The Malevolent Dark Horror Fiction Top 50
November 2024 Mega-Edition
(Editor’s note: Due to the number of releases in October, we doubled the Top 25 to a special Top 50 mega-edition. Check out the October 2024 Mega-Edition here.)
1. The Book of Witching by C. J. Cooke
A mother must fight for her daughter’s life in this fierce and haunting tale of witchcraft and revenge from the author of A Haunting in the Arctic.
2. I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong
A spellbinding tale of supernatural horror involving a haunted house, seances, lost loved ones, and a sinister spirit out for blood.
3. American Rapture by CJ Leede
A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust, forcing a good Catholic girl to traverse the hellscape of the Midwest to try to find her family while the world around her burns.
4. The Bloodstained Doll by John Everson
An homage to the stylish Italian mystery thriller film genre known as giallo with nods to the movies of Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Sergio Martino, Luciano Ercoli, Mario Bava and more.
5. Influencer by Adam Cesare
A tense and timely psychological thriller told from alternating points of view about a teenage girl who begins to suspect the charismatic new kid may in fact be a murderous psychopath.
6. Good Dogs by Brian Asman
Good Dogs is a heartfelt and harrowing werewolf story of survival, belonging, found family, and the lengths we’ll go to protect it.
7. Stay in the Light by A.M. Shine
The sequel to the 2021 novel The Watchers, which was adapted into a 2024 major motion picture produced by M. Night Shyamalan and starring Dakota Fanning.
8. Memorials by Richard Chizmar
A group of students encounter a supernatural terror while on a road trip through Appalachia.
9. Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer
The surprise fourth volume in the Southern Reach series and the final word on the story of Area X is structured in three parts, each recounting a new expedition.
10. The Queen by Nick Cutter
A novel of terror about a young woman searching for her missing friend and uncovering a shocking truth by the author of The Troop.
11. Detours edited by Brian James Freeman
Bestselling authors share the other works they wrote while they were writing the books you already know and love. Collected together for the first time are detours by Stephen King, William Peter Blatty, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, Peter Straub, Kelley Armstrong, Michael Koryta, David Morrell, Michael Marshall Smith, Chet Williamson, Poppy Z. Brite, Stewart O’Nan, and Owen King.
12. Deena Undone by Debra K. Every
A terrifying nightmare sets off a series of attacks on a woman’s five senses caused by a monstrous deal between her 80-year-old aunt and a malevolent entity called the Sensu that has promised the aunt health in return for the killing of her niece.
13. Depraved Halloween by Bryan Smith
Jessica Sloan returns in the fifth installment of the Depraved series billed as a direct “sequel in spirit” to the original book.
14. Terrifier 2 by Tim Waggoner
The nightmarish Art the Clown returns from the dead to continue his murderous and mad spree in this gruesome novelization of the hit horror film.
15. The Fatal Mind by N.J. Gallegos
A doctor’s miracle migraine cure has deadly secret side effects in this medical horror thriller billed as Black Mirror meets Frankenstein.
16. In the Eyes, In the Shadows by Gage Greenwood
A man’s obsession with death becomes dangerous when death becomes obsessed back.
17. Found 2 edited by Andrew Cull and Gabino Iglesias
An anthology of 18 found footage horror stories by Bev Vincent, Ali Seay, Holly Rae Garcia, Clay McLeod Chapman, Nick Kolakowski, Ally Wilkes, Alan Baxter, Tim McGregor, Jeremy Hepler, Angela Sylvaine, Josh Rountree, Donna Lynch, Kurt Fawver, Robert Levy, Joe Butler, Fred Fischer, Georgia Cook, and Aristo Couvaras.
18. The Crone by Kevin Bachar
Book 2 in the Houses of Horror series is a terrifying tale of witches and the evil they possess.
19. Bestiary of Blood edited by Jamal Hodge
Subtitled Modern Fables and Dark Tales, this anthology is inspired by the timeless tales of Aesop’s Fables and features stories by 37 of horror’s best writers, including 18 Bram Stoker Award winners.
