Recs if you like Revelator...

Books where cults are a significant part of the narrative. Some fiction, some non-fiction.

horror books that revolve around religious ideals or institutions from the mainstream to the mythic. while the title of this list is derivative of the bible, this focus of this list is not on any one religion or religious group.

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.

A selection of contemporary Southern Gothic titles exploring the decay, despair, and trauma of the reconstructed American South. Come for the palpably atmospheric settings and descriptions, stay for the literary commentary on the legacy of the South's oft-romanticized past.

As a note: I did not include the most well known writers in the genre, e.g. Truman Capote, Harper Lee, William Faulkner, etc. as the list is more focused on the resurgence of Southern Gothic in contemporary literature.

Kudzu climbs up the hills, katydids sing in the hollers, and there's something calling from the woods...

Think: whistling winds, howling coyotes, rural isolation, small towns, folklore, religious fanaticism, and ghostly voices coming from the forest

❗️Some of the these books are classified as extreme horror/splatterpunk. PLEASE protect yourself, and check all trigger warnings.❗️

recommendations welcomed

a collection of horror books set in Appalachia - recommended by the community

don't you want to become a cult leader? there's something especially unsettling about one person who can effectively manipulate an entire group of people. even more so when it's something that could happen to any one of us. tread carefully as you explore these reads, they may just adopt you into their 'family' 🧟

God loves you, but not enough to save you from these stories. Ethel Cain & Preacher’s Daughter vibes/inspired fiction

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.

Books where cults are a big part of the story. Mostly fictional horror books 🤡

For when you want a horror novel that gets down and dirty with the land

southern gothic; religious horror; intergenerational trauma; dysfunctional families; obsessive love; cannibalism; rot and decay in a small town

Created from the list on Goodreads by Cybil and Sadie Hartmann (September 29, 2025)

Books of all genres set in and focused on the Appalachian Mountains!

List named in honor of the women who rode on horseback to bring books to remote mountain regions during the Great Depression, this list now brings books out of the mountains to all of us.

List of horror books (mostly 2000-2023) compiled by Sadie Hartmann, aka Mother Horror.

This is just a list of some of my favorite spooky books I've read lately that I've told/made some of my friends read so I thought I would make a little list here too. Spooky is a loose term.