What to read this year for Halloween? Find your favorite Halloween Horror Books here.
Updated October 6, 2025.
Halloween is almost here. And that means reading a lot of horror books. But for the seasoned horror fan, every day is Halloween. Horror is our thing, it’s what we always read. If you are a horror fan, you probably are a seasonal reader, and what better way is there to read horror books that are set during Halloween to get into the festive mood. It’s wonderful to read about trick-or-treating, making or searching for the best costume, eating candy, carving a scary pumpkin, decorate your house and get all excited for the big day.
There are a lot of scary, funny or adventurous Halloween Books you can choose from. From silly B-movie style slashers, creepy Halloween creatures, witches, demonic possessions, haunted houses, funny demons, magical fairytale adventures and more.
I have put together a list of Halloween Horror Books that I have read and personally recommend. It’s not a list with all the Halloween horror books out there or the best ones, but this is a selection of books that I enjoyed reading.
The list is set up by decade and by year. Starting with the most recently published books. Each time I have found a new book within this genre that I highly recommend it will be added to the list.
So save this post for more recommendations.
The list consists of 16 books at the moment.
The 31st Trick-or-Treater by Ben Farthing (2025)
A Halloween Advent Calendar that brings you the spirit of Halloween, full with treats and a lot of tricks.
Last Halloween Bob Wilson took his 11-year-old son Sam, his four-year-old daughter Mary and two-year-old Emily out trick-or-treating. But as Mary goes alone up to the last house, she suddenly vanishes. Just like 29 other kids of the neighborhood of Maple Creek. A whole year Bob is looking for Mary, using YouTube and his online chat groups and community, while his wife Joann mourns Mary by going to church and Sam feels guilty by letting Mary go alone up to the house.
Now a year later on October 1st, one of the missing children has come back and just walked out of the now abandoned Old Pine elementary school. Each evening another child comes back. They all claim that the one who took them and who calls himself the 31st Trick-or-Treater will come back on Halloween with a vengeance. But not every child comes back alive. Bob has to hurry to find the kidnapper before it’s too late.
The story has 31 chapters, each chapter describes a day of October, so you can read it like an Advent Calendar. Each chapter brings you closer to the kidnapper and solving the mystery behind the kidnappings. Therefore the story is a bit slow and long, but it also means that we get very invested in the whole Wilson family and their endeavors to find whoever did this.
It’s an entertaining supernatural ghostly story about Halloween, about family, grief and social media versus face-to-face contact with a twist at the end nobody saw coming.
It consists of 334 pages.
Pumpkin Man 2: Origin by Penny Moonz (2024)
Read more about the killer Pumpkin Man and how his killing spree started.
See below for the first story Pumpkin Man: Jane where the Pumpkin Man roams the streets of Birch Hollow, leaving a trail of slaughtered bodies behind, randomly killing everyone on his path. In this sequel we finally get to find out who the Pumpkin Man is and where he comes from and why he does what he does; killing for fun.
It starts in 1950 with Betty whom we got to know in the first book, and her 4-year-old son Timothy. Mrs. Dubois is babysitting him, when he suddenly acts very strange. When his mother finds out that there’s something wrong with Timothy, something terrible happens. That tragedy of that Halloween day follows Betty in 1970 when the Pumpkin Man rises and he is coming for her.
We follow Betty on her flight from the Pumpkin Man through the whole town of Birch Hollow, while the Pumpkin Man is chasing her and leaving bodies in his wake. She finally flees to her best friend’s house Sylvia where she was invited to a Halloween party. And if you’ve read the first book, you know how that party ended.
Again, a silly and fun story of the Pumpkin Man who kills randomly for fun. It’s a wild chase through the town and unfortunate people who get in the way, are in bad luck. It’s written in a fun B-movie style and it takes itself never too seriously. Betty is a great character and you can feel her anxiety and fear.
