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Editors’ Picks: Horror
These spine-tingling stories were well worth the ensuing nightmares.
Published on October 5, 2022
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham JonesAfter reading “Mongrels,” Jones’ horror novel about a family of outsiders-slash-werewolves (and so much more), I’ll devour anything he writes. Jones has won just about every horror accolade out there, along with the arguably more important honor of slaying his way into readers’ hearts. “The Only Good Indians” doesn’t disappoint. Years after four young friends go hunting on forbidden land, an eerie supernatural being stalks them, hellbent on vengeance in this gory, glorious thriller. — Katie W.
It
Stephen King“It” is a literary Bogart, packing terrors to suit any phobia. Pennywise takes the form of a clown, of course, but also a mummy, a giant bird, a werewolf, flesh-eating piranhas, and even a murderous Paul Bunyan statue. Despite these horrors, King manages to capture the magic of childhood in a bygone era when kids were free to explore independently, build forts, and hash it out with bullies — no adults in sight. The result is a terrifying but adventure-packed novel that’s worth losing a few nights of sleep over. — Lanie P.
Hemlock Grove: A Novel
Brian McGreevyEveryone in Hemlock Grove has a monstrous secret. Author Brian McGreevy takes our classic fears about werewolves and other fantastical beasts — the most overt reference is a character named Shelley, who’s clearly a 21st-century Frankenstein’s monster — and adds modern twists with trepidations about the faults of capitalism, the isolation of increased connection, and the unnatural creations of modern science and medicine. — Ashley M.
Bird Box: A Novel
Josh MalermanI’ll admit that when I heard about “Bird Box” thanks to the silly challenge it inspired of walking around blindfolded after the Netflix adaptation starring Sandra Bullock came out, I thought the book couldn’t be that scary. Surely it would evoke more chuckles than chills. While I did smirk sometimes, I also got lost in the tension, and felt in awe of the ending (which is darker than the movie version). — Ashley M.
The Turn of the Screw
Henry JamesPretty much any other book in the genre borrows from this classic that explores the psychology of horror and repression as the source of all fears. It serves the kind of atmospheric horror that, unlike jump scares, endures for centuries: There’s a Victorian haunted house, creepy-cute orphans, and a governess that witnesses — or inflicts? — the horrid events. It’s the ultimate spectacle of ambiguity and unreliable narration. — Andrea B.
Things We Lost in the Fire: Stories
Mariana EnriquezLiterary horror by female authors is at its peak in Latin America, and the uncontested poster child is Argentinian writer Mariana Enriquez, shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2021. This collection of short stories is as disturbing as it gets, from real-life serial killers to rural superstition and black magic. In brief, these are tales with the scariest source material of all: reality. — Andrea B.
We Need to Talk About Kevin movie tie-in: A Novel
Lionel Shriver“Horrifying” (in a good way) and “devastating” are two words that jump to mind when thinking about Shriver’s 2003 novel focused on the aftermath of a deadly school shooting. The story unravels via letters written by Kevin’s mother, Eva, as she attempts to pick up the pieces of her life and reflects on the events leading up to the shooting. Eva questions her own role in what happened, and even wonders if her ambivalent attitude towards motherhood played a part in Kevin’s actions. — Emma C.
Her Body and Other Parties: Stories
Carmen Maria MachadoMachado’s collection of stories is so wonderfully weird. Genre-bending, uncanny, and often very funny, each of these unusual stories has something poignant to say about being a person and about being an artist. — Alex P.