Browse the best horror books of all time from classic authors like Edgar Allan Poe and Shirley Jackson, to modern masters like Stephen King and Anne Rice . Discover some of the scariest books ever written including The Exorcist , The Silence of the Lambs , Pet Sematary , and The Haunting of Hill House . From classics like Lord of the Flies and Ring to newer releases like Sleep Tight , I Was a Teenage Slasher , and The Madness , there are a variety of spooky stories to add to your list.
Horror novels typically include elements of fear, surprise, suspense, mystery and foreshadowing. There are the spooky, scary ghosts found in classic paranormal horror. Monster horror runs the gamut from vampires to werewolves (and much more in between). Supernatural horror builds around the evils of demons, exorcisms, and other netherworld terrors. Psychological horror digs into the brain and what it can do to introduce frightening alterations to our own perception. Whatever your favorite scares, you’ll find a horror novel to add to your reading list at Barnes & Noble.
We even have a variety of horror comics and graphic novels, like The Walking Dead series . You’ll also find all the best horror manga, including the visually disturbing stories of Junji Ito , or action-packed horror series like Demon Slayer , Jujutsu Kaisen , and Tokyo Ghoul . If you’re a fan of horror movies or TV shows, read the books before they hit the big screen. Not sure where to start? Check out our list of 25 of the most terrifying horror books ever on our blog or our lists of the best horror books of 2024 .
Some of the Best Horror Books to Read in 2025
![Wicked [Movie tie-in]: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9780062852847_p0_v3_s192x300.jpg)
![We Live Here Now: A Novel [Limited Stenciled Edge edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781250343826_p0_v5_s192x300.jpg)
![Godzilla vs. Biollante [Criterion Collection] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0715515311014_p0_v5_s192x300.jpg)
![Deep Blue Sea [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0760137171560_p0_v2_s192x300.jpg)
![Wolf Man [Blu-ray]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0191329273753_p0_v1_s192x300.jpg)
![Companion [Blu-ray]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0883929833801_p0_v1_s192x300.jpg)
![Forbidden World [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/mimages/0000000000000_p0_v0_s118x179.jpg)
![Heart Eyes [Blu-ray]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0043396642447_p0_v1_s192x300.jpg)