Each year, our social media feeds are filled with news of the latest books in horror, true crime, and paranormal.
So many chilling new books come out each year—and our TBRs are often stacked with delectable spooky books by the latest emerging authors. We truly are in a golden age of horror fiction.
But sometimes we're in the mood for something older—books that have stood the test of time.
These are the classics that are the most disturbing. They’re strange and unnerving in uncanny ways—often calling us back to something old and ancient and unsettling.
Every month, we’re bringing you a selection of free ebooks to read that are perfect for lovers of all things spooky, mysterious, gruesome, strange, and macabre.
The House on the Borderland
In rural Ireland, two travelers find the ruins of a lakeside home and a diary that reveals the terrifying last days of its owner, known only as the Recluse.
Seeking solitude, the Recluse is soon haunted by disturbing visions and nightmares of a “Plain of Silence,” where a jade-green version of his house looms amid monstrous creatures.
When he and his dog, Pepper, explore a nearby ravine, they’re attacked by a bizarre half-human, half-swine creature. As the house’s supernatural powers deepen, the Recluse’s nightmare spirals into horror.
The House on the Borderland is a chilling classic of supernatural terror.
The Necromancers
This early horror classic has fascinated readers for generations. After his fiancée's death, Laurie Baxter becomes obsessed with the supernatural, attending séances and rituals in hopes of reuniting with her.
But rather than finding his lost love, he encounters something far darker. Written by a Catholic priest, The Necromancers serves as a haunting cautionary tale against venturing into the occult.
The Best of H. P. Lovecraft
This collection features six classic tales of supernatural terror from H. P. Lovecraft, hailed by Stephen King as "the 20th century’s greatest practitioner of classic horror."
Lovecraft’s groundbreaking style, which sparked the subgenre of Lovecraftian horror, continues to influence works today—from Lovecraft Country to the Cthulhu Mythos.
Essential for any horror enthusiast, this volume includes celebrated stories like “The Call of Cthulhu,” “The Dunwich Horror,” and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.”
The Fall of the House of Usher
In The Fall of the House of Usher, an unnamed narrator visits his childhood friend, Roderick Usher, who suffers from a mysterious illness and seeks companionship. The sight of the eerie mansion fills the narrator with a chilling dread.
Inside, he finds Roderick physically frail, emotionally unstable, and joined by his trance-like sister, whose looming death would leave him the last of their ancient family.
The oppressive atmosphere soon consumes all three, drawing them into a spiral of terror.
