Horrorbooksare hugely popular, and although readers often become fed up with the same clichés and plot devices,some titles are truly creative and defy the genre’s most notable tropes. While a lot oftwisted horror books are mind-blowing, they often rely on tropes that everyone is familiar with, which takes away from the overall scariness of them. However, some get inventive and throw readers off.
A great way for authors to do this is to write a multi-genre story. Manybooks that perfectly blend fantasy and horrorstand out because the story is typically unpredictable, and readers never really know which direction the author is taking things next. Sparking fear into readers’ hearts and minds is a difficult thing to do, but when these horror books subvert tropes, it makes the unexpected even more terrifying.
10Bury Your Gays (2024)
By Chuck Tingle
Chuck Tingle’sBury Your Gaysdoesn’t initially seem like a horror book, considering its name, but those who are familiar withthe bury your gays Hollywood tropewill know exactly why this term can be so fearful. This novel follows experiencedscreenwriter Misha, who faces pressure to kill off a homosexual characterafter his first Academy Award nomination, but the lingering guilt of his past decisions makes things even more complicated for him.
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Bury Your Gaysnot only features a lot of elements of psychological and physical horror, butthe bookalsodelves into the harrowing realities of queer erasureand how the movie and TV industry thrives on greed. The discussion of artificial intelligence and the ethics surrounding it is also incredibly intriguing, but it is creepy enough that it keeps readers in the right mindset. It’s unusual to come across a horror book that purely relies on real-life dangers, but this is what makesBury Your Gaysso unique and a stand-out title.
9Tales From The Gas Station (Series) (2018-2022)
By Jack Townsend
Tales From The Gas Stationis a four-volume collection of novels by Jack Townsend set in a strange paranormal world, and isbased on the Creepypasta of the same name. The first entry introduces Jack, an exhausted gas station employee who starts an online diary to record the odd events that occur to him on a daily basis, only for a group of conspiracy theorists to take an interest in him.
While each installment from theTales From The Gas Stationseries is still horror-focused,there’s a comedic edge to Townsend’s writingthat makes these stories that much more intriguing. What’s so fascinating about this series is that the main character is named after the author, who is also a former gas station worker.
There is also aTales From The Gas Stationblog (viaGas Station Jack) so readers can read about Jack’s escapades on a deeper level after finishing the four books. Jack is a unique horror novel protagonist because he doesn’t attempt to make out that he’s a detective or hero, simply a retail worker who doesn’t get paid enough to deal with the shocking run-ins he has with various demonic and psychopathic threats.
8The Library At Mount Char (2015)
By Scott Hawkins
The Library at Mount Charby Scott Hawkins is both adark fantasy and horror book, which follows Carolyn, a woman who is overseen by an enigmatic man she calls Father, and who she believes may actually be God. When Father goes missing, Carolyn fears that God is dead, which gives her the opportunity to ascend to power and take over.The Library at Mount Charis rather trippy, andleans heavily on mythology and themes of religion, specifically about what, or who, a “God” actually is.
Carolyn’s hunt for vengeance is enthralling, but the more details that readers learn about Father and the children he kidnaps and manipulates, the more gripping her story becomes.The Library at Mount Charinitially appears to be a YA read about a young woman in a supernatural world, but it’s a lot deeper than that.
Rather than being passive about her past and just wanting to escape Father, Carolyn’s desire to outdo her captor is a rather unique premise. There’s no doubt thatThe Library at Mount Charis a weird read, but the sheer eeriness of it creates a heart-thudding reaction in readers that encourages them to return to the title.
By Christopher Buehlman
The Lesser Deadby Christopher Buehlman is anincredible vampire book that would make a great movie. While vampire stories are rather common nowadays, especially because of the success of theTwilightbooks and film adaptations,The Lesser Deadtakes things in a different direction. The book isset in the ‘70s and focuses on a group of vampires who live underneath New York.The Lesser Deadis interestingly told through the self-proclaimed unreliable narrator, Joey, who has been a vampire since the age of 14.
The Lesser Dead stands out because it’s not a hot romance book series with vampires, which is typical for this occult, but also because the vampires themselves aren’t the scariest thing about the story.
While this initially seems similar to TV shows likeWhat We Do in the Shadows,The Lesser Deadis far gorier. The imagery of the subway system and the unnerving, not quite human, children that Joey meets is spine-tingling, and it makes the book’s most horrifying moments even more disturbing when details of Joey’s own strange backstory are littered in between.The Lesser Deadstands out because it’s not ahot romance book series with vampires, which is typical for this occult, but also because the vampires themselves aren’t the scariest thing about the story.
6Mongrels (2016)
By Stephen Graham Jones
Stephen Graham Jones’Mongrelsoffers a unique take on werewolves, in a fascinating coming-of-age story about a young boy struggling to find his place in the world.Mongrelsis a great supernatural book, but it also delves into the difficulties of living on the edge of society and tackles both class and race divide.As a novel,Mongrelssubverts a lot of typical werewolf traits. The story follows the narrator, a young boy who ages from 7 to 17 throughout the book, who grows up in a werewolf family and is raised by his aunt and uncle.
