16 Terrifying Books That Will Make It Impossible to Sleep After Reading
1/18There’s something about a dark and stormy summer night that makes you want to crack open a creepy novel. You don’t *want * to freak yourself out, but you can’t really help it. Yes, you could watch a scary movie on Netflix, but isn’t it a thousand times more spine-chilling when you let your brain create its own horror? These books will help, but be warned: we’re not responsible for your nightmares!
2/18The Shining by Stephen King
Sure, you’ve seen the movie version of this Stephen King novel, but have you read the book? It’s very different. King didn’t love Kubrick’s version of his work and actually pursued another version more faithful to the book — but equally scary.
3/18The Doll-Master by Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates is one of the prolific writers out there and her horror stories are excellent. The title story is about a little boy who becomes obsessed with old dolls, and if there’s anything scarier than a busted-up doll, we don’t know what it is.
4/18Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Young Oskar thinks there’s something odd about his new friend Eli, and indeed there is. Eli isn’t a little girl, but a 200-year-old vampire. And we all know how vampires stay alive …
5/18Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
This YA novel about an orphanage features creepy real photographs that the author found, giving the story even more layers and dimension.
6/18Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
*Rebecca * isn’t scary, per se, but it’s gloomy and Gothic in a way that makes it a perfect companion during a summer storm. The unnamed narrator moves into her husband’s creepy mansion and is less than welcomed by the staff, all of whom preferred his mysterious, dead first wife Rebecca.
7/18Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry
The Manson Family murders in August 1969 brought the “Summer of Love” to a bloody, twisted end. The case lasted over a year and was full of shocking twists and insane drama, so much that head prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi wrote this classic true-crime book about his experience. You’ll be triple-checking that your doors and windows are locked after reading this one.
8/18The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
Is the *Amityville Horror * true? Well, probably not, but that doesn’t mean that the “real” retelling of the Lutz family’s experience in a New York house won’t scare you. Do you love *Paranomal Activity? * You’ll want to move to Amityville.
9/18The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
Who is the woman dressed in black? What’s going on in this little English village? You’ll have to read this book, based on an English ghost story, to find out. The movie version, which stars Daniel Radcliffe, is OK, but the book gets under your skin in a whole new way.
10/18The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
It’s a shame that this book got swept up in the *Gone Girl * hysteria of a few summers back, because it deserved its own attention. It features a time-traveling murderer and the “shining” women he’s destined to kill … only one of them refuses to meet her fate.
11/18Night Film by Marisha Pessl
An enigmatic, possibly-dangerous horror movie director’s young daughter dies mysteriously, and a writer tries to find out what happened without getting swept up in the director’s dark world. Spoiler alert: He totally does. *Night Film * is about movies, but the book itself is better than any movie could be.
12/18House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
This haunted house novel isn’t easy to read, which makes summer’s long and lazy days the perfect time to tackle it. It will get into your brain and terrify you completely. That’s a promise.
13/18Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
Because hey, these books scared the heck out of you at elementary school sleepovers, and it’s fun to revisit the stories that freaked you and your friends out the most. Did you know that parents have been fighting to have the eerie illustrations removed? That’s the best part!
14/18In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Your English teacher will be so impressed when you tell them you read this classic by Truman Capote over the summer. It’s credited with being the first true crime novel, and it’s definitely one of the best. Capote takes some liberties with the real people he’s writing about by getting into their heads, but that adds another layer of complexity to the story.
15/18The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Forget you ever saw a cable rerun of the ‘90s adaptation of this Shirley Jackson story. The book is *legions * better. It’s the ultimate haunted house tale; yes, Hill House has ghosts, but it also has a paralyzing effect on a young girl’s sanity.
16/18The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
If you like *The Haunting of Hill House, * you’ll probably love *The Little Stranger, * a ghost story by Sara Waters, a true master storyteller. This book features Hundreds Hall, a haunted mansion full of characters who may or may not be evil.
17/18The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
Everything Gillian Flynn writes turns to gold, including this super-short story about a shifty “psychic” and the family she gets entangled with, all of whom are not quite what they seem. It’s only 62 pages long – seriously – which makes it the perfect tote-along on a weekend camping trip.
