Looking for something dark, chilling, and all sorts of scary this October? Sure, haunted houses are good for a scream, and horror films can definitely keep you up at night, but there’s nothing quite scarier than a good book that can transport you into your worst nightmares without even needing to step out of your front door.
From dark academia mysteries to short story collections filled with spine-chilling supernatural sightings in the city, here are five scare-tastic books to give you all the chills and thrills this Halloween season.
The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette's
Hanna Alkaf | Salaam Reads, 2024
The first chilling read on our list happens in a Malaysian all-girls boarding school where a curious case of mass hysteria has broken out.
For over a century, St. Bernadette’s has had the reputation of shaping the best and brightest of young women, which had young girls fighting to acquire one of its much-coveted spots. Unfortunately, the institution never said anything about the screaming. By that, we don’t mean girls squealing over boy bands, we’re talking hysterical screaming in the middle of class which started with one student and caused a chain reaction that has eventually impacted the school’s stellar reputation.
"The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette's" follows Khadijah and Rachel who unveil the school’s dark history in search of the truth and a way to save their classmates.
Malaysian author Hanna Alkaf portrays ominous hauntings to convey real-life terrors that have a vice grip on young women from sexual violence to social expectations, making this gothic, dark academia one of our topmost, gripping horror picks! And who doesn’t love a good mystery that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat?
Seek Ye Whore and Other Stories
Yvette Tan | Anvil Publishing, 2022
Deemed as the “Queen of Philippine Horror Stories,” Yvette Tan returns with more scary tales inspired by Philippine folklore.
In this chilling short story collection, two friends adapt in a Zombie-infested Angeles City; a girl and a Tikbalang (half-man half-horse) go on a quest to save the last moon; a brothel in Poblacion offers pleasures that are irresistible to any man; and an American finds himself unintentionally purchasing a bride from the mystical island of Siquijor.
What we love about "Seek Ye Whore and Other Stories" is that it embodies what Philippine horror is: tales entangled with myth and local lore. The award-winning author created stories of authentic Filipino experiences that mingle with supernatural twists; stories that are humorous and touching, while also dark and foreboding.
The New Singapore Horror Collection
S.J. Huang | Marshall Cavendish International (Asia), 2019
Another short story collection to add to your TBR is S.J. Huang’s “The New Singapore Horror Collection” which consists of thirteen tales of horror and suspense.
Not only does Singapore have a plethora of horror writers, but they also have a rich and layered culture of horror that has been interpreted by various storytellers over the last centuries. This collection is a wonderful addition to that as it aims to uncover locals’ fears that are often obscured by the blinding lights of the modern city and explore one’s feeling of unease for the unknown and dare we say it, the unseen.
From sci-fi-esque tales to romantic ghost stories, let this collection take you on a tour around the city-state’s darker side.
Anna Dressed in Blood
Kendare Blake | Tor Teen, 2011
Anyone up for a haunting romance? And no, this one goes beyond the usual vampires and werewolves, which make up half of the YA genre. For this list, we’re recommending a romance between a ghost hunter and a vengeful ghost known as “Anna Dressed in Blood.”
The story tells of Cas Lowood who travels the country to kill the dead, an unusual vocation he inherited from his late father. Together with his witch mother and spirit-sniffing cat, he follows local lore and destroys murderous spirits with a special weapon. Cas expects to do the usual when he hears about the ghost, Anna, but instead finds a girl entangled in curses and rage, dressed in the same dress she wore on the day of her murder in 1958. She’s known to have killed every single person who has stepped foot in the now-haunted Victorian house. Everyone except Cas, that is. (Aww.)
If we were to describe this book in one word, it would be riveting. Kendare Blake has a way with words. Her descriptions of the hauntings were chilling, but her storytelling was equally spellbinding and romantic. Cas and Anna were characters you would easily root for even though they were strikingly different — a human and a ghost, practically lifetimes apart. Somehow, that made us root for them even more.
If you’re into paranormal tales similar to “Corpse Bride,” or “Casper,” but with a little bit more bite because yes, those haunting descriptions did give us goosebumps, then you should give this one a shot!
ICYDK: Anna and Cas’ story continues in “Girl of Nightmares." The first book has also been reprinted with a brand-new cover which includes a special novella set ten years later!
Coraline
Neil Gaiman | Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) / Harper Collins Books (US), 2002
We don’t think we could pass up the chance to include this children’s horror classic, considering many have been scarred for life by its nuance horror tropes and twisted tale.
The story follows Coraline Jones who moves into a flat with twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of these doors open and close, except one which reveals a brick wall on the other side. At least, that was what Coraline thought until the day she unlocked it to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own. Only it’s different.
At first, everything on the other side is like a dream. The food tastes better, there are toy wind-up angels that flutter across her bedroom like fairies, and her other parents are well, perfect. Well, maybe except for the part where they have buttons for eyes.
What makes this book so terrifying is how the story takes the comfortable and twists it into something uncomfortable. Soon we learned that the “other world” is a trap to lure lonely kids in, and the other mother has been kidnapping children’s souls. The notion of stitching buttons into someone’s eyes is enough to scar a child for life but to have to read about them getting ripped out is an entirely new level of nightmarish horror for children and adults alike.
"Coraline" was adapted into a stop-motion animated feature in 2009, and just like most movie adaptations, many scenes were cut from the original story. In “Coraline’s” case, the movie turned out creepy but also whimsical whereas the original book was much darker. We’re talking “daggers thrown at Coraline’s head” darker.
Read it for yourself and let’s see who’s sleeping with the lights on tonight.
