swap_horiz Haunted Alternatives

1

Swan Song

Robert McCammon’s *Swan Song* presents a sprawling post-apocalyptic horror narrative set in 1987. The novel explores the...

Post Apocalyptic Epic Supernatural 1980S

8.9 Great

2

House of Leaves

Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves presents a layered horror narrative centered around an increasingly bizarre family...

Experimental 2000S Haunted House Metafictional

8.9 Great

3

Blackwater

Blackwater is a novel by Michael McDowell set in 1980s Alabama. The story follows the Blackwood family as they confront...

Supernatural Family Saga 1980S Southern Gothic

8.9 Great

4

Carrion Comfort

Dan Simmons's 1989 novel about psychic vampires who feed on human consciousness, tracing their activities from World War...

Epic 1980S Mind Control Dan Simmons

8.7 Great

5

The Hellbound Heart

Clive Barker's 1986 novella that introduced the Cenobites and the Lament Configuration puzzle box, directly inspiring th...

1980S Body Horror Demons Clive Barker

8.6 Great

6

The Vampire Lestat

Anne Rice's 1985 second Vampire Chronicles entry, narrated by Lestat de Lioncourt, who recounts his origins and reinvent...

Vampire 1980S Gothic Anne Rice

8.3 Great

7

Hell House

Richard Matheson's 1971 novel about a parapsychologist and a psychic investigating Belasco House, a mansion with a histo...

Classic 1970S Haunted House Richard Matheson

8.3 Great

8

Heart-Shaped Box

Heart-Shaped Box is a 2007 debut horror novel by American author Joe Hill, notable for its story of an aging rock star w...

Ghost 2000S Haunting Rock Star

8.3 Great

9

Weaveworld

Clive Barker's 1987 fantasy-horror novel about a magical realm hidden within a carpet whose inhabitants must be protecte...

Epic Dark Fantasy 1980S Clive Barker

8.2 Great

10

Watchers

A 1987 thriller by Dean Koontz about a genetically enhanced golden retriever that escapes a covert government laboratory...

Government Thriller 1980S Creature

8.2 Great

11

The Talisman

Stephen King and Peter Straub's 1984 co-authored fantasy-horror novel about a boy who travels a parallel world called th...

Dark Fantasy 1980S Road Trip Stephen King

8.1 Great

12

Koko

Peter Straub's 1988 novel following four Vietnam veterans who investigate a series of murders in Asia they believe are c...

Psychological 1980S Serial Killer War Trauma

8.0 Great

13

Odd Thomas

A 2003 novel by Dean Koontz, the first in a long-running series, about Odd Thomas, a California short-order cook who can...

Ghost 2000S Psychic Supernatural Thriller

8.0 Great

14

Bag of Bones

Stephen King's 1998 ghost story about a grieving novelist who retreats to his Maine lake house and encounters supernatur...

Grief 1990S Ghost Story Haunted House

7.8 Good

15

The Great and Secret Show

Clive Barker's 1989 novel, first in the Art trilogy, about a postal worker who discovers a mystical substance called the...

Epic Supernatural 1980S Cosmic Horror

7.7 Good

16

The Dark

A 1980 horror novel by James Herbert about a malevolent supernatural darkness that spreads across London, possessing and...

Supernatural British 1980S James Herbert

7.3 Good

17

Lost Boy, Lost Girl

Peter Straub's 2003 novel about a horror novelist who investigates his nephew's disappearance and uncovers a connection...

Ghost Family 2000S Haunted House

7.0 Good

18

Sepulchre

A 1987 horror novel by James Herbert in which a bodyguard protecting a powerful businessman gradually uncovers his clien...

Supernatural British 1980S Occult

7.0 Good

19

The Secret of Crickley Hall

A 2006 novel by James Herbert about a grief-stricken family who move into a remote English hall haunted by the ghosts of...

Ghost British 2000S Haunted House

6.8 Fair

20

Others

A 1999 horror novel by James Herbert in which a physically deformed private detective investigating a missing baby case...

Supernatural Mystery British 1990S

6.5 Fair