a horror list (part one)
creepy novels, short stories, nonfiction books & youtube channels
September is finally here, the start of spooky season. I personally never wait to read horror, dystopian and generally creepy stories, but I suppose autumn is the socially acceptable time of year for such indulgences. To complement the daily horrors from the news, social media, and our lives, I’ve put together a small list of novels, short stories collections, nonfiction books, and YouTube channels to fill us with even more dread. You’re welcome.
Most deal with dystopian futures, with violence, with women’s pains. I don’t mean to push even more doomsday content on everyone, but it just so happens that I’ve been stumbling on doomsday content a lot lately, for better or worse. Maybe we are collectively afraid of a dystopian future, or maybe we’ve always been afraid of a dystopian future, but whatever the reason, horror just mixes so well with end-of-world drama these days.
And for fans of ghosts and real-life horror, I’ve also included YouTube channels that are sure to give you the creeps. Perhaps next time I’ll share books with more paranormal themes, they may actually be less scary. Let me know your thoughts on that.
novels
Moi qui n'ai pas connu les hommes by Jacqueline Harpman (I Who Have Never Known Men)
I’m late on reading this one, but I was waiting to find the book in its original French version, which I finally did a month ago. I’ve been quite obsessed with dystopia lately, and I’d say this book lives up to the hype. The prose makes the story flow flawlessly, and while there are many unanswered questions at the end of it all, it only makes the novel stronger. The narrator finds herself imprisoned as a baby, never having been outside in the real world. We are invited into the dystopian lives of caged women, surviving on nothing but hope and each other’s company. There is so much violence and brutality, so much hardship in this book, but also friendship and community. I wonder, if the end of times was to come, how we would behave as human beings. Horror, to me, is not just gore and ghosts, but the inner workings of our own humanity.
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica
religious horror is my favourite genre. Mix it with end-of-the-world dystopia, and Bazterrica’s wonderful prose, and I’ve just found my new favourite book (my last favourite was Tender is the Flesh, same author). I fervently encourage you to read both this one and Harpman’s book together, because they tackle similar topics, albeit in different ways. How would we face a dying world? How would we organise ourselves, and would we have the will to persist in the face of loss, grief, and horror? The Unworthy made me question, just like Harpman’s novel, the lengths we would go through simply to survive. And at the end of the world, would we still encounter the cruelty of humanity, as well as devotion and love.
Private Rites by Julia Armfield
by the author of Our Wives Under the Sea, this novel initially does not feel like a horror story, except for the fact that the three sisters, Irene, Isla and Agnes, live their lives in a future where the world has been submerged under water. Despite this climate catastrophe, their city has adapted to constant rain and floods, and the sisters go on about their lives, going to work and navigating their fractured family relationships. It feels eerily creepy to read about people doing normal things in a world that has fallen into chaos, a world on the brink of completely shattering. The end is near yet everyone is pretending society must still go on as usual. I’m not sure if this is horror, dystopia, or a warning.
short stories
19 Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica
I am simply in love with Bazterrica’s writing, and I thoroughly enjoyed her short stories. If you’re a fan of speculative prose, of strange ideas, of open-ended stories, I absolutely recommend this one. If you’re more into the traditional narrative story-style, then jump right to the next recommendation. This collection is full of creepy stories, my favourites including: Roberto, Elena-Marie Sandoz, The Continuous Equality of the Circumference.
Eyes Guts Throat Bones by Moïra Fowley
I picked this one up in Dublin, and it’s filled with queer stories of the world ending (which of course, I always enjoy). Each story is quite long and detailed, which is less my style, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless. Keep in mind that Fowley is originally a YA author, and while these stories are categorized as horror, you can feel the heavy influence of the genre in her prose, especially as most stories centre around relationships. Still, a few of them have stuck with me, especially Flowers.
nonfiction
Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen
to keep in line with the general topic of the novels recommended, here’s a true scenario of what could happen if a nuclear missile was launched today. In this gruesome telling, Jacobsen details practically every minute following a nuclear attack (accidental or not) and how the world would be devastated in just about one hour. The stuff of true nightmares, that could be a reality if someone, somewhere, was mad enough (or clumsy enough) to launch even just one missile. Don’t read if you don’t want this kind of anxiety looming in the back of your mind forever.
The Women Are Not Fine: The Dark History of a Poisonous Sisterhood by Hope Reese
the real story of women from a small village in Hungary at the turn of the last century, who collectively poisoned and murdered 300 people in the span of a decade. A truly bizarre and captivating tale of dozens of women who murdered husbands, in-laws, even children. The author explains the conditions these women suffered from: extreme poverty, abuse, isolation. Without absolving them of their crimes, Reese explains why these women (and women in general) may have resorted to murder, and on such a large scale. So much violence, death, in such a short period in a tiny village. But what I also appreciated about this book was that it didn’t run in circles like many nonfiction works do: I read it in a day and every chapter went straight to the point. A true horror story, retold through a modern eye.
youtube
if you think you might enjoy compilations of (alleged) paranormal videos, this channel is for you. I definitely recommend watching these alone, at night. Guaranteed scares!
for “darkest moments” caught on camera, or on live TV. Not for the faint of heart, although not to worry, nothing gruesome is ever actually shown. And the creator is mindful of sharing the stories in a respectful way. But if you want to scare yourself with actual scary things that actually happen to actual people, this is it.
fin.
bree beauregard
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Haven’t read it but so exited to find one fresh article by you!
your recommendations are always so good!