All-time Favourite Horror Novels (updated 2025)

The Fiction Fox
Oct 27
12 min read

Updated: 5d

Out of all my genre-favourite-lists, this one has taken me the longest to compile. Horror and I have had a rocky relationship. I’ve avoided it for years, only to develop a unique fascination and love for it later down the line. In many ways, it’s the underdog of genre-fiction; often dismissed as cheap/sensational entertainment by “serious” literary critics, for better or worse. To me, horror occupies a unique spot in the artistic landscape, despite or maybe even because of this underdog status. It became a place for the queer, the liminal, and the outsiders of society to unite and celebrate their spot in a world that deemed them monstrous.

Thanks to its focus on the darker sides of life, it also lends itself perfectly as a vessel to explore trauma and grief, which is where it had its true impact on me personally. For that reason, my top 10 might be more personal to me than any other genre-top I have on here.

My top 10 are the books that had the biggest impact on me, for the themes and fears they tackled. They also all combine scares with an emotional core and sense of katharsis. If that isn’t your brand of horror, and you’re in the market for something more extreme, gory or shocking: you’ll likely not find those here, but there are plenty of other lists out there.

Most of these authors have more than one excellent horror-novel to their name, but I'm limiting myself to one entry per author, and a few honourable mentions.

Top 10 Favourites

1. Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

To the absolute surprise of nobody, I’m starting this list off with my all-time favourite book and probably the only book on this list that gave me nightmares ánd full body shivers when reading it. It blends cosmic horror with psychological dread and a sci-fi exploration story into a landscape that’s equal part terrifying and enticing. I’ve mentioned before that the reason I adored this book so much, might not even be one the author intended. To me, Annihilation’s story and its portrayal of a dread beyond words and ratio, made for the perfect metaphor for my experience with childhood cancer and the annihilation (no pun intended) of body and self that brought with it. Don’t let that deter you, if it’s not something you think will work for you as a theme. Because of how abstractly Annihilation handles its themes and imagery, there are countless interpretations of what the story is depicting. Perhaps that’s what makes Annihilations such a brilliant piece of horror: like the entity at its center, it’s a perfect mirror reflecting and refracting your own personal fears back at you.

Publishers Synopsis:

Area X has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide, the third in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. The members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within weeks, all had died of cancer. In Annihilation, the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, we join the twelfth expedition.The group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain, record all observations of their surroundings and of one another, and, above all, avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.

2. Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Our Wives Under the Sea is about as close to being my perfect book as you can get. Not only does it combine all of my favourite elements (a metaphor of deep-sea biology, hauntings, themes of grief, loss, parental illness, an F-F-relationship that’s past the first-love stage, and so much more), it does so subtly, cohesively and sticks its landing. Told in Julia Armfields stunning prose, this is literary weird, unmooring and uncanny, and strangely beautiful all at the same time, and lives in the quiet places of my mind ever since I finished it.

Publishers Synopsis:

Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep-sea mission that ended in catastrophe. It soon becomes clear, though, that Leah is not the same. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has brought part of it back with her, onto dry land and into their home.Moving through something that only resembles normal life, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had before might be gone. Though Leah is still there, Miri can feel the woman she loves slipping from her grasp.

3. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

This one needs no introduction. The Haunting of Hill House is the quintessential horror novel, and has become the blueprint for the genre for good reason. Despite countless books before and countless after it, few have captured the essence of horror-atmosphere quite like the original. Bonus points for spawning some of the best adaptations and homages (I’m looking at you Haunting of Hill House by Mike Flanagan) seen on screen an page, out of any book on this list.

Publishers Synopsis:

Four seekers have arrived at the rambling old pile known as Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of psychic phenomena; Theodora, his lovely and lighthearted assistant; Luke, the adventurous future inheritor of the estate; and Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman with a dark past. As they begin to cope with chilling, even horrifying occurrences beyond their control or understanding, they cannot possibly know what lies ahead. For Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

4. This Appearing House by Ali Malinenko

The first middle-grade book, and perhaps the most “niche-to-me” entry on this entire list. Books about childhood cancer are rare. Let alone books that portray a child surviving cancer, without being paraded around as an inspirational hero for others to gawk at. I understand why, as it’s not a topic that most middle-graders have to confront in their real life, and as such, some parents might not even deem it “too heavy” or inappropriate for children. And yet, for the few kids that do deal with it (including the ones that survive), that lack of representation is even more isolating. I was one of those children, and wished with all my heart that this book had been around when I was a middle-grader. It shows a message that I’ve felt, but never seen on page before this one: that the story of cancer doesn’t have a binary ending (death or happily ever after). The truth is far more complicated than that. This Appearing House wraps that story - a girl dealing with her own history of cancer - inside an approachable haunted house horror-tale with a sprinkle of supportive friendship and parenting. It’s a recommendation to readers of all ages who are up for the subject matters, but a must-read for survivors big and small.

