20 Horror Books Of 20th Century

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Today, we’ve curated for you a comprehensive list of 20 horror books of 20th century. These books include some creepy stories from twentieth century.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

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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

The Shining by Stephen King

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This book explores the haunting of the Overlook Hotel, from the perspective of Jack Torrance, who works there.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula by Bram Stoker

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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

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

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This book has four protagonists – the landlord of a haunted house and three other eclectic people who come together.

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

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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

Swan Song by Robert McCammon

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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

Something Wicked Comes This Way by Ray Bradbury

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Perhaps Bradbury’s most loved work, this follows a travelling hypnotic show and its magicians, Cooger and Dark.

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

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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

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

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This is a psychological horror story which tells the story of a young man living a good life who ventures into the dark side.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

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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.

Hell House by Richard Matheson

Hell House by Richard Matheson

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This paranormal horror story is set in a haunted house called Belasco House, from where no one has returned alive.

The Long Walk by Stephen King

The Long Walk by Stephen King

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Reminiscent of the Hunger Games, this book follows hundred boys who begin a walking race on the first of May.

Jaws by Peter Benchley

Jaws by Peter Benchley

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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

Flowers In The Attic by V C Andrews

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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.

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

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In this book, the protagonist neurosurgeon Rowan Mayfair realizes she is a witch. What follows is a horror show of occult and witchcraft.

The Island of Dr Moreau by H G Wells

The Island of Dr Moreau by H G Wells

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This book follows a shipwrecked Sir Edward who meets the shady lord of the island, Dr Moreau.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston LeRoux

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston LeRoux

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This classic follows a ghost who lives in the opera and teaches orphaned Christine to sing.

The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

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Joanna and Walter, the protagonists, move to a perfect little town, but everything may not be perfect there.

The Other by Thomas Tryon

The Other by Thomas Tryon

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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

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

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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.