Turn on the lights, pull your feet off the edge of the bed and check inside the closet. October is back and so is the season to transport yourself to fictional settings that terrify you. Vampire slayers, vengeful creatures and a dark village with a history of death are all included in this thriller-based list of horror books. 

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

This creepy novel takes southern housewives and turns them into modern-day Van Helsings when a handsome stranger moves into their South Carolina community. Turning out to be a blood-sucking monster, Patricia Campbell and her book club must take matters into their own hands when local children go missing, and Patricia suspects the strange newcomer. With a mix of southern charm and incredibly suspenseful action, this book is best read when the sun is shining. 

Clickers by J.F. Gonzalez and Mark Williams

If you enjoy classic horror, then this book is for you. Set in Phillipsport, Maine, giant monstrous crabs come out of the ocean and attack the residents of the quiet village, forcing them to fight back. However, what’s driving these fearful creatures to land might be more terrifying than the vicious crabs themselves. 

White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi 

Set in Dover, England, the Silver family has been crushed by the death of their mother, Lily. Trying to cope with the loss, her daughter Miranda begins to change, becoming more connected to spirits. Meanwhile, the Silvers’ house grows enraged by outsiders and shows it, affecting those that live inside. 

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor

Jack Brooks and his 14-year-old daughter just moved to Chapel Croft, a village which 500 years ago burned eight protestant martyrs at the stake. Now, the town is wrapped in secrecy after two teenage girls go missing and the vicar of the local parish kills themself. Instead of finding peace, Jack finds himself and his daughter pulled into strange sightings and finds that finding the truth as an outsider can be dangerous. 

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones 

This award winning novel starts when four American Indian men hunt elk on land reserved for tribe leaders. The events that follow disturb them for years to come. To make matters worse, they find themselves fighting for their lives against a spirit focused on revenge.

With Teeth by Brain Keene

Four men walk into the woods hoping to find a place to cook meth and then sell it to provide for their families. However, things don’t quite go as planned when they discover they aren’t alone in the woods and something scarier than being caught by the police has found them.