You can read it separately from the first book, but I highly recommend reading Pumpkin man: Jane first. It’s a fun wild ride on the day of Halloween and just enjoy it.
It consists of 196 pages.
All Hallows (Christopher Golden, 2023)
The ultimate Halloween story with everything Halloween packed into one great nostalgic eighties tale of horrors.
It’s 1984 and Tony organizes his last Haunted Forest tour for the neighborhood. Another family has a personal marital crisis. The children of Parmenter Road are going trick-or-treating or to a party, where things turn out quite differently than they expected. Four strange kids roam the street of Parmenter Road. A couple is up to no good. And the Cunning Man is coming for you. It’s a big story that plays out in one single night and follows multiple people, from adults, to kids during this night. It’s therefore a multiple point of view tale that comes together at the end.
This story has everything Halloween. The younger kids go trick-or-treating. The older kids go to a party and to the Haunted Forest tour. The adults go either to the party as well, or have their own problems. There’s costumes, creepy and strange kids, and a creature that is hunting them.
But it’s also a story with lots of themes, like change, being queer in the eighties, bigotry, racism, adultery, marital problems, being betrayed, growing up, family, friendship and bravery.
This is a perfect read for Halloween. The whole atmosphere breaths Halloween and with lots of likable and unlikable characters, with a lot going on both very earthly as supernatural and with thrilling scenes, this book will certainly keep you entertained. Review.
It consists of 325 pages.
Continue reading below this announcement.
Did you know I also make Art & Designs.
This Trick or Treat design of a Green Witch Hand with a little pumpkin is made with pen and alcohol markers. You can buy this design on a Unisex Mineral Wash T-Shirt and other apparel in my shop at Printify.
Pumpkin Man: Jane by Penny Moonz (2023)
A great fun Halloween tale with a deranged supernatural killer in a silly B-Movie style.
It’s 1975 and it’s Halloween in Birch Hollow. They always celebrate Halloween in a great way, so that tourists come to celebrate Halloween. But Birch Hollow also has the Pumpkin Man. We follow 18-year-old Jane who has to babysit Billy during Halloween and we follow police officer Valerie Strauss who is desperately looking for the Pumpkin Man. For a couple of years murders take place during Halloween, gruesome murders. Last year Valerie was at the murder scene and was stabbed by the killer. A hobo was arrested but she knows it was somebody else. And she’s still looking for him. Tony who lives next door to Betty in the same street as Jane and Billy and his mother, also knows that the Pumpkin Man is real and he is waiting for him.
In the meantime the Pumpkin Man is going on his killing spree, giggling as he kills and attacks people. And Jane is one of his targets.
It’s a silly story, in a good way. It has a fun B-movie style that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but has a lot of fun. The killings seem random and the Pumpkin Man doesn’t have a plan, only to kill, to play and have fun. While the oblivious people all think he has a great costume. There are a lot of kills, gruesome and violent and gory and a lot of characters, although some are clearly the main characters. The ending is fun but there is more to the story. That you can read in the prequel, Pumpkin Man 2: Origin.
If your are into some B-Movie slasher fun with a supernatural killer in a Halloween town in the seventies than this will be a great read.
It consists of 204 pages.
Old Dark Houses by Tylor James (2023)
Three haunted houses bring the scary vibe of Halloween to life.
In Sweet Hollow three old houses, Bannatyne House, Morton Manor and Vallancy Mansion are to be demolished on All Hallows Day. Initiated by Elise Thanatos and opposed by Patty Keepwell, but there’s are third party the ghost of Charles Vallancy who wants to bring the three Old Dark Houses back to life on Halloween Night. That night he opens the doors and lures in all the kids of Sweet Hollow to restore the houses with their youth and life force.
We follow Anna and Kenny two young lovers who want to say goodbye to the house they fell in love in, sheriff Bradley and his deputy Johanson, Elise Thanatos, Patty Keepwell, and four teenagers who think it’s fun to visit the Vallancy on Halloween. They all enter a different house and face the consequences. But they fight back. Because every house has a heart, a brain and a soul. To destroy them is to destroy the house.
