Horror Books To Read Based On These Iconic Horror Movies
By Brandon Baker
It’s spooky season, so what better way to celebrate than to recommend horror books based on iconic horror movies! These recommendations are great if you’ve been wanting to read more horror this month and aren’t sure where to start, and they double as a movie watch list. Whether you’re into haunted houses or slashers, creature features or body horror, disturbing or something more campy, this list should have you ready for this spooky season and beyond!
If you wanted more of the dark fairytale vibes and high stakes of the movie Pan’s Labyrinth, read The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed.
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed
The Butcher of the Forest is a pretty short read that packs one heck of a punch. It’s a mashup of dark fantasy and horror and takes place in a war-torn village ruled by a tyrannical king. One day, his children go missing and are believed to be hiding in the deadly woods surrounding the town. Terrifying, monstrous creatures known as the Elmever lurk within, and no one who has gone in has ever come back out alive . . . except for our main character. The king shows up at her door, threatening the lives of her family and everyone in her village if she does not go back into the woods to retrieve his children. This book is incredibly tense, with just about every odd stacked against our main character. It’s atmospheric. Preemie Mohamed’s world-building is masterful in the way she can paint such a vivid picture with so few words. And, more than anything, the Elmever creatures are absolutely terrifying—their threat is ever-present, and it makes for a very unique and horrific reading experience.
If you liked the gory body horror as seen in The Thing (1980), read The Haar by David Sodergren.
The Haar by David Sodergren
The Haar follows Muriel, an elderly woman who’s being pushed out of her coastal Scottish home by a corrupt billionaire. Muriel has lived there all her life, and even built her home with her late husband. Now, thanks to this overseas land developer, everything she’s built is threatened. While walking on the beach one day, she stumbles across a mysterious creature that she names Avalon. In Avalon, Muriel finds an unlikely companion, a second chance at love, and a way to fight back. This book is equal parts sweet and terrifying, romantic and gory, heartwarming and violent. It’s a bodily horrific tender nightmare, written with a bit of humor, and is the perfect recommendation if you want something that’ll make you say, “awe!”...and also, “ew!”
If you liked the spelunking nightmare that was The Descent, read Below by Laurel Hightower.
Below by Laurel Hightower
Below is about a recently divorced woman hell-bent on traveling cross-country by herself, despite the impending snowstorm. At the start of our story, she finds herself in the middle of the West Virginian mountain range. After a series of bad luck and strange events, she is forced to put her trust in a kind truck driver she meets on the road. While driving, a strange creature with glowing red eyes attacks them, and the man’s truck goes off the road and down the West Virginian embankment. Our main character is left with an impossible choice: continue on her way, or help the kind man who helped her when she needed it most. Below is another quick read that packs a punch—it’s full of twists and turns, terrifying encounters, and there were many times I found myself afraid for the main characters.
If you like the witchy, folk horror aspects of The VVitch, read Slewfoot by Gerald Brom.
Slewfoot by Gerald Brom
Slewfoot takes place in 1666 New England and follows Abitha, who lives with her husband on the outskirts of her rural farm. After a series of unfortunate events, Abitha finds herself all alone, alienated from her community, and her home at risk of being unjustly taken away from her. One day, while Abitha is struggling to stay afloat, she strikes up an unlikely alliance with Slewfoot, a recently awakened demon that’s trying to find its place in a world it doesn't understand. As the two continue to interact, things eventually spiral out of control in the most spectacular way. If you like feminine rage or books that’ll make you think, “good for her,” this is the perfect recommendation. It’s dark, terrifying, thrilling, and has plenty of witchy and demonic vibes that make it an ideal read for this time of year.
If you want a book with cannibalistic serial killers in the same vein as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, read Brother by Ania Ahlborn.
Brother by Ania Ahlborn
Brother takes place in the Appalachian Mountains and follows Michael, a 17-year-old boy who doesn't want to live with his family of cannibalistic serial killers anymore. Not only does he not want to live the same lifestyle as his family and grapples with that reality, but he’s also relentlessly tormented by his brother, Reb. One day, while on a rare trip in town, Michael meets a beautiful girl named Alice. Michael has dreams of running away and starting a new life with Alice, away from the horrible life he’s forced to live, but of course, his family isn't going to let him go so easily. Fair warning, this is easily the darkest book on this list. The abuse that Michael withstands and witnesses is soul-crushing, the treatment his sisters live through is even worse, and of course, all the while, his family is abducting, torturing, and murdering innocent young women. Take all that and add one soul-crushing twist and turn after the other, and you’re left with an incredibly disturbing and horribly bleak horror story. Proceed with caution.
If you like the idea of a generational haunting as shown in Hereditary, read The Good House by Tananarive Due.
The Good House by Tananarive Due
The Good House is about Angela, whose family was torn apart while staying at her family's generational home one summer (dubbed The Good House). Her son tragically dies, she divorces her husband, and is left reeling from the trauma of all she’s endured. Two years later, she’s ready to return home and finds that there’s something very wrong with not only The Good House but also the town at large. Angela is forced to confront her inherited demons before it's too late. This book is a perfect slow-burn epic. It’s very dark at times and has unique haunting aspects with the exploration of voodoo magic, jumps back and forth from different POVs through time, and at its heart is a deeply emotional story about a mother grieving the loss of the life she had. I think this book is highly underrated and should be on more people’s radars.
And, if you like the meta aspects of The Cabin In The Woods, read My Heart Is A Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones.
My Heart Is A Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
My Heart Is A Chainsaw is about Jade, a high school senior who’s obsessed with slashers. She lives and breathes for slashers; literally, everything in her life revolves around slashers and slasher lore. Well, when a real-life slasher carves its way through her hometown of Proofrock, she’s more than prepared—she was born for this. This might be the most meta book I have ever read. This story is equal parts bloody, brutal slasher with an insanely high body count, and a fourth-wall-breaking deep dive exploration into the slasher genre and horror movies as a whole.
I hope this list has helped build your fall TBR! As the weather starts to change, the days start to get shorter, and the fall festivities ramp up, these recommendations are gripping enough to keep you reading late into the night, and terrifying enough to live on in your nightmares. Happy reading!