The 25 best horror books
The 25 highest-ranked horror books in our ranking of 2,819, scored on how much readers love them, their prize, best-list and bestseller record, and current buzz. We rank 86 horror books in all. How we rank
- 1
The Stand86.5Must-Read ScoreThe Stand
It's Stephen King's epic, and many fans' favorite of his books: a sprawling, gripping story of the end of the world and the ordinary people who rebuild it.
- 2
It83.7Must-Read ScoreIt
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and is one of Stephen King's most famous books.
- 3The Shining83.2Must-Read Score
The Shining
It's one of the most famous horror novels ever written and one of Stephen King's best.
- 4
The Institute81.2Must-Read ScoreThe Institute
It hit #1 on the New York Times list and is one of King's best recent novels.
- 5
Different Seasons80.7Must-Read ScoreDifferent Seasons
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller, and three of its four novellas became films: The Shawshank Redemption, Stand by Me and Apt Pupil.
- 6
Misery79.9Must-Read ScoreMisery
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list, and the film won Kathy Bates an Oscar.
- 7
The Picture of Dorian Gray79.9Must-Read ScoreThe Picture of Dorian Gray
It was voted onto both PBS's Great American Read and the BBC's Big Read.
- 8
The Green Mile79.5Must-Read ScoreThe Green Mile
It was a pick on the BBC's Big Read and became an Oscar-nominated film with Tom Hanks.
- 9
The Exorcist79.0Must-Read ScoreThe Exorcist
It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list and became one of the most famous horror films ever made.
- 10Empire of the Vampire77.2Must-Read Score
Empire of the Vampire
It's one of the most popular dark fantasy novels of recent years, and its sequel was a Goodreads Choice finalist.
- 11
Angel Down77.1Must-Read ScoreAngel Down
It won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, a rare win for a writer best known for horror.
- 12
Swan Song76.7Must-Read ScoreSwan Song
It was voted onto PBS's Great American Read.
- 13
Pet Sematary75.6Must-Read ScorePet Sematary
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller, and Stephen King has said it's the book that frightens him most.
- 14
You Like It Darker75.3Must-Read ScoreYou Like It Darker
It won the Goodreads Choice Award for horror and hit #1 on the New York Times list.
- 15Dark Curse75.3Must-Read Score
Dark Curse
It reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
- 16House of Leaves75.0Must-Read Score
House of Leaves
It's on the BBC's Big Read and has a huge cult following.
- 17
Watchers73.3Must-Read ScoreWatchers
It was voted onto PBS's Great American Read.
- 18
Light in August72.4Must-Read ScoreLight in August
It's on both the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels, and it's often called Faulkner's most approachable major novel.
- 19
The Ocean at the End of the Lane72.3Must-Read ScoreThe Ocean at the End of the Lane
It was a Nebula finalist and is one of Gaiman's most beloved books.
- 20
The Sound and the Fury72.0Must-Read ScoreThe Sound and the Fury
It's on the TIME, Modern Library and Bokklubben lists of the greatest novels.
- 21World War Z71.8Must-Read Score
World War Z
It spent 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists.
- 22Full Dark, No Stars71.6Must-Read Score
Full Dark, No Stars
It was one of the ten best-selling books of 2010.
- 23
The Outsider71.4Must-Read ScoreThe Outsider
It hit #1 on the New York Times list.
- 24Holly70.8Must-Read Score
Holly
It won the Goodreads Choice Award for horror and reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
- 25
Frankenstein70.5Must-Read ScoreFrankenstein
It was voted onto both PBS's Great American Read and the BBC's Big Read.