10 BEST HORROR BOOKS EVER WRITTEN | my top horror book recommendations 2022 

What is your favorite horror book of all time? I think it would be fun to make a video where I read some of your favorites.

1. The Ruins - Smith 2. The October Country - Bradbury 3. The Hellbound Heart - Barker 4. Zombie - Oates 5. Pet Sematary - King 6. Dante's Inferno 7. American Psycho - Ellis 8. Who Goes There? - Campbell 9. The Silence of the Lambs - Harris 10. I have no mouth and I must scream - Ellison An interesting list, to be sure. I can vouch for The Ruins. It's a thrilling read.

I strongly recommend the “Area X trilogy” by Jeff Vandermeer. It’s a modern literature masterpiece. It’s haunting and beautiful but also nightmarish. Plus the body horror elements. It’s a perfect sci-fi, fantasy-horror. (I just realized this video is a year old…sorry)

Salem’s Lot is my favorite book of all time. I am a simple person. I was a literature major, and it was SO uncool to like Stephen King back then. I’m so glad I’m old now, and don’t have to care about what’s cool.

I really like the background, sets the environment in a proper way. The shelves with so many books, I mean famous books.Super clean,no dusts.Having such a shelf is a dream of every bookworm like me. Really appreciate your work.

I am forever chasing that hollow, surreal, and haunting otherness of that first-time read of Annihilation and House of Leaves. I love that this channel exists. You have my dream job!

Fantastic list! Thank you for introducing me to a few novels I had not heard of before! To add my own recommendation, I would recomment Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons. That book messes me up every time I read it.

Loved the breadth of your selection, definitely added some of your picks to my reading list.

The fact you BLUR THE BOOKS in the thumbnail is freaking great. I like being surprised not looking at thumbnails and going "oh....well I guess I don't need to watch this video now".

King's IT was Also One of the Best Horror Novel Ever 😁🎈

Some really good entries in this little list - great job

I've read The Hellbound Heart three times and it never gets old. Pretty much any Clive Barker book is a great surreal and nightmarish time :)

omg i love your enthusiasm for these! and as a horror film nerd who doesn't know many horror books this list is a perfect way in for me. your analyses are spot on too - never thought about Hellraiser as a Faust story but once you said it a lightbulb went on in my head. so interesting that you think the book complements the film, now i really wanna find that book - I've looked before but seems hard to come by... anyway thanks for making this! ^_^

I really love this channel very much. Pet semetery was probably my favourite Steven King book ever. Love from Namibia🇳🇦❤

Ooo I havne't read a lot of these but I'm always looking for new horror books to read and the creepier the better. Lol! Pet Sematary is one of my favorites and it's always been but like you, I read it several times and it is way scarier when you read it after a loss of a loved one. It puts a different perspective on it and you can really relate on a deeper level to the characters. I have seen silence of the lambs many times but have never read the books and the one about the sisters and the ghosts seems interesting too. . Great video and I'll catch you in the next one!

I just came across your video. I have been in the book business and a reader for 55 years. I read a lot, but horror is my favorite. I just got into "Extreme" horror and "American Psycho" has scenes that truly stick with you...I mean.. 😳. I followed up by reading "Less than Zero" It's dark, but not like "Psycho". I met Harlan at a Scifi convention years ago and asked him where he came up with the idea of "I have no mouth...". He said he got the idea from Asimov and his robot stories and instead of saving humanity what would it be like if they went the complete opposite of the rules. Thank you for your list. More for the "TBR" pile!!! 😂

Harlan Ellison's audiobook narration of his story is fantastic and worth a listen. Also that is amazing to hear how your husband proposed to you! Very fun!

Good choices. Good discussion. Thank you!

I'm so glad I found your channel omg! I'm so excited to read these!!!!

Excellent and well crafted list! Thanks for putting some of these on my radar

Your shirt is everything !!! Great video!

Shirley Jackson. "The Haunting of Hill House"

Definitely going to use this as a reading list for the year. If I could make one horror novel recommendation, it would be House of Leaves. One of the most challenging books I’ve ever read, but also one of the absolute best.

Great selection of books Anda! I love that you had Dante's Divine Comedy on this list. It one great masterpiece. You lasted favorite is also interesting. If hear of it, but I never actually read it. I might need to correct that soon.

Loved American Psycho! Thanks for the recs.

