12 Spine-Tingling Tales to Haunt Your Halloween Nights

October 31, 2023

12 Spine-Tingling Tales to Haunt Your Halloween Nights

It’s that time of year when the supernatural stirs and things that go bump in the night take center stage. Halloween beckons, bringing with it an eerie sense of mystery and enchantment.

In the dead of night, when the world is shrouded in darkness, there’s no better time to immerse yourself in a nightmarish realm of spine-tingling stories. If you dare to tread these terrifying paths, be warned: the horrors within these pages may haunt your nightmares long after the Halloween moon has set.

The Toll House by Carly Reagon

When a hidden death mask emerges, the toll house stirs with dark secrets. Unexplained occurrences shake Kelda and her son. Dylan’s nightmares become menacing. In a race against time, Kelda delves into the house’s history, but an ancient malevolence has awakened and refuses to slumber.

A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand

Holly Sherwin, an aspiring playwright, discovers the ominous Hill House for her big break. With a team of actors and her girlfriend, Nisa, they aim to bring her vision to life. Yet, the mansion conceals chilling secrets: strange creatures, eerie sounds, and a sinister force that has waited for them. In this spine-tingling tale, can they confront their inner demons before the house claims them? From award-winning author Elizabeth Hand comes the first-ever novel authorized to return to the world of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House.

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

Ana and Reid’s luck takes a twisted turn when they win an affordable apartment in Manhattan’s famed Deptford building. Stunning views of Central Park hide chilling secrets—with strange occurrences, deep unease, and ominous bite marks on their baby. A sinister secret within Deptford threatens their safety. Uncover the chilling truth in this psychological thriller.

Edenville by Sam Rebelein

When struggling writer Campbell P. Marion accepts a writer-in-residence role at Edenville College, he’s sure his luck will change. But his girlfriend, Quinn, knows the town’s sinister secrets. As they unravel a dark history amid ominous events, humor and horror collide in this chilling debut by a new master of terror, Sam Rebelein. For fans of Paul Tremblay and Stephen Graham Jones, Edenville will leave you breathless and questioning the tales that haunt your dreams.

Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling

Beneath a sinking city, Dr. Tamsin Rivers confronts her doppelgänger—a sweet, perfect copy. As she unravels a cryptic doorway alongside her fading sanity, Tamsin races to decipher the enigmatic intruder’s sinister intentions. In this mind-bending speculative horror, can she unravel the mysteries before losing herself forever?

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie

Join the Kirklins, hosts of the hit ghost-hunting show Fade to Black, as they venture into the eerie Paranormal Research Foundation. This derelict mansion hides secrets from the 1970s, and the team’s cutting-edge gear aims to peel away the truth. But as the house reveals itself to them, they realize some things are better left undisturbed. Told through tapes, journals, and correspondence, Episode Thirteen chronicles the haunting that went terribly wrong.

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

Sam is excited to visit her mother’s quiet North Carolina home, but something isn’t right. The warm, cluttered charm is replaced by a sterile, tense atmosphere. A mysterious jar of teeth and circling vultures set Sam on a quest to unearth the unsettling secrets her mother hides. Sam must dig deep to uncover the truth, but some secrets are better left buried.

Graveyard of Lost Children by Katrina Monroe

Olivia Dahl narrowly escaped as a baby when her own mother was convinced she was a changeling. Now, pregnant with her own daughter, darkness returns. Nightmares lead her back to the sinister well, forging an inescapable bond of fear and violence. In this suspenseful horror novel, the line between motherhood and terror blurs.

The Dark Between the Trees by Fiona Barnett

In 1643, seventeen men entered the woods. Only two are ever seen again. Now, Dr. Alice Christopher and her team brave the eerie forest, armed with technology and an insatiable curiosity. But what they find defies logic as they uncover a world where reality warps, trees vanish, and a sinister hunger lurks in the shadows. The past and present entwine in this surreal gothic folk-thriller, where the line between reality and nightmare blurs.

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

In his final novel, Wilder Harlow revisits his idyllic youth in Whistler Bay. As he begins to revisit his past, his grip on reality unravels. Bizarre notes he can’t remember writing appear, apparitions and lost memories plague him. Is his haunting tale pure fiction, or is something sinister lurking in the shadows of his cottage by the Maine coast?

The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce

Old grudges and shared obsessions reignite when former friends Elena and Cathy cross paths—inspired by the legend of Ilsbeth Clark, accused of witchcraft centuries ago. As they delve into Ilsbeth’s story, their obsession takes a haunting turn, blurring the line between history and reality, leading them into a perilous and supernatural world.

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

Marion Shaw, a slum-born girl, escapes to the far north for a bloodmaid position. In the opulent but sinister House of Hunger, she serves Countess Lisavet. Drawn into a world of dark decadence, Marion’s eagerness to please her enigmatic mistress leads her to discover ancient, deadly secrets. She must learn the rules quickly in this twisted game, or the House of Hunger will become her grave.