Like the blurb says it’s a love letter to Halloween. The whole story is filled with a Halloween vibe, from trick-or-treating and costumes, to an apple with a razor blade, ghosts, supernaturally enhanced animals, a cold wind, rustling leaves, pumpkins and of course three haunted houses.
It’s a story told through multiple perspectives, with vivivd storytelling, exciting happenings and some gore at the end, characters you’ll root for and an atmosphere that encompasses Halloween.
It consist of 260 pages.
Cabin Possessions (Judith Sonnet, 2021)
Teenagers celebrating Halloween with booze and drugs and a demon nearby in a cabin in the woods. What can go wrong?
It is Halloween and Fulton has invited his friends to party at Halloween at his father’s cabin in the woods near the swamp. A swamp where his father has buried a box containing a demon. A box Fulton just dug up and unknowingly set the demon Jazazel free. When his friends, Cordelia, Tom, Jilly, Tessa and Adam arrive at the cabin, all hell breaks loose. Because Jazael needs a body and wants to kill just for the fun of it. The friends have to run and fight for their lives or die trying. And the six friends are not his only target. At the church a Halloween cookout is going on with a lot of people to kill.
It’s a splatter punk slasher, with lots of gore, violence and gruesome kills. The kills are pretty graphic and gross and very violent. But it’s more than just a straightforward slasher. There’s anther demon/angel who wants to stop Jazazel and her appearance turns this slasher into a cosmic battle at the end. She also gets help from three ultimate kick ass final girls who are out for revenge.
So if you’re looking for a lot of violence, gore, gruesome kills but mixed with cosmic horror this Halloween, than this is a short but satisfying read.
It consists of 161 pages.
The Halloween Moon by Joseph Fink (2021)
A Halloween adventure for teenagers with some creepy creatures, and four unlikely heroes who against all odds become friends.
Nobody loves Halloween more than 13-year-old Esther. She loves trick-or-treating not for the candy but for the collecting. She loves coming up with the best costume every year and wins first prize at school. But this year her parents tell her that she is now too old for Halloween because she’s not a child anymore. Esther doesn’t agree and secretly goes trick-or-treating with her best friend Augustin, who really doesn’t like Halloween.
That night a full moon is out and it’s orange. That night something strange is about to happen and Esther, Augustin, her bully Sasha and her dentist Mr. Gable are the only ones who can stop the Queen of Halloween and her minions, but at a cost.
It’s a fun and sometimes scary adventure for teenagers. There are creepy kids that attack them, two scary brothers who threaten them and the Queen who wants it to be Halloween forever. Although Esther at first thought she wanted every day to be Halloween, she changes her mind. That’s also the theme of the story; change, growth and how scary that can be but it also opens doors to other wonderful things.
Although some things remain unexplained, and some things don’t really flow in the story, it’s still a great Halloween read for teenagers.
It consists of 288 pages.
Apartment Five is Alive (Russell Atwood, 2020)
This is not a haunted house story, this is a story about an apartment that just loves Halloween.
First it was a room in a house, it was aware but not alive. It was the favorite room of the house where parties were held and people were happy. Then the house was made into an apartment building and the room got split in half. The apartment was rented out to people whom the apartment didn’t like and it found out it could do something about that. Until a window dresser became the new tenant in the seventies. And he threw big Halloween parties, dressing the apartment up with the best props and the apartment loved it. Until one day Jerome didn’t come home. The apartment missed the Halloween parties, the dressed up people and beware those new tenants who didn’t love Halloween too, or didn’t hold to the apartment’s standards.
It’s a story about an apartment that didn’t love people, but loved Halloween. But it’s also a story about the lives of different tenants, their tragic tales. Three tenants have their own story to tell, Jerome a window dresser in the seventies till nineties, Gerard from the late nineties and finally Marty.