Great Content! This is one of the most heartfelt descriptions of Pet Sematary I've come across :)

Love the state of your pet semetary book. I have many like that, pages coming away from the spine. I always buy a new one just to look good on my shelf and continue reading my "well read ones"

I love Pet Semetary! I read it every year. King does such a good job of "suggesting" things in ways that are vague but terrifying. "What you sow is what you own; and sooner or later, what you own comes back to you."

Thank you for the great recommendations. American Psycho is one of the most disturbing books I've read. I can't wait to read Head Full of Ghosts next.

Interesting list. I'm particularly intrigues by Zombie, which I've never heard of. I don't know if I have a favorite horror novel, but a recent one that took me by surprise was The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher. The horror element kind of snuck up on me, and was much creepier than I was expecting.

I think your doing the work that's needed...thank you

October Country is a masterpiece! Glad you included it.

So many great recs in this vid!!!! Thank you for giving me so many new books to check out!

I wasn't going to read The Ruins because i thought it was just another monster novel. But i saw it had good reviews so I read it on a whim, and boy was i surprised! Enjoyed it very much. The October Country is a great collection too and The Divine Comedy a must read for anybody that loves literature. My all time favorite horror novel is The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein. And Ghost Story by Peter Straub my second. Great video, am glad i found your channel. Subscribed!

Great list. I highly recommend the Hater series by David Moody (his Autumn series is good, too) and Garbage Man by Joseph D’Lacey.

Amazing video!

Author H.P. Lovecraft. True horror., if you can understand his 19th century writing style. After reading him,you can see where soooo many other writers got their themes.

ive been watching reviews and its really hard to find a book i like when ppl dont talk more about the books. thats why i like your review

I'm a fan of the work of Karl Edward Wagner. Unfortunately, most of his books are out of print, or only available as expensive collector's editions, but recently Valancourt books published a collection of his horror/supernatural stories, 'In a Lonely Place', which I would highly recommend.

(I know this video is a year old, im very late) I just ordered The Ruins just today and i was surprised to see it being the first book you talk about. Makes me really excited to start reading. I havent watched the movie. Ive never heard of it but it was recommended to me and im super excited to get started.

Yes I think I read at least 1 Stephen King book a years and I love Pet sematary lol and most of mine have covers like that lol and Yes Silence of the Lamb! also I love your shirt

Great list. Pet Semetary and The Ruins are so good! My favorite book is by Ronald Kelly and it is called Fear. It’s a coming of age story that takes place in the 40’s. An amazing book! 😁

Some great choices in there :) x

Hi. I just discovered your channel. I've been a horror fanatic for over 40 years so I've seen and read alot of horror in my life. I'm familiar with all of these titles and there's only a couple I haven't read. Zombie and Dante's Inferno. American Psycho is not for me, sorry. I've tried to read it a couple of times but I just can't get through the monotony and tedium. A couple of British authors I recommend are James Herbert and Shaun Hutson. Their stuff can be hard to find though. Especially Hutson.

Great recommendations, I added a bunch to my list!!

I am soooo thrilled to see a list that mentions A Head Full of Ghosts.

That’s a pretty good top ten list! I’m curious where would Cujo rank on the list I mean obviously not on the top ten haha but how far down would it be?

I'm a novice in the horror genre, I've only read 'Salem's Lot and Ring Shout so far. Just added some more books to my list... Love your passion for the genre!

That was a fun list! Meanwhile, my favourite Horror book up till now is Nazareth Hill (aka The House on Nazareth Hill) by Ramsey Campbell. Special shout out to an oldie…The Wandering Jew by Eugene Sue.

AWESOME REVIEW

Thanks for keeping it real!

I've read a fair few horror books in my life, but my favourite by a long margin is Last Days by Adam Nevill. You may recall that his first novel 'The Ritual' was made into the major motion picture, although 'Last Days' would have been a much spookier choice! For anyone who hasn't read it, I thoroughly recommend it. Here's the skinny from the back of the book: When guerrilla documentary maker, Kyle Freeman, is asked to shoot a film on the notorious cult known as the Temple of the Last Days, it appears his prayers have been answered. The cult became a worldwide phenomenon in 1975 when there was a massacre including the death of its infamous leader, Sister Katherine. Kyle's brief is to explore the paranormal myths surrounding an organization that became a testament to paranoia, murderous rage, and occult rituals. The shoot's locations take him to the cult's first temple in London, an abandoned farm in France, and a derelict copper mine in the Arizonan desert where The Temple of the Last Days met its bloody end. But when he interviews those involved in the case, those who haven't broken silence in decades, a series of uncanny events plague the shoots. Troubling out-of-body experiences, nocturnal visitations, the sudden demise of their interviewees and the discovery of ghastly artifacts in their room make Kyle question what exactly it is the cult managed to awaken - and what is its interest in him?