20. Fragile Anthology edited by Michael Allen Rose
An anthology where 20 different authors present 20 brand new stories of horror, bizarro, sci-fi, and speculative fiction all based on a single prompt: A hapless mover knows better than to open a client’s boxes, but when one of them moves by itself, choices need to be made. Featuring new stories by Brian Keene, Cynthia Pelayo, Christine Morgan, Christopher Hawkins, David Scott Hay, Bridget D. Brave, Garrett Cook, Laura Lee Bahr, Brian Pinkerton, Matthew Henshaw, Mykle Hansen, John Wayne Comunale, Chris Meekings, John Baltisberger, J9 Vaughn, Lauren Bolger, Susan Snyder, Eric Hendrixson, Ben Arzate, and Emma Alice Johnson.
21. Screams from Beyond the Veil edited by Heather Ann Larson
Book 2 in the Screams of Horror series is a grim anthology of 14 stories “that peel away the boundary between life and death.” Features tales of the dead by Philip Fracassi, John Durgin, MJ Mars, Debra Castaneda, Elizabeth J. Brown, M.L. Rayner, Leigh Kenny, Justin Boote, Jon Cohn, Nick Botic, Ben Young, Timothy King, LM Kaplin, and Heather Ann Larson. With an introduction by Josh Malerman.
22. Stump Juice by Kristopher Rufty
in 1992, two high school seniors stumble upon a backwoods moonshine operation in their town and decide to steal the still and go into business for themselves. However, the Bible Belt Mafia want their still back, and the teens are knee-deep in corn mash, female wrestling hit girls, and a gang of hillbilly bootleggers.
23. Blood and Bullets by Keith Lansdale, Michael Knost, and James Aquilone
Book 18 in the Dark Tide series is a trio of Western horror novellas, featuring “American Devil” by James Aquilone, “The Deadwood Deal” by Michael Knost, and “Elijah’s Elixir” by Keith Lansdale
24. Are Your Parents Home? by Jon Athan
While her parents attend a work party, an 18-year-old is left in charge of her two younger siblings at their secluded lake house when a grizzled stranger arrives wanting to get inside the house.
25. The Three-Candle Prayer by Abe Moss
A man’s fiancée orders a DIY seance kit online, and he begins to experience increasingly frightening phenomena along with the realization that something malevolent has invaded their home.
26. Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy
A young musician finds himself locked inside a gas station bathroom in the middle of the night by an unseen assailant, caught between the horrors on the other side of the door and the horrors rapidly skittering down the walls inside.
27. End of the World by Amy Cross
The Horrors of Sobolton series comes to a shattering conclusion as the forces of good and evil are forced to team up against something even more deadly.
28. The Convention by Matt Shaw
A convention for serial killers? Sounds like a perfect day out for father and daughter, daddy’s little serial-killer-in-training.
29. Behind You by Blair Daniels
A collection of 20 tales of terror about horrific doppelgängers, haunted lake cabins, vengeful spirits, and more.
30. Hospital of Haunts edited by Heather Daughrity
An anthology of 23 ghost stories from the most haunted hospital in the world featuring tales by Christy Aldridge, Simon Bleaken, Bridget D. Brave, Brooklyn Ann Butler, Lexx Christian, Rebecca Cuthbert, Blaine Daigle, Heather Daughrity, Jason Daughrity, Joe DeRouen, John Durgin, Stephanie Ellis, Joshua Loyd Fox, Jennifer Anne Gordon, Gage Greenwood, Caleb Jones, Marie Lanza, Stephen Mark Rainey, Jeani Rector, Susan H. Roddey, Cat Scully, Westley Smith, and Mer Whinery. With a foreword by Clay McLeod Chapman.
31. Where the Dead Brides Gather by Nuzo Onoh
A powerful Nigeria-set horror tale of possession, malevolent ghosts, family tensions, secrets, and murder by the 2022 recipient of the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award.
32. In Those Fading Stars by Andrew Najberg
A collection of 21 stories perfect for fans drawn to cosmic horror stories by the author of The Mobius Door and Gollitok.
33. Shadows from the Basement by Jay Bower
A collection of 17 blood-soaked horror stories billed as “a nightmarish descent into a basement filled with madness and despair.”
