9 New Horror Books to Keep You Terrified Until Halloween

Mr. Splitfoot, by Samantha Hunt
Mr. Splitfoot sends its readers into the darker parts of New York, enveloping them in a lyrical, gothic Appalachian nightmare. The dual story unfolds between a young woman in the present, and a young woman in the past who channels spirits as a hobby. Astute readers already know these two plotlines will converge, and they most certainly do, but Mr. Splitfoot is more about journeys than destinations, something made no clearer than in a traipse though a disquieting wood on the way to its terrifying conclusion. And “disquieting” is an understatement, as the gothic prose, poetic imagery, and twisted characters make this one a compelling, if methodical, read.

The Fisherman, by John Langan
Speaking of Upstate NY gothic, John Langan’s newest novel uses the setting to tell a much different story involving eldritch locales, unusual monsters, and, of course, fishing. Langan’s prose is as sharp as ever, and this story about two grieving men who encounter unusual events centered around a strange creek is fashioned with the air of a local legend—the kind of terrifying tale best shared in the wee hours of the night. The two protagonists feel utterly real, making for a terrifying story about the unusually quiet woods in an area known for them, and a worthy addition to the horror canon. Langan is shaping up to be one of the best storytellers in modern horror, and this book showcases why.

The Graveyard Apartment, by Mariko Koike
The Graveyard Apartment tells something of a conventional story: a troubled couple, their adorable daughter, and their pets move into an apartment that seems too good to be true. Naturally, the apartment happens to be in a building surrounded on three sides by a graveyard and a crematorium. On the day they move in, their pet bird dies. Other tenants quickly move out of the building. It doesn’t take a horror aficionado to tell the place is haunted and that things will go downhill quickly, but Koike brings a sense of claustrophobia and progressive isolation to a story that keeps the dread ticking right along, as its stubborn protagonists refuse to follow the example of their neighbors and leave the creepy apartment.

Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, by Paul Tremblay
Paul Tremblay is something of a rising star, with his books A Head Full of Ghosts and Swallowing a Donkey’s Eye earning high praise from some of the biggest names in horror. His most recent novel concerns, as the title says, what happens to the friends and family of a teenage boy in the aftermath of his unexplained disappearance. As the trail goes cold and leads vanish, pages from the boy’s notebook start to appear in his family home and a mysterious apparition is seen peering into windows all over town. Tremblay has never been one to shy away from the emotional truth of terror, and Devil’s Rock finds him operating at the height of his powers, spinning the clear and present fears into unnerving, liminal horror.

Hex, by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
For those who like your horror more extreme (hah! Nailed the segue!) this one may be for you. Hex starts slow enough with a town’s odd customs and mysterious curse, but soon kicks into gear with a series of brutal, bleak, and emotionally devastating events. The story concerns the town of Black Spring, a place under observation due to a curse that forces anyone who settles there to either stay or die horribly. The curse was placed by the terrifying Black Rock Witch, an apparition whose mouth and eyes are sewn shut, and who can appear anywhere in town, at any time. When a group of teenagers decide to start experimenting, things quickly go out of control, causing the town to revert to puritanical methods of order. I cannot warn enough that this is probably the roughest book recommended, and those who cannot read about animal cruelty, torture, and unspeakable things done with Krazy Glue should probably leave this on the shelf.

Lost Gods, by Brom
Horror and dark fantasy illustrator Brom occasionally branches into novels and short story writing. His new novel Lost Gods begins with ghosts and a bizarre murder, then plunges its hero into purgatory and puts him into contact with a series of old and forgotten gods as he searches for a key at the bottom of the underworld. Brom brings his unique visual style to everything he writes, and Lost Gods is host to some of his most terrifying imagery this side of The Plucker, creating a dark and compelling world with a hint of Guillermo del Toro flair in its underworld depths and long-forgotten gods. The result is odd, twisted, and a perfect late-night read.

Nightmares, edited by Ellen Datlow
Ellen Datlow, editor extraordinaire (Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror, RIP) boasts that Nightmares contains the best dark fiction culled from nearly a decade of work. It’s a a heady claim, but with a contributor’s list including such illustrious names as Shearman, Kiernan, Files, Barron, Langan, and Kadrey, this anthology definitely delivers. Within this surreal sampler, you will find stories about ritual doll execution, sinister medical clinics, haunted houses, and more besides. If you’re into darkness, there’s something for almost everyone in here.
Standout Stories: “That Tiny Flutter of the Heart I Used to Call Love” by Robert Shearman, “Closet Dreams” by Lisa Tuttle, “Shallaballah” by Mark Samuels

Lost Signals, edited by Max Booth III and Lori Michelle 
There’s something inherently ethereal about the radio…especially when a station fades in and out in a whispering of static, or when you find something late at night that sounds bizarre and barely in focus, arcane and disturbing (half the time it’s Coast to Coast or the local fire and brimstone preacher, but still.) Lost Signals is an anthology featuring the best in weird, dark fiction centered around radio broadcasts, number stations, and other unusual signals in the dark. Highlights include Matthew M. Bartlett writing in his excellent Leeds, MA universe, late-night AM radio evangelism, and a story about an alarm for people buried alive in cemeteries—all of it perfect for nights when everything’s quiet and the mind drifts to stranger places on the dial.
Standout Stories: “The Givens Sensor Board” by Josh Malerman, “Transmission” by T.E. Grau, “Where The Night Cowers” by Matthew M. Bartlett

Swift to Chase, by Laird Barron
Barron is known for surreal works drawing on a tradition of gothic horror, cosmic horror, and pulp. Recently, he’s been branching out into further territory, weaving tales of mad science, yakuza assassins, malevolent alien forces, and far stranger things. His latest, Swift to Chase, is an intersection of all these influences, a twisted collection of linked stories set in the Alaskan wilderness that forms its own mythology while creating ties to older works. Barron lends his distinctive touch to stories about haunted carnivals, dystopian landscapes, and occult rituals, all containing something of the old, but all feeling entirely new. Swift also introduces an awesome central character to its mythology: a tough-talking, hard-fighting, knife-toting survivor known as Jessica Mace, who manages to live through violent circumstances both natural and supernatural.
Standout Stories: “Andy Kaufman Creeping Through the Trees,” “(Little Miss) Queen of Darkness,” “Frontier Death Song,” though really you should read them all in order to get the full effect.

What are you reading during the spookiest month of the year?