I left a comment on another video about Cormac McCarthy, and hearing you talk about loving horrific scenes and events described in beautiful, poetic language I'm certain he would rocket up your list of favorite authors. You can find some of his work on RU-vid in very good audiobook format.

Loved your reviews and presentation. Could not agree withe you more about American Psycho. It took me 5 times to read it through completely. Also have you read his Glamorama? Check it out if not. Keep up the good work!

this is the first vid i've seen from you but we have crazy similar taste and like the same things about horror subscribed immediately 💕

Great list, and I certainly would place several of those on my own list, Pet Sematary in particular. It's been ages since I last read this one, but Floating Dragon by Peter Straub I recall as being fabulous, and in need of a reread.

So far I see Bradbury and Clive Barker and I'm happy. p.s. I haven't thought about my favorite horror book, but The Exorcist is the first that comes to mind and nothing is competing with it right now so it must be it. And to me it's quite different than A head full of ghosts. In the latter I didn't mind the part with TV, but the blogging was too much for me. I couldn't take it seriously. I feel like a grumpy old man saying this...

Omg love your shirt

I read Pet Sematery only now in 2022. 40 years old and a father. This book broke me. Left me desolate and yet, it is beautiful.

My favorite is Richard Laymon Endless Night. Great list I liked Pet Semetary and The Ruins.

My own favourite is: the wolfen by Whitley streiber. There are a couple of short stories too: Lord dunwilliam and the cwn annwn by r. Chetwynd hayes, and blood gothic (I think) by Nancy holder.

For TV have u checked out Dark Shadows original series 1966-71? Awesome groundbreaking. The Exorcist is one of the best horror stories ever

The short story “Heat” by Joyce Carol Oats is one of my favorite reads. The narrator is recalling the murder of twin girls that happened were her class mates. It’s a small southern town and the story is told like a dreamy memory. Not the way it happened but the way you remember it. Just love it. One of the best twenty minutes you can spend. And I can never stop recommending The Yellow Wallpaper. Another short story, this one (written in the 19th century) about the psychological impacts of misogyny.

Cool video dude

I enjoy hellbound heart. Bit it is tough to say. I just remember that book was enjoyable to read from start to finish. Also like cosmic horror or Lovecraft type stuff as well.

If you're a big Brett Easton Ellis fan, there's a really interesting podcast, "Once Upon a Time at Bennington College," about Ellis and two of his classmates who also became famous authors, Donna Tartt and the guy who wrote "Motherless Brooklyn." (I can't remember his name, sorry!) And there is one moment in A Head Full of Ghosts when the big sister is talking to the younger one in such a cruel, menacing way that it sent a chill down my spine.

I have never read I Have No Mouth but I Must Scream but i have watched Wendigoons analysis like 5 times and its so fascinating. I think about it often.

omg, not even a minute in and I have to say your shirt is priceless!! OK, now back to the show

My Top 5 : Red Dragon , Salem's Lot , The Historian, The Other , Dracul ( the prequel by Dacre Stoker)

wow, I was not expecting to see Dante's Inferno on this list :)

Anything by Stephen Graham Jones (My Heart is a Chainsaw, The Only Good Indians, Mannequins) Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward (her other books are great too) Leech by Hiron Ennes The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig Salvation Day by Kali Wallace Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I love your energy and enthusiasm. I have readed horror from the age of 10, and i have too many favorite books in this genre. So I'll just name the haunting of hill house by Jackson, and terror by Simmons here. Otherwice this comment will be way too lengthy.

Great video!!!

The ruins is my favorite book of all time. My second is the thief of always by Clive Barker. Its YA but so creepy and just so amazing that I got a tattoo of one of the illustrations.

American Psycho ❤️ If you liked Zombie, try Poppy Brite’s Exquisite Corpse or Dennis Cooper’s Frisk

The Ruins is a masterpiece. I'm still wondering why Scott Smith has only written two novels so far.

I need to check out Zombie. I had never heard of it. It sounds right up my alley!

I agree with you so much on Pet Semetary. I have read the book seven times.