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Everyone faces issues during their formative years, butMongrelsprovides an unusual perspective on the matter. While the main character experiences typical teenage struggles, he is also trying to understand where he belongs as a werewolf outcast. AlthoughMongrelsisn’t as traditionally scary as some other horror titles,Jones uses some incredibly unsettling metaphors and imagery at timesthat are nothing short of memorable, and establishes the inner workings of a teenage boy in a truly notable way.
5Bunny (2019)
By Mona Awad
While a horror title,Bunnyby Mona Awad is also acreative fantasy book that defies tropes, too.The balance between fantasy and horror inBunnyis fascinating, and the story focuses on Samantha, an MFA student who struggles to gain the acceptance of her peers in her writers’ workshop. This initially seems a simple premise, but Samantha’s involvement with the titular Bunnies sends her down a path filled with rituals, monsters, and the loss of reality.
Other than the Bunnies’ demonic creations, Awad gets inventive when it comes to scaring readers. There are themes throughoutBunnythat highlight the realities of loneliness in women, specifically when it comes to forming relationships with other females, too. Although the idea of a sorority-type group of girls being involved in the paranormal isn’t new, andBunnyseems cliché at a glance, Awad executes this story in such an unexpected waythat readers continue to think about it long after finishing the final page.
4Winter Tide (2017)
By Ruthanna Emrys
Winter Tideby Ruthanna Emrys is a truly unusual horror book, but that’s what makes it stand out.The novel is set in an alternate history withinH. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos universe, and follows two siblings who are Innsmouth survivors. While Lovecraft’s “Shadow Over Innsmouth” depicts the cultists as monstrous beings living under horrifying religious standards, Emrys offers a new perspective inWinter Tide, and the story’s villains are simply humans whose way of life is different to that of others.
Winter Tidebrilliantly uses both real-life and invented events throughout, which adds to the eerie tone of the book, as it’s hard to predict whether the outcome will follow fact or fiction. There is always a sense of looming anxiety throughout, andWinter Tide’s world of discrimination through Aphra and Caleb’s lens is fascinating. While the pacing of thishistorical fantasy bookis slow at times, it only increases the fear in readers’ hearts, especially as the story can be so unpredictable.
3The Shining Girls (2013)
By Lauren Beukes
Lauren Beukes’The Shining Girlsisn’t officially categorized as a horror book, but because of its August Derleth award for Best Horror Novel win, it is considered as such. However, the fact this book subverts so many horror tropes, covers so many themes, and is rather layered,The Shining Girlsis definitely an amazingly creative title in the genre.The Shining Girlsfocuses on Harper Curtis,a time traveling serial killer who bounces across several decadesand targets the titular group.
The Apple TV+ seriesShining Girls(2022) has an 84% rating onRotten Tomatoes.
The story leaves Curtis’ motivation a little vague at times. It’s unclear whether his murderous rampage is just because he is a killer, because he is influenced by the strange house he comes across at the beginning of the book, or a bit of both. However, the fact that this is unclear adds to the unsettling tone throughout. The narrative also jumps between Curtis’ events and a future investigation, but because it is told out-of-order,readers never really know what is coming next.
2John Dies At The End (2007)
By David Wong (Jason Pargin)
John Dies at the Endis a comic horror novel by David Wong, Jason Pargin’s pseudonym, which isa Lovecraft-inspired title. Paranormal investigators David and John’s story is silly and wonderful, but the humorous angle doesn’t take away from the fact thatJohn Dies at the Endis rather dark. There are several examples of very eerie and unsettling imagery throughout, even despite the comical ways they appear.
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For example, John’s drug-fueled visions of a monster Dave can’t see, Robert Marley exploding into a huge swarm of bugs, and John’s voice coming out of Molly’s mouth. While the humor ofJohn Dies at the Endisn’t for everyone, there’s no doubt that the situations the pair end up in are ridiculous, but this doesn’t take away from the overall horror atmosphere of the story.
The book feels like a parody or mocking of the typical horror story, and while the dramas occur one after the other and border on absurd sometimes, it paces these events in such a way that it’s hard to put it down. Unfortunately, the adaptation isn’t as strong as the book, hencewhy theJohn Dies at the Endsequel never happened.
1Perdido Street Station (2000)
By China Miéville
Many often describe China Miéville’sPerdido Street Stationas weird fiction, which makes sense, considering it is set in Bas-Lag,a world full of the strange combination of magic and steampunk technology.Perdido Street Stationfollows Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin, a scientist who accidentally releases a terrifying flying creature called a slakemoth into society.
The slakemoth isn’t the only harrowing monster that features inPerdido Street Station, and several inventive yet petrifying creations like the Weaver also appear throughout.The implementation of magic within a Victorian-themed world creates an odd yet endearing toneinPerdido Street Station, but the story is the true horror.
At a glance,Perdido Street Stationseems like just a fantasy book, but once readers get invested, it’s apparent that it’s a horrorstory that truly defies the genre’s tropes.
The slakemoths’ brutal violence, Mr. Motley’s dangerous dealings and attitude, and the political tension between species in Bas-Lag are all unnerving. At a glance,Perdido Street Stationseems like just a fantasy book, but once readers get invested, it’s apparent that it’s ahorrorstory that truly defies the genre’s tropes.