Publishers Synopsis:

For as long as anyone could remember there wasn't a house at the dead end of Juniper Drive… until one day there was.When Jac first sees the House, she's counting down to the five-year anniversary of her cancer diagnosis, when she hopefully will be declared NED, or "no evidence of disease."

But with a house appearing, and her hands shaking, and a fall off her bike, Jac is starting to wonder if these are symptoms--or if something stranger is happening.Two classmates dare Jac and her friend Hazel to enter the House.

Walking through the front door is the way in. It's definitely not the way out. There's something off about the House; Jac can feel it. The same way she knows it's no coincidence that the House appeared for her five-year marker. It wants something from her. And she won't be able to get out until she figures out what.

5. The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

I knew at least one T. Kingfisher book had to make my list, but I’ve gone back and forth on which one would best represent my love for this author. Kingfisher’s horror sets itself apart by combining strange and cosmic terrors with down-to-earth and dry-witted protagonists with a dash of well-times humor to lighten the mood. The Hollow Places has all that, ánd has the benefit of being inspired by one of my favourite classic horror stories of all time: The Willows by Algernon Blackwood.

Publishers synopsis:

Recently divorced and staring down the barrel of moving back in with her parents, Carrot really needs a break. And a place to live. So when her Uncle Earl, owner of the eclectic Wonder Museum, asks her to stay with him in exchange for cataloguing the exhibits, of course she says yes. The Wonder Museum is packed with taxidermy, shrunken heads, and an assortment of Mystery Junk. For Carrot, it’s not creepy at she grew up with it. What ís creepy is the hole that s been knocked in one of the museum walls, and the corridor behind it. There’s just no space for a corridor in the museum s thin walls or the concrete bunker at the end of it, or the strange islands beyond the bunker s doors, or the whispering, unseen things lurking in the willow trees. Carrot has stumbled into a strange and horrifying world, and They are watching her…

6. The Fisherman by John Langan

When I started The Fisherman for the first time, I thought it was going to be a 4-star read, that wouldn’t stand the test of time for me. Although I adored the first and last third, it was the nested folklore-story in between that through me off. For some reason though, upon finishing it, I felt compelled to reread this story. Once I did, everything clicked into place. The Fisherman is the closest thing to a modern Lovecraft-tale, mixed with an intimate portrayal of two grieving widowers who bond over the shared experience of losing their spouses. If you’re a fan of cosmic horror (without the Lovecraftian racism/xenophobia), you cannot pass up this modern classic. Publishers synopsis:In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. Steep-banked, fast-moving, it offers the promise of fine fishing, and of something more, a possibility too fantastic to be true. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other's company and a shared passion for fishing, hear rumors of the Creek, and what might be found there, the remedy to both their losses, they dismiss it as just another fish story.Soon, though, the men find themselves drawn into a tale as deep and old as the Reservoir. It's a tale of dark pacts, of long-buried secrets, and of a mysterious figure known as Der Fisher: the Fisherman. It will bring Abe and Dan face to face with all that they have lost, and with the price they must pay to regain it.

7. Pet Sematary by Stephen King

I think that I was fairly warned of the disturbing experience I was in for when I picked up Pet Sematary, as King himself has said this is probably the most disturbing book he´s ever written. Even with that warning in the back of my mind, I still wasn’t prepared for the impact this book had on me. I don’t say this lightly, but this is the most horrifying book I’ve read all my life. Not based on cheap scares or gore (those are generally the horror novels that don’t work for me), and not even for the supernatural aspects so much either. It was the themes of grief and death, and the existential fear and psychological dread that this story touches upon that unsettled me to the core, in a way that I’ve rarely experienced before. Utterly heartbreaking and utterly disturbing…

Publishers synopsis:

When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Despite Ludlow’s tranquility, an undercurrent of danger exists here. Those trucks on the road outside the Creed’s beautiful old home travel by just a little too quickly, for one thing…as is evidenced by the makeshift graveyard in the nearby woods where generations of children have buried their beloved pets. Then there are the warnings to Louis both real and from the depths of his nightmares that he should not venture beyond the borders of this little graveyard where another burial ground lures with seductive promises and ungodly temptations. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there—one more terrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful. As Louis is about to discover for himself sometimes, dead is better…

8. The Saturday Night Ghost Club – Craig Davidson

I feel like no horror-list is complete without an 80's-set-coming-of-age-tale that sparks nostalgia and terror in equal parts. For many people, It by Stephen King will hold that spot, but I personally couldn't enjoy that book over the awful portrayal of its female leads and the gratuitous sexual content involving minors. Instead I have another story that included a group of misfit boys, growing up and confronting their fears and trauma's in an 80's small-town setting. I specifically loved the friendships in this book, as well as the spooky (yet cosy) atmosphere that transported me to a different time in small-town America. This somehow made me nostalgic for a place and time I've never lived...

