The Best Horror Books of the Last 10 Years to Read This October

I don’t usually read too much horror, but every now and then I love reading a few new horror books that feel impossible to put down. If you’re like me and enjoy scary novels that mix mystery, atmosphere, and a little bit of fun, this list is for you. I’ve put together the list of most loved horror books from last ten years. Some of these are classic-style scary books set in haunted houses, while others lean into dark thrillers or gothic suspense. Out of all of them, Darcy Coates is my favorite, because her haunted house stories are creepy but still easy to follow. So, if you’re looking for chilling ghost stories, unsettling thrillers for your fall reading list or October book club, you will love these books.

My Top 3 Horror Picks:

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer : A truly unsettling story about strangers in a house that may not want to let go of its past. One of the creepiest scary books set in a haunted house I’ve read recently.

Hunted by Darcy Coates : Darcy Coates is my favorite horror author, and this book shows why. It’s a tense survival story set in the woods.

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak : A ghost story with a twist. The idea of a child’s drawings revealing a dark mystery made this one of the most unique new horror books I’ve read.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Fern is fifteen, pregnant, and sent to the Wellwood Home in Florida during the summer of 1970. The girls there are told to forget their mistakes and give up their babies. Everything is controlled, from meals to conversations. Fern meets other girls like Rose, who dreams of escape, and Holly, a mute fourteen-year-old. Life seems hopeless until Fern discovers a strange book on witchcraft. For the first time, the girls hold power. But magic is not free. It carries a heavy cost, often paid in blood. The book mixes history with horror and creates a story about control, rebellion, and the dangerous cost of taking power back. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is unsettling, atmospheric, and perfect for you if you enjoy dark coming-of-age stories with a supernatural twist.

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Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

Lenore is trapped in a cold marriage to Henry, a wealthy steel magnate. They move to a remote estate, Nethershaw, where he plans a hunting event. Lenore hides a dark secret from a past hunt. Everything changes when Carmilla arrives after an accident. She is pale by day but alive with energy at night. Carmilla awakens a deep hunger in Lenore, and soon girls from nearby villages begin falling ill. Lenore must choose between her husband’s affection and Carmilla’s pull. As the sickness spreads, Lenore uncovers dangerous truths buried in her home. Hungerstone reimagines the gothic vampire story with feminist fire, sapphic romance, and eerie atmosphere. It is dark and seductive.

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The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Three women across three eras face witchcraft and danger. Minerva, a graduate student in the 1990s, researches Beatrice Tremblay, a forgotten horror author. She discovers Tremblay’s novel was based on a real mystery about a vanished roommate during the Great Depression. The deeper Minerva digs, the closer the shadows come. Her grandmother, Nana Alba, once told her stories of witches she met in 1900s Mexico. Now, the same darkness threatens Minerva’s life. The novel weaves Mexican folklore, gothic mystery, and academic obsession. The Bewitching blends past and present.It’s chilling, intelligent, and rich with atmosphere, perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic and multigenerational horror novels.

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Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen

In 1887 Netherlands, Lucy worries for her twin sister, Sarah. Sarah refuses to eat, mutters strange words, and obsesses over an ancient corpse unearthed on her husband’s estate. The doctor calls it fever of the brain. Lucy fears worse. Sarah’s behavior changes, turning violent and hungry. Something unnatural seems to be taking over her. Is it madness, possession, or something darker tied to the body found on their land? Lucy hides secrets of her own while trying to save Sarah. Blood on Her Tongue is about love, fear, and what happens when something monstrous creeps into the home.

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We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

Charlie and Eve buy a cheap old house, thrilled to start fresh. One day, a man arrives with his family, claiming he used to live there. Eve lets them in. Strange things begin immediately, ghostly noises, vanishing children, and a dark presence in the basement. The visitors won’t leave, and their behavior turns menacing. When Charlie disappears, Eve questions her sanity. The house itself seems alive with secrets, pulling her deeper into a nightmare. We Used to Live Here is an eerie debut about home, memory, and intrusion. Soon to be a Netflix film, it’s an unsettling horror novels that makes you question who belongs where.

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You Like It Darker by Stephen King

Stephen King returns with a new story collection. Each tale explores darkness in life, sometimes supernatural, sometimes human. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a psychic vision changes many lives. “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, follows grief, inheritance, and danger. “The Answer Man” asks if knowing the future is a blessing or curse. Every story blends terror with emotion. It clearly shows King’s skill at mixing horror with humanity. You Like It Darker proves why King remains the master of storytelling. It’s unsettling, surprising, and unforgettable.

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The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

Ji-won’s life unravels after her father leaves for another woman. Her mother is broken, her sister confused, and Ji-won’s grades collapse. Worse, her dreams fill with bloody rooms and blue eyes, the same eyes as George, her mother’s new boyfriend. George is arrogant, controlling, and intrusive. Ji-won despises him and plots against him. As bodies begin to pile up near her campus, her rage grows harder to control. Ji-won’s hunger for revenge blends with horrifying visions, pushing her further from reality. The Eyes Are the Best Part is a bold, subversive horror novel.

