forgive us our trespasses: religious horror
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.
created by aliyahmk
last updated February, 2026
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a note on curation: in putting together this list, i sought to include works from a diverse range of authors. one of my biggest concerns was in representing various religions and denominations, as many of the major religious horror titles tend to centre white christian perspectives. however, the unfortunate reality is that there are a fair number of books within the religious horror subgenre that centre non-christian religions but are written by white christian or atheist authors, and as such adopt racist, outdated and offensive attitudes towards these cultures and religions. i wonât be including such entries.
that being said, any suggestions are very welcome; as highlighted above, iâm prioritising suggestions that centre perspectives other than the [cishet] white christian.
Love this!! Had some ideas for more to add, if they suit your vibe!
- Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
- Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
- American Rapture by CJ Leede
aliyahmkOP
black sheep is in here already! thanks for the other recs, iâll look into them!
I donât know how I missed that! Sorry!
aliyahmkOP
oh donât apologise at all!
Too bad!! Iâm gonna! /joke
This is one of my favorite niches, so Iâll keep my eyes peeled for more!
aliyahmkOP
yahoo! i look forward to receiving any recs!
Lmfao I went and actually looked at my shelf and found a few more contenders, though the ties are arguably loose.
- The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas has a priest MMC and talks about the tension between traditional indigenous practices and the Catholic Church, alongside haunted house story.
- Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer is about an influencer who makes a deal with a devil for a baby. I havenât read this one yet, but the âtries to convince herself is angelicâ in the summary might point to some kind of religious commentary/influence.
- The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Steven Graham Jones is another I havenât read but it heavily features entries from a diary of a Lutheran minister. Might be worth a look!
aliyahmkOP
iâve been wanting to read all three of these! does religion play into the actual horror of the hacienda?
The priest has to use rituals he learned from his grandmother in secret to exorcise the ghost, but the ghost doesnât originate from religious stuff, iirc
