The Greatest Horror Books of All Time
The greatest horror books of all time are books that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up just from the rustle of turning the pages. These scary horror novels are books you don't want to read at night (or by yourself) because they're just a little too scary. Many of these scary books have been turned into the scariest movies ever made, while others are too frightening to be imagined in real life.
From Stephen King classics like "The Shining" and "It" to classic stories like Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", these scary horror novels are known for their fright factor and smart writing that makes you believe the horrific events in the books are really possible.
What are the best horror novels? What is the scariest horror book? This list of the best horror novels is here to help you find a good scare on the written page. If you don't see your favorite horror book on the list of great scary novels, make sure to add it so other people can get the same fright you did.
If you're still looking for a good scare after peeking at this greatest horror books list, check out the scarefests in the best found footage films for a good scare.
From Stephen King classics like "The Shining" and "It" to classic stories like Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", these scary horror novels are known for their fright factor and smart writing that makes you believe the horrific events in the books are really possible.
What are the best horror novels? What is the scariest horror book? This list of the best horror novels is here to help you find a good scare on the written page. If you don't see your favorite horror book on the list of great scary novels, make sure to add it so other people can get the same fright you did.
If you're still looking for a good scare after peeking at this greatest horror books list, check out the scarefests in the best found footage films for a good scare.
List Criteria: Scary / horror novels or other fiction
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- 1Up 130Down 18Stephen King
- 2Up 90Down 17Bram Stoker
- 3Up 107Down 27Stephen King
- 4Up 108Down 13Stephen King
- 5Up 63Down 16Mary Shelley
- 6Up 85Down 10Edgar Allan Poe, Nextext
- 7Up 72Down 14Richard Matheson
- 8Up 73Down 13H. P. Lovecraft
- 9Up 64Down 10Peter Straub
- 10Up 77Down 14Stephen King
- 11Up 65Down 20Stephen King
- 12Up 58Down 8William Peter Blatty
- 13Up 38Down 6Robert Louis Stevenson
- 14Up 47Down 11Oscar Wilde
- 15Up 35Down 7H. P. Lovecraft
- 16Up 34Down 8Ira Levin
- 17Up 27Down 5Henry James
- 18Up 69Down 17
The Silence of the Lambs
Thomas Harris - 19Up 24Down 4
Books of Blood
Clive Barker - 20Up 43Down 12Dean Koontz
- 21Up 37Down 6Ray Bradbury
- 22Up 32Down 4Robert Bloch
- 23Up 32Down 8
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories
H. P. Lovecraft - 24Up 40Down 12Stephen King
- 25Up 38Down 13Robert R. McCammon
- 26Up 38Down 13Clive Barker
- 27Up 41Down 17James Herbert
- 28Up 32Down 11Dan Simmons
- 29Up 27Down 9Jay Anson
- 30Up 25Down 3Mark Z. Danielewski
- 31Up 39Down 11Shirley Jackson
- 32Up 27Down 8
Swan Song
Robert R. McCammon - 33Up 34Down 14Anne Rice
- 34Up 24Down 6
Hell House
Richard Matheson - 35Up 22Down 5James Herbert
- 36Up 25Down 11Richard Laymon
- 37Up 11Down 2Stephen King
- 38Up 30Down 8Joe Hill
- 39Up 24Down 4Washington Irving
- 40Up 25Down 10Peter Benchley
- 41Up 20Down 1H. G. Wells
- 42Up 22Down 9
Stinger
Robert R. McCammon - 43Up 25Down 13Ramsey Campbell
- 44Up 27Down 6Clive Barker
- 45Up 24Down 10Michael Crichton
- 46Up 23Down 10Dan Simmons
- 47Up 17Down 5Neil Gaiman
- 48Up 15Down 5Ramsey Campbell
- 49Up 18Down 8
One Rainy Night
Richard Laymon - 50Up 16Down 6Dan Simmons
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