Best Horror Books for Beginners

1. 1

   

   The Shining

   The Shining • Book 1

   by Stephen King

   ★ 4.93 BLT Score (1.7M ratings)

   ★ 4.28 Goodreads (1.7M)

   497 pages • 1977

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2. 2

   

   Pet Sematary

   by Stephen King

   ★ 4.82 BLT Score (708.6K ratings)

   ★ 4.08 Goodreads (708.6K)

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   Get the Book → Start Listening →
3. 3

   

   The Exorcist

   The Exorcist • Book 1

   by William Peter Blatty

   ★ 4.73 BLT Score (274.5K ratings)

   ★ 4.21 Goodreads (274.5K)

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   Get the Book → Start Listening →
4. 4

   

   Dracula

   by Bram Stoker

   ★ 4.68 BLT Score (1.5M ratings)

   ★ 4.02 Goodreads (1.5M)

   398 pages • 1897

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5. 5

   

   Salem's Lot

   by Stephen King

   ★ 4.65 BLT Score (667.2K ratings)

   ★ 4.1 Goodreads (667.2K)

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6. 6

   

   Christine

   by Stephen King, Marie Milpois

   ★ 4.58 BLT Score (265.6K ratings)

   ★ 3.86 Goodreads (265.6K)

   360 pages • 1983

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7. 7

   

   Carrie

   by Stephen King

   ★ 4.54 BLT Score (856.4K ratings)

   ★ 3.99 Goodreads (856.4K)

   272 pages • 1974

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8. 8

   

   Interview with the Vampire

   The Vampire Chronicles • Book 1

   by Anne Rice

   ★ 4.51 BLT Score (655.2K ratings)

   ★ 4.02 Goodreads (655.2K)

   346 pages • 1976

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   Get the Book → Start Listening →
9. 9

   

   The Mist

   Skeleton Crew • Book 1

   by Stephen King

   ★ 4.44 BLT Score (183.8K ratings)

   ★ 3.93 Goodreads (183.8K)

   176 pages • 1980

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   Get the Book → Start Listening →
10. 10

    

    The Thief of Always

    by Clive Barker

    ★ 4.39 BLT Score (37.8K ratings)

    ★ 4.21 Goodreads (37.8K)

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
11. 11

    

    Full Dark, No Stars

    by Stephen King

    ★ 4.38 BLT Score (118.6K ratings)

    ★ 4.09 Goodreads (118.6K)

    368 pages • 2011

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
12. 12

    

    Everything's Eventual

    by Stephen King

    ★ 4.37 BLT Score (109.6K ratings)

    ★ 3.97 Goodreads (109.6K)

    605 pages • 2002

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
13. 13

    

    Desperation

    by Stephen King

    ★ 4.36 BLT Score (154.4K ratings)

    ★ 3.86 Goodreads (154.4K)

    547 pages • 1996

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
14. 14

    

    FantasticLand

    by Mike Bockoven

    ★ 4.35 BLT Score (53.8K ratings)

    ★ 3.83 Goodreads (53.8K)

    272 pages • 2016

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
15. 15

    

    Cujo (1981) Stephen King 1st Print Hardback

    Cujo / Rattlesnakes • Book 1

    by Stephen King

    ★ 4.35 BLT Score (324.9K ratings)

    ★ 3.8 Goodreads (324.9K)

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
16. 16

    

    The Mist (Previously Published as a Novella in 'Skeleton Crew')

    Skeleton Crew • Book 1

    by Stephen King

    ★ 4.34 BLT Score (183.8K ratings)

    ★ 3.93 Goodreads (183.8K)

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
17. 17

    

    Home Before Dark

    by Riley Sager

    ★ 4.34 BLT Score (320.3K ratings)

    ★ 4.04 Goodreads (320.3K)

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
18. 18

    

    Mountain Man

    Mountain Man • Book 1

    by Keith C. Blackmore

    ★ 4.32 BLT Score (6.3K ratings)

    ★ 4.03 Goodreads (6.3K)

    228 pages • 2011

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
19. 19

    

    The Omen

    The Omen • Book 1

    by David Seltzer

    ★ 4.32 BLT Score (70.1K ratings)

    ★ 4.04 Goodreads (70.1K)

    272 pages • 1976

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
20. 20

    

    Stephen King Value Collection: Lawnmower Man, Gray Matter, and Graveyard Shift

    by Stephen King, John Glover

    ★ 4.31 BLT Score (200.0K ratings)

    ★ 4.04 Goodreads (200.0K)

    9 pages • 1978

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
21. 21

    

    Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales

    by H.P. Lovecraft, Les Edwards, Stephen Jones

    ★ 4.30 BLT Score (16.6K ratings)

    ★ 4.23 Goodreads (16.6K)

    878 pages • 2008

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
22. 22

    

    The Dark Half

    by Stephen King

    ★ 4.29 BLT Score (153.5K ratings)

    ★ 3.81 Goodreads (153.5K)

    460 pages • 1989

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
23. 23

    

    Broken Lands

    Rot & Ruin: Broken Lands • Book 1

    by Jonathan Maberry

    ★ 4.29 BLT Score (1.2K ratings)

    ★ 4.18 Goodreads (1.2K)

    544 pages • 2018

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
24. 24

    

    Bird Box

    Bird Box • Book 1

    by Josh Malerman

    ★ 4.27 BLT Score (212.4K ratings)

    ★ 4.05 Goodreads (212.4K)

    272 pages • 2014

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    Get the Book → Start Listening →
25. 25

    

    The Amityville Horror

    by Jay Anson

    ★ 4.26 BLT Score (138.4K ratings)

    ★ 3.83 Goodreads (138.4K)

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Ready to go deeper? Horror has incredible range — from Gothic literary fiction to cosmic dread to psychological terror. Let the subgenre that grabbed you guide your next pick.