Where does pure darkness come from? From horrific fiends, aliens, and psychopathic killers? I believe darkness dwells in the most familiar of places. You only have to look at yourself in the mirror to see your own personal demon, and it will be horrifying enough that you’ll run away screaming. There is nothing darker or more sinister than human nature and no matter how hard you try to look away, its presence will always be there, haunting you.
The following books are masterpieces because, even if their plots may weaken in certain parts, they still have the power to keep you up at night and make you sleep with the light on. The reason they are so successful is because the horror and the familiar coexist on the same plane. Just be warned, by delving into these stories you will lose trust in those that surround you.
Piercing by Ryu Murakami
In this book, the threats are neither vampires nor ghosts, but something much closer and real. It tells the story of a man who struggles with an overwhelming impulse to harm his own child. The way the events unfold will make you feel shivers down your spine. You’ll never trust anyone again after you get to the last page.
“Taking care not to prick his finger, he lifted the ice pick from his pocket. He closed his right hand around the handle and gently drew back the baby’s blanket with his left.”
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Ghost Story by Peter Straub
Straub has received many literary honors, including the Bram Stoker Award, and his novels have become contemporary horror classics. This one tells the story of five men who are lifelong friends and get together to tell ghost stories. In one of those nights, one of them dies with a frightful grimace on his face. Although a year passes and they try to forget this tragic incident, the past continues to haunt them through a series of dreadful and prophetic nightmares where each foretell their own death.
“What was the worst thing you’ve ever done? I won’t tell you that, but I’ll tell you the worst thing that ever happened to me… the most dreadful thing…”
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The Hell House by Richard Matheson
Stephen King referred to this novel as the “scariest haunted house novel ever written.” It follows the life of a dying millionaire who hires a physicist, a parapsychologist, and two psychics to journey to the abandoned Belasco House in Maine —one of the most haunted precincts known— and find out whether the afterlife exists or not.
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Dracula by Bram Stoker
This is an essential novel that set the foundations of the image of the vampire we know today. Stoker strengthened the myth of the vampire by adding mysticism and pure evil to the protagonist of his epistolary novel. He spent years studying European folklore and superstitions from many cultures to describe count Dracula’s powers and weaknesses. Thus, he created one of the most frightening and legendary vampire novels of all time.
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House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
This book intertwines the stories of many different characters: musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies. Everything begins when the protagonist, an employee in a Los Angeles Tattoo parlor, moves to an apartment that was abandoned when its owner passed away. There, he finds a manuscript written by the late owner who was an academic of documentary film. As he reads, he discovers the ominous experiences the previous family lived in said house and soon he realizes he is also a character of the story.
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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
This novel is considered to be one of the pillars of the modern haunted house sub genre. Psychological suspense is a key element in this novel, and what is special about this work is that each reader interprets the story in a different way.Dr. Montague is an occult scholar who recruits three people to visit and research the paranormal events that take place at the well-known haunted Hill House.
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Books of Blood by Clive Barker
This desolate, gory, and ghastly story is made up by a series of six books and each book is a compendium of different stories that focus on one recurring premise: masochism. Clive Barker, one of the most imaginative minds of the genre, weaves frightening experiences into familiar or fantastic settings.
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Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill
This book is Joe Hill’s debut novel. It focuses on the life of an old rock star who decides to spend his retirement days at a mansion on the outskirts of the city. He kills time by collecting artifacts related to supernatural legends. One day, he receives an email regarding a particular item that is being sold online: the suit of dead man whose poltergeist is said to follow the suit wherever it goes. His latest acquisition arrives in a heart-shapped box, containing not only the suit, but also his worst nightmare.
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Dawn by Octavia Butler
This book from the saga Lilith’s Brood follows the story of a group of nuclear holocaust survivors who fall into the clutches of a group of aliens. They promise to spare their lives with one condition… The price to pay turns out to be more gruesome than the complete obliteration of Earth.
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The Cipher by Kathe Koja
This is the author’s debut novel, and it’s on the cutting edge of horror. It centers on an dysfunctional young couple who finds a disused storage closet at their old apartment, where there’s a hole in the floor that appears to lead nowhere. However, unable to resist the temptation, the couple decides to enter this hole, with terrible and unforeseen consequences.
For more chilling stories, don’t forget to check out:
4 Books That Will Show You The Dark Spectrum Of Obsession
Psychological Thrillers That Will Surely Twist Your Mind
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Translated by Andrea Valle Gracia
