Any horror books that are a must read?

[squareyedannie]

I read a lot of horror in 90s. King, Koontz, Herbert, Barker etc

I've just started reading the genre again with Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt.

Does anyone have any other authors that they could recommend, please?

Yes there’s some great Japanese horror - off the top of my head I’ve liked:

In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami
My Annihilation by Fuminori Nakamura
The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike

I recommend the Podcast to the Curious, in which two fans work their way through his entire oeuvre.

Ooh that sounds ace! Thanks for that!

another one for the folk horror fans - Cunning Folk by Adam LG Nevill sounds v good.

Grady Hendrix is good. I've stopped reading him because they are too creepy.

I second that.

Naomis room. I love horror, books and films. It's my favourite genre I don't get scared easily. But oh my goodness this book absolutely chilled me. I had to sleep with the main light on for a week.

I second this. Fantastic author ajd utterly brilliant books. I have now managed to get signed editions and buy in hardback format as well as a kindle copy

Placemarking

Try Stephen Laws, if you like James Herbert. His stuff is of the same era and in a similar vein; Ghost Train, Spectre, and The Frighteners are all decent. He's a Geordie and I like a lot of the local references he puts in. If you're buying second hand, beware of reprints which remove all the regional and period references (presumably to appeal to the American market). The versions currently available on the Kindle store are fine.

Also Jonathan Aycliffe. PP mentioned Naomi's Room, but he's done a few in that gothic MR James, epistolary style. Whispers in the Dark is my favourite.

Catriona Ward! Esp Sundial, Rawblood and Last House on Needless Street.

@Sodie
I've not been scared by horror for a very long time so I'll Have a look for that. Thanks!

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
The Ocean at the end of the lane by Neil Gaiman

Have you read Thin Air by Michelle Paver? It is so creepy, and it stayed with me for days.

Still re read it every year though.

Oh I really like her but I haven't found anyone else who has read her stuff!

Her stuff really sticks in my mind... GAH

me too, I love horror and found it utterly unnerving, one of the best I’ve read.

Catriona ward is great, just everything she writes, I really liked “little Eve”

Ghost Wall is amazing, I finished it yesterday! Slow burn dread, I won’t be able to shake that one off for a while.

I love Catriona Ward!

Good isn't it! I found The Apparition Phase to have a similar dread feeling.

Same! It’s really subtle in both, The Apparition Phase was superb too

Misery is darker & more gory than the film.

Naomi's Room by Jonathon Aycliffe

Any other similar recommendations @Orangewall ?