Best horror books to read in 2020 – That will make you hard to sleep at night

There are many people who love horror stories, Whether it’s a scary novel or a spooky short tale, we love to twist up by the fireplace and dive right into a darkish and twisted narrative that can hold us reading long into the night.  

These books have been part of the literary world for years, Everybody loves to read or listen to horrifying stories but the definition of a scary story or a horror story is not the same for everyone, for some people it might be a ghost and a haunted house or a haunted place. For other people, it might be a serial killer.

Whether you want to read a scary story or you want a scary story for kids to thrill them, this list is definitely gonna help you.

Anyway, In this list, we have the best horror book of all time for kids, teens, and adults as well because thrill doesn’t come according to age. 

Here is the list of best horror books

1. The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

On November 13th, 1974 Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed six members of his colony and this is the neighborhood called Amityville on the south shore of the long island Newyork. 

He was convicted to murder obviously but the story of amity horror is actually set after a family moves into this house. Now one of the best things about the whole story is that in these murders that Defeo committed, all of the family members were actually sleeping and it’s quite strange when the family members one by one are being shot while other members were staying asleep. It is likely when shots are being fired, people wake up at the sound and that particular gun did not have any silencer. 

This book is very strange and after reading page by page it gets more strange.

2. When Darkness Falls and Other Stories by Ruskin bond

This is one of the best books that I have read by Ruskin bond which are in the horror theme. Anyone who wants to read an easy book of horror, it is recommended to them. This is one of the best horror books for teens.

The story of this book is spooky but not as spooky that will actually take sleep away from your eyes at night. 

This book is perfect for anyone who is a bit scaredy-cat wants to get started reading horror books.

3. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

This book is a short scary tale which is based on a village where people have gathered for some sort of celebration and everybody is happy and everywhere is an aura of happiness. 

The first three fourth part of this story is extremely happy but the worst part of this sort of story is that at the end of the story. We get to know that the celebration for which they had gathered is the random stoning of a particular person and it is very shocking, From the celebratory mood, it suddenly becomes a gory tale of the townspeople, who actually killed a woman randomly because her name came out in the lottery.

That’s why the name of this short story is ‘The lottery’. This can be the best scary story to tell your kids and thrill them.

4. The return by Rachel Harrison 

In this book, There was a group of friends and they reunite after one of their friends has returned from a mysterious two-years of disappearance in this edgy and haunting debut.

Julie was missing and no one believes that she will ever return or not, but Elsie was the best friend of Julie and she knows her better than anyone and she feels it in her bones that her best friend is out there and that one day Julie will come back.

 She was right after two years Julie rappers on the same day when she went missing and she does not remember anything that where she’s been or what happened to her.

5. Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones

This story is about a Mongrel who was born an outsider, like the rest of his family. He was poor yet resilient.  He lives in the shadows with his Uncle Darren and Aunt Libby, the public who wildly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mixbloods, neither this nor that.

The boy on the heart of Mongrels should resolve if he belongs on the road along with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the folks on the opposite side of the tracks.

6. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

This is a very traditional vampire story but narrated in such an interesting and compelling way with characters who are not typical horror novel protagonists and they’re given such empathy and their relationships seem so flashed out and it seems so real that elevates that typical vampire story.

It is something that feels like yeah this is something classic story,  this feels like an interview with a vampire.

7. Growing Things By Paul Tremblay

This a chilling collection of short stories with psychological suspense and literary horror. This book is from the award-winning author of the national bestseller ‘The Cabin at the End of the World and A Head Full of Ghosts’. 

Even over the last few years, the author ‘Paul Tremblay’ has become one of the biggest names in horror stories, special thanks to the success of novels like A Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil’s Rock.

This book was published last year and it sells like a hotcake.

In these shivery short stories, there is a Bram Stoker Award nominee also.

8. The Toll By Cherie Priest

In this story, there is a newly married couple, their name was Titus and Melanie and they are driving to their honeymoon destination but when they cross the bridge which isn’t visible anywhere on the map. The thing you may already know, Titus went missing and Melanie is stuck in a weird, out-of-time town called Staywater. 

She is trying to figure out what’s going on. Of course, we are talking about a book which is written by Cherie priest, the weirdness has just begun. The Toll invites you on a horrifying trip to some very different places.

9. The Institute By Stephen King

 This is a science fiction-horror thriller novel and now we are talking about the author of this book Stephen King, he’s still going strong. Last year he published his book ‘The Institute’. we’re not sure how many novels he’s published till now, We lost count. Approximately it’s getting close to a hundred. 

Anyways let me tell you about ‘The institute’ because it is one the best book for beginners or new readers who are coming to Stephen King because of his shows like Stranger things, If you are wondering that, “what would it be like if X-man were written by Stephen king?”

10. Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell By Nathan Ballingrud

Let’s talk about the origin story. In 2015 Nathan Ballingrud published a novella named The Visible Filth. This novella book was used as the basis of the 2019 psychological horror movie Wounds. Last year Nathan Ballingrud published this book called  Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell. A sinister collection of six stories of terror including the novella The Visible Filth.

The New York Review of Books called Wounds “one of the most disquieting and memorable short story collections to come out last  year.”

11. IT (Novel) By Stephen King 

This is another book which is written by Stephen King, a movie has also been made on this book.

It’s a 1986 horror novel and  It was his 22nd book. If you are reading this, be ready for a lot of unnecessary descriptions because Stephen King is famous for this and of course this book has 1,138 pages.

Despite this book having lots of descriptions, it is worth it and this book is gonna give you nightmares.