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Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne

Anna dreads family vacations. Her parents, siblings, and their partners make her feel like the outsider. This year, they stay at a remote Italian villa. At first, it seems perfect, but strange things begin. Locals warn of the place. Noises echo at night. Shadows linger. The villa has a violent past that refuses to stay buried. Anna’s family tensions rise alongside the haunting. Secrets and resentment bubble up, turning their stay into a nightmare. Diavola has horror and family drama. It’s witty, unsettling, and deeply atmospheric.

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What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

Alex Easton, a retired soldier, seeks peace after surviving horrors at Usher manor. They travel to their family’s hunting lodge for rest. But peace is impossible. The caretaker is dead, the lodge is in disarray, and the villagers whisper of a breath-stealing monster. At night, Easton’s dreams twist into terror. Something lurks in the woods and within the lodge itself. Superstition collides with grim reality as Easton tries to uncover the truth. What Feasts at Night is gothic horror book with folklore roots. .

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Holly by Stephen King

Holly Gibney returns in a new case. Once shy, now a skilled private investigator, she takes a missing person case against her better judgment. Penny Dahl’s daughter has vanished, and Holly feels compelled to help. Nearby live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris, elderly, respectable, and hiding something horrific in their basement. Holly must outthink these depraved predators, whose careful disguises make them almost untouchable. Holly is suspenseful and creepy weaving crime with psychological elements.. King gives Holly center stage, showing her resilience, intelligence, and determination against monstrous villains.

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The September House by Carissa Orlando

Margaret and Hal buy their dream Victorian home. It’s cheap, beautiful, and perfect except for the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood and ghosts roam freely. Margaret stays, refusing to give up her house. But Hal eventually leaves, unable to bear it. When their daughter Katherine visits, unaware of the hauntings, the nightmare grows worse. With Hal missing and the house turning violent, Margaret and Katherine face its darkest secrets. The September House is a fabulous haunted house novel. It shows one woman’s stubborn fight to claim her space even against restless, vengeful spirits.

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The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

In 1950 Florida, twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens is sent to the Gracetown School for Boys. His crime: defending his sister. The school is a brutal reform institution filled with cruelty, racism, and hidden horrors. Robbie can see ghosts—haints—and they reveal terrible truths about missing boys and the darkness within the reformatory. Meanwhile, his sister Gloria fights to free him. Inspired by real events at the Dozier School, in The Reformatory Tananarive Due creates a powerful story about injustice, survival, and the supernatural. It’s both terrifying and deeply moving.

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Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Mallory Quinn takes a nanny job after rehab. She cares for Teddy, a sweet boy who loves drawing. At first, his pictures are normal. Then they turn disturbing, a man dragging a woman’s body, scenes far beyond a child’s skill. The drawings become lifelike and sinister. Mallory suspects a supernatural force is speaking through Teddy. But who will believe her? Determined to save him, she digs into the mystery. Hidden Pictures is creative, gripping, and packed with tension, perfect for fans of Stranger Things or psychological thrillers.

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The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

After her father’s execution, Beatriz marries Don Rodolfo for security. She moves into Hacienda San Isidro, ignoring whispers about his first wife’s death. The house is beautiful, but soon visions and voices torment her. Rodolfo’s sister mocks her fears, but even the servants use protective rituals. Alone and desperate, Beatriz turns to Padre Andrés, a priest with secret knowledge of witchcraft. The Hacienda is gothic suspense at its finest. With echoes of Rebecca and Mexican Gothic, it’s about love, fear, and survival in a haunted home.

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The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Final girls survive horror. Lynnette is one of them. She meets with others who endured massacres, sharing trauma and survival stories. But someone knows about the group and starts targeting them. One woman vanishes. Danger closes in. Lynnette and the others must fight back. They’ve been through horror before, but this time feels deadlier. The Final Girl Support Group pays tribute to slasher films while twisting their tropes. Hendrix mixes dark humor, action, and terror. It’s fast and shows that survival is only the beginning of the story for horror’s most resilient women.

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Slewfoot by Brom

Abitha, a young Englishwoman, struggles in a Puritan colony. When her husband dies, she is left alone in a hostile society. Rumors of witchcraft swirl as she fights to survive. In the woods, an ancient spirit awakens. Known as Slewfoot, it is both protector and destroyer, feared by villagers. As deaths spread and suspicions rise, Abitha and Slewfoot must choose their paths. Witch or victim? Healer or monster? Slewfoot is dark fantasy. It’s haunting, magical, and beautifully illustrated.

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Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Maggie Holt grew up in a house of horrors or so her father wrote. His bestselling book described ghosts and terror at Baneberry Hall. Maggie doesn’t believe it. She was too young to remember. When she inherits the house, she returns to renovate it. But locals avoid her, and strange events mirror her father’s stories. Is the haunting real, or is someone trying to scare her away? Home Before Dark is a creepy thriller with horror and mystery. Riley Sager writes a story within a story. You will love the writing filled with truth, lies, and what really happened in the dark halls of Baneberry.

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Hunted by Darcy Coates

Eileen disappears while hiking in Ashlough Forest. Days later, her camera is found, filled with strange photos. Her brother Chris refuses to give up. With friends, he searches the forest, convinced she’s alive. But the woods feel wrong. Shadows move. Something stalks them. The deeper they go, the more danger they face. Hunted is survival horror mixed with mystery. It captures fear of the wilderness and the unknown. Darcy Coates builds dread page by page, leaving you as trapped and desperate as the characters themselves.

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