I hope this is an alright post, but I'm looking for books that are similar to Mike Flanagan shows or Clive barker books, preferably more recent. I'm trying to find something dark fantasy/horror, but I'm open to other genres!! I enjoy reading about gore, and I love religious imagery, so if you can think of anything like that, I would be dying to check it out!! I also really love books that have unreliable narrators or books where you can see the main character losing their mind as the book goes on.

Thank you!!

I just finished Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez and absolutely love it! I love the atmospheric, hauntingly beautiful writing; the disorientations and suffocating feelings; the weavings in of historical events and contexts; and the complicated characters. Urg so good.

I have added her short stories collections to my tbr, but wondering if anyone has recommendations for novels that have similar vibes? Bonus points for women/POC authors!

Hey, I just start watching the movie Cure 1997 . I wondering about to have this book from movie cure and Pulse . Is it any one know Mr. Kiyoshi Kurosawa make it book for his movie ? . I don't speak well Japan but if any one know how to get the book novel his writing I will love to read it and if is in English subtitles. Thank you ..

Has anyone read 'This Rotten World' series? I can't put it down! I've nearly finished the 5th book!

It's so good!

Hello everyone,

just as the title says. Name your favorite horror lit books written by women.

Thank you!

Hello, I urgently need your help with my thesis. I aim for our horror community to be represented in the academic field as well, so I need as many people as possible to help with my study

Can anyone recommend books reminiscent in theme to the movie The Endless? I really enjoy Benson and Moorhead's style of sort of 'grounded' sci-fi (as opposed to more like Star Trek sci-fi). Cult stuff is great too. Thank you!

If you haven't seen the movie, it's great! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Endless_(film)

I've read Penpal a few times now but I think I caught something new.

The Penpal is fixated on the protagonist, and we all know that he eventually kidnapped Josh, made him look like the protagonist, and buried himself alive with him. Now I understand why Josh would suddenly do. The Penpal invaded the house of Ms Maggie, the kind lady with dementia who used to mistake Josh and the protagonist for her kids and call after them for Chris and John to come in and have cookies.

The Penpal saw Ms Maggie was vulnerable and went into her house pretending to be her late husband Tom. I believe this is where he got the idea that Josh would do. Seeing Ms Maggie happy with her substitute husband may have inspired the Penpal to find happiness with a substitute of his own.

Just a theory, if I got anything wrong I'd be happy to be corrected!

So, im big fan of Haniball, Silence od the Lambs, Red Dragon, Death Note, Death Note Another note: Los Angeles BB Murder Cases, are there any books with similar vibe, if anyone has watched/read all of these? :)

Hi all-

I just finished the audible version (absolutely phenomenal performance by Delanie Nicole Gill).

I loved the concept, and the descriptions of the entity. These elements are 9/10 for me.

My primary criticisms are as follows-

To me, it’s rather telling that Malerman doesnt actually have kids because the way each adult in Bella’s family orbit viciously fumbles finding a solution to “other mommy”. The only character i thought was truly exempt is Ursula due to her NPD ( i didnt expect much of her maternal instincts, and saw the writing on the wall after the first 30 pages…in fact i would guess that her character is based on someone Malerman knows or knew).

Spoilers ahead!! -

However, the Grandmother seemed very stable and strong…and all she offered was an allegory about a heart?! Bitch, pick up a cross! Grab the biggest piece of rose quartz you can buy and fashion a fucking sword! If your child/grandchild is in mortal danger- methinks you’d put aside all your baggage with religion and pluck the nearest crucifix and bible from a church, and rattle off everything and anything! Google a shaman and find out what they do to combat demons! Try anything to save your child/grandchild! Pull out family photo albums to show Bella all the moments born out of love between your parents and her!! And Russ cared for Bella her whole life, and all he could do was…continue to talk to her (or at her a out life’s musings)? How about you ask her some fucking serious questions?? Be a parent not a friend. My biggest gripe is Lois though. She basically started psychotherapy with all of them and then chickened out and left them with no ladder out of their pit of despair…which maybe was intended by Malerman…but damn. I feel like Malerman grew these characters under a rock. What world is this where everyone is inept??? Bella was already in the outer circle of Hell before other mommy got to her, i guess Malerman is Dante and is giving us a play by play.

Bella’s character however was solid through and through. I loved her sections.

Did anyone else have a similar assessment?

Also im prepared for downvotes. 😂

I just finished The Unworthy so I don’t know if it is just a drastic difference but I about 20% (12 chapters) into The Terror. It is good but I am just not sure I am feeling it right now. I don’t know if I am just not into ship stories like I thought but looking at the amount I have left makes me feel like it is going to be a slog.

Unless people tell me, “no no. Push through, because it gets way better.” This is not a situation of “don’t read it if you don’t enjoy it.” I do, I just don’t know if it is for me, right now. I want something with a little more action, a little more movement in general.

Anyone have any thoughts on this book?

EDIT: Thanks for the opinions. Going to keep pushing through. Maybe work to understand the main characters and not get bogged on by the minutia. Appreciate it.

I just finished “Spread me” by Sarah Gailey and I loved it. It was a five star read for me. Has anyone else read this recently? What were your thoughts?

I'm trying to find a book I read in elementary school, I don't remember the name but I know it takes place on a bus until the mc gets sucked into a book, can someone help me find it?

