Horror books, by definition, are meant to keep you up a bit longer at night, wondering if the shadow outside your window is really the tree that has stood there forever or some newfound apparition. That’s all fair and square. However, some horror books burrow deep into your brain, and yet you remain grateful for every troubling revelation. These are the horror novels that hit me in that perfect sweet spot where fear meets fascination.
From psychological spirals to supernatural nightmares, here are 15 books that shook me to my core in the best possible way.
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The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp
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Perfume, The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
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Gone to See The River Man by Kristopher Triana
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Devolution by Max Brooks
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Gerald's Game by Stephen King
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The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
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House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
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Misery by Stephen King
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The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
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Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
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The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell
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The White Bishop by Brandon Perras-Sanchez and Aron Beauregard
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The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
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Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
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The Deep by Nick Cutter