It’s an unusual story that combines psychological horror, with a haunted house feel, and looking into people’s private lives, just like an apartment who’s always there in our most private moments. But it’s also a story about the love for Halloween and about outcasts.
It’s a story you’ll need to read to experience it and if you want something different, then this is definitely a great pick. Review.
It consists of 144 pages.
Continue reading below this announcement.
Did you know I also make Art & Designs.
This Halloween design of a Pumpkin Skull is made with pen and alcohol markers. You can buy this design on a Unisex Sweater and other apparel in my shop at Threadless.
Benny Rose, the Cannibal King (Hailey Piper, 2020)
A slasher with gruesome kills, cannibalism and pranks on a Halloween night in the eighties.
In 1953 Blackwood Mercy Hospital burned to the ground. 41 Bodies were found, 5 children and 1 adult were missing. Now in 1987 Gabrielle has to live with her grandmother in a cul-de-sac that is turned into a retirement community. Three girls, Sierra, Desiree and Jesse invite themselves at Gabrielle’s house for Halloween night only to prank her with Sierra’s boyfriend Paul. They tell each other ghost stories. Mainly about Benny Rose, who is Blackwood’s legend and eats children.
But when Gabrielle tells them her own personal ghost story about losing her parents, the prank doesn’t seem that appealing anymore. Still Paul and his friend Adrian come in to prank them as Benny Rose. But the joke is on them as the real Benny comes in and starts to kill them. And due to a storm there’s no way out of the cul-de-sac and none of the elderly is coming to their aid. What is going on in this neighborhood, who is Benny really and why is he after children? And more importantly how do they stay alive and kill him?
It’s a great nostalgic eighties slasher full with outdated ideas and state-of minds, especially the elderly people. It’s not only a battle between the girls and Benny but also between them and the elderly. Although the three start out as mean girls, they are not that mean and the four girls soon stand together as a strong group. It’s also full of graphic violence, gore, cannibalism, gruesome kills and girl power.
If you’re looking for some girl power during Halloween with lots of gore, violence, pranking and a very creepy and real urban legend than this is a short but fun read.
It consists of 164 pages.
The October Boys (Adam Millard, 2019)
A coming-of-age tale where four friends have to battle a demonic entity that steals children and eats their souls.
In 1988 on Halloween night the 12-year-old friends, Tom, Luke, Marcus and Ryan are out in Hovering London trick-or-treating. But it’s not a big holiday yet in the UK and it’s starting to rain. Just as they decide to go home they hear the chime of an ice cream truck that plays pop goes the weasel. They think it’s strange for a ice cream truck in the middle of Autumn driving around but it gets even stranger as the truck drives right at them at full speed. They run, Luke, Marcus and Tom turn right, while Ryan turns left to his house. And the truck turns left as well. That’s the last time they ever saw Ryan.
Now nearly 30 years later, Halloween is around the corner and Tom sees or hallucinates the ice cream truck driver, a dark shadow with red eyes and it threatens him. And he’s not the only one, Marcus and Luke hallucinate him too. Is he coming back for them?
The story switches between the events in 1988 and the present, the days before Halloween and at Halloween when the final battle ends. The story is more about the grown-up friends and former inspector Woods who worked on Ryan’s case and teams up with Tom to find out more about this demon and how to defeat it, than about the time when they were kids. The experiences of the kids are meagre, while the adults and their trauma about that day and how it impacted their lives, get a lot of attention.
If you are looking for a battle between four friends and an ancient demonic entity that plays out during Halloween, this is a nice read.
It consists of 353 pages.
The Witch of Halloween House by Jeff DeGordick (2017)
A young adult horror story about a witch who is about to ruin Halloween.
