If you find yourself increasingly drawn to horror media as your anxieties about climate change, war, fascism, and the economy rise, you’re not alone. Writing for The A.V. Club, Matt Schimkowitz argues that the haunted house genre has reflected problems with the U.S. housing market over the last 50 years. We fixated on zombies during the Great Recession, and the Trump era saw mainstream horror pictures tackle racism. Horror’s bigger now than ever, and while that may bode ill for the near future, you can take comfort in the relative safety of horror fiction. When you finish a creepy novel, horror video game, or scary movie, you’ve managed to survive the unthinkable, even though the characters may not have been so lucky. Being able to enjoy a horror novel, then, means being able to weather a storm and come out OK on the other side. So scary movie fans, make it a point to read the books on the list below. These 20 must-read horror novels are primed for an on-screen revival. Want more must-read horror books ready for their closeups? Check out these under-the-radar horror reads and the best horror books of the 2010s.
