The best gateway books into the horror genre

Danielewski is as much an artist as he is a storyteller. The Fifty Year Sword is a work of literal—and literary—art. The story is brief, haunting, and beautifully told. The book is a labor of love beyond words on the page. The art accents the story, propelling it forward and assisting the tension that grows as the unread pages dwindle. It is neither grotesque, nor leave-the-lights-on scary, but it is fantastically memorable and shocking, making it a wonderful introduction to the fun-filled intensity the genre offers. For all its simplicity, it’s an unforgettable read, worth picking up for repeat visits to admire the way story and art meld into this single binding. It’s an every-October treat for me that sets the mood for Spooky Season.

Zombie stories are timeless, but in need of new ideas to keep them lively. The Girl with All the Gifts is as unique and fun as zombie stories come while still a proto-typical zombie story. A world overrun by zombies? Check. A military presence fighting for the survival of mankind? Check. A secret that could save humanity or tear apart the group—dooming them all? Check. A plot twist that no other zombie story has attempted? You bet. Carey balances slow-burn tension with fast-paced action, creating a dystopian roller coaster of a story. Fully fleshed-out characters replace common two-dimensional zombie fodder making you care about characters trapped in a world rife with death—and undeath—without being overtly gory and inaccessible to all readers.

Grady Hendrix crafts a unique world—not only in this story, but for the pantheon of horrors he has built throughout his novels. Set amidst the winding paths of ORSK (an IKEA-like store), the reader is introduced to strange happenings already in progress. As the store itself changes and incidents become more sinister and paranormal, so does the presentation of the book itself. Designed to parody an IKEA catalog, illustrations of ORSK products become more menacing as the story progresses, inviting the reader to progress deeper into a world of danger and terror. Hendrix has a way of crafting “real” people—people you know in your own life. Normal people terrorized by abnormal circumstances, reacting the way any of us might when facing supernatural horrors.

Matheson has a way with words that few have been able to replicate since. This novel—possibly his most famous work—combines light reading with heavy subtext interwoven into the story. It’s the kind of tale that makes you pause on the final page, reflecting on the message of the story—only to have it hit you harder every time you’re reminded of it, as more meaning builds upon previous thoughts. Matheson’s writing is beautiful, purposeful, and accessible, but the scenes he creates with those words are fraught with danger and dread. He is able to craft perfect monsters in the least suspecting ways—probably why his works are so notoriously timeless and worth revisiting.

What horror list would be complete without this infamous selection? Is there a more accessible horror collection? The Treasury collects all three Scary Stories books, preventing anyone from missing out on any of Schwarz’s memorable retellings of classic folklore and urban legend. These are the stories told around the campfires and slumber parties of youth. The stories still traded by adults when conversation turns to ghost stories. Though simply worded and easy to read, these are the stories that come to mind late at night when you’re all alone. Every horror enthusiast knows a creepy story or two, and at least one of them is from this collection. It’s a perfect anthology for anyone who wants a 5-minute chiller, or a good turn-of-the-century ghost story.