The weather is chilly, the pumpkin spice is flowing, and your neighbor is putting skeletons in their yard that look way too real from a glance. It’s officially spooky season. With October already in full swing and Halloween just around the corner, the anticipation for the scariest time of year has never been higher. There’s plenty of different ways to get into the Halloween spirit nowadays, including but not limited to: watching Hocus Pocus reruns on TV all day, carving a jack-o-lantern of Nicolas Cage’s face, or chasing your cat around in a full pirate costume while you exclaim, “Where’s me buried treasure?” Okay, that last one might just be me, but nevertheless there are more than enough ways to get into the holiday spirit this October. For those that really want to immerse themselves in spooky season this year, but don’t necessarily want to go all out with the haunted houses and messy pumpkin carving, another great way to participate in the Halloween festivities is with a truly chilling book. There’s nothing better than reading something that truly frightens you to your core and really makes you consider whether or not your neighbors are putting real skeletons in their front yard. Here’s just a sampling of some of the best books to read that will do just that.
Something Modern: It
If there’s one author of this generation that comes to mind when discussing spine-tingling literature, it would have to be Stephen King. King has built up a reputation of being one of the most recognizable names in writing of the last forty years, and it’s all due to his terrifying way with words. In his long career as an author, King has pumped out a truly exhausting amount of horror novels, however, none are more popular and identifiable than his 1986 novel It. The story of Pennywise and the Losers Club is one filled with childhood fears and gripping tension, and it’s sure to have any reader avoiding every sewer grate they come across for fear that a horrifying clown might be lurking within. Since it’s release, It has become a pillar of the horror genre. Not only is it the perfect book for Halloween, but it’s a book that simply everyone should read at least once. If you’ve never had the pleasure of reading a Stephen King novel, or you’re looking to get over your fear of clowns in the worst way possible, pick up It right here.
Something Classic: Frankenstein
For those looking for a spooky novel with a touch of classical style, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the perfect book to start with. Published in 1818, Frankenstein is a book rife with history and influence that can still be felt in today’s world. With this novel, Mary Shelley essentially created the science-fiction genre and pioneered the modern monster story as we know it today. The story of Frankenstein details the exploits of a young Victor Frankenstein as he seeks to give life to a person of his own twisted creation. What unfolds is a story of grotesque monsters and everlasting dread that makes for the perfect novel to read on a stormy October night. Frankenstein also has the added benefit of being written in a style that is pretty easy to understand compared to other books from its time period, so it’s accessible to those that may be wary of reading novels that are over a hundred years old at this point. If you want to know where Frankenstein’s monster had its origins, or if you’re just looking for a good monster story, then pick up Frankenstein right here and get reading.
Something for the Kids: Goosebumps
But what if you’ve got younger family members that are also looking to get into the spooky season spirit with a good book? Never fear, because alongside Stephen King is another one of the most recognizable names in horror fiction, R.L. Stine. Stine is known for his immensely popular Goosebumps novels, a series of children’s horror fiction books that are meant to put a little bit of fright into younger audiences without the overly graphic imagery of more mature horror books. The Goosebumps series is one of the more iconic staples in horror fiction due to the overwhelming abundance of books that R.L. Stine wrote for it. This makes the series perfect for younger audiences because there are just so many options. Does a child in your life like Werewolves? Stine has plenty of stories on werewolves. Do they like vampires? Stine has more stories on vampires than you could shake a garlic necklace at. Do they like petrifying stories of sentient ventriloquist dummies that definitely still keep me up at night? If they do you might want to start sleeping with the bedroom door locked, but either way Stine has a whole mini series of books on exactly that. The Goosebumps novels are the perfect way to make sure that the children in your life aren’t left out in the spooky festivities. They’re also just a great way to get children into reading, and at the end of the day isn’t that what’s most important? Grab some Goosebumps books for the young ones in your life right here, and don’t feel bad if you give them a read and they put some fear into you as well.
Something Short: Pretty much anything by Edgar Allan Poe
Sometimes life can get pretty hectic. Everyone has their own unique schedules that can pull them in a dozen different directions at once. This can make sitting down to read a good book pretty difficult for people that simply don’t have the time to get invested in a big novel, no matter how much they want to scratch that spooky itch around Halloween time. All is not lost, however, because there is one writer that is well-known not only for his bone-shaking stories but also for making those stories conveniently short and digestible. That particular writer would be Edgar Allan Poe. Poe’s writing is no stranger to the themes that surround Halloween and October as a whole; he is synonymous with dreary atmospheres and gothic imagery. Where Poe really shines is in his short stories, as he has crafted numerous different tales full of terror in a fraction of the time as most novels. The Masque of the Red Death, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Pit and the Pendulum immediately come to mind, and there are even more terrifying tales where those came from. What’s more, these stories are often compiled in collections of some of Poe’s best writing, so readers that only have a few minutes of time on their hands each day can still enjoy a full story in one sitting while having more to read for the next day. You can grab a collection of some of Poe’s finest works right here and read a story a day as the perfect way to build up anticipation for when Halloween finally comes.
. . .
There you have it, some of the best books to read to get you ready for spooky season. Be sure to grab at least one of these books before Halloween comes so you can read them under the light of a full moon while eating bite size candy and sipping some delicious pumpkin spice coffee. I know that’s what I’ll be doing.
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If any purchases are made using the links within, the writer will make a small commission.
For news on pop culture and everything entertainment, check back here at its-bananas.