Today, we’ve curated for you a comprehensive list of 20 best horror novels of 20th century. These books include some creepy stories from twentieth century.
20 Best Horror Novels Of 20th Century | Creepy Stories From Twentieth Century:
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
This book follows a young girl who falls in love with a widower but discovers that his late wife still haunts his house.
The Shining by Stephen King
This book explores the haunting of the Overlook Hotel, from the perspective of Jack Torrance, who works there.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
This epistolary novel follows a vampire, a Transylvanian Count who meets a solicitor called Harker and his hunted down by humans.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
This book has four protagonists – the landlord of a haunted house and three other eclectic people who come together. From here the story devolves into a psychological horror stpry with supernatural elements.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
As the title suggests, this is the story of a girl possessed by a malicious spirit, which her mother and a Jesuit spirit try to rid her of.
Swan Song by Robert McCammon
In this story set in a post apocalyptic world, ancient evil roams freely searching for a girl called Swan.
Something Wicked Comes This Way by Ray Bradbury
Perhaps Bradbury’s most loved work, this follows a travelling hypnotic show and its magicians, Cooger and Dark. Set during Halloween, this is literature and horror combined.
The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
Based on true events in 1975, this book follows the Lutz family which moves into a home inhabited previously by a man who murdered his whole family.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
This is a psychological horror story which tells the story of a young man living a good life who ventures into the dark side, and gives in to temptation before realizing there is no way back.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
This book places at its heart the 26 year old Wall Street man Patrick Bateman. He is normal in his exterior but a psychopath within, and his nighttime activities somehow devolve into rape and murder.
Hell House by Richard Matheson
This paranormal horror story is set in a haunted house called Belasco House, from where no one has returned alive. But our four protagonists set out to do that for various reasons, and what ensues is pure terror.
The Long Walk by Stephen King
Reminiscent of the Hunger Games, this book follows hundred boys who begin a walking race on the first of May. Rule breakers have three warnings, and if they fail to follow, horror is unleashed.
Jaws by Peter Benchley
This book revolves around a man eating monster in the sea, and the repercussions of its hunger on human beings.
Flowers In The Attic by V C Andrews
This follows a mother who, for a fortune, hides her children in the attic. But they’ve been there for years, served food by a superstitious grandmother and sent to work by the Devil.
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
In this book, the protagonist neurosurgeon Rowan Mayfair realizes she is a witch. What follows is a horror show of occult and witchcraft that spans the whole world’s geography.
The Island of Dr Moreau by H G Wells
This book follows a shipwrecked Sir Edward who meets the shady lord of the island, Dr Moreau. Surprising secrets reveal themselves, and Edward realizes he better run for his life.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston LeRoux
This classic follows a ghost who lives in the opera and teaches orphaned Christine to sing. But the arrival of Christine’s friend Raoul stirs him to jealousy and love for Christine, which has disastrous consequences.
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
Joanna and Walter, the protagonists, move to a perfect little town, but everything may not be perfect there.
The Other by Thomas Tryon
This book has elements of both psychological and situational horror, with twins who can transfer personalities and an extremely eerie Connecticut town.
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
In this, our protagomist, a solicitor called Arthur comes to the English moors to settle a funeral. But the funeral devolves into a horror story.
Also Read: Best Books Told From a Child’s Perspective | Story Written From Kid’s POV