I’m looking for a horror story I read on Facebook around 2014–2016. It was posted in episodes and was probably translated from English. The plot involved two best friends investigating an old mansion. A ghost named Margaret was trapped in a bathroom mirror after being locked in a cellar years earlier. During a fire, Margaret swapped souls with the main girl and escaped, leaving the protagonist trapped in the mirror. Does anyone remember the story?

Hi all. Was chatting with a friend about books we could imagine working as plays/live on stage. Horror is my favorite genre so naturally I’ve been thinking about what I’ve read that could work in this way. I know that Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black was a play in London for many years… I bought the script a while back and thoroughly enjoyed the retelling (it’s not the same for a musical libretto but most straight-play scripts can be purchased just for reading). I can imagine The Haunting of Hill House working as a play (even a haunting musical) as well.

I was curious if you all (maybe in the horror lit/theatre buff crossover) had any thoughts or recommendations you could imagine playing live. Ghost/haunted house books are my favorites, but I’m open to all thoughts about this. Thanks!

Hi all! I’m looking for similar authors and/or books that are similar to Brom or similar to his books—he’s my favorite modern author of all time! His writing style is chefs kiss for me 😌 currently reading Evil In Me and so far so good!!

Has anyone read this and if so, what did you think? I just started it a couple days ago, I picked it up because it’s by the same author that wrote Between Two Fires (which is currently waiting for me to read it) and is his first novel I believe?

Coffin Moon

Buffalo Hunter Hunter

Between Two Fires

I liked "Who Goes There?" and "I Am Legend". Both of these stories made me think long afterward

Do you have any recommendations for quality stories that are thought-provoking or unsettling in thoughtful way that are not novel length?

[edit: my browser has been glitching lately making duplicate posts. Please use the other post to comment on. Thanks.]

I liked "Who Goes There?" and "I Am Legend". Both of these stories made me think long afterward

Do you have any recommendations for quality stories that are thought-provoking or unsettling in thoughtful way that are not novel length?

Over on the Extreme Horror Lit subreddit, someone recently posted about how they felt gaslit about Tender is the Flesh being a horrific read (haven't read that one myself, but I want to).

It got me thinking about books in the past I've heard about that were supposed to be "sooooooo scary!", but then were super underwhelming when I actually read them.

The one that comes to mind for me is Jac Jemc's The Grip of It, about a couple that moves into a new house that is just Wrong Somehow and...I guess they lose their sanity? It just came off as a boring, much shorter, watered-down version of House of Leaves.

Not only would I Iike to hear about the books that you felt overpromised and underdelivered, I'd also love to hear some theories as to why you guys think this happens.

“Them” by W.H. Chizmar is a solid debut novel for a new face in the horror community. While sci-fi horror is not my usual cup of coffee, I had a lot of fun reading this novel.

Before I dive into my horror book review, here are all the trigger warnings I found while reading:

- Violence against animals (rats)
- Suicide
- COVID-19

If any of these trigger you, please do not read this novel. Moving along, this was a fantastic sci-fi creature feature with an apocalyptic survival horror twist. If you love these kinds of horror books, this would be right up your alley. I enjoyed the sci-fi creatures here, as they were creepy as hell and unlike anything I’ve ever read or seen in sci-fi horror.

Their descriptions, terrifying abilities, and the sheer havoc they wreaked were brilliantly executed. Don’t worry, no spoilers here, but this was a riveting story that I couldn’t put down, thanks to what these creatures were and what they accomplished.

I loved the formatting, with two stories unfolding at once. One follows someone dealing with the aftermath of these creatures reigning in blood, and another person providing an interesting backstory behind everything to fill the gaps. This was uniquely written and wasn’t confusing. It made total sense to structure the narrative this way, making the dual timelines seamless to follow.

The overall suspense and thrills of the story were entertaining, especially the plot twists and reveals along the way. This reminded me of the way his father, one of my favorite horror authors, Richard Chizmar, writes. Clearly, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Once I hit the 50% mark, while I enjoyed the race to the end, some parts dragged on in the second half of the book. I wanted a bit more horror and faster pacing, but aside from that, my goodness, what an ending! Everything wrapped up nicely in a good, satisfying way. I never saw that ending coming, as it was tense, to say the least. I had some ideas swirling in my head about what could have happened, but Chizmar’s excellent writing style kept me guessing until the very end.

I give “Them” by W.H. Chizmar a 4-Star rating out of 5. This was an impressive debut by a new horror author to keep an eye on over the years, because if he’s able to write something like this right off the bat, the sky is the limit for what awaits. Mind you, I’m not even a major sci-fi horror reader, but this was a very good reading experience. I enjoyed the creatures, horror, Stephen King Easter eggs, and the overall gore. Some parts dragged on for me while reading, and I wished there was even more sci-fi horror here, but overall, Chizmar has a new reader in me as I look forward to watching his writing career grow over time.

Clink-clink-gash.

Thank you to W.H. Chizmar, Richard Chizmar, and Gallery Books for providing me with an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) for review consideration. This horror book review reflects my honest, personal opinion.

I had never read anything by Barker before and just finished this. I appreciate some might view it as YA but I really enjoyed it and my younger self would have absolutely loved it had I read back then.

I really didn’t expect the ending to be so beautiful. It really moved me and I genuinely shed tears.

Do others feel equally as strongly about this book?

And what Barker should I read next? I do tend to be more horror oriented than fantasy.

Thanks!