Horror Recs

Looking for great horror reads--specifically I'm looking for great psychological and atmospheric horror reads. Not books about blatant monsters or evil entities being the focal point of the horror, but where the language, setting, character developments, and concept act as the focal points for evoking a sense of horror and dread. I'm looking for nuanced horror, that may at times erupt into direct horrific events (or not, simple only building tension to let it hang there in unease).

What do you suggest? I do see a thread up for "books that genuinely scared you", but I feel this isn't the same. I want books that evoke a sense dread or present horrific concepts overarching the plpt rather than a direct evocation of fear or sacredness in a given moment.

>pic is nothing specific, just first image result in Google from searching "atmospheric and psychological horror literature"

Beware Cat Shirt $21.68

Rise, Grind, Banana Find Shirt $21.68

Beware Cat Shirt $21.68

  1. 1 year ago
    Cluster B

    If ink on a piece of paper can scare you, you’re a b***h. Your life is horror.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      First post proving that most people on lit can, in fact, not read

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      eat shit and die you moron

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    > books that evoke a sense dread or present horrific concepts
    I had that feeling reading Solaris. Can’t really say how without spoiling the plot.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >Can’t really say how without spoiling the plot.
      That's okay, just going off names. I'll look into it any recs I get. Thanks

      I quite enjoyed Clive Barker’s Books of Blood

      I've been wanting to read Clive barker, this rec only strengthens that

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        His novels are ok too, but I prefer his short stories. Happy reading friend!

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          Thanks!

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Put it under a spoiler. I loved solaris and am writing something partially inspired by it. I'd like to hear about your reaction to it.

  3. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I quite enjoyed Clive Barker’s Books of Blood

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Seconded. When in doubt when it comes to picking horror, go with Clive Barker.

  4. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Tales of the Unreal. Unironically has some good stories.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      One of the greatest horror novels ever written.

      Will check into, thanks.

      Anything by Clive Barker, start with Books of Blood, there's plenty on them. Robert W. Chambers and Robert Aickman are also very good choices.

      Awesome, thank you.

      A few of these I know, and a few I thankfully don't. Will have to check them out.

      A nice mix of folk horror and psychological horror

      Will definitely look into, thank you.

  5. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    One of the greatest horror novels ever written.

  6. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >The ocean at the end of the lane
    super comfy weird fairy tale. i wouldnt call it scary at all but i definitely recommend it.
    >1984
    this is my personal most disturbing book of all time. the way they broke him down as a person to his very core is the most menacing depiction of pure evil

  7. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Anything by Clive Barker, start with Books of Blood, there's plenty on them. Robert W. Chambers and Robert Aickman are also very good choices.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >Robert W. Chambers
      yes but... what is a repairer of reputations. wtf does he actually do.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >The Blind Owl
        Bottom right Hazel Wood is (for YA) more than decent, if you're in the market for an Over the Garden Wall meets Borges & Paul Auster set up. MCs a bit precious unwordly affluent urbanite types, but it plays well off the fantasy elements. The Sequel's more streamline with all the set ups in place, and the eponymous book of fairy tales (plagiarized from the stories themselves) is decent in its own right.

        >Chambers
        King in Yellow. Dostoevsky meets They Live (film).

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          >King in Yellow. Dostoevsky meets They Live (film).
          bruh movement of the day

  8. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Eric the Pie.....

    Read if you dare.

  9. 1 year ago
    Anonymous
  10. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    A nice mix of folk horror and psychological horror

  11. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Dracula vs Frankenstein: The great debate. What is the best book out of these two?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Frankenstein. Dracula didn't age well.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Agreed

  12. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Is House of Leaves a meme? I've almost bought it half dozen times but don't want to get got.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      It's okay. After reading I would say it gets memed more than it's worth but still an alright read. It didn't blow my mind but I don't regret reading it.

  13. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    B.R Yeager- Negative Space.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      thought i was the only one who read this. What are your thoughts? I have read a few apocalypse party books it's generally pretty good.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      thought i was the only one who read this. What are your thoughts? I have read a few apocalypse party books it's generally pretty good.

      What's it about?

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        uh. so basically there is a bunch of really fricked up kids in a shitty town and then a magic suicide epidemic happens.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Yeah I really recommend this one. I got such a feeling of dread while reading this.
      Not outright scary but it's really in evoking the feeling something really bad is happennig.

  14. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    He’s literally collecting (yous) on a spreadsheet somewhere. Pity him but don’t respond, you’re just enabling him

  15. 1 year ago
    Anonymous
  16. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Dead Inside

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Its hard to consider this a horror when the author has stated before its an OTT satire.

      I do like how butthurt it makes people though. I think the author kinda hates it now, though

  17. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Horacio Quiroga's short stories. "Drifting" in particular is my favorite, and was the first I had read of him.

  18. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Read Teatro Grottesco from Ligotti. Very atmoshperic and nightmare-dream like horror short stories.
    Laird Barron is also good.

