I love fall. Leaves changing colors, caramel apples (FAR superior to pumpkin spice), the start of hockey season, preptober; all these wonderful things. The best part about fall?
Horror.
I cannot get enough of horror movies in the month of October. Don’t get me wrong, I watch horror in any season, but there is something particularly satisfying in watching a good (or even a bad) horror movie around Halloween.
But what about horror books? I confess, horror is not a genre in which I am particularly well-read. I think this is because I’m a bit fussy with horror. Same with movies. But while I can watch a bad horror movie and enjoy it for its camp and impossibly gorgeous cast, alas, a bad horror book does not hold similar charm.
Or it’s just plan gore.
I’m not squeamish. I work in a hospital. Gore is not scary. It’s just gross. If that’s your thing, awesome, but it definitely isn’t mine.
Moving on, I will say that I have read a few books that have been surprisingly and delightfully creepy. Books that have made me want to sleep with the lights on or double check the backseat (ok, I ALWAYS double check the backseat). So if you are looking for something a bit on the dark, eerie side this Halloween, read on.
Five Creepy Books to Read this Halloween
1. The classic
Dracula
Bram Stoker
Back when vampires were scary
I don’t think this book gets enough credit. People are too used to vampires being not scary that I think this book gets a write-off. But the opening chapters of this book are wonderfully spooky, and tension mounts as young solicitor Jonathan Harker is trapped in the titular count’s gloomy castle.
The other criticism I often get from this book is that it totally shifts gears as we leave poor Jonathan in Transylvania in favor eclectic troupe of characters in England. I’ll be honest, the first time I read this book, I too found the transition jarring. But each time I read it again, my appreciation grows for headstrong Mina, awkward Dr. Seward, and gun-slinging Quincy. The creepiness of Whitby Abbey and its surrounding country along with harrowing journeys across Europe keep the tension going. So stick with it.
Bonus, Audible has an excellent audio version with an amazing cast (TIM CURRY!). Fair warning though: don’t listen to it in bed with the lights off.
2. The paper equivalent of “found footage”
House of Leaves
Mark Z. Danielewski
This book was a trip, to say the least. Highly simplified, the book follows the narrator’s exploration of an account of a family who move into a strange house that is bigger on the inside.
Wow. Where to begin with this unusual tome?
House of Leaves is a unique reading experience. It’s challenging as you have to sort through an unreliable narrator (who may be slowly going insane), footnotes from at least three different parties, and pages that you literally have to turn the book to read.
I’ll admit it took me a while to get into this rabbit hole of insanity, and I’m sure I don’t know what it all means. But when I was reading the transcript of The Navison Record, I had to shut the thing and walk away for a bit. And I had to turn on all the lights.
Content warning: language, sexual content, and violence
3. A gothic ghost story… Or is it?
Mexican Gothic
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Hurray! A straightforward creepy-mansion-with-sexual-undertones gothic horror novel.
If you don’t feel mentally up for tackling either Dracula or House of Leaves, this delightful little gem might be a better fit for you. It definitely has gothic horror vibes (I went into it expecting the Mexican version of Crimson Peak), but it does take a bit of a turn. Our heroine, Noemi Taboada, an urban socialite, visits her ailing cousin at the old English mansion where she lives with her in-laws. The novel immerses you the creepy, dilapidated house and the foreboding gloom that Noemi can’t quite explain. The setting is also an interesting one (1950s Mexico). Add in some deeper themes about mortality, eugenics, and colonialism, and you have quite the little gem of a ghost story. With a twist.
4. A real-life horror story
Devil in the White City
Erik Larson
I know, true crime is a whole genre. And one I should probably explore more. Still, this book creeped me out, which is saying something.
You know I love Erik Larson. This book is no exception. For those of you who don’t know, this is the factual account of two very different men during the 1883 Chicago World’s Fair. The first, Daniel Hudson Burnham, hits one obstacle after another as he tries to put on a fair no one will forget. It is the second account that is truly chilling, as we follow the exploits of H. H. Holmes, a prolific serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to some horrific ends.
The fact that Holmes designed a hotel specifically to trap, torture, and murder people is scary enough in and of itself. The chapters that describe his victims and their fates are even more so.
5. Reminding you to NEVER take a shortcut
The Ritual
Adam Neville
Holy Hannah. I was not prepared for this one.
For those of you who haven’t see the Netflix movie, the book follows four friends on a camping holiday in Sweden. What is supposed to be a fun holiday quickly spirals into disaster as they take a shortcut.
I started reading this book before bed the other night, and I had to leave the lamp on AND turn on a steady stream of Psych in order to chill out enough to relax enough to fall asleep. The horror begins on page one and doesn’t let up. You feel the same sense of mounting dread as the four main characters as they struggle with the wilderness and the ominous presence that seems to be hunting them. Perhaps a poor choice for the girl who is supposed to go hiking in Scandanavia in 2022… oh well. At least I know never to take shortcuts.
What books keep you up at night? Comment below!