Let’s face it.
There’s nothing better in this whole, wide world than a great scary story. You know the kind I’m talking about – the sort of story that you eat up in a single sitting. The book that consumes your entire life while you’re reading it. The kind of story that makes you sleep with a light on after staying up until two in the morning on a work night to finish it.
Fortunately for us horror fanatics, there are a ton of amazing novels and short stories out there – and don’t let the masses fool you. It’s not all just King, Koontz and Rice. While those three are legendary and considered some of the greatest for damn good reason, there is a ton of fantastic reading material out there and you are doing yourself a huge disservice if you aren’t searching high and low for the best the horror literature field has to offer.
You haven’t searched high and low? Never fear! Mangled Matters has you covered.
Before I go on any further, however, I must fanboy for a moment. It’s not everyday you get to speak with a true literary giant, even if it is in Twitter form. I asked universally renowned author Neil Gaiman what book of his represents Halloween best, in his mind, and I also asked him what book written by another author represents the holiday the best. His answers certainly didn’t surprise me and I’d say if you haven’t read both books mentioned, you know your weekend assignment in order to stay in good graces around here!
So, that was pretty damn awesome!
Below, you will find a collection of some of my personal favorite scary stories and novels. Ranging from nostalgic Halloween delight to downright horrific madness, this list has a little bit of something for everyone.
Check Amazon, your local book shop or even your library for some of the titles below. If you daaaaaaaare…
The October Country
by Ray Bradbury
Nineteen short stories comprise this fantastic collection by Bradbury and you’d be hard pressed to find a better short story catalog than the one Bradbury put together during his illustrious career. There are some fantastic gems in this one. You can find this on Amazon quite easily.
The Sentinel
by Jeffrey Konvitz
I’ve discussed how much I love this book before on MM and that hasn’t changed. This is the first book to really get under my skin and shake me up.
The Ed Gein File
Produced and Edited by John Borowski
For those with an affinity for real-life crime and the twisted humans that commit these crimes, I present to you a fantastic collection of documents that spans the entire Ed Gein crime timeline. Find it on Amazon today.
Alone with the Horrors
by Ramsey Campbell
Mr. Campbell is one of, if not the, best in the game when it comes to truly terrifying an audience with a short story. This collection spans thirty years of Campbell’s career. Most of these tales are not for the faint of heart and all are crafted by a true wordsmith. Buy it now and grab a night-light while you’re at it.
Toybox
by Al Sarrantonio
A wonderfully macabre mix of stories that range from weird and goofy to all-together creepy, Sarrantonio is not a household name like King, Rice or Barker, but his stories stand up with the best of them.
Ghost Story
by Peter Straub
Seriously. I can’t even. If you have never read this book, you now know what you should be doing at this very moment. Get to it!
So on that note, there you have it, folks! May I suggest you whip up a delicious Fall drink or a batch of homemade Taffy Apples, grab a book and settle in for some real scares!
Happy reading!
Mangled Matters 
I have The October Country on my list and I’ve been waiting to read it. I think they don’t have a kindle version which held me back, but I’m just going to have to get the paperback.
It is well worth the purchase!