PEOPLE Picks the 15 Best Books to Read this Halloween

‘We Used to Live Here’ by Marcus Kliewer

Based on a chilling Reddit tale, this novel poses a troubling question: what would you do if a stranger came into your home — then refused to leave? That’s what happens to Eve when a mysterious family shows up on her doorstep one night, and she begins to sense they’ve brought something sinister along with them. A gripping take on the haunted house story.

‘A Sunny Place for Shady People’ by Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell

A family with melting faces, a town plagued by ghosts and children with completely black eyes are just a few of the characters that haunt the pages of the Argentine author’s latest short story collection. Thought-provoking and unsettling.

‘Sisters of the Lost Nation’ by Nick Medina

Darkness descends on the Native American reservation where Anna was raised, and her ability to see a nameless entity suddenly takes on a more horrifying meaning. As women begin disappearing, including Anna’s sister, she must face the forces encroaching upon her community in this unforgettable, chilling debut.

‘The Centre’ by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

Anisa, a Pakistani translator living in London, is shocked to learn that her White boyfriend, Adam, has suddenly learned to speak fluent Urdu overnight. When confronted, Adam tells Anisa about The Centre, an elite, invite-only language-learning program. Anisa, however, soon discovers that something isn’t right about the Centre, and that its services come at a frightening cost.

‘Graveyard Shift’ by M.L. Rio

The author of the dark academia staple If We Were Villains returns with a novella about a group of night shift workers who discover an open grave at the local cemetery. The quintet soon learns that the grave, and its gravedigger, may be linked to a series of strange happenings in their town, in this perfect read for spooky season.

‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’ by John Berendt

This nonfiction book recounts the grisly 1981 murder of Danny Hansford, in one of Savannah’s grandest mansions. Fast-paced, gripping and featuring an unforgettable cast of characters, from high society women to a musical con artist, this is a book that we find ourselves returning to every Halloween.

‘The Shining’ by Stephen King

There are so many classic King novels to read during the Halloween season, but one we always come back to is The Shining. The story of a novelist who begins to lose his grip on reality when he’s trapped with his family in an isolated hotel continues to give us shivers. It’s also a great, albeit terrifying, book for the wintertime too.

‘Jackal’ by Erin E. Adams

Liz, a Black woman, reluctantly returns to her predominantly White hometown in Pennsylvania to attend a wedding. When the newlyweds’ daughter suddenly disappears, leaving behind nothing but a blood-soaked piece of fabric, Liz uncovers a horrifying pattern that’s plagued the place she grew up. A propulsive thriller.

‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ by Shirley Jackson

This Gothic classic centers Mary Katherine Blackwood, who lives in a looming mansion with her older sister, Constance, and her uncle Julian. The three are the only survivors of a terrible accident that killed the rest of their family — and which their village blames Constance for causing. When Mary Katherine’s cousin arrives on the estate, things only get more unsettling.

If you like this one, check out some of Jackson’s other novels, like The Haunting of Hill House and Hangsaman.

‘Our Wives Under the Sea’ by Julia Armfield

When Miri’s wife Leah returns from a deep sea expedition, Miri realizes that she’s come home changed. Leah is barely eating, her skin has a strange new texture and she now wanders their apartment, turning on all of the faucets. Miri comes to see that her partner has brought something truly frightening back with her from the depths of the ocean, in this suspenseful, tender novel.

‘Out There Screaming’ edited by Jordan Peele

Get Out and Us director Jordan Peele curates this collection of new horror writing by Black authors. From a girl determined to avenge her parents’ death by hunting the demon that killed them, to two freedom riders who encounter unsettling entities when stranded on an Alabama road, these stories from authors like Tananarive Due and N.K. Jemisin explore the haunting nature of both the unexplained and the nation’s injustices.

‘The Silent Patient’ by Alex Michaelides

Famed London painter Alicia Berenson supposedly has the perfect life — until she unexpectedly shoots her husband when he returns home from work and then refuses to say another word. Her story both fascinates and bewilders the public, and it isn’t until a criminal psychologist hungry for answers comes to visit her at her institution that things take an even darker turn. Read this one with the lights on.

‘Nothing But Blackened Teeth’ by Cassandra Khaw

A group of friends get more than they bargained for when they explore an abandoned mansion, haunted by the ghost of a bride and the remains of the girls she sacrificed to keep her company. This novel based on Japanese folklore is full of unexpected twists.

‘The Witching Hour’ by Anne Rice

Anne Rice may be best-known for her vampire stories, but this novel kicks off her Mayfair witch stories. Rowan Mayfair, who hails from a long line of witches, finds the body of Michael Curry washed up on the California coast. The two fall in love, but are thrown into the mystery of Rowan’s past and Michael’s own frightening powers.

‘The Other’ by Thomas Tyron

After the unexpected death of their father, identical twins Holland and Niles are left to roam their family’s New England farmland as their mother grieves alone. Holland, however, begins acting strangely, to the point where Niles doesn’t recognize him anymore, in this psychological horror novel.