The Her Campus National Editors write about products we love and think you’ll love too. Her Campus has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. All products are in stock and all prices are accurate as of publication.
Spooky season is officially here, and while some people may love this time of year for the fun Halloween costumes, themed frat parties, and scary movies, I’m just here for the books, TBH. For me, there’s nothing like curling up under a warm blanket with a creepy book in my hand during Halloween — candles lit and door locked, obvi (I get a little scared, OK?!).
While Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Dracula by Bram Stoker are OG classics and may be the more obvious choices to add to your Halloween TBR, there are so many more options out there, bestie! Whether you love gore or want a bit of a lighter read, here are 13 creepy and spine-chilling books for *all* the Halloween vibes this spooky season.
- Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch by Rivka Galchen
-
Set in the 17th century, Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch by Rivka Galchen is a classic tale of witchcraft, making it the perfect Halloween read. Katharina Kelper is an illiterate widow who lives in a small town called Leonberg, where everyone has accused her of being a witch after word gets out that she uses herbal remedies and makes “witchy drinks.” Desperate to not get executed, Katharina tries to tell her side of the story to her friend and next-door neighbor, Simon — but will her life be spared?
- Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
-
Did you know that Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu is actually the OG vampire novel, not Dracula? First serialized in the early 1870s, this LGBTQ+ cult classic is back in this beautiful edition edited by Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties. Carmilla follows Laura, a young woman isolated in a massive mansion in the middle of a forest somewhere in Europe, who ends up meeting another young woman named Carmilla. And while Carmilla is charming and the two quickly become besties (and even more than that), something is different about her — something that Laura can’t quite put her finger on at first. As Carmilla’s actions become more sporadic and strange, Laura begins to develop strange physical symptoms, and she quickly realizes that her life might be in danger.
- A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
-
Dorothy Daniels is a food writer by day and convicted serial killer and cannibal by night. The narrative switches between Dorothy behind bars and Dorothy’s life before being imprisoned, detailing who she killed and what she ate (including, um, the bodies of her victims, which were primarily men… Feminist queen, am I right?). Sound up your alley? If you really want to be spooked this Halloween, A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers is a must-add to your TBR and has been a popular one on lots of college students’ bookshelves.
- The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
-
Want a good thriller that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat this Halloween? I’ve got you covered. The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris follows 26-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers, who is tired of being the only Black employee at her workplace. But when Hazel, the other Black girl, starts working in the cubicle next to her, Nella breathes a sigh of relief — until something strange happens. The Other Black Girl is a book of social terror, exploring the evils of white privilege.
- MotherThing by Ainslie Hogarth
-
What’s more scary than in-laws? Jokes aside, Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth sets out to explore daughter- and mother-in-law relationships through dark humor and satire. When married couple Ralph and Abby move in with Ralph’s mom Laura, Abby thinks it’s the perfect opportunity to establish a good relationship with her mother-in-law. But that dream is quickly squashed when Laura is incredibly cruel towards Abby, and things spiral even more out of control when Laura dies and her ghost continues to haunt Abby and Ralph. Set to be freed from Laura’s deathly grip, Abby hatches a chilling plan — but will it work?
- Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
-
I read Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica a few months ago, and it’s a book I still think about a bit too much. (Warning: This is another cannibal book, so if that isn’t your thing, read on.) Set in a dystopian world, Tender Is The Flesh follows Marcos, a man who’s in the biz of slaughtering humans. Things aren’t looking great for Marcos, though — his wife recently left him, his father has dementia, and he feels ethically confused in what he’s doing for a living (I mean, can you blame him?). But when something rather *interesting* happens to Marcos, his life and everything he knew gets flipped nearly upside down.
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley
-
Want a lighter read this spooky season? Then snag The Guest List by Lucy Foley, a BookTok fave. A wedding is supposed to be a happy occasion, one filled with love and joy — but this celebrity wedding off the coast of Ireland goes all wrong when one of the guests is found dead. BRB, adding this to my TBR ASAP.
- Aura by Carlos Fuentes
-
If you’re not a big reader, Aura by Carlos Fuentes is a great place to start, since it’s on the shorter side. The novella follows Felipe Montero, who works in the house of an elderly widow, where he edits her deceased husband’s memoirs. However, Felipe becomes a bit side-tracked as he starts to fall for Aura, the widow’s hot niece. But something is a bit off about Aura — and if you want to know what that is, you’ll have to read the book to find out. This supernatural narrative is also completely in the second person, which is spooky in itself, if you ask me.
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christe
-
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is just *chef’s kiss,* being an OG classic. When ten strangers are invited to an isolated mansion in the middle of nowhere, they don’t really know what to expect, TBH. But slowly, one by one, each of them dies — meaning that there is a murderer in their midst (yeah, yikes). Which one of them is the killer, and who’s going to die next? Read this chilling thriller to find out.
- Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria MAchado
-
Her Body and Other Parties isn’t just a cool girl book — it’s also a perfect read for spooky season, and especially if you’re a sci-fi and fantasy junkie. The book is also a collection of short stories, meaning there’s something for everyone — whether you want to read about a salesclerk at a prom store in a mall making a disturbing discovery or a woman who has a surgery that goes horribly wrong, Machado has you covered.
- Lapnova by Ottessa Mosfegh
-
Lapnova by Ottessa Mosfegh has gore, murder, and witchery all raveled into one spellbinding novel — it’s the perfect recipe for a Halloween book, if you ask me! Set in a medieval village, Lapnova follows the story of 13-year-old boy Marek, who lives with his abusive shepherd dad. And while Marek’s life already isn’t the best, things get even worse when he steps into the village’s castle. (It all goes downhill from there, to say the least.) Warning: Lapnova has some pretty graphic and nasty imagery (including a scene where someone is force-fed spiders — yeah, ew), so if that’s not your thing, you might want to pass on this one.
- The Shining by Stephen King
-
It wouldn’t be spooky season without reading at least one book by Stephen King, and The Shining is one of his most well-acclaimed thrillers. Struggling writer Jack Torrance works at the Overlook Hotel, an old, isolated hotel in the Colorado Rockies. The gig seems like the perfect opportunity for Jack to work on his writing and spend time with his family, given he’s working during the hotel’s off-season. But when Jack’s five-year-old son Danny starts sharing some strange visions he has about the hotel’s dark past (the kid has psychic abilities, which they call “the shining” — yeah, creepy, I know), Jack quickly realizes that he and his family are in grave danger. Definitely don’t read this one before bedtime, bestie.
- Verity by Colleen Hoover
-
If blood isn’t your thing but you still want a thrilling book to read this Halloween, look no further than Verity by Colleen Hoover (oh, and it’s total smut). Verity follows the story of Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer trying to make ends meet. But when Lowen gets the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a ghostwriter for bestselling author Verity Crawford, who has been injured in a tragic accident and can no longer write, she leaps at the gig — and Verity’s hot husband Jeremy certainly makes that decision a bit easier. As Lowen arrives at the Crawford home deep in the middle of the woods to work, though, she stumbles upon a manuscript in Verity’s office — and while she knows she shouldn’t read it, what’s the harm in taking a peek, right? Right?!
