Psychological horror books
Psychological horror books to start from. Open one to see books like it, or tell BookSense what you loved for four picks made for you.
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New to the genre? These 5 are the books to read first.
The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley JacksonEstablishes the standard for psychological ambiguity in a haunted house setting, focusing on emotional vulnerability and isolation.
The Shining
Stephen KingExamines alcoholism, domestic violence, and family breakdown alongside supernatural isolation in an empty hotel.
The Turn of the Screw
Henry JamesA foundational novella using an unreliable narrator to blur the line between genuine hauntings and mental illness.
Misery
Stephen KingA claustrophobic study of obsession, power dynamics, and captive survival without supernatural elements.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Iain ReidA modern exploration of loneliness, identity, and existential dread told through a tense road trip.
Chosen and described with AI from our notes on the genre.
More psychological horror books
- Psycho
PsychoRobert Bloch - We Have Always Lived in the Castle
We Have Always Lived in the CastleShirley Jackson - House of Leaves
House of LeavesMark Z. Danielewski - My Work Is Not Yet Done
My Work Is Not Yet DoneThomas Ligotti - A Head Full of Ghosts
A Head Full of GhostsPaul Tremblay - The Collector
The CollectorJohn Fowles - The Last House on Needless Street
The Last House on Needless StreetCatriona Ward - The Wasp Factory
The Wasp FactoryIain Banks - Fever Dream
Fever DreamSamanta Schweblin - The Little Stranger
The Little StrangerSarah Waters - Le Horla
Le HorlaGuy de Maupassant1887 - Cuentos de amor, de locura y de muerte
Cuentos de amor, de locura y de muerteHoracio Quiroga1900
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- House of LeavesBooks like House of Leaves
- Cuentos de amor, de locura y de muerteBooks like Cuentos de amor, de locura y de muerte
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- CarrieBooks like Carrie
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