Recs if you like My Heart Is a Chainsaw...

horror books written by indigenous authors

are you sick of being recommended stephen king when you ask for a horror novel? have you picked up a book expected to be scared, but the scariest thing about it was a woman being needlessly tormented and gaslit? have you read 4627473 books about a man in a haunted house and need something different?

if so, this list is for you :)

a masterlist of horror by anyone who isn't a straight cis white man, started in 2022 and brought to pb in 2026.

Credits to @Literary.leveret for some of the books on here

Hauntology is the philosophical concept, as quoted by Mark Fisher from his article taking a deeper look into Derrida's philosophical work, that "the present is always haunted by the ghosts of the past and the unfulfilled promises of the future." From generational trauma to dark histories to dying Old World pagan traditions, these elements persist throughout the wide genre of folk horror. These books explore deeply into the hauntings of the past and the instability of the future.

Horror (and thriller) books about summer camp, camping, summer holidays and just general summer vibes

all things summer and horror from slashers to summer camp and your favorite local faire.

This includes book that have either mystery or thrillers as a primary or secondary genre. If you have recommendations to add please comment and I'll happily add them 💕

Indigenous voices should be at the top of everyone's reading list! Here are some that I've queued up to continue to read diversly

Call me Ishmael for this is my white whale

Wide definition of horror | story collections included if at least one was written by an Indigenous author | mostly authors from Turtle Island (North America)

Collection of slasher books!

Some will involve the supernatural, some are from the POV of survivors and others from the killer

Fiction Stories based on Indigenous/American Indian/Native American culture.

We think of summer as the season of light, but shadows are longest when the sun is highest. It is the time of the year when the woods grow too thick to see through, the water grows too dark to see into, and the heat makes the mind play tricks. From the rotting porches of the South to the blood-stained cabins of the North... We call them the Summer Nightmares.

pieces of literature that feature characters that people who are (or have been) ostracized heavily relate to/find comfort in. we all deserve to feel love and to feel community, and these books portray this. always open to recommendations <3

Stephen King is overrated, read these horror books instead.

💬OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS. Just comment and I will add.

So far these men: can write women characters with depth, don’t enact needless sexual violence on their characters, and aren’t irl monsters. Also their writing is good.