Five Spook-tacular Reads for Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner, and with it comes all of the spooky vibes. People all over will pull out their scariest movies, and for one night (or a few), will revel in the horror.

Not everyone is into scary movies, though – and some aren’t even into watching movies at all! Some people like to crack into a good horror book instead, and if you’re of the bookish persuasion, here are five creepy books to check out this Halloween!

1. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Thirteen-year-old best friends Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway are exploring their sleepy town on the night of Oct. 23, when a mysterious carnival rolls into town led by Mr. Dark, who seemingly wields the power to grant Green Town’s citizens their secret desires. But be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. Bradbury’s 1962 fantasy horror novel explores fear and the good and evil in all of us. He also looks at the desires and dreams of those on the cusp of adulthood versus those in middle age, who look back on what they have – or have not – accomplished.

2. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Who is scarier than your mother? Your other mother. Coraline Jones and her parents move to a new flat with 21 windows and 14 doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close. The 14th door is locked with only a brick wall behind it, until Coraline unlocks the door one day and finds a passage that leads to a flat just like hers – only it’s different. There things seem to be better: The food is tastier; the garden is in full bloom; pictures come to life; and even her other mother and father are more pleasant than her own. They love Coraline and want her to stay to be their own little girl. But Coraline soon discovers that all is not what it seems. Other children have fallen prey to the other mother, and it’s up to Coraline to save them all.

3. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Four people visit the notoriously unfriendly Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a haunting; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, Hill House’s future heir. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers – and soon it will choose one of them to make its own. Originally published in 1959, Hill House opened the door to some of the most popular haunted-house tropes used today and is widely regarded as the best haunted-house story ever written.

4. Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Dr. Louis Creed moves his family to rural Maine, where he meets a friendly local named Jud Crandall. After the Creeds’ cat is accidentally killed, Jud advises Louis to bury it near the old pet cemetery. But the cat comes back to life, with its personality changed for the worse. When Louis’ son dies, he decides to bury his body in the same ground, despite warnings from Jud. What returns is not his son, but an evil creature with his face. 

5. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

This book follows the true story of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, flipping between Daniel Burnham, the architect of the World’s Fair; and Dr. H.H. Holmes, a pharmacist and serial killer who lured his victims to their deaths in his elaborately constructed “Murder Castle.”