It started three years ago, when a little boy went missing. An old woman living in a house beyond town on a hill in the woods, was accused of being a witch and for kidnapping the boy. With no proof the townspeople formed an angry mob on Halloween night and eventually set her house on fire, killing her. But before she died she cursed the town. Now, three years later 19-year-old Carmen and her 9-year-old brother are the only ones who can stand up against the witch when she put a spell on the town and more and more children are going missing.
It’s a story set at Halloween, but it also has a Halloween vibe and an evil creepy witch. It has some scary and gruesome scenes and while the writing style is for young adults and some younger children, it takes the young readers seriously and can be quite scary and gruesome. The plot feels a little bit like the film Hocus Pocus (1993), but without the comedy.
It’s a great story about Halloween, complete with scary pumpkins coming to life, and a corn maze, attacking bats and much more thrilling events. Very well recommended for teenagers and young adults.
It consist of 258 pages.
Continue reading below this announcement.
Did you know I also make Art & Designs.
This Happy Halloween design of a Skeleton wearing a Pumpkin costume is made with pen and alcohol markers. You can buy this design on a Unisex Baseball Shirt and other apparel and on other products in my shop at Redbubble.
A Halloween Tale (Austin Crawley, 2015)
Going into spooky abandoned houses is a fun challenge to do at Halloween, except when it’s really haunted.
Tesha’s friend Philip, his brother Raymond and his friend Dylan and Dylan’s 14-year-old sister Ava want to break into the house at 23 Hazelwood Avenue at Halloween night. A house that is supposedly haunted and is guarded especially during Halloween. But now there’s only one guard and 17-year-old Tesha reluctantly goes along to keep an eye on Ava.
Once they get inside the house they experience how haunted the house really is. The rooms change and they are under attack by supernatural forces. At the same time the mayor has asked Father Michael to bless the house, because its evil force is stronger at Halloween. Will Tesha and her friends make it out alive and will Father Michael succeed?
It’s a novella about a group of friends that get lost in a haunted house run by evil forces. But they are not the only ones entering the house that night. There’s also three priests, a former security guard, and the new security guard and another best friend of Raymond, Joseph with makes up for a lot of characters roaming around in the house for such a short novel. It also discusses several religions, being gay and friendship. So there’s a lot packed into this one and the house gets a lot of visitors to play with.
This is a great pick for young adults who love a good haunted house story at Halloween.
It consists of 179 pages.
The Gates by John Connolly (2009)
A comical adventure with a smart boy who takes it up against a horde of demons during Halloween who want to bring about the Apocalypse.
On October 28 in Biddlecombe Samuel and his dachshund Boswell go trick-or-treating to get a head start. But instead of candy he discovers that his neighbors, the Abernathys on 666 Crowley street, and their friends the Renfields are summoning a portal to hell and get replaced by demons. Demons who pave the way to open the Gates of Hell to let the Great Malevolence through.
At the same time a particle in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN breaks loose and a demon Nurd finds himself transported from the Wastelands to Biddlecombe. What all these things have to do with each other and how they come to a climax/apocalypse on Halloween you’ll find out while reading this wonderful funny and clever adventure.
Samuel is a very smart, rational and unusual boy and the humor is very witty. There are a lot of footnotes that explain something philosophical, historical or scientific in a very smart and funny way. Together with his friends Tom and Maria and his dog and his mother and even Nurd whom he befriends he has to stop the Gates from completely opening. The climax on Halloween brings a lot of fantastical, scary and funny demons who cause some mayhem. But don’t underestimate the people of Biddlecombe.
It’s a story for teenagers who are also pretty smart and have a witty sense of humor. It’s an evenly wonderful and fantastic well written story for adults as well. And this is just the start. There are more books with Samuel bringing you some adventurous fun.
This book is a heartwarming, funny and sometimes grisly recommendation for Halloween. Review.
It consists of 264 pages.
Dark Harvest (Norman Partridge, 2007)
A coming-of-age tale with a gruesome rite of passage that takes place every Halloween.
