Horror & Suspense for Older Teens
For more stories about things that go bump in the night, try this booklist:
Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, & More!
The Amityville Horror / by Jay Anson
A chilling account of the four weeks of terror experienced by an Amityville, Long Island, family after moving into a house in which a particularly gruesome mass murder had once been committed.
Something Wicked This Way Comes / by Ray Bradbury
When the carnival comes to town, two boys unearth the terrifying and horrible secrets that lurk within Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show and learn the consequences of wishes, as a sinister and evil force is at work in Green Town, Illinois.
The Hand of the Devil / by Dean Vincent Carter
When Ashley Reeves, a journalist for a freak-of-nature magazine called Missing Link, receives a letter promising the story of a lifetime, he journeys to the isolated island home of an eccentric collector of insects, where he finds himself thrown headlong into a macabre nightmare.
Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales
Drawing on dark fantasy and the fairy tale as well as horror and wild humor, ten acclaimed authors pay homage to the gothic tale in wide-ranging stories of the supernatural and surreal.
Heart Shaped Box / by Joe Hill
A collector of obscure and macabre artifacts, from a cannibal cookbook to a used hangman’s noose, unscrupulous metal band musician Judas Coyne is unable to resist purchasing a ghost over the Internet, which turns out to be the vengeful spirit of his late girlfriend’s stepfather.
The Devouring / by Simon Holt
Having read in a mysterious journal all about the demonic Vours who seek to possess bodies on Sorry Night, Reggie dismisses the tales as ancient lore, but when her brother begins to act strangely in the darkest hours of winter solstice, she must come to a frightening realization.
The Lottery and Other Stories / by Shirley Jackson
This collection of tales exploring a world of horror and the macabre features “The Lottery,” the author’s haunting story of a small town’s yearly ritual of evil. Also includes the classic horror stories “The Haunting of Hill House” and “We Have Always Lived in the Castle.”
Carrie / by Stephen King
An unpopular teenage girl whose mother is a religious fanatic is tormented and teased to the breaking point by her more popular schoolmates, and uses her hidden telekinetic powers to inflict a terrifying revenge. A classic of contemporary horror by one of the genre’s best-loved authors!
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories / by H.P. Lovecraft
From one of America’s greatest horror writers comes this collection of eerie, grotesque, and downright bizarre short stories; check out “The Call of Cthulhu” and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.”
Hellbent / by Anthony McGowan
After getting hit by a truck and sent straight to Hell, where boring books and radio programs fill his day, Conor decides to take control of his fate, rid himself of his demon tormentor named Clarence, and find some like-minded souls somewhere in the midst of eternal damnation.
Bliss / by Lauren Myracle
Having grown up in a California commune, Bliss sees her aloof grandmother’s Atlanta world as a foreign country, but she is determined to be nice as a freshman at an elite high school–which makes her the perfect target for Sandy, a girl obsessed with the occult.
Mason / by Thomas Pendleton
When a sadistic high school student tries to cover up a murder by brutally beating an innocent girl, his mentally-challenged but psychically-gifted brother, Mason, uses his powers to bring about justice in their sleepy Louisiana town.
Wicked Dead: Lurker / by Stefan Petrucha & Thomas Pendleton
Four ghost girls, trapped in an abandoned orphanage, relate the story of high school student Mandy, who becomes caught up in a terrifying encounter after one of her classmates is tragically murdered. First book in the “Wicked Dead” series. NEXT BOOK: Torn.
The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe / by Edgar Allen Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most original writers in the history of American letters, a genius who was tragically misunderstood in his lifetime. This collection gathers his stories, essays, and poems, including “The Gold-Bug,” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Raven,” “Lenore,” and “Annabel Lee.”
The Restless Dead: Ten Original Stories of the Supernatural
Enter the murky world of the undead. From a beyond-the-grave stalker to prankster devil worshippers, from a childish ghost of the future to a vampire lover with bloody ties to the past, the characters in these ten original stories will send shivers down your spine. Why do we fear the undead? Find out in this spooky collection, and enjoy another graveyard walk in the company of ten contemporary masters of horror and suspense.
The Harrowing / by Alexandra Sokoloff
Left behind during the Thanksgiving holiday break, Robin Stone and four other students–Patrick, the jock; Lisa, a manipulative tease; Cain, the brooding musician; and Martin, a scholarly eccentric–all of whom have their own reasons for remaining on campus, gradually become aware of a sixth ominous presence that may have its own terrifying agenda for them.
Doppelganger / by David Stahler, Jr.
Raised in a cabin in the middle of nowhere by a mother who despises him, the doppelganger has left home at last. He is making his way toward human society. He’s coming to do what every member of his monster race must: find an unsuspecting human and make his first kill. Doppelgangers are not supposed to have doubts. But this one does.
Project 17 / by Laurie Faria Stolarz
When six high school students sneak into an abandoned mental institution to make a film about their night there, they aren’t expecting the inexplicable and terrifying events that occur within the crumbling, maze-like building.
The Ring / by Koji Suzuki
Journalist Kazayuki Asakawa’s investigation into the sudden deaths of four teenagers from heart failure leads to an isolated cabin containing a videotape warning of death in seven days unless certain, now missing, instructions are not followed.
The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror 2007
A new twentieth collection of the finest short fantasy and horror fiction published during the previous year features an ecclectic assortment of works by Terry Dowling, Gene Wolfe, Margo Lanagan, M. Rickert, and many other notable authors, along with a year-end wrap-up in publishing, film, comics, and manga.