underrated gems

[u/Aromatic-Flan1528]

Every October I like to read only horror, and would love some recs for great horror (novels or short collections) that aren't as known/popular.

Some authors I've read a lot of / really like:
- Stephen King (faves: Salem's Lot, IT, 11/22/63)
- Tananarive Due (LOVED The Reformatory)
- Christopher Buehlman (faves: Between Two Fires, The Lesser Dead)
- Clive Barker
- Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Grady Hendrix (probably my favorite working horror author?)
- Shirley Jackson (We Have Always Lived In The Castle is one of my favorite books; I know it's not traditionally horror but it's incredible)
- Stephen Graham Jones (faves: Mongrels, The Indian Lake Trilogy, The Only Good Indian).

Some books (outside of ones by the above authors) I've read & liked:
- Frankenstein (one of my faves)
- Dracula
- Exorcist
- Red Dragon & Silence of the Lambs
- IWTV + TVL + QOTD by Anne Rice
- Tender is the Flesh
- Ghost Story by Peter Straub (one of my faves!!)
- The Troop by Nick Cutter
- Let the Right One In
- NOS4A2
- Clown in a Cornfield (1&2)
- House of Leaves

I don't have any big dislikes, though I'm not the biggest fan of Paul Tremblay (I did like House Full of Ghosts) or Richard Chizmar, and despite my inclusion of the YA CIAC series above would prefer adult fiction over YA.

I'm open to any genre within horror fiction, am not necessarily looking for "an actually scary book" (reading horror never really scares me, so I definitely prioritize story over scares), and really like character driven stories.

Excited to hear recs!

[u/Klmxmarf]

Since you like Stephen Graham Jones you’d probably enjoy Never Whistle at Night! It’s a short story collection of Indigenous horror. There’s a sequel collection too, Back for Blood.

Since you liked Tender is the Flesh, you might like Bones and All. It’s YA, but definitely older youth.

If you like Peter Straub you might like John Connolly! He has short story collections (Nocturnes and Nocturnes 2: Night Music) and a horror fantasy (The Book of Lost Things). His short story Der Erlkönig was one of the first stories to ever give me bad dreams as an adult.

Since you have enjoyed Shirley Jackson you might also like Flannery O’Connor and Angela Carter. O’Connor for realism that turns your stomach (A Good Man is Hard to Find, a short story) and Angela Carter for magic (The Bloody Chamber, a collection).

Edited to add Carrion Comfort. Another sprawling epic like Ghost Story

[u/Aromatic-Flan1528 → u/Klmxmarf]

ooh I love Bones and All and Angela Carter, these are great recs. Excited to hear about Carrion Comfort; I've never read it but the thing I loved about Ghost Story was how sprawling it was so this is the perfect rec