Publishers synopsis:

Growing up in 1980s Niagara Falls--a seedy but magical, slightly haunted place--Jake Baker spends most of his time with his uncle Calvin, a kind but eccentric enthusiast of occult artifacts and conspiracy theories. The summer Jake turns twelve, he befriends a pair of siblings new to town, and so Calvin decides to initiate them all into the "Saturday Night Ghost Club." But as the summer goes on, what begins as a seemingly lighthearted project may ultimately uncover more than any of its members had imagined.

9. Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris

Despite it's length of only júst over 100 pages, this eco-horror novella packs a big punch. Thematically, you can probably see why this was all up my alley: an exploration of grief over the loss of a parent, queerness, death and rebirth, and art, all through a lens of natural beauty and terror. What truly makes this novella stand out though, is Morris's mastery of language. The entire novella reads like an extended poem, and not a single word is out of place.

There's something truly masterful of delivering the same emotional punch as a full-length-novel, in not even half of the page-count, and Morris demonstrated how to do this to perfection.

Synopsis:

A struggling artist, stuck in art-block after the death of her father, is offered a solo-cabin-holiday by her girlfriend, in hopes of sparking her creativity. Surrounded by the brackish waters of the lake and oppressive swamp-mists, Rita’s mind indeed begins to blossom with uncanny visions. Told alongside the descriptions of the series of painting created during her trip, we follow Rita’s journey in the natural bog, as well as the swampy depth of her own mind into the decaying depth of her grief.

10. One Yellow Eye – Leight Radford

This most recent addition to this list combines some of my favourite "micro-tropes" into a story that feels like it was targeted specifically towards me. In the trend of Frankenstein-inspired fiction, this book explores the relationship between a biomedical scientists and her husband, and the lengths she will go to in order to keep the man she loves with her. This is a brilliant exploration of caregiving, anticipatory grief and the line between fighting for a loved-ones extended life, and knowing when the most loving thing to do is to let them go.

Publishers synopsis:

Having always preferred the company of microbes, British scientist Kesta Shelley has spent her life peering through a microscope rather than cultivating personal relationships. That changed when Kesta met Tim—her cheerleader, her best friend, her absolute everything. So when he was one of the last people in London to be infected with a perplexing virus that left the city ravaged, Kesta went into triage mode.Although the government rounded up and disposed of all the infected, Kesta is able to keep her husband (un)alive—and hidden—with resources from the hospital where she works. She spends her days reviewing biopsy slides and her evenings caring for him, but he’s clearly declining. The sedatives aren’t working like they used to, and his violent outbursts are becoming more frequent. As Kesta races against the clock, her colleagues start noticing changes in her behavior and appearance. Her care for Tim has spiraled into absolute obsession. Whispers circulate that a top-secret lab is working on a cure, and Kesta clings to the possibility of being recruited, but can she save her husband before he is discovered?

11. Leech – Hiron Ennes

The final entry on my list isn’t a full five-star-read, but earned its spot for its uniqueness and originality. It’s a genre ender that combines a dystopian world with sci-fi/fantasy-elements and a murder-mystery at its core, all bundled up in a generous helping of spinetingling horror. What made this book special to me, is its inclusion of a medical doctor as the protagonists, and the exploration of related themes like bodily autonomy and the limits of medical intervention that came with it. Again; more on this in my dedicated review of the book.

Publishers synopsis:

In an isolated chateau, as far north as north goes, the baron’s doctor has died. The doctor’s replacement has a mystery to solve: discovering how the Institute lost track of one of its many bodies.For hundreds of years the Interprovincial Medical Institute has grown by taking root in young minds and shaping them into doctors, replacing every human practitioner of medicine. The Institute is here to help humanity, to cure and to cut, to cradle and protect the species from the apocalyptic horrors their ancestors unleashed.

In the frozen north, the Institute's body will discover a competitor for its rung at the top of the evolutionary ladder. A parasite is spreading through the baron's castle, already a dark pit of secrets, lies, violence, and fear. The two will make war on the battlefield of the body.

Whichever wins, humanity will lose again.