Recs if you like I Was a Teenage Slasher...

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.

This collection of thriller, mystery, and horror novels will send a chill down your spine... right in time for Halloween!

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.

the people of this town love halloween so much they celebrate it twice a year

Spooky summer fun for all ages, from cute picture books with spooky elements, to creepy middle grade graphic novels, to teen + YA thrills, to adult-level gore and a sprinkling of erotic horror/dark romance. Books on this list have a heavy summer theme, either highlighting the season or taking place in settings like summer camps, fairgrounds, beaches, or water parks, and have some sort of creepy or scary element to them.

🏖️🌊👙🎡🎢🔪🏕️🏞️👻😈🍉

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

Every single Aardvark Book Club book pick since its inception. Updated monthly!

books with the aesthetic of a 70s/80s summer camp, where a mysterious killer is picking off teenagers one by one…

I love it when titles break the naming conventions of books. I’ve had enough a blank of blank and blank, I want something NEW, something STRANGE, something that immediately makes me check out the synopsis with the excitement of a dog who has seen a squirrel 🐿️

I love horror that takes place in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, so figured I'd put it all together here and hope for more recs in the process! This is a Stephen King free list.

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

Fic + NonFic | Updating Regularly

All the books chosen by Booksandlala for the Literally Dead Book club.

💀 Think: summer camp slashers, cults, sweaty obsession, monster boyfriends, demon bargains, serial-killer romance, haunted lust, cursed vacations, blood under porch lights.

🧡 These recommendations range from zero romance and spice to scorching summerween smut.

🔞 Big warning label: a lot of these are very adult, dark, taboo, kinky, violent, or horror-heavy. Definitely check trigger warnings before diving in.

Books that I think I could make a case for being influenced by one of the fears from The Magnus Archives

I have a favourite audiobook narrator, and it is one Michael Crouch! I'm constantly checking out books just because he's the narrator and I've seen some people on here enjoying him as well so!!! this list is for my people :))

He narrates both Adult and YA books so I have made a little breakdown in the comments about which book is which, in case you want to avoid one or the other!