In 1963 Pete McCormick turns 16 and that means that he must participate in the town’s tradition. Every Halloween the October Boy comes to life and the hunt for him begins. It’s called the Run and whoever wins it, meaning killing the October Boy, gets to leave town. But the October Boy also claims its victims each year. It’s a dangerous game and Pete’s older brother won last year, so he feels the pressure. Only boys may participate, but Kelly Haines is determined to play, Together Pete and Kelly find out what the October Boy really is, what this cruel tradition stands for with terrible consequences.
It’s a story written from multiple points of view, even from October Boy himself. The writer, the narrator addresses the reader oftentimes directly, breaking the fourth wall. This gives the story a unique voice. The kills are brutal, the story behind October Boy is horrifying and cruel and heartbreaking.
It’s about ancient traditions, about choosing your own path, breaking free of these traditions and bravery. It’s a thrilling and exciting rollercoaster story, fast paced, that is original and very well-written.
A thrilling rollercoaster ride with a monster, ancient Halloween traditions and two brave teenagers will definitely spice up your Halloween. Review.
It consists of 169 pages.
Continue reading below this announcement.
Did you know I also make Art & Designs.
This Halloween design of a Sphynx Cat Skull is made with pen and alcohol markers. You can buy this design on a Unisex Baseball Shirt and other apparel in my shop at Threadless.
The Halloween Tree (Ray Bradbury, 1972)
A poetic fairytale ride about the meaning of Halloween.
It’s Halloween and nine boys are going trick-or-treating. When they arrive at the old big house in the valley with an ancient Halloween Tree full with pumpkins, one of them is not there. Pipkin is taken by something and Mr. Moundshroud tells them they have to find him and go to the Undiscovered Country of Death and Strange Years.
On a kite they fly to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. They ride on broomsticks and visit the Druids, the witch hunts, the Notre Dame, the Day of the Dead in Mexico. All in search for Pipkin and the meaning of Halloween. Each decade and culture learns them something about the origins of Halloween and what their own costumes mean.
It’s a wonderful fairytale about eight boys in search of their friend and the meaning of Halloween. It’s wonderfully written and reads like a magical tale, a poem oftentimes. That means it’s not for everybody and the writing can be hard to read or to get into. But if you do, it reads like a flow, an ongoing fluid magical adventure.
It feels a bit like a Christmas Carol, but now it’s about Halloween and friendship and the inevitable death.
If you are looking for something different to read at Halloween while you’ll learn something about Halloween yourself, this is a classic must-read.
It consists of 145 pages.
Something Wicked This Wy Comes (Ray Bradbury, 1962)
A magical coming-of-age tale about two friends, an evil carnival and themes about aging.
Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade are best friends since they were born 13 years ago. They are overjoyed when at night when it’s almost Halloween a carnival comes to town. A carnival lead by Mr. Dark who brings with him some dangerous people and even a witch and a magical carousel. Mr. Dark entices the people of the town and Jim. Together Will and his father Charles must fight this evil and save Jim and the town.
It’s a coming-of-age story told by different point of views. While Will doesn’t want to grow up that fast, for Jim it can’t go fast enough. And Charles is already an older father and fears that he is becoming too old for Will. It discusses themes of aging, from childhood to adulthood and as adults wanting to slow down time. It’s an allegory of growing up and growing older. But it’s also a story full of magical happenings and scary things. The writing style is beautiful, poetic and rhythmical and full of contemplations.
If you want a magical adventure and an epic battle between good and evil and some philosophical themes as well, then this is a great read. This classic tale will never grow old. Review.
It consists of 293 pages.
Explore more Lists of Horror Books:
- The List of Coming-of-Age Horror Books
- The List of Summer Horror Books
- The List of Summer Camp Horror Books
Did You Know I Also Make Art and Designs?
you can buy my designs on apparel or stationary, mugs and more. You can learn more about it on my art & design shop page or go directly to one of my shops.