Your heart is beating fast. You turn all of the lights on, and you refuse to read these books at night anymore. Yet they still grab your attention, and you’re still struggling to put them down. This is how horror books drag you in and why these are the best horror books for beginners.

I feel like with a lot of things, finding the best horror books for beginners can be a bit tricky. Covers and synopses are deceiving. Also, more than once, I’ve fallen into the trap of so many saying a book is good only for me to find it crap. (I’m looking at you, Slewfoot).

I know it can be a little hard to find books that aren’t too graphic, either!

I read some of these when I first started my horror journey.

I’m going to begin by stating that I’m not including anything by Stephen King. I know a lot of people might be a little shocked by this. I’m sure other horror readers probably think that Stephen King is one of the best people to start with. But I would beg to differ.

I think I’m the only horror reader who isn’t a fan of Stephen King. At least I’m one of the few. I am by no means saying that he’s a bad writer or anything. There’s a reason why so many people like his books. But! I do not think his books are very beginner-friendly. Maybe it’s just me, but all he does is ramble in his stories, and they can get very boring.

Besides that, his books are very intimidating and go into a lot of detail, which might not be the best when it comes to horror books for beginners.

Horror books for beginners

I really hope that some of these beginner horror books are the right fit for you. I may do an intermediate book list if you guys want it! Make sure to leave me a comment if you would!

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires

So, I wasn’t actually a fan of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. Grady Hendrix is a pretty popular author in the horror community. It’s for good reason, too.

Despite not really liking his books, they are really well-written. They are detailed and do a great job of making you feel like you are there.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires follows a group of busybodies who have their own book club. This is their way of having something for themselves away from their family and kids. But now they are inserting themselves in the new neighbor’s life because they think he’s a vampire.

Is he really a vampire? Or does he have legitimate reasons for being suspicious?

I don’t really see his books as scary, which is why I say they are a great option to be added to the Best horror books for beginners. In fact, I find most of them funny, but maybe that has a lot to do with the fact I read and watcha lot of horror.

Amazon | Bookshop

The Twisted Ones

So, it has been a while since I have read The Twisted Ones. Because of this, I don’t remember a whole lot about this one. The only thing I really remember is that I actually liked the book.

Mouse and her dad aren’t all that close, but when he asks her to help clear out her grandma’s house after her death, she decides to go ahead and do it. How hard can it be, right?

When she gets there, she is in for a big surprise. She never realized that her grandma was a hoarder, and this is going to take her a lot longer than she anticipated. When she stumbles across her step-grandfather’s journal, she thinks it is just filled with rants until she comes across the horrible encounters he had out there.

This is one that I need to reread because I have forgotten quite a bit, but I do remember really enjoying it. Hopefully, you enjoy this one as much as I did!

Amazon | Bookshop

Suburban Hell

Suburban Hell is a book that I read last year, and I absolutely loved it. The story follows a group of women who live in a pretty nice suburban neighborhood. This is a tight-knit neighborhood that has all sorts of activities throughout the year. Three of the women who live close to each other are really good friends. So close that they see each other almost once a day and have a get-together that doesn’t revolve around their family. It’s not until one of them does some reconstruction of their backyard that things start getting a little crazy in the neighborhood.

I wouldn’t say this book is super scary or anything, which is why I think this is great for horror books for beginners, and it just happens to be a fun read. I think that’s why I really enjoyed it so much. It didn’t necessarily take itself seriously.

Most of the books that I have on this list are young adult books, but Suburban Hell is a great start with adult books.

Amazon | Bookshop

Young Adult horror books

I know there are a lot of you who probably avoid YA horror and middle-grade horror. If I’m honest, these books have gotten a lot better since the 90s, and I really think you should give them a chance. You can find the best YA horror books here and the middle-grade horror books here.

Goosebumps

I couldn’t make this post without putting Goosebumps on here. I’m a little biased with this one thought, mostly because I grew up with it. Goosebumps is what actually got me into the whole horror genre.

I am going to admit that Goosebumps isn’t going to be for everyone. This is very much a kid’s book. It is geared towards middle schoolers and a little bit younger. So, if you do decide to read these, then go into them with that in mind. They are a lot of fun to read, though.

Goosebumps is an anthology series very much like American Horror Story. So, with each book, you’re getting a new character, a new story, and a new monster. Love, love, love these stories.

Pretty much all of R.L. Stine’s books are going to be beginner-friendly!

Amazon | Bookshop

Fear Street

This is another series by R. L. Stine. Fear Street is one I grew up on as well, and loved reading through it in middle school and high school. I was always a bit surprised by how the books ended, kind of like how the Goosebumps would end. I know now that if you’re an adult reading most of these books, they will probably be a little predictable.

Fear Street is another anthology series, but there are books within the series that aren’t anthologies and are an actual series. This story actually has a movie on Netflix now as well.

The stories always revolve around Fear Street and how cursed it is. Something bad happened there back in the day. Now there are rumors about the area until something bad happens again.

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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

It has been a long time since I have read any of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I do remember loving them at the time, though.

This is a middle-grade book that just about any adult would enjoy as well. Granted, not every adult is going to enjoy it because of the level they read at, and this one may get a little boring.

If you don’t go into this one expecting a whole lot from it then I would highly suggest reading this one! If you have any middle schoolers who want to start reading scary books, then this would be a good start for them as well!

This is another anthology of short stories that was turned into a movie a few years back. This would be great to read and then watch the movie afterward.

Amazon | Bookshop

Remember Me

I don’t remember Christopher Pike being as popular as R. L. Stine, but I always loved reading his books as well. I actually wish he had gotten more attention, and more people would talk about his books. I loved most of his books and thought they were well-deserved for a movie.

Here is what Remember Me is about.

Shari never planned on dying. Not anytime soon. But falling four floors is a long way to go. Her friends keep telling her that she fell, but she knows that she was murdered. Now that she’s a ghost, she’s able to spy on her friends and enter their dreams to find out exactly what happened.

Amazon | Bookshop

What are some horror books for beginners that I may have missed? Hopefully, these are some books that you can start with and enjoy! If you do read any of them, I would love to hear what you think