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The 100 Best Horror Books of All Time

"Horror books have been part of the literary world for years, but it seems like horror — in all its mediums — has been on the upswing in recent times. Maybe people are realizing just how satisfying it is to settle into a scary story, feel the rush of adrenaline, and then close the book, turn off the movie, or walk away from that haunted house at the end. To help you on your own hair-raising journey, we've put together a list of the one hundred best horror books of all time. What was our criteria? The staffers here at Unbound Worlds loved these books, and we think they deserve a place on the list — that's pretty much it."
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30 Days of Night (Steve Niles)
30 Days of Night
1
Steve Niles
Anna Dressed in Blood (Kendare Blake)
Anna Dressed in Blood
2
Kendare Blake
At the Mountains of Madness (H.P. Lovecraft)
At the Mountains of Madness
3
H.P. Lovecraft
The Bad Seed (William March)
The Bad Seed
4
William March
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
5
Toni Morrison
Bird Box (Josh Malerman)
Bird Box
6
Josh Malerman
The Bloody Chamber (Angela Carter)
The Bloody Chamber
7
Angela Carter
Books of Blood (Clive Barker)
Books of Blood
8
Clive Barker
Broken Monsters (Lauren Beukes)
Broken Monsters
9
Lauren Beukes
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories (H.P. Lovecraft)
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories
10
H.P. Lovecraft
Carmilla (Sheridan Le Fanu)
Carmilla
11
Sheridan Le Fanu
Carrie (Stephen King)
Carrie
12
Stephen King
Carrion Comfort (Dan Simmons)
Carrion Comfort
13
Dan Simmons
The Case Against Satan (Ray Russell)
The Case Against Satan
14
Ray Russell
The Changeling (Victor Lavalle)
The Changeling
15
Victor Lavalle
Come Closer (Sara Gran)
Come Closer
16
Sara Gran
Coraline (Neil Gaiman)
Coraline
17
Neil Gaiman
The Croning
The Croning
18
The Damned Highway
The Damned Highway
19
The Devil in Silver (Victor Lavalle)
The Devil in Silver
20
Victor Lavalle
Dracula (Bram Stoker)
Dracula
21
Bram Stoker
Drawing Blood by Poppy Z. Brite
Drawing Blood by Poppy Z. Brite
22
Dread Nation (Justina Ireland)
Dread Nation
23
Justina Ireland
The Drowning Girl (Caitlin R. Kiernan)
The Drowning Girl
24
Caitlin R. Kiernan
The Exorcist (William Peter Blatty)
The Exorcist
25
William Peter Blatty
Feed (Mira Grant)
Feed
26
Mira Grant
Fever Dream (Samanta Schweblin)
Fever Dream
27
Samanta Schweblin
Fiend (Peter Stenson)
Fiend
28
Peter Stenson
The Fifth Child (Doris Lessing)
The Fifth Child
29
Doris Lessing
Fledgling (Octavia E. Butler)
Fledgling
30
Octavia E. Butler
The Frangipani Hotel (Kupersmith)
The Frangipani Hotel
31
Kupersmith
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text (Mary Shelley)
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text
32
Mary Shelley
Frankenstein in Baghdad (Ahmed Saadawi)
Frankenstein in Baghdad
33
Ahmed Saadawi
From Hell - Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell
From Hell - Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell
34
Ghost Story (Peter Straub)
Ghost Story
35
Peter Straub
The Girl With All the Gifts (M.R. Carey)
The Girl With All the Gifts
36
M.R. Carey
The Good House (Tananarive Due)
The Good House
37
Tananarive Due
Gothic Tales (Elizabeth Gaskell)
Gothic Tales
38
Elizabeth Gaskell
The Grip of It (Jac Jemc)
The Grip of It
39
Jac Jemc
Hammers on Bone (Cassandra Khaw)
Hammers on Bone
40
Cassandra Khaw
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