Poe, Lovecraft, Shelley, Stoker - these are some of the names that come to mind for most who think of authors of classic horror stories. They wrote tales that when we read them no amount of heat could scrape the fear from our bones. Books so scary that you need to put them in the freezer or throw them into a large body of water as the terror within them caused terror so deeply within ourselves.
But there are many tales of terror that deserve a second glance. Lesser known authors of classic horror such as W. W Jacobs, Henry James, Oliver Onions and Robert Louis Stevenson who also wrote beautiful enchanting tales that lifted the veil and materialized brilliant spook tales.
There are many modern day writers who also deserve a spot at the table when it comes to telling tales that take the world of fear to new heights. Many of us who grew up reading R.L Stein then moved on to reading Steven King, Dean Koontz and Ann Rice who gave us some of the most iconic stories and characters that changed the world of horror as we knew it. They were able to dig down to the depths of our imagination and use it to create nightmares that would have us waking with pale lips and sweat covered brows. Giving sewer drains a far more sinister feeling then ever before, so much so that some of us cannot look a at them to this day without thinking of Pennywise saying "We all float down here."
Whether you're a fan of classic or modern day horror theres always another book waiting to be read. Books are always filled with so much more then their more popular counterparts, movies. So many more details, characters left behind or just small things you may have missed. Name one movie thats better then the book - other then Forrest Gump ... I'll wait. Reading ignites our imaginations to run wildly searching the darkenss of our own minds.
SO with that being said here is a list of some books that are definitely worth picking up if your a fan of spooky spine chilling tales. With spooky season coming to an end these should keep you busy until next All Hallows' Eve.
The Ballad of Black Tom, Victor Lavalle
Brother, Ania Ahlborn
Long Lankin, Lindsey Barraclough
One Bloody Thing After Another, Joey Comeau
The Ones That Got Away, Stephen Graham Jones
The Good House, Tananarive Due
Broken Monsters, Lauren Beukes
White is for Witching, Helen Oyeyemi
Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake
The Girl from the Well, Rin Chupeco
Shutter, Courtney Alameda
The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall, Katie Alender
Another, Yukito Ayatsuji
14, Peter Clines
My Best Friends Exorcism, Grady Hendrix
Heart Shaped Box, Joe Hill
The Dead of night: The Ghost Stories of Oliver Onions
Olalla, Robert Louis Stevenson
The Monkeys Paw and Other Horrors, W. W. Jacobs
The turn of the Screw, Henry James
Kathryn