10 Fantasy Books to Pair with Your Favorite Halloween Movies

If You Like Hocus Pocus, Read Into the Drowning Deep, by Mira Grant
Though they don’t often market themselves as such, mermaids are the witches of the sea. In addition to their supernatural femme fatales, Hocus Pocus and Into the Drowning Deep share another theme: the foolishness of mortals. Years prior to the novel’s opening, the ship Atagartis set off to film a mockumentary on mermaids in the Mariana Trench. The mission accidentally succeeded—and it did not go well. Now, a second voyage has been organized, and, with this black-flame candle as our witness, nothing could possibly go wrong.

If You Like Beetlejuice, Read Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, by Jonathan L. Howard
Johannes Cabal offers the same rare combination of devilishness and delight as that ghoul whose name we’re totally not going to say again. They’re both demons of different orders around whom the world reluctantly orbits. In this first novel of the series, Cabal makes his second deal with the devil: in exchange for his own soul, which he bargained away years ago, Cabal must persuade 100 people to sign over theirs. His plan to do so involves a traveling carnival. Macabre antics ensue.

If You Like Carrie, Read The Beautiful Ones, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Assuming you’ve read Carrie—if not, get thee to Stephen King’s canon—you can find more telekinetic thrill with less straight-up chills in this deft and demure fantasy of manners. Antonina Beaulieu has been sent to the city for the Grand Season, her first shot at breaking into high society and attracting a suitor in this alternate world, akin to 19th-century France. Nina’s unwieldy telekinetic powers, however, make this mission difficult, and she finds it as tricky to control those powers as the wagging tongues of society’s elite. The story lacks a literal bloodbath, but bullies abound.

If You Like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Read The Supernatural Enhancements, by Edgar Cantero
Look, there is no perfect readalike for Rocky Horror (if you know of one, please tell us!), but Cantero gets halfway there, taking us to a creepy old house and introducing a bizarro secret society, all with devilish humor. It’s a pretty satisfying package, even if it lacks the camp of Dr. Frank N. Furter. What you think is going to be a typical Gothic ghost story quickly unravels into something much weirder, as A., the apparent European heir to the Virginia estate of his long-lost cousin, shows up at Axton House. TL;DR: occult hijinks galore.

If You Like The Addams Family, Read From the Dust Returned, by Ray Bradbury
Bradbury owns October like few other authors, and his Elliott family out-weirds even the the most bizarre Addams (Fester) by miles—or, I should say, centuries. The family has long lived in their Illinois manse, though they’re rarely seen by neighbors. The novel takes place as the house prepares for a family reunion involving the farthest-flung and far-out relatives. Vampires and foundlings and the grandparents older than the Sphinx—they’re all here, and ready to tell a tale or two.

If You Like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Read The Shining Girls, by Lauren Beukes
Freddy Krueger takes his victims by dream; the serial killer in The Shining Girls has the ability to travel through time, thanks to a house with a wormhole in the bedroom. On his tail is Kirby Mazrachi, one of the “shining girls” Harper Curtis targets. Kirby, the would-be victim, decides to nab the assailant by joining the staff of the Chicago Sun-Times, wielding its investigative firepower like a blade. Fans of slasher films will find the ride exhilarating and suspenseful, as well as particularly gruesome.

If You Like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Read Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett
While specifically mentioning neither Halloween nor Christmas, Hogfather manages to blend the spirits of both holidays in much the same way as Tim Burton’s animated creepfest. When Death is forced to step in for the Hogfather, Discworld’s characteristically skewed Santa Claus figure, calamity ensues, as does an earnest exploration of human belief. As “The Grim Reaper as Father Christmas” antics are almost exactly what Jack Skellington gets up to, these two works really are two peas in a spooky pod.

If You Like Practical Magic, Read The Memory Garden, by Mary Rickert
Okay, first read the source material for the film, Alice Hoffman’s delightful original novel. Then, when you need more witchy ancestry, pick up the delicate, entrancing Memory Garden. As with the Owens sisters, family secrets take center stage here. Sixteen-year-old Bay Singer is about to find out about the skeletons in her family closet when her adoptive mother, Nan, invites two childhood friends for an urgent reunion. What transpires is both literally and figuratively haunting with lush writing and an atmosphere of magical realism. (Also recommended: if you love Practical Magic but wish it took the long view, consider A Secret History of Witches, by Louisa Morgan.)

If You Like The Craft, Read Spell on Wheels, by Kate Leth, Megan Levens, and Marissa Louise
You can never have too many witchy girl gangs. Andy, Jolene, and Claire are twentysomething witches just trying to make in the modern world. That includes dealing with jealous exes, who break in and steal powerful spells at the bidding of shadowy entities. The ladies undertake a road trip of revenge, setting up an adventure that is every bit as satisfying as the righteous indignation of The Craft, with illustrations that create a truly spellbinding experience.