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Our time has come, horror fans. We talk it up all year. We try to play it cool over the summer as we get closer and closer to our season. In September, we feel ourselves starting to come into our own. But now that it’s October, we’re in full bloom. It’s our month. The leaves, they are a-changing. The air is crisp. The pumpkins are spiced. But most importantly, horror becomes mainstream for a full month as we get closer and closer to Halloween.
This year, there are sooooo many good horror books coming out to celebrate the season. You’ll see plenty from horror staples like Nick Cutter and Richard Chizmar. But this October is also going to introduce us to some new spooky authors on the scene. For instance, check out Del Sandeen’s gothic horror debut.
It’s always so hard to narrow down the new horror releases on months like these where there are so many good books to share with you, but here are 10 horror books releasing this October that undeniably belong on your TBR as we enter our favorite time of the year. You will not want to miss out!
Killer House Party by Lily Anderson (Henry Holt, October 1)
First up, we’ve got a YA horror novel from Printz Honor-winning author Lily Anderson. This one’s all about a graduation party at an abandoned mansion that goes horrifyingly wrong. Arden sees the abandoned Deinhart Manor as the perfect place for her and her friends Maddy, Remi, and Shane to host a graduation party. No one could have anticipated that everyone would get locked inside And then the walls begin to bleed.
Model Home by Rivers Solomon (MCD, October 1)
When Rivers Solomon offers their take on a haunted house novel, we have to drop everything and read it immediately, right? This book follows siblings Ezri, Eve, and Emanuelle Maxwell. Years ago, the Maxwells moved into a gated community outside of Dallas, Texas. Their white neighbors seemed welcoming enough, but immediately upon moving in, strange things began happening all around their house. Now, years later, Ezri, Eve, and Emanuelle’s parents have died, and the Maxwell children are forced to return back to the home that always terrified them growing up.
The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke (Berkley, October 8)
What would October be without a witchy book? The Book of Witching is about Clem, who is called to a hospital to find her 19-year-old daughter Erin unconscious after hiking on the remote Orkney Islands. Erin’s boyfriend, who went with her, is now dead, and their friend is missing. Meanwhile, when Erin wakes up, she doesn’t recognize her own mother and refuses to answer to her name, instead insisting she goes by Nyx. In order to find out what happened to the teens, Clem heads to the Orkneys herself.
This Cursed House by Del Sandeen (Berkley, October 8)
This historical gothic horror debut is set in New Orleans in 1962. Jemma Barker, desperate to escape her life in Chicago, accepts a job with the Duchon family and moves to New Orleans. But it turns out, if you’re hoping to escape ghosts, this city isn’t the place. The Duchon family is eccentric and difficult. They are all light-skinned enough to pass as white, and they look down on Jemma’s darker complexion. Soon Jemma discovers the family is afflicted by a dark curse, and they believe she is the one to save them.
All the Hearts You Eat by Hailey Piper (Titan, October 15)
Here’s a queer gothic/horror mystery from Bram Stoker Award-winning author Hailey Piper. It all starts when Ivory discovers the dead body of Cabrina Brite lying on the beach next to a mysterious poem. It seems she was trying to swim from Cape Morning to Ghost Cat Island, a place all the townspeople whisper about. But why was she trying to go there? And how did she end up dead? The mystery of Cabrina’s death eats at Ivory, and she even starts to hallucinate the ghost of Cabrina. Or maybe it’s not a hallucination after all.
American Rapture by CJ Leede (Tor Nightfire, October 15)
This is such a cool post-apocalyptic horror novel that will leave you reeling! American Rapture follows Sophie, a good Catholic girl trying to make it in a world where everyone has been infected by a terrible disease. Everywhere Sophie goes, she encounters people who are infected with lustful thoughts. As Sophie travels the Midwest to return to her family, the world around her is collapsing and the horrors intensify. Is this a sign of the end times?
Curdle Creek by Yvonne Battle-Felton (Henry Holt, October 15)
Welcome to Curdle Creek, an all-Black town in rural America that is nothing without its traditions and rituals. After a series of misfortune disrupts Osira’s life, the 45-year-old widow is forced to pass a test of allegiance. But the longer Osira remains in exile, the further she gets from ever coming back to the home she once loved. This novel is perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson’s classic “The Lottery.”
Memorials by Richard Chizmar (Gallery Books, October 22)
Here’s a must-read from a horror author you might recognize from Chasing the Boogeyman and Becoming the Boogeyman. In 1983, three students ventured into the backwoods of Appalachia to film a documentary project for their American Studies class. But what starts as a fun road trip between friends turns dark when they start to notice that the memorials they are filming include strange symbols. Things escalate for the group when they realize they are being followed, and one night, their vehicle is tampered with. When they try to reach out to local authorities, no one seems to care or take them seriously. The group begins to wonder if all the roadside accidents along this stretch of empty road are really accidents.
Where the Dead Brides Gather by Nuzo Onoh (Titan Books, October 22)
Where the Dead Brides Gather is set in Nigeria and focuses on Bata, a 10-year-old girl who is haunted by terrible nightmares. In her dreams, she battles the ghost bride who was once engaged to her cousin Keziah’s fiancé Bongo. Keziah will not be able to marry Bongo until the ghost is defeated. Bata eventually becomes possessed by the ghost bride and will have to enter Ibaja-La, the realm of the dead, to defeat the evil spirits.
The Queen by Nick Cutter (Gallery Books, October 29)
Nick Cutter is another one of those horror authors who immediately goes on the must-read list for me whenever he has a new book out. I’m still having nightmares about The Troop. When Margaret Carpenter wakes up to find a brand new iPhone on her doorstep, she turns the phone on and sees a text from her friend Charity Atwater. But Charity has been dead for over a month. At least, that’s what most people assume. There have been so many assumptions about Charity, and now she’s finally ready to tell her story and set the record straight. Here’s the thing. Charity’s secrets run deep. Unbeknownst to even her, Charity is secretly Subject Six, an integral part of the Project Athena gene manipulation experiment. But when Charity’s gene sequencing actualizes at a high school party, things get wild.
The good news about horror books? They don’t go away after October is over. So be sure to come back in November for more horror releases. In the meantime, catch up on September’s new horror books, or browse our horror archives for even more scares.
Until then, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!
