The Best Horror Books of 2025 

Haley Newlin is a serious rising star in the horror genre. Her latest book, The Film You Are About to See, is set at a 1950s drive-in during a horror movie marathon.

What could possibly go wrong? (Spoiler: plenty.)

If you love classic William Castle movies even half as much as I do, then this book is most certainly for you. A rollicking good time. 

Kristy Park Kulski is one of my very favorite authors and editors working today. With Silk & Sinew, she’s gathered together some of the best modern horror authors for a breathtaking anthology. 

With a table of contents that includes Nadia Bulkin, Ai Jiang, J.A.W. McCarthy, and more, these stories are steeped in Asian folklore and horror in a way that’s both haunting and heartfelt. Without a doubt, one of the very best anthologies of the year. 

Ever since the release of her collections Spook Lights and Spook Lights II, it’s been clear that Eden Royce is one of the most impressive writers in all of publishing. 

With Psychopomp & Circumstance, she continues to prove her immense talent with a story about family, magic, and death rituals. This one is an absolutely hypnotic tale that will draw you in and never let you go.

As the host of the popular Talking Scared podcast, Neil McRobert knows a thing or two about horror. And he puts all that knowledge to fantastic use in this novella that blends mystery, folklore, and a very good dog called Riot.

A haunting tale in all the best ways. 

Bram Stoker Award winner Christa Carmen is a top-notch gothic horror writer, and How to Fake a Haunting might just be her best book yet. When a woman decides to fabricate a ghost story to get her toxic husband out of the house, she doesn’t expect that phantom to turn out to be real. 

This one will get under your skin and stay there. 

At this point, Rachel Harrison is practically synonymous with horror that’s at once creepy and fun. She continues her winning streak with Play Nice, which explores haunted houses and family trauma in a way only she can. 

This one was an instant bestseller, and it’s easy to see why. 

A worthy follow-up to Wurth’s spectacular debut, White Horse, The Haunting of Room 904 is a spooky tale that will linger with you long after the last page. Erika T. Wurth is rapidly becoming one of the top names in horror, so don’t hesitate to add this one to your reading pile. 

It’s a phenomenal work of horror.

I’m a huge fan of retellings, especially of gothic tales, and Her Wicked Roots hits me right where I live. A re-imagining of “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” this queer take on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic story is beautiful and unnerving in all the best ways. 

Botanical horror at its finest. 

If you’ve been around the horror community this year, you probably don’t need me to tell you that The End of the World as We Know It has been a total phenomenon.

With authors including Cynthia Pelayo, Tananarive Due, Somer Canon, and Sarah Langan, this is one seriously incredible table of contents. If the world’s going to end, this is the book you’ll want on your shelf.

The fantastic follow-up to last year’s Bless Your Heart, Another Fine Mess finds the Evans women once again doing their part to prevent the undead from rising, and it’s an absolute joy to spend time with these characters again.

And while you’re reading this one, be sure to pre-order Ryan’s next novel, Dollface, due out in 2026.

Over the summer, Girl in the Creek was everywhere on social media, and for good reason. Wendy N. Wagner’s latest novel is all about family, loss, and the things that lurk in the beauty of nature.

And with positive queer representation, this book has truly got it all, so run, don’t walk, to pick up a copy today.  

I’m a huge fan of novellas, and This Is How a Villain is Made is exactly the reason why. This length of story can pack such a perfect wallop, and that’s what Amanda Headlee does with her tale of a woman on the run who learns just how far she’ll go to protect her own freedom. 

Plus, with that gorgeous and haunting cover, you truly can’t go wrong with this one.

This darkly humorous novel explores medical trauma through folklore in a way you’ve never seen before. 

When Brigid returns to her childhood home after her mother’s disappearance, she must contend with a series of strange happenings, including but not limited to a harassing crow and a portrait of Jesus that refuses to be thrown away. Things only get weirder from there.

 A searing debut, The Scald-Crow proves singlehandedly that Grace Daly is a major author to watch. 

Nadia Bulkin’s first collection, She Said Destroy, remains one of my favorite collections of the last ten years, and her follow-up, Issues with Authority, is absolutely a worthy successor. 

With a decisive flair for political horror, Bulkin’s work always manages to shed new light on old horrors, so expect to be pondering this one for a long time to come. 

I’ve been waiting a long time for Sara Tantlinger’s debut fiction collection, and suffice it to say, it did not disappoint. Every story in here is a winner, but the centerpiece, “The Revenge of Rappaccini’s Daughter,” is absolutely out of this world.

It also pairs perfectly with Tanya Pell’s Her Wicked Roots, so do yourself a favor and pick up both books as soon as you can. 

This sapphic romance has been described as “The Shape of Water meets Mexican Gothic,” and if that’s not enough to intrigue you, then let’s just say that this one has a spider that you won’t soon forget. 

Another spectacular horror novella, this gothic tale is sure to unnerve you as it sweeps you off your feet.

With his latest novella, Micah Castle truly hits it out of the park. After the brutal death of his beloved dog, Michael finds himself drawn into an obsession that proves much bigger than himself.

This is a devastating story that has every bit as much heart as it does horror, and it’s a fantastic use of cosmic horror to explore how our own grief can feel as wide and profound as the universe. 

V. Castro has been writing some of the best horror out there for years, and her latest fiction collection brings all the best erotic horror vibes. Set in the eponymous motel, readers are welcomed into a world of terror and lust, with stories that blend Castro’s signature feminist themes and Mexican folklore. 

This is unlike anything else you’ll read this year (or any other year), so don’t miss out.  

Johanna van Veen is taking the horror world by storm. With her latest, Blood on Her Tongue, she delves into the tale of twin sisters as one of them takes a strange turn into darkness. 

A gothic masterpiece about family, devotion, and monstrosity, you don’t want to miss this one. 

Silva Moreno-Garcia is a true supernova in horror and dark fantasy, and The Bewitching is further proof why. All three timelines will absolutely captivate you, and the mystery and witchcraft at the heart of the story are truly mesmerizing in the best possible ways. 

Another home run for Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and a book that belongs on your to-read list immediately.  

There were some amazing horror poetry collections out there this year, but Everything Endless is without a doubt one of the very best.

Linda D. Addison and Jamal Hodge are two of our best horror poets working today, and they seamlessly blend science fiction, the cosmos, and horror into their thought-provoking collection. 

An absolute must-read of the year.