The Best Classic Horror Novels

The best horror novels don't go for the obvious scare or the graphic descriptions. The best horror novels give you a story of seemingly normal events, a false sense of security, and then they disturb you with just one small indiscretion. Something doesn't seem right: A shadow. A book out of place. A menacing stranger. Before you know it, darkness has fallen; you want to go to bed, but you're afraid to go to sleep. You have to see what happens next!

These seven classic horror novels are examples of the best of the horror and suspense genres. Some are traditional horror, others are more gothic or suspense, but all are sure to stir up an eerie mood, at Halloween or any time of year.

The Haunting of Hill House (1959) by Shirley Jackson

This novel is the classic haunted house story, suspenseful and genuinely terrifying. Dr. John Montague, a paranormal investigator, obtains permission from the owner of Hill House, a young man named Luke, to invite a number of individuals to the house for an experiment. Only two women accept: Eleanor and Theodora. These four--Dr. Montague, Luke, Eleanor, and Theodora--stay in Hill House as long as they can despite the immediate occurrence of paranormal events, which grow to be terrifying and ultimately, for Eleanor, disastrous.

The Shining (1977) by Stephen King

Where Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation focuses on the developing insanity of the father, Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, the novel develops around the little boy, Danny, and his talent of "shining," his telepathic ability to read minds, see the future, and converse with a spiritual guide he calls Tony. Stephen King is, of course, one of the great writers in the horror genre. Only Stephen King could make his readers afraid to ever again walk by a fire hose in a hotel hallway.

Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker

Through a narrative comprised of journal entries from each of the main characters, this story endures as a classic in suspense and horror. No wonder endless film and literary adaptations endure throughout the generations. Dracula was the beginning, and the reason why vampires are, and always will be, popular icons of the horror genre.

Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley

Dr. Frankenstein's monster is another legendary character of the horror genre. This literary masterpiece is more disturbing and gothic than outright scary, but at the very least, readers can join the slightly annoying circle of those who feel obligated to remind everyone that Frankenstein was not the name of the monster, but the surname of the doctor who created him.

The Exorcist (1971) by William Blatty

What is William Blatty's The Exorcist? A superbly written horror novel about an eleven-year-old girl possessed by a demon? A portrayal of the mysterious, and frightening, symptoms of mental illness? Or an illustration of the dichotomy of religion versus science? The answer is up to the reader, who might be too terrified while reading to ponder such questions.

The Turn of the Screw (1898) by Henry James

The Turn of the Screw, like Jackson's Hill House, explores the psychological stability of a young woman. In this novel, the young woman in question is a governess who, at the home of her new employer, begins to see what she imagines are ghosts of the house's previous employees. Even more frightening, she begins to suspect these spirits are not only evil, but are also after the two children placed in her care. Are the children really in danger? Or is the governess imagining it all?

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) by Ray Bradbury

Two thirteen-year-old boys, Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, sneak out of their homes in the middle of the night to watch a carnival arrive in their small, Illinois town...and they realize before anyone else that this carnival is not your average, everyday affair. No creepy clowns make an appearance, but Bradbury doesn't need them. Just try going to sleep at night with the image of Mr. Electrico embedded in your subconscious.