The Greatest Horror Books Since 1950

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
215 The Haunting of Hill House Shirley Jackson 1959 American English
274 The Stand Stephen King 1978 American English
400 The Shining Stephen King 1977 American English
511 Perfume Patrick Suskind 1985 German German
578 The Silence of the Lambs Thomas Harris 1988 American English
607 House of Leaves Mark Z. Danielewski 2000 American English
661 Interview with the Vampire Anne Rice 1976 American English
777 I Am Legend Richard Matheson 1954 American English
841 Crash J. G. Ballard 1973 British English
861 We Have Always Lived in the Castle Shirley Jackson 1962 American English
894 Rosemary's Baby Ira Levin 1967 American English
917 The Day of the Triffids John Wyndham 1951 British English
925 Deliverance James Dickey 1970 American English
981 It Stephen King 1986 American English
1001 Red Dragon Thomas Harris 1981 American English
1071 The Midwich Cuckoos John Wyndham 1957 British English
1086 Misery Stephen King 1987 American English
1210 The Wasp Factory Iain Banks 1984 British English
1279 Psycho Robert Bloch 1959 American English
1293 Salem's Lot Stephen King 1975 American English
1338 Something Wicked This Way Comes Ray Bradbury 1962 American English
1348 Sandman Neil Gaiman 1989 British English
1398 The Exorcist William Peter Blatty 1971 American English
1420 The October Country Ray Bradbury 1955 American English
1531 Jurassic Park Michael Crichton 1990 American English
1535 The Sound Of His Horn Sarban 1952 British English
1562 Burnt Offerings Robert Marasco 1973 American English
1578 The Cement Garden Ian McEwan 1978 British English
1688 Carrie Stephen King 1974 American English
1757 Books of Blood Clive Barker 1984 British English
1813 Swan Song Robert R. McCammon 1987 American English
1826 The Other Thomas Tryon 1971 American English
1837 Jaws Peter Benchley 1974 American English
1931 The Witches Roald Dahl 1983 British English
1937 Geek Love Katherine Dunn 1989 American English
2060 Ghost Story Peter Straub 1979 American English
2104 Someone Like You Roald Dahl 1953 British English
2156 The Green Man Kingsley Amis 1969 British English
2209 Sub Rosa Robert Aickman 1968 British English
2357 Invasion Of The Body Snatchers Jack Finney 1955 American English
2435 Nine Horrors And A Dream Joseph Payne Brennan 1958 American English
2450 Worse Things Waiting Manly Wade Wellman 1973 American English
2476 Quatermass And The Pit Nigel Kneale 1959 British English
2513 Deathbird Stories Harlan Ellison 1975 American English
2629 Our Lady Of Darkness Fritz Leiber 1977 American English
2646 Hurricane Season Fernanda Melchor 2017 Mexican Spanish
2688 The Ceremonies T. E. D. Klein 1984 American English
2694 Pet Sematary Stephen King 1983 American English
2731 Lost Souls Poppy Z. Brite 1992 American English
2802 Stormbringer Michael Moorcock 1965 British English
2821 The Damnation Game Clive Barker 1985 British English
2915 The Woman In Black Susan Hill 1983 British English
2933 Dolly City Orly Castel-Bloom 1992 Israeli Hebrew
2953 The Dark Country Dennis Etchison 1981 American English
2983 The Vampire Lestat Anne Rice 1985 American English
3014 The House With A Clock In Its Walls John Bellairs 1973 American English
3046 Fever Dream Samanta Schweblin 2014 Argentinian Spanish
3081 Under the Skin Michel Faber 2000 British English
3136 The Keep F. Paul Wilson 1981 American English
3141 The Shrinking Man Richard Matheson 1956 American English
3146 Carrion Comfort Dan Simmons 1989 American English
3152 Dark Forces Kirby McCauley 1980 American English
3153 We Are For The Dark Robert Aickman 1951 British English
3159 Who Made Stevie Crye? Michael Bishop 1984 American English
3256 Goosebumps R. L. Stine 1992 American English
3378 Black Easter James Blish 1968 American English
3384 The Plague-Sower Gesualdo Bufalino 1981 Italian Italian
3407 All Heads Turn When The Hunt Goes By John Farris 1977 American English
3414 Night's Black Agents Fritz Leiber 1961 American English
3439 The House Next Door Anne Rivers Siddons 1978 American English
3448 Falling Angel William Hjortsberg 1978 American English
3466 Murgunstrumm And Others Hugh B. Cave 1977 American English
3466 Sweetheart, Sweetheart Bernard Taylor 1977 British English
3510 Song Of Kali Dan Simmons 1985 American English
3511 Alone With The Horrors Ramsey Campbell 1993 British English
3539 Fire And Sleet And Candlelight August Derleth 1961 American English
3542 Her Body and Other Parties Carmen Maria Machado 2017 American English
3549 The Wolfen Whitley Strieber 1978 American English
3588 Collected Poems H. P. Lovecraft 1963 American English
3635 The Totem David Morrell 1979 American English
3827 Shadows Charles L. Grant 1978 American English
3854 The Girl Next Door Jack Ketchum 1989 American English
3857 Closer Dennis Cooper 1989 American English
3884 The Cellar Richard Laymon 1980 American English
3887 Lunar Park Bret Easton Ellis 2005 American English
3906 Fontana Book Of Great Ghost Stories Robert Aickman 1964 British English
4103 Selected Poems Of Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith 1971 American English
4105 Wolfskin Hans Lebert 1960 Austrian German
4147 The Dark Descent David Hartwell 1987 American English
4199 The Elementals Michael McDowell 1981 American English
4285 Boy's Life Robert R. McCammon 1991 American English
4297 The Year's Best Horror Stories Richard Davis 1972 British English
4441 Demons By Daylight Ramsey Campbell 1973 British English
4459 The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman 2008 British English
4482 The Night Of The Hunter Davis Grubb 1953 American English
4500 Night Visitor B. Traven 1966 German Unknown
4505 Different Seasons Stephen King 1982 American English
4518 When The Wind Blows Raymond Briggs 1982 British English
4534 Annihilation Jeff VanderMeer 2014 American English
4640 Prime Evil Douglas Winter 1988 American English
4651 Cold Hand In Mine Robert Aickman 1975 British English
4655 Coraline Neil Gaiman 2002 British English
4932 The Terror Dan Simmons 2007 American English
4952 Songs Of A Dead Dreamer And Grimscribe Thomas Ligotti 1985 American English
4997 A Nest Of Nightmares Lisa Tuttle 1986 American English
4997 The Pet Charles L. Grant 1986 American English
5010 Zone One Colson Whitehead 2011 American English
5011 The Hungry Moon Ramsey Campbell 1986 British English
5019 The Werewolf Aksel Sandemose 1958 Norwegian Norwegian
5112 Let The Right One In John Ajvide Lindqvist 2004 Swedish Swedish
5129 The Influence Ramsey Campbell 1988 British English
5153 Cursed Bunny Bora Chung 2021 Korean Korean
5227 The Ringstones And Other Curious Tales Sarban 1951 British English
5228 The Howling Man Charles Beaumont 1960 American English
5229 Whispers Stuart David Schiff 1977 American English
5231 Dark Feasts Ramsey Campbell 1987 British English
5234 Intensity Dean R. Koontz 1995 American English
5270 I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream Harlan Ellison 1967 American English
5279 Some Of Your Blood Theodore Sturgeon 1961 American English
5290 Revenge Yōko Ogawa 1998 Japanese Japanese