On the occasion of Halloween, we have prepared for you a list of the best horror books in our opinion.
October Country by Ray Bradbury
Before Ray Bradbury joined the pantheon of cult science fiction writers at 451 degrees Fahrenheit, he also wrote very disturbing stories. October land , as the title suggests, is a collection that is perfect for reading on long autumn evenings, especially on Halloween night. Don’t expect, however, that you will find classic bogeymen on his pages – Bradbury prefers to disturb his readers with the threat of existence. It takes them into its darkest dimensions and shows that even the most ordinary places and things seen from the right perspective can be scary. Have you ever been afraid of your own skeleton? I guarantee that after reading one of the stories, you will think carefully about it! – Maja Mikołajczyk
Model Pickmana – H. P. Lovecraft
The horror master of horror must not be missing! Among his numerous stories, it was the Pickman Model that I remember the most. This extremely suggestive story was the only thing that made me afraid to fall asleep. If you are not afraid of a large dose of subconscious fear, it is worth it. I recommend highly. – Mikołaj Mielczarek
The Doom of the Usher House by Edgar Allan Poe
As I mentioned Loner from Providence, I must mention another of the horror classics. Edgar Allan Poe is the undoubted grandmaster of the genre. Despite almost 200 years, his stories are still just as read. And the Doom of the House of the Usher , next to the Mask of the Red Sea , is one of his best stories. I recommend the Samhain highly. – Mikołaj Mielczarek
Nekroskop – Brian Lumley
I used to love to read B-class horror films. So I often reached for authors such as Guy N. Smith or Shaun Hutson. For some reason, their simplicity, naivety, and at times complete stupidity made me a lot of joy. Theoretically they were supposed to scare, but they just amused me. So in the library I reached for this type of reading, usually following the worst cover. This is how I came across the Necroscope Brian Lumley. Imagine my surprise when this item turned out to be completely different from the others. The story of Harry Keogh, a man who could talk to the dead and move from place to place, and who also fought vampires, quickly won me over. This time I did not borrow, but bought more volumes, creating my own collection. The author deserves praise for the idea for a parallel world, a non-obvious depiction of zombies and a very interesting idea for the bloodsuckers themselves. Therefore, if you want an adventure with a hint of thrill, I recommend this title. – Piotr Markiewicz
Come with me – Konrad Możdżeń
Since Halloween trends have already arrived in Poland, we can be frightened by a novel by a native author on this occasion. Especially if we live in Wrocław, because this is where Konrad Możdżeń’s Come with me action is set . A great book about evil forces trapped in a bar cellar and dark secrets of pre-war Breslau will surely stimulate your imagination. And without a shadow of a doubt, if you go to some night party on October 31 in the basement of an old, mysterious building with a long history.
No matter what, don’t go backstage alone! Something can come out of there with you … – Krzysztof Dzieniszewski
Born and More by Jeff VanderMeer
The first stories and novels by VanderMeer are largely an extension of the “tentacle” universe of Lovecraft, the most recent being eco-horror, a genre in itself. Both of these creative elements met in the most famous passage of this author – trilogy annihilation and .
In a way, all of VanderMeer’s books could be happening in the same vast and horribly broken world. Sometimes it is about the invasion of strangers, hiding in the basement of terribly old ruins where unsuspecting barbarians lived – humans. At other times, individual characters accidentally step into a completely alien reality until they completely lose their way to each other (and home). In Annihilation, a piece of forest suddenly falls under the alien sky, unknown stars and unexplored laws of biology. So far, the crowning glory of all this is the Born ( Borne ).
The narrator of this book lives in a world devastated by pharmaceutical, technological and biochemical companies. He travels through extinct cities, trying to hide from a huge flying bear terrorizing the area. It is treated with genetically modified beetles. At some point, she finds something like a shape-shifting anemone, which slowly becomes the Born One – her mascot, fosterling, friend. Creation evokes tenderness and horror in the recipient, and VanderMeer masterfully combines these two feelings. This is a story from some angles reminiscent of Frankenstein, although we never meet a good doctor who brought a Born One into existence. We cannot even be sure that such a person ever lived – nature has become so distorted in this world that it is budding with the strangest beings.Madd Addam Margaret Atwood. – Agnieszka Czoska
The Shining – Stephen King
I must admit at the beginning that after any of the books of this genre, or even this writer, I felt no reluctance to enter my bathroom and look into the bathtub. Good old Stephen had such an effect on my imagination with the scene from this book. I’m not surprised Joey Tribbiani put it in the freezer!
The Shining was for me not only a terrible book, stimulating my imagination to “Hey, I’m 20, but tonight I’m going to sleep with the lamp on.” The story of an alcoholic slowly slipping into his own madness and illness, interwoven with the stories of his terrified but trying to love his wife and sensitive son until the end, made a great impression on me. That was why I couldn’t tear myself away from her, although at the same time I really wanted to avoid another woman in the bathtub.
From King’s books , Misery terrified me , but for completely different reasons. I prefer those King’s books where there are no crowds of heroes with whom we spend a bit of time and we can’t get very attached to someone. In the subject of ghosts, murderers and madmen, Shining wins a gold medal for me. – Karolina Małas
The Devil – JD Baker, Dacre Stoker
Do you know the cult horror film Dracula by Bram Stoker? For Halloween, I am offering you a slightly different story about vampires! Recently, the Czarna Owca publishing house offered its readers the horror film Dracul by JD Baker and Dacre Stoker. The story told is dark, claustrophobic, unpredictable. The main character – Bram Stoker – has to face the inhuman beast, having only crosses, holy water and weapons. But what led to this situation? Will Stoker manage to win the fight for his own life? You will find the answers in the novel. Dracul is a proposition on the border of thriller and horror, which is read with bated breath. – Ines Załęska
