There is something thrilling about reading a good horror story. Sitting around the campfire with your friends, alone at night in your bed with only a flashlight for company, in the back corner of the library on a stormy afternoon, anywhere you can settle in for an unsettling tale. We’re all about the ghostly, the ghastly, and the grotesque, so what better time to dive into some super spooky fiction?
Here are five haunting horror stories to check out this October!
Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall
Many think the scary stories of the “road” in the woods and the ghost of a girl who calls from the void are just that– stories, urban legends, or just pranks played by teens on their friends. But Sara knows better. Framed as a Paranormal Investigation case file from the desk of one Dr. Ashford, Sara is a teen who is desperately searching for answers in the wake of her sister Becca’s disappearance. Many believe Becca ran off with her bad-boy boyfriend, but the journal she left behind all points to the stories of the Road and the ghost girl; Lucy Gallows. There are rules to the Road– take a partner, take a key, find the gates, and don’t ever step off the path. When the entirety of Sara’s school gets a message, challenging them to find out the truth about the Road and its secrets, who will be brave enough to go? Who will be strong enough to come back? The book takes the form of audio and video transcripts, text messages, and written testimonies from Sara herself. It had us flipping back and forth between chapters as you piece together the horrifying details as Sara’s story unfolds. Little details, things you may notice that the characters do not, build this story into a tension-filled dive into the unknowable.
Shutter by Courtney Alameda
Many think the scary stories of the “road” in the woods and the ghost of a girl who calls from the void are just that– stories, urban legends, or just pranks played by teens on their friends. But Sara knows better. Framed as a Paranormal Investigation case file from the desk of one Dr. Ashford, Sara is a teen who is desperately searching for answers in the wake of her sister Becca’s disappearance. Many believe Becca ran off with her bad-boy boyfriend, but the journal she left behind all points to the stories of the Road and the ghost girl; Lucy Gallows. There are rules to the Road– take a partner, take a key, find the gates, and don’t ever step off the path. When the entirety of Sara’s school gets a message, challenging them to find out the truth about the Road and its secrets, who will be brave enough to go? Who will be strong enough to come back? The book takes the form of audio and video transcripts, text messages, and written testimonies from Sara herself. It had us flipping back and forth between chapters as you piece together the horrifying details as Sara’s story unfolds. Little details, things you may notice that the characters do not, build this story into a tension-filled dive into the unknowable.
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
Two worlds collide inside the walls of a secluded Mansion in rural Canada. A dual POV, both Brittany and Daisy have familial ties to the mansion. Daisy moves into the mansion with her mother, but is haunted by more than just her past and the abusive ex boyfriend she left behind. Ten years later, and Daisy has been seemingly forgotten, her story swept up in the rumors and stories of the haunted halls of the mansion. But Brittany is determined to uncover her story, and the truth about the mansion itself. As a true-crime vlogger/podcaster on her web series “Haunted”, Brittany wants to discover the secrets behind the ‘miracle mansion’ that is her mother’s claim to fame. Both girls uncover secrets of the manor, revealing the true horrors it holds. The novel explores themes of abuse, trauma, and generational cycles of violence within these two fractured families. Will the stories hidden in the walls of the manor bring them together, or will they tear themselves apart to find the truth?
Note: this book comes with multiple content warnings from the author. Always check to see if this book is suitable for you before diving in.
The Diviners by Libba Bray
New York City, 1926—perhaps not the setting you would expect for a supernatural horror story. But at the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, Evie O’Neill has a supernatural secret. She possesses the power to read objects and see their hidden pasts. Sent to live with her eccentric uncle in the city after a paranormal incident in her hometown, Evie soon finds herself in the midst of a series of gruesome and occult murders that appear to be connected to a dark and ancient evil. Teaming up with a group of friends, each harboring their own supernatural abilities, Evie embarks on a harrowing quest to unveil the truth behind the killings and confront the malevolent forces lurking in the shadows of the Jazz Age. Creepy cults, gruesome murders, and a girl on the outside desperately trying to survive in a changing world. This book is a terrifying blend of historical fiction, horror, and mystery, that will keep you guessing until the end.
Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender
Delia Piven’s family just inherited an insane asylum, and they’re going to live there. Hysteria Hall was once a place for troubled and mentally ill young women to be sent when they were no longer wanted. Soon after moving into the mansion, Delia and her family discover that the place is haunted by the restless spirits of the girls who once lived and suffered within its walls. These vengeful spirits are trapped in a cycle of torment, and they begin to target Delia and her family. In a desperate bid for survival, Delia must uncover the secrets of the house’s tragic past and find a way to break the curse that binds the spirits to Hysteria Hall. As Delia navigates the mysteries of the mansion and the sinister forces that threaten her, the novel offers a chilling and suspenseful tale of supernatural horror, family secrets, and the enduring power of resilience.
