Staff Recommendations: Our Favorite Horror Subgenres—and a Book to Match!

Sink your teeth into horror this October. We asked our staff to recommend a book from their favorite horror subgenre. From body horror to manga, here’s what they suggest.

Paranormal Horror: Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
Even though it’s a middle grade paranormal horror, it gave me the heebie-jeebies and a new fear of scarecrows! Oddly enough, this book is both cozy and creepy; it’s a perfect Halloween read and I think it’s a great introduction to the horror genre either for younger readers, or readers of any age who want to feel out what they can handle.
– Naomee McKiddy, adult/teen services programmer
Dark Fantasy Manga Horror: Uzumaki by Junji Ito
Uzumaki is a tale of a small town’s struggle dealing with the unsettling nature and paranormal effects of “the spiral” which seems to be an otherworldly horror that is taking over. The tale follows Kirie and Shuichi as they attempt to solve and survive the horrors presented from the spiral. It’s a deeply creepy series that’ll scare you almost enough to want to stop reading, but the greater mystery within draws you ever deeper like the spiral itself. The series is getting a fully black & white animated adaptation September 28th on Cartoon Network’s [adult swim]. I’m looking forward to delving into the madness of it all again!
– Max Sulken, patron services assistant
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense: Night Film by Marisha Pessl
It’s never exactly clear how reliable our narrator is, or how sane—but that’s what made Night Film a page turner. Told from both the protagonist’s increasingly unhinged point-of-view as well as epistolary website articles, Night Film carries with it a sense of inescapable terror and intrigue. The audiobook is equally as chilling as the novel; it’s a story that can be enjoyed or dreaded in either format. Maybe just don’t read it at night.
– Tessa Grigson, assistant patron services supervisor

Sci-Fi Horror: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Jurassic Park is, at first glance, fairly similar to its famous 1993 film adaptation in terms of plot: Scientists make an incredible breakthrough in genetic engineering that allows them to effectively bring dinosaurs back to life and use them as attractions for a tropical theme park, but a combination of hubris, greed, questionable ethics and fierce corporate competition leads to a dangerously widespread containment disaster.
The novel is definitely darker, moodier, and more unsettling than some of what the movie offers — with many of the carnivorous dinosaurs having slasher-like vibes — yet the book also simultaneously includes that sense of awe that comes with the subject of these animals in the first place.
It’s also very interesting to note the many key differences between the two versions, such as the way the featured characters and dinosaurs are portrayed. Overall Crichton’s writing style is suspenseful and highly detailed yet easy to follow, making it a nice potential first step into adventure, sci-fi or sci-fi horror. 
– Tanner Reed, patron services assistant
YA Body Horror: House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland 
As children, the Hollow sisters go missing while on a family trip to Scotland, reappearing a month later with no memory of what happened. Iris spends her teens trying to ignore the strange happenings but that proves impossible when her eldest sister disappears once more. This is straight up one of the most unsettling books I’ve ever read.
– Rebekah Napier, patron services assistant
Gothic Horror: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
This is a retelling of Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” but with terrifying fungi. The descriptions in this book are what makes it really stand out. The scenes Kingfisher sets are visceral, uncomfortable, and eerily alluring.
– Katherine Sallee, adult/teen services librarian

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