The Scariest Horror Books We're Most Looking Forward to in 2021

A year's worth of screams.

horror books coming 2021

2020 was a rough year, to say the least. While the New Year may not be a magical reset button for the struggles we've faced, that's not to say there aren't plenty of things to look forward to. For many, quarantine has reignited a passion for reading—and if there's one thing we can be certain 2021 will bring, it's new books.

From the latest release from horror icons like Stephen King to the monstrous debut of Rose Szabo, there's no shortage of great reads hitting shelves—and e-readers—soon. Whether you like twisted thrillers or dastardly ghost tales, you won't want to miss any of these highly-anticipated horror books of 2021.

February 2nd

what big teeth

What Big Teeth

By Rose Szabo

After a horrifying incident at boarding school, Eleanor Zarrin flees to the last place that feels safe: the home of her wild and estranged family. But settling in to her old life isn't so easy—she struggles with fitting in amongst her monstrous relatives. As her family prowls the woods and reads fortunes in the guts of dead birds, Eleanor must learn to tame her own darkness. And if she wants to save her family, she must figure out a way to hold it together.

February 4th

the children god forgot

The Children God Forgot

By Graham Masterton

When a young woman is rushed to the hospital, doctors rush to deliver a baby with an angel face and the tentacled body of a monster. All of them agree the child must die. But deep in a tunnel under London, Engineer Gemma spots ghostly figures she could have sworn were children... And Tooting Police's DC Jerry Pardoe and DS Jamila Patel may be used to investigations into the occult, but nothing prepares them for the dead coming back to life in the sewers.

Related: Master of Horror: 13 Terrifying Graham Masterton Books

March 2nd

later

Later

By Stephen King

You won't want to miss this exciting new release from the Master of Horror himself, Stephen King. The book's main character, Jamie Conklin, wants nothing more than to just have a normal childhood. But normal isn't in the cards for a kid with the unnatural ability to see and learn what others can't. His mother pushes him to keep his ability a secret, as the price of his gift is far too high. A lesson Jamie learns when the police drag him into the investigation of a killer who may strike from beyond the grave.

Related: Master of Horror: 10 Best Stephen King Books

March 30th

a bright enchanted suffering

A Bright Enchanted Suffering

By Eric LaRocca

In this terrifying collection, author Eric LaRocca delivers two spine-