34. Madhouse by Christopher Artinian
After a storm and an accident, a teacher and her students are suddenly in a desperate fight for survival against something lurking in the forest.
35. Sick Girl Screams by SJ Townend
This debut collection of dark fiction weaves together the black ribbon of grief with whispers of haunted children, feminism, and the unnerving concept of infinity.
36. Dead Girls & Dead Things 2 edited by RJ Roles
An anthology of 13 horror stories by Rebecca Rowland, Candace Nola, Angelique Jordonna, Nikki Noir, Kenzie Jennings, Christy Aldridge, Leigh Kenny, Angel Van Atta, Kate DeJonge, Lucy Leitner, D.A. Latham, Heather Ann Larson, and Angel Gelique.
37. Terror at Back Woods Lodge by Eddie Generous
Back Woods Lodge has re-opened its doors as an artists’ retreat, but a monster creeps from the thick forest to feed on the artists.
38. Barrowbeck by Andrew Michael Hurley
For centuries, the inhabitants of a remote valley on the Yorkshire-Lancashire border known as Barrowbeck have lived uneasily with forces beyond their reckoning. As one generation gives way to the next and ancient land is carved up in the name of progress, darkness gathers as the people of Barrowbeck have forgotten that they are but guests in the valley.
39. Twisted Laughs edited by Jennifer Bernardini
Subtitled An Anthology of Dark Humor, this collection brings together sinister and surreal stories that twist familiar scenarios into darkly comedic gems that will make you laugh, wince, and question your sense of humor. Featuring tales by Brian Bowyer, Clarence Carter, Patrick Barb, Paul Lonardo, Michelle Dornish, Wayne Fenlon, Sarina Dorie, Emily Smith, Joseph Shane, Dave Does Cambodia, Ryan T. Jenkins, Ria Hill, Donna Marie West, Cheryl Zaidan, and Gregg Chamberlain
40. It Came from the Pumpkin Patch by Chris Heinicke and Kate Reedwood
An annual fall festival in small-town Wisconsin is ground zero for a vengeful undead pumpkin after it escapes from a local research laboratory. A 13-year-old boy who hates pumpkins and a scientist team up to use whatever means to save the town.
41. Sasquatch 47: Loose by Jeffrey B. Miley
A disaster in a clandestine government lab performing genetic experiments unleashes two beasts, including one with wings, on a densely populated city.
42. Errant Roots: Volume 6 by Sonora Taylor
Book 6 in the accidentally gets pregnant and discovers the sinister soil of her family tree when her mother insists that they go back to their roots.
43. Darkfall: Orchard of Flesh by Lee Mountford
Jack Bennett returns in Book 4 of the Darkfall series where he faces an ancient and horrific evil that tends a garden made of human flesh in 19th century Great Britain.
44. The Curse of Helhaven by Heather D. Glidewell
Book 1 in the Helhaven Asylum series introduces a man entangled in a web of dark secrets and ancient curses as he delves into the history of the Helhaven family and their cursed asylum.
45. Gory by Mason Gallaway
A woman searching for answers to her sister’s death encounters an unusually violent bull elephant while out on safari.
46. Unnamable by Andrew Schrader
In 19th century America, a man fleeing from his past leads his men on a rescue mission deep into the mountains where his crew is being stalked and abducted by entities linked to his buried sins.
47. With Teeth by Christian Wallis
Book 11 in the Never Sleep Again series continues the collection of horror tales by the acclaimed Reddit NoSleep author.
48. Abyssal by Jason Rubis
A creature feature about a scientist whose research summons the strangest and most dangerous of ocean dwellers to the surface, forcing a retired marine biologist and his granddaughter along with a detective and his two friends to find a way to send the creatures back to the depths.
49. Deadbolt by John Ashley
A short story about a dementia-addled woman who gets a knock on her door at 10 every night and hears a voice that sounds just like her husband pleading for her to open it — but her husband has been dead for years.
50. We Should Leave by Amanda Ruzsa
A short story about what happens when three young girls sneak into an abandoned shop on Halloween night, steal a cursed object, and take it to the woods.