Books Like My Best Friend's Exorcism

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Emily Woo Zeller narrates Grady Hendrix's 1980s horror with a tonal agility that holds the comedy and the genuine dread in the same breath — she makes the friendship feel real before the possession does, which is what gives the horror somewhere to land, and 10 hours moves at the pace of a story that knows it has to make you laugh before it makes you scared. The recs are drawn from paranormal and supernatural horror that share that same balance of nostalgia and menace.

10 books for fans of My Best Friend's Exorcism

  1. 1
    The Final Girl Support Group cover

    The Final Girl Support Group

    by Grady Hendrix, Full Cast

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    Horror movie final girls meet for group therapy, but someone's picking them off one by one. Hendrix's meta-slasher dissects both the genre and its treatment of women with bloody, brilliant results.

    3.50 Goodreads (190.0K ratings)
  2. 2
    The Shivers Collection cover

    The Shivers Collection

    The Shivers Collection #1-5

    by Joe Hill, Stephen Graham Jones, Grady Hendrix, Catriona Ward, Owen King

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    Horror anthology featuring Joe Hill, Stephen Graham Jones, and others exploring supernatural dangers hidden in everyday places—trees, beaches, personal correspondence.

    3.67 Goodreads (543 ratings)
  3. 3
    SNAFU: Contagion cover

    SNAFU: Contagion

    SNAFU: An Anthology of Military Horror • Book 15

    by Amanda J. Spedding, Geoff Brown, Jonathan Maberry

    4.40 Goodreads (25 ratings)
  4. 4
    The Dark Reset: The Hunger cover

    The Dark Reset: The Hunger

    The Dark Reset • Book 1

    by G.E. Moore

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    A luxury fishing boat captain learns that the end of the world has multiple nightmare flavors. This urban fantasy zombie apocalypse throws every monster at survivors trying to build new families.

    5.00 Goodreads (1 ratings)
  5. 5
    Conversion Theory cover

    Conversion Theory

    Zombie Theories • Book 3

    by Rich Restucci

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    Immunity to zombie plague makes one man both humanity's hope and its most hunted target. Restucci explores how survival instincts clash with moral obligations when civilization collapses completely.

    4.46 Goodreads (328 ratings)
  6. 6
    And After cover

    And After

    Until the End of the World • Book 2

    by Sarah Lyons Fleming

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    Spring's arrival means millions of thawing zombies and disappearing Safe Zones threaten Cassie's hard-won sanctuary. Fleming balances farm life intimacy with apocalyptic scope in this gripping sequel.

    4.43 Goodreads (5.4K ratings)
  7. 7
    Still of Night cover

    Still of Night

    Dead of Night • Book 3

    by Jonathan Maberry, Rachael Lavin

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    Heroes emerge from unexpected places during the zombie apocalypse: a weapon-loving high schooler transforms from victim to leader while a cosplayer becomes a real warrior.

    4.38 Goodreads (612 ratings)
  8. 8
    The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume 2 - Edgar Allan Poe cover

    The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume 2 - Edgar Allan Poe

    The Works of Edgar Allan Poe • Book 2

    by Edgar Allan Poe, Michael Barefoot

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    Poe's masterworks dissect madness, revenge, and premature burial with surgical precision, proving why "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Pit and the Pendulum" remain unmatched.

    4.34 Goodreads (2.6K ratings)
  9. 9
    Mountain Man: Prequel cover

    Mountain Man: Prequel

    Mountain Man #0.4

    by Keith C. Blackmore

    4.31 Goodreads (1.6K ratings)
  10. 10
    Bird Box cover

    Bird Box

    Bird Box • Book 1

    by Josh Malerman

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    Mysterious entities drive anyone who sees them to murderous madness, forcing survivors like Malorie to live blindfolded with her two young children. Malerman creates primal horror from the simple act of opening your eyes.

    4.05 Goodreads (212.4K ratings)