7 Scary Reads to Kick Off Spooky Season

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Nothing quite puts us in the mood for spooky season like this vampire story which has become a modern classic. Set in Sweden, 12-year-old Oskar is intrigued by the murder of a teenager. The crime seems to have been part of a ritualistic killing and the body itself has been drained of its blood. More intriguing to Oskar is his new neighbor, a young girl who appears out of place, and only comes around at night. John Ajvide Lindqvist’s international bestselling novel is the basis for the multi-film festival award-winning Swedish film, the U.S. adaptation Let Me In directed by Matt Reeves (The Batman), and the brand new Showtime TV series, Let the Right One In, which debuted last week.

Road of Bones by Christopher Golden

Who’s ready for a terror-filled, supernatural road trip? In Christopher Golden’s Road of Bones, an American documentarian travels along 1200 miles of the allegedly haunted Kolyma Highway across the frozen tundra of Siberia. It’s an area known for fatal car accidents and a sinister past. The land is covered in layers of permafrost that bury a gruesome chapter in history—Soviet Union gulag prisoners who were worked to death and left to be erased from history by the elements. The New York Times Book Review says Golden “creates a mother lode of terror in just over 200 pages…. Shamans and spirits, the undead and the feral, the creatures of the Kolyma Highway and the unimaginable horrors of its history make for riveting reading.”

All Hallows by Christopher Golden

Though it isn’t out until this winter, we couldn’t resist including Christopher Golden’s All Hallows. From the New York Times bestselling and Bram Stoker Award-winning author, All Hallows is a suburban Halloween drama, set in 1980s Massachusetts. On Halloween night, as family dramas unravel and children are out trick-or-treating, four strange children appear. They aren’t from Coventry, but they beg for help and warn the children of ‘The Cunning Man.’

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel

Noted as one of the “Most Anticipated” books of 2022 by LitReactor, Book Riot, Goodreads, and more, Just Like Mother will have you on the edge of your seat. Following a woman who was raised in a cult as the people–and demons–from her past begin to reappear, Anne Heltzel’s latest horror novel is the perfect modern gothic for spooky season.

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten

Described as Crimson Peak meets The Sanatorim, The Resting Place is an unforgettable horror novel from Camilla Sten. Following Eleanor, who suffers from prosopagnosia–the inability to recognize people’s faces–she witnesses the scene of her grandmother’s murder, but cannot identify the killer. Eleanor is then summoned to her grandmother’s estate–along with her steadfast boyfriend, reckless aunt, and their lawyer–as they attempt to uncover the truth.

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson ramps up the horror and tackles America’s history and legacy of racism in this suspenseful YA novel following a biracial teenager as her Georgia high school hosts its first integrated prom.

Daphne by Josh Malerman

For fans of serial killer novels and coming-of-age narratives, Josh Malerman’s Daphne is a 2022 release you won’t want to miss. This year, horror has a new name: Daphne. A brutal, enigmatic woman stalks a high school basketball team in a reimagining of the slasher genre by the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box.

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