And the full novel Legion by William Peter Blatty is genius. It’s the literary continuation of The Exorcist (also genius). Blatty makes you love the characters and laugh with them all the while showing you terrible horrors and horrible truths about human nature. So much soul. . . And don’t judge it based on the movie Exorcist III which Blatty (despite having directed) was famously disappointed in what the studio forced him to do to the ending.

Very true about the art of film and literature complement each other. One is not meant to be exactly like the other. It's also nearly impossible as each person perceives a book differently, and nothing could ever live up to that image in your head of what you think it should be like, because someone else is making that movie.

That's interesting what you said about Pet Sematary. It's also one of my top 10 books of all time, across all genres. I think Stephen King is a great writer when it comes to the human mind, but he is just on another level in this one. It's rich, it's classic King, and in it's own way it's beautiful. I've wanted to reread it and you have inspired me to come to it again to see what I can pull from it a aecond time around.

Have you read the short story "Red", by Richard Christian Matheson? It's my all-time "favorite" horror story ever-ever. I found it in his short story collection "Scars and Other Distinguishing Marks", but it can be found in a few other collections too. IF you haven't read it, I cannot recommend it highly enough! (Now I'm off to find Zombie... 💗🤘🏾)

Reading The Ruins now. Watched the movie last week for the first time. Really good book and better than the movie so far. I've just got back into reading horror books. I'd recommend Off Season by Jack Katchum. Great channel.

Wow we have almost the exact same taste ! Every book on here is one of my favorite or on my TBR (with the exception of a couple books I'd never heard of). Personally my favorite horror novels are Lisey's Story by Stephen King, Negative Space by B.R. Yeager, and House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski :D

My first “read” of American Psycho was as an audiobook and it definitely changed my perspective on horror, absolutely loved the book but it made me feel pretty bad inside lol

The books that scared me the most and literally made me pee in bed in my sleep were Doctor Sleep by Stephen King, Pines by Blake Crouch, and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Thank you.

The Woman in Black is still one of my all-time favorite books! It's the most *perfect* gothic horror/ghost story.

I just got my library card lol excited to get into gothic literature again

I made a movie about the first book you were talking about ruins, I remember that plot word by word

Know im late to the game but just wanted to say, the robert pinsky translation of inferno is the best!!! His footnotes are excellent and since he is normally a poet he really makes the work sing!

Super lste to this conversation but thank you for some great recommendations! I LOVE Paul Tremblay and I have to agree A Head Full of Ghosts is such a great read! I've also added The Ruins to my Kindle so I'm excited for that! 😁 My current favorites are The House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski and The Deep by Nick Cutter. Both books are so interesting and The Deep managed to disturb me like no other book has been able to do. It actually gave me a nightmare. 😅

I just finished the ruins (how I found you channel). Sooo good. Im not the fasted reader but I flew through this. Great video! I traded the ruins with my brother for “the fisherman”. I’m only about 1/3 way through, but loving it.

The Ruins was an amazing book. I’m only on my third horror book currently. So far Misery by Stephen King has to be my favorite, but I did really enjoy that The Ruins had more violence and gore (I wouldn’t classify it as scatterplunk tho). I like to be scared and The Ruins did that really well. But it’s still more tame, and frankly more ethical, than what I’m reading now which is Playground by Aron Beauregard. I’m actually loving Playground once I got past pages 40 - 50. Everything else after page 50 isn’t as bad and is actually really well done but for the love of god check trigger warnings.

For what it's worth, I'd suggest the Hollander translation of l'Inferno (and the remainder of the Comedy, as well); the Hollanders are a husband and wife team: he is a Dante scholar from Princeton, who actually translates the original Italian text, and she is a poet, who prepares the English text in order to best evoke the underlying context, etc., while trying to maintain as much of the Terza Rime flow as possible, but in open verse. The endnotes are very thorough, and provide some of the best background and name identification, including why that person appears where they do, that I've seen without getting too bogged down in the details so as to undermine the read.

Thanks so much for this. I’m listening to Silence of the lambs now. I’m ashamed to say it is one of my favorite movies and I didn’t even know it was a book. Pet semetary is my favorite horror book ever, for all the reasons you stated. so I can tell we have similar tastes.

Love me some horror. Who goes there is a classic, love reading that and then watching the multiple adaptations

You would like Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. It came out before Silence of the Lambs.

Larry Niven the inferno is one of my favorites cause of it's optimistic view of the afterlife.... smile

'Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here' is also the sign above Traitors' Gate, at the Tower of London.

Your husband proposing with a Hellraiser box is incredible!! He definitely knows you, lol, you got a keeper!