But perhaps, in the end, that’s the secret of horror: it’s personal. Equally, some of these choices may cause horror fans’ eyes to wrinkle in confusion. Certain big names are missing because their greatest contributions are in short form, or because their books tread ground better travelled by others. You will see some unexpected inclusions in this list, and some surprising absences. Short horror fiction has a parallel but distinct history that would require a survey all of its own. It’s worth noting that we have confined our choices to novels. We have, however, tried to celebrate the breadth of horror-to highlight those books that establish something about the genre or push it forward into new realms. With such a weight of contention, any attempt at a list of ‘best’ horror novels is doomed to disagreement. It was an era dominated by brand-name authors, with epic sales and matching page-lengths.

Contemporary readers may look no further than the horror ‘boom’ of the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s.

Jekyll–these figures emerged from a culture in crisis, when twin anxieties about masculinity and modernity birthed urban nightmares. Others locate the genre’s origins in a slate of late-Victorian novels and their roster of horror icons. Scholars trace the legacy of literary horror back to the British Gothic fictions of the eighteenth century, when castles were haunted, monks were evil, and anywhere beyond the edges of Protestant England was tinged sinister. This is before we even attempt a historical context. For others it hinges on atmosphere and tone. Definitions abound.įor some, horror is a genre founded on trope and convention: a checklist of blighted houses and monstrous secrets, men in masks and women in white nightgowns.

Beyond good and evil penguin classics