Occult and demonic horror books
Occult and demonic 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.
Rosemary’s Baby
Ira LevinEstablished modern domestic occult horror by setting demonic conspiracy within contemporary Manhattan apartment life.
The Exorcist
William Peter BlattyCodified the demonic possession narrative through a procedural clash between modern medicine, faith, and infernal evil.
Come Closer
Sara GranA concise, first-person account of slow demonic possession that blurs mental illness and genuine supernatural invasion.
The Devil Rides Out
Dennis WheatleyA foundational British occult thriller depicting aristocratic occultists fighting a Satanic coven.
A Head Full of Ghosts
Paul TremblayDeconstructs possession and exorcism conventions by contrasting religious ritual with reality television and psychiatric illness.
Chosen and described with AI from our notes on the genre.
Reading lists
More occult and demonic horror books
- The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis, ..
The Monk: A Romance. In Three Volumes. By M. G. Lewis, ..Matthew Gregory Lewis - Falling Angel
Falling AngelWilliam Hjortsberg - The Ceremonies
The CeremoniesT. E. D. Klein - The Witching Hour
The Witching HourAnne Rice - Our Share of Night
Our Share of NightMariana Enríquez - The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
The Case of Charles Dexter WardH.P. Lovecraft - Carrie
CarrieStephen King1974 - Ghostly encounters
Ghostly encountersJeff Bahr2013 - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Crossings
Buffy The Vampire Slayer CrossingsMel Odom2002 - Late Victorian Gothic Tales
Late Victorian Gothic TalesRoger Luckhurst2009 - Hellbound
HellboundA. A. Attanasio2001 - Occultist OmnibusOccultist OmnibusMike Richardson2018