The 55 Best Horror Books of 2025

What’s Happening

So get this: These reads will keep you up (and reading) at night.

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Amazon/MH IllustrationEntertainmentThe 55 Best Horror Books of 2025The 55 Best Horror Books of 2025These reads will keep you up (and reading) at night.

The Details

HORROR ISN’T JUST a genre to read if you want to be scared. In its own way, it’s a comfort.

As we embark on a new year filled with all kinds of uncertainty (whether you’ll actually commit to those New Year’s resolutions, for example), there’s something reassuring in reading about terrifying stakes, both supernatural and real, and how each book’s narrators find a sense of hope despite everything going wrong. Plus, a good scare can take your mind off of other things.

Why This Matters

Maybe you’re worried about getting in shape in time for that next marathon… but that can’t be any worse than dealing with demonic possession, right? Whether you’re a newer reader to horror, or a longtime fan, we have an entry on the list that’ll keep you reading way past your bedtime to see what bone-chilling thrills happen next. While you may think the genre is full of nothing but more reliable tropes–possessions, vampires, and other classic creatures that go bump in the night–-there’s also crime thrillers, talking beets (seriously), and staircases that lead to nowhere.

Health experts are weighing in on what this means for people.

Key Takeaways

• There’s a lot of what you’d expect, and just as much you’d never imagine.
• So dive into the list below, and add these spine-tingling new reads to your list.
• And don’t forget to check back for more; as the year goes on, we’ll update with more upcoming releases.

The Bottom Line

Horror mainstay Clay Chapman pens a new work about a son to conspiracy theory-obsessed parents, who one day finds his parents in a trancelike state, glued to the TV. When he tries to wake them from their hypnosis, his mother attacks him.

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