11 Horror Books That Won’t Let You Sleep at Night

Who doesn’t like to read a good horror story, the kind that won’t let you sleep afterwards? The reason is a mystery, but the reality is that we love to feel the fear generated by good fiction.

Today the awesome.club made a selection of 11 horror books for you to enjoy (and look under your bed before bed).

1. Misery — Mad Obsession, by Stephen King

Misery — Crazy Obsession

Stephen King

When Paul Sheldon, author of Victorian-era romance novels, finds himself involved in a traffic accident during a snowstorm, he has no idea who his gentle savior really is, or what she is capable of. Annie Wilkes, a former nurse, is Sheldon’s biggest fan. And soon, the writer will be involved in his worst nightmare.

two. The Home of Miss. Peregrine For Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs

The Home of Miss. Peregrine for Peculiar Children

Ransom Riggs

On a remote island, far from the mainland, lie the charred ruins of an old orphanage. The building tragically caught fire after a bomb dropped many years ago, leaving no survivors. But when Jacob, 16, explores the collapsed building, he discovers that this was not a typical children’s home, and that its inhabitants were anything but ordinary. Perhaps the children were sent to the remote island for a reason. And as soon as Jacob realizes this, his chilling adventures begin.

3. The Cemetery, by Stephen King

The Cemetery

Stephen King

There is a special cemetery in the small town of Ludlow where locals bury their pets. A doctor, his wife, two children and the family cat move into an old town house, unaware that everyone buried in the nearby cemetery has come back to life.

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4. House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski

House of Leaves

Mark Z. Danielewski

A chilling book, not yet released in Portuguese. When a young family moves into a house on Ash Tree Lane, no one imagines that this will be the worst decision of their lives. First of all, the house is much more spacious than it looks from the outside. Then voices begin telling horrible stories about an ever-widening chasm behind a closet door, about creatures born in the darkness, and about the growl that will soon rip through the house and consume every living soul inside.

5. THEs Ruins, by Scott Smith

the ruins

Scott Smith

In the heart of the jungle in Mexico, a group of young people find a lonely and menacing ancient pyramid above the trees. Interestingly, there is no one around. But when the friends climb the pyramid, they encounter a horrible sight. Surprised and confused by the discovery, the youths try to flee the scene, but armed people from a nearby town force them to remain there. Unlike travelers, natives know that whoever climbed the pyramid is doomed.

6. The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of the Hill House

Shirley Jackson

The book that spawned the hit series The Haunting of Hill House. Haunted houses are traditionally at the top of all horror fiction lists. But this book takes the haunted house concept itself to a whole new level. The house in this story seems to have its own angry and sensitive mind. But that’s not the most terrifying part. Eleanor, the narrator of the story, seems believable enough for the reader to trust her. Like the woman’s descent into the abyss of claustrophobia and madness, this story moves slowly and almost imperceptibly, and it may affect you more than you expect.

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7. The illuminated, by Stephen King

The illuminated

Stephen King

Jack Torrance, an alcoholic writer, gets a new job as a janitor at an off-season hotel in Colorado, and his wife Wendy and son Danny go with him. Everything seems to be going well, at least until all the guests leave and Jack’s family is the only one in the hotel. That’s when things start to go wrong for little Danny. The child, endowed with telepathic powers, experiences the unprecedented horror of seeing and communicating with the hotel’s ghosts. But these cursed souls are still not the scariest thing that can happen to the family.

8. It: The Thing, by Stephen King

It: The Thing

Stephen King

Seven children live a normal life in Derry, Maine, until one day the tranquility is interrupted. Now, nothing will be like before for this group of friends. Children are harassed and terrorized by what is only known as “The Thing”, a supernatural entity that can disguise itself and appear out of nowhere. But this being’s preferred form is an evil clown, who preys on children and feeds on their darkest fears.

9. sharp objects, by Gillian Flynn

Sharp Objects

Gillian Flynn

After a short stay in a mental hospital, reporter Camille Preaker is sent on a disturbing journey. She has to return to her hometown to write about a recent local tragedy. Camille hasn’t visited her neurotic mother for many years and doesn’t know her half-sister very well, a stunning 13-year-old who has a frightening and mysterious hold over the entire town. If Camille wants to know the truth behind the story she’s been covering and survive her own return, she’ll have to solve the riddle of her past.

10. The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty

The Exorcist

William Peter Blatty

The Exorcist is a classic of horror literature, adapted with enormous success for the cinema. The novel tells the struggle of a psychiatrist priest to exorcise the demon of Regan MacNeil, a twelve-year-old girl, daughter of a famous actress. The story is inspired by a 1949 case of demonic possession and exorcism, which the author heard about when he was a student at Georgetown University.

11. Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice

Interview with the Vampire

Anne Rice

Is immortality a reward or a punishment? The author of this book seems to pose this question in this novel starring Louis, a vampire who never wanted to be, and Lestat, the vampire who made him immortal. This novel was adapted for film with great success, and was the starting point for the return of vampires as main characters in current literature.

Have you read any of these books? Which one scared you the most? And what do you think is missing from this list? Tell us in the comments.