Horror recommendations

[Necrotic]

Looking for a good horror story, preferably ghosts rather than serial killers

I take it you've read Dracula?

No I haven’t actually! I’ve seen all the many films 😂 is it a good read?

I loved it but it's been many years since I read it. Was staying in a creepy house by the sea when I did read it so it all added to the atmosphere

Dracula is brilliant, as is The Historian (draws on the legend of Dracula). M R James' ghost stories are pretty creepy. I also really enjoyed In a Glass Darkly by Le Fanu. The Turn of the Screw is brilliant. Stephen King is good although can descend into gore sometimes, but I enjoyed Salem's Lot and The Shining.

I don't know if you've read any James Herbert? I used to like him when I was younger. Maybe start with Rats or Shrine?

Michelle Paver’s Thin Air or Dark Matter.
The Last Days Of Jack Sparks, by Jason Arnopp. Also his short story A Sincere Warning About The Entity In Your Home.
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell.

I would try Naomi's Room and Whispers in the Dark, both by Jonathan Aycliffe. For the most part, these are beautifully-written, old-fashioned ghost stories, though there are elements of more modern horror as well.

Another vote for Dark Matter (Michelle Paver) and The Historian (Elizabeth Kostova).

The Secret of Crickley Hall by James Herbert

And also agree with Dark Matter and The Silent Companions.

Oh I used to love James Herbert. I recently started the rats again - the main character is a teacher and he referred to 14 year old girls as 'crumpet'

I threw the book away! How did I not see it the first time??

Oh sorry posted too soon. One I loved recently was my best friends exorcism and one about a vampire called Eli- let the first one in? Or something like that

@PieMashLiquor it's Let The Right One In, it's very good, I would recommend it too.

M. R. James is wonderful. In fact, I don't think he's ever been bettered. If you like horror, and you've never read him, I envy you. I wish Stephen Fry would record all of James' stuff on audiobook.

(Also, try and get hold of the BBC adaptations from the 1970s. And watch Mark Gatiss' superb documentary on him.)

@WeirdPookah thank you! Also remembered Paul tremblay a head full of ghosts

i suspect I'll keep coming back randomly to this thread when I remember others!

Definitely Michelle Paver, very good ghost stories and so atmospheric, you feel like you're there!

I was going to say, if you're going to read James Herbert maybe start with something like the Ash trilogy instead of the likes of Rats. I read Haunted again recently and it was really good, and there's absolutely no sign of middle-aged men perving over schoolgirls.

F G Cottam writes a good chilling modern horror novel.

I liked Lauren Owen's 'The Quick.' It's set in Victorian period, with vampires, mysterious gentlemen's clubs, tightrope walkers and gangs in the slums. Very rich and quite chilling. CJ Tudor and Sarah Lotz have written more modern horror. Quite enjoyed Lotz's 'The White Road' for claustrophobic potholing horror.

These are chilling but not gory:

(Possession by Peter James, about the ghost of a young man who returns to haunts his mother) https://amzn.eu/d/88xAaVs

(unRIP by Aneeta Hall, about young Goth women in modern Dublin, and a mum accused of murder) https://amzn.eu/d/86HZGJF

"The Haunting of Hill House", by Shirley Jackson. There's an introduction to it here: https://lauramiller.typepad.com/lauramiller/shirley-jacksons-the-haunting-of-hill-house-an-introduction.html

"The Horla" is a good short story by Maupassant. It's horror, but not ghosts. There are many translations, but the one in a Penguin anthology of Maupassant's stories from 2004 was very good - I'm afraid I can't remember the translator's name.

I've just started The Chill by Scott Carson.
Really good so far.
Hex is absolutely fantastic by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

There's a couple of good Lovecraft stories read by Roddy Mcdowall on youtube here:

No ghosts, I'm afraid. All Lovecraft's stories are online or in cheap reprints.

Russell H Greenan - can only really get on kindle but they are horror and black comedy. Eg
dread of night
Queen of America

The Haunting of Hill House. Genuinely the most scary thing I've ever read. It's surreal and actually makes me feel a bit sick because it's so odd. Not gorey. Also not at all related to the TV show.