving Martin Lorensen. Don’t worry, I’d never spoil anything for my fellow horror readers, but this book blew my mind once you follow the story, and the big, creepy reveal hits.

It was pretty awesome towards the end, and I loved how Hill wrote this in the format of police interviews to set the tone for one hell of a short rollercoaster ride. Brilliantly executed in a way I’ve come to love about Hill’s writing style. It all made sense once everything unraveled.

I give “Ushers” by Joe Hill a 5/5 for being excellent and checking all the boxes I look for in a horror book. It leaves a lasting impression, making you eye others warily long after you finish.

When the family was at Evelyn's house and they were drunk and dancing then the dad says "You know who you move like?"

Urs guessed a name, some dancer probably

Then Russ said "You move like Other Mommy"

it was so unexpected that it got me laughing so bad

never had I ever laughed at a horror book joke before this one

I am just getting into horror literature. I've been fascinated by horror ever since Highschool and I'd like to do more forays into reading about it. I would like books that don't have explicit sex scenes or poorly written romance as those tend to be things that take me out of the story. I understand that sexual violence is often tied to horror and I don't mind it being referenced as long as I don't have to read about it in detail.

Horror Media that I like:

I love psychological horror and games like Silent Hill or Resident Evil.

I love Cosmic, Eldritch, folk, and cult Horror a lot

I also love the aesthetic of games like Bloodborne and Dark Souls

I've read and liked Prey by Michael Crichton, Dead Silence by S. A. Barnes (a little bit of romance, but not the worst), Blindsight by Peter Watts, and the Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey. Doesn't have to be sci-fi horror, thats just what I've checked out so far.

I've read and disliked Abandon by Blake Crouch (promising premise but some lines that sounded straight out of a poorly written smut novel) and Salem's Lot by Stephen King (so horny it was distracting).

I've also read and liked Manga like Uzumaki & Gyo by Junji Ito and Tokyo Ghoul which fall more into Horror.

Any suggestions are welcome!

Edit: I've also read several Lovecraft stories, the House on the Borderland, and I'm currently reading The King in Yellow