    I'm also looking for more horror works similar to these two

  19. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Psychological horror, this book is pretty dark.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      that's Ash's father btw

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Who?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >author's name is Ketchup
      >Stephen King quote on the cover
      >not even The Arkansas Times #2 Bestseller
      why bother?

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        OP asked for recommendations, I gave him one. That book is really dark, I struggled reading it during certain parts.

        Also you might find some good ones here
        https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2932.Darkest_Books_Of_All_Time?page=1

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          just trolling a bit.
          heh, read 30/100, will look for more interesting stuff, thanks

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          >That book is really dark
          probably hard to read then, well lit books are ideal

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            Oh (you) anon :3

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        bestseller ranking are fake anyway why would you judge a book by the amount of money spent on marketing the book.

  20. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    [...]

    Interjecting myself and my insistence that you understand me. Not for my sake.

    All the best.

  21. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Robert Aickman wrote extremely subtle "strange stories" that have horror elements. I'd say Cold Hand in Mine is my favorite of his collection. For other "quiet horror" short stories, I'd suggest Lisa Tuttle and Ramsey Campbell. For something more contemporary, I also liked Mariana Enriquez's Things We Lost in the Fire and Brian Evenson's A Collapse of Horses.

    As far as novels go, John Langan's The Fisherman (Lovecraftian horror) and Paul Tremblay's A Head Full of Ghosts (a take on the possession tale) are excellent as well. Hope this helps!

  22. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Nothing against OP but I think subtle/psychological horror is boring. I want gore and cool monsters.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >I want Gore and cool monsters

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        kek

        Haven't read much 'horror' apart from King, some Ligotti and Ellison, but the most goosebumpy was The Wendigo by Blackwood. Not because of le scary monster, but I was in the right mood at the time of reading, and could imagine and feel the setting of wilderness very well. It was easy to put myself inside the story, beside/in place of characters. Such an amazing experience.
        Regrettably, I couldn't do the same while reading The Willows. Perhaps it requires the right state of mind, or Wendigo clicked with me for some other reasons, idk.

        is the Wendigo pretty short? i want to read it when i go camping

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          >is the Wendigo pretty short?
          yes, should take an hour or two. Perfect for camping in the woods, bonus points if your'e reading after sunset at campfire, and if there's a lake/river nearby. I would shit my britches.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Clive Barker has it all my friend

  23. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    So which book has scared you the most?
    One that gave you goosebumps, freaked you out, or made you feel disturbed by what you are reading?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Haven't read much 'horror' apart from King, some Ligotti and Ellison, but the most goosebumpy was The Wendigo by Blackwood. Not because of le scary monster, but I was in the right mood at the time of reading, and could imagine and feel the setting of wilderness very well. It was easy to put myself inside the story, beside/in place of characters. Such an amazing experience.
      Regrettably, I couldn't do the same while reading The Willows. Perhaps it requires the right state of mind, or Wendigo clicked with me for some other reasons, idk.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        There are a lot of books that aren't strictly horror but are still pretty damn scary, like ones in this goodreads list

        OP asked for recommendations, I gave him one. That book is really dark, I struggled reading it during certain parts.

        Also you might find some good ones here
        https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2932.Darkest_Books_Of_All_Time?page=1

        I don't think a book has to be specifically horror with things that go bump in the night to be scary.

  24. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    What you want is thriller, I know because I'm not a fan of horror, but I do enjoy thrillers.
    I highly recommend No Exit by Taylor Adams.
    It's about a college girl who gets caught up in a snowstorm and has to stop at a rest area along with four ither people.
    While trying to get a signal, she happens to find a kidnapped little girl in one of the cars, but she doesn't know who it belongs to.
    It's fricked if you think about it, because it's not like she can relocate the little girl to a safe location, because the rest area has her kidnapper lingering inside, but she's not sure who it is. Also keep in mind she's a weak woman and can be overpowered in a physical confrintation. She has to play it cool and decide who to trust.
    I don't read much thriller but this one had me bent over my desk in a way that not a lot of books can do to you

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      A lot of thrillers use psychology horror to build the tension and create the feeling of dread and tension.

      I've been more creeped out reading thrillers than horror books.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Horror is just too grimderp. It's becoming as one note as scifi/fantasy

  25. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Let the Right One In

  26. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >Not books about blatant monsters or evil entities being the focal point of the horror, but where the language, setting, character developments, and concept act as the focal points for evoking a sense of horror and dread.
    Dracula. He's barely in the book, but the entire book evokes a sense of dread. I haven't read a ton of horror but it's the best horror book I've read.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      I got more of a quaint 19th century goth feel from it. It was actually pretty comfy, since the prose is beautiful, even when it's talking about nothing

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        It's firmly in the Gothic literature canon, which is both comfy and full of people meeting in graveyards on the moor to share secrets and maybe see a ghost or something.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *