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It can be hard for authors to hit it out of the park with their first book releases. But that can’t be said of the authors of the best debut horror books ever written. These in-your-face terrors will haunt you — and maybe even have you sleeping with the lights on — for weeks to come.
Let’s get one thing out of the way, shall we? Horror is subjective. What scares one person might thrill another. When choosing the best debut horror books, we’re not looking for the scariest books of all time. Instead, the titles on the list below all have a certain je ne sais quoi, whether that’s due to their popularity, pop culture influence, or just damn good writing. If they scare you, all the better, but that isn’t the point here.
Still, I’ve tried to strike a balance. Among the books listed below, you’ll find some tried and true favorites — you know, the kind that make you say, “Oh, of course that’s on this list” — and some off-the-beaten-path recommendations. If you’re new to horror, pretty much any of these titles is a great place to start. If you’re an avid fan, make sure you’ve read all of these great debut horror books, pronto.
The Best Debut Horror Books Ever Written
We Are Here to Hurt Each Other by Paula D. Ashe
Paula D. Ashe’s We Are Here to Hurt Each Other is an extreme horror collection. “Aspects of Emptiness” is about the Man with the Face of Teeth who aids the narrator in obliterating their physical identity — and that’s just the opener! What follows are 11 more gruesome tales of “gooey” body horror that will stick with you long after you’ve closed the cover.
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The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Sixteen-year-old Frank has murdered three children in his lifetime, and he’s never been caught. He swears he’s reformed. He spends his time protecting his remote island home with totems made of dead animals. He’s not like his older brother, recently escaped from the psychiatric hospital and ready to come home. Still, there’s just something off about Frank, and readers will be hard-pressed to figure out what’s gone wrong with the boy until the big reveal.
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
In this Rebecca retelling, a young Mexican woman marries a wealthy widower to save herself and her mother in the wake of her father’s brutal death. Hacienda San Isidro seems idyllic at first. Then Beatriz starts to notice the strange rituals the housekeeper engages in. When she begins to have nightmares, she starts to question her own sanity. Did her husband kill his late wife? Could that woman’s ghost really be haunting the hacienda?
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
There’s no book quite like House of Leaves. It’s polarizing in the horror community, but I’m personally in the “House of Leaves is a masterpiece” camp. This is a multilayered story that centers on one family’s chilling discovery: their house is bigger on the inside. Complete with a bevy of footnotes and commentary from other characters, each of whom is one degree further removed from the central cast and their documentary, The Navidson Record.
The Between by Tananarive Due
Hilton James’s grandmother died while saving him from an undertow. He’s spent the last 30 years keenly aware of his own mortality. Now, his wife is on the receiving end of racist death threats, and Hilton has begun to spiral. Is his mental state slipping, or is he really making contact with people on the other side? Could his visions of the future come true, or are they just evidence of a mind gone ill? There are no easy answers, but there’s plenty of spine-tingling horror to go around.
Scarewaves by Trevor Henderson
I know what you’re thinking: A middle-grade book? Really? But this spooky tale from creepypasta legend Trevor Henderson will delight readers of all ages. Something foul’s afoot in Beacon Point, and only the kids are willing — or able — to acknowledge it. When the horrors escalate over a series of frightening nights, a group of youngsters must band together to solve the mystery of their sleepy little town before it’s too late.
Zero Saints by Gabino Iglesias
Before House of Bone and Rain, The Devil Takes You Home or Coyote Songs, there was Zero Saints. Combining crime fiction with occult horror, this short novel follows a low-level drug dealer whose run-in with a more powerful cartel sets him on a path toward revenge. Joined by a cast of unexpected allies, including a dog that might be more human than animal, Fernando will face off against a dangerous gangbanger… or die trying.
Carrie by Stephen King
You know we couldn’t pull together a list like this one without including the mack daddy of debut horror books. Carrie is the chilling story of one abused teen witch coming into her own power and making it everyone else’s problem. If you haven’t read the Stephen King novel that started it all, make it a point to do so this year. It’s short, violent, and a hell of a lot of fun.
The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike
With housing becoming increasingly unaffordable across the U.S., Koike’s debut horror book is a more timely read now than ever. The story centers on a young family — husband, wife, daughter, and pets — who find a spacious and affordable apartment that seems nearly perfect. Nearly, because the high-rise it’s in is surrounded on three sides by a graveyard. Surely that will have no bearing at all on what happens inside the apartment building… right?
Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt
A brief haunted house story, Tell Me I’m Worthless centers on Alice, whose life has gone downhill since she spent the night in the aforementioned house. Alice and her friend Ila survived that night. Their other friend Hannah was taken by the house itself. Now, three years after Hannah didn’t come out, Alice and Ila are going back in to face their fears and save their friend.
Want more great horror content? Check out these must-read debut horror books and these horror books for beginners.