MalevolentDark.com Top 10 Extreme Horror Fiction of 2022
Check out the lists for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017
1. Playground by Aron Beauregard
A band of dysfunctional children is suddenly thrust into the diabolical realm of a woman’s revolutionary playground, where they must grow up and overcome their differences to survive. The 2014 World Horror Grand Master Award recipient Brian Keene writes, “With Playground, Aron Beauregard transcends himself, delivering a genuinely chilling, uncomfortable novel that will make even the most jaded horror fan squirm. A harrowing, relentless read that left me breathless.”
2. Plastic Monsters by Daniel J. Volpe
A beauty-obsessed woman who’s fighting a losing battle against nature and a plastic surgeon released from prison who’s looking for the right patient find themselves performing vile acts.
3. A Bouquet of Viscera by Bridgett Nelson
A collection of eight sordid tales of revenge and retribution, featuring the Splatterpunk Award-winning short story “Jinx” and a foreword by Ronald Kelly.
4. Camp Slasher Lake: Volume One edited by D.W. Hitz and Candace Nola
An anthology and tribute to the glorious slasher movies of the 1980s that features ten stories by John Adam Gosham, Gerri R. Gray, Patrick C. Harrison III, Carlton Herzog, D.W. Hitz, Derek Austin Johnson, J.D. Kellner, Brian McNatt, Nicholas Stella, and Vincent Wolfram.
5. Ex-Boogeyman by Kristopher Triana
A has-been former celebrity who played the slasher of a popular movie franchise thirty years ago descends into bloody madness when he’s left out of the reboot.
6. Faces of Beth by Carver Pike
A man marries a mentally unbalanced woman who may be possessed by an entity darker than insanity. Features an introduction by 2014 World Horror Grand Master recipient Brian Keene.
7. Human Monsters edited by Sadie Hartmann and Ashley Saywers
Dark Matter presents an anthology packed with 35 tales of terror revolving around the theme of human monsters. Features an introduction by two-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author Christopher Golden. Includes stories by Linda D. Addison, Gemma Amor, Laurel Hightower, C. S. Humble, Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, and many more.
8. Last of the Ravagers by Bryan Smith
The author of Depraved and 68 Kill delivers an action-packed Splatter Western about a band of citizens who must fight together to make a desperate last stand against a power-hungry renegade wizard.
9. Mr. Tilling’s Basement by Edward Lee
The author of Header writes a novella about a retired professor who’s visited by a woman offering to sell knowledge about his new house, which leads to a secret room in his basement where occult rituals were performed.
10. #thighgap by Chandler Morrison
A Los Angeles fashion model’s self-confidence is shattered after an encounter with a rival model, leading her to a tragic tailspin that will take her to the lowest depths of hell. Includes a foreword by Bram Stoker Award-nominated editor Sadie Hartmann. The 2014 World Horror Grand Master Award recipient Brian Keene writes, “No blurb will be able to fully convey how great this book is. Chandler Morrison’s voice is unique, stylish and powerful. Required reading for fans of Brett Easton Ellis, Tom Piccirilli or Chuck Palahniuk.”