6 Truly Iconic Horror Books to Read This Halloween

With Halloween coming fast, people are looking for thrills and chills. Kids are getting their costumes ready, and horror genre fans can’t wait to go on a horror movie marathon. But if you want to experience Halloween in the best way possible, a good horror book is always a great choice. 

But with the myriad of horror books out there, it could be a bit difficult to choose. So if you are going to read a book, you should make sure that it is a truly great one. You don’t want to waste your time reading a subpar book. 

Here are 6 Iconic horror books to read this Halloween:


  • Dracula

By: Bram Stoker

If we’re going to talk about iconic horror books, we can’t get started without Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This is because Dracula is the first penultimate book in the vampire genre. Although there have been mentions of vampires in literature before Dracula.  

No other book has been able to capture the public imagination during the time like Dracula. The iconic novel is set during the Victorian era and follows the dark predations of Count Dracula. Overall, the novel is one of the most influential horror novels of all time and helped shape the minds of generations of horror writers.

dracula by bram stokers


  • IT

By: Stephen King

If you ask most horror genre fans who the greatest and most prolific horror writer of the age is, they would most likely say one name. Stephen King, and they would be justified in saying so. This is because Stephen King has been writing for nearly 5 decades, and has stayed relevant to this very day. 

In a way, the name Stephen King is synonymous with horror, and one of his most terrifying works is the novel IT. The horror novel is set in the town of Derry, Maine. And through the years a malevolent force has been stealing away children. 

And as the disappearances start to get worse, a small group of children sets out on stopping the evil that haunts their town once and for all. The novel is one of Stephen King’s most iconic works and has various film adaptations.


IT by stephen king


  • Frankenstein

By: Mary Shelley

Frankenstein is yet another classic of the Gothic era, and like Dracula has helped form the collective imaginations of generations of writers. Mary Shelley’s classic follows the misadventures of Doctor Frankenstein, a brilliant scientist who tries to create life. He does so by stitching together the pieces of corpses he dug up and using electricity to bring it to life. 

But once he does, he soon finds his creation to be abhorrent and deems it an abomination. He flees from the creature in shock and disgust. The creature soon follows the man who he considers his creator. 

What follows next is a gruesome and tragic tale of loss, hate, and regret. And for the past hundred years, the book has readers wondering who the real monster is.


Frankenstein by mary shelley


  • Salem’s Lot

By: Stephen King

Salem’s Lot is one of Stephen King’s earliest and most iconic works. The story takes place in the town of Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine. It follows writer Ben Mears, who comes home to Jerusalem’s Lot after being away for 25 years.  

He plans to write a book about the long-abandoned Marsten house. But things start turning sinister when a reclusive Austrian immigrant named Kurt Barlow purchases the property. Soon people start disappearing and come back as evil and undead versions of themselves. 

Stephen’s Lot has become a classic through the years and has been adapted in multiple film versions.


Salem's Lot by stephen king


  • Coraline 

By: Neil Gaiman

Written by beloved fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, The novel follows the adventures of a young girl named Coraline Jones. Her family moves into an old house that has been divided into flats. Coraline is a curious girl and she soon finds a secret door in her room. 

It is bricked up and the other tenants in her house warn her against opening it. But one day, curiosity overcomes her and she opens the door. Little does she know of the world of trouble she will unleash. 

Coraline is a dark fantasy novel that contains all of Gaiman’s superb storytelling, and has been adapted into a feature film.

Coraline by neil gaiman


  • The Exorcist

By: William Peter Blatty

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty is a pop culture icon. And for good reason. The book was written in the early 1970’s and was soon adapted into one of the most terrifying horror movies of all time. 

Viewers were even reported to have fainted or left the cinema because of how terrifying the movie was. The novel follows the exorcism of a young girl named Regan. She is possessed by an ancient demon who threatens to take her soul and that of everyone around her. 

Now it is up to veteran Catholic priest Lankester Merrin to save young Regan from the predations of an ancient evil.

the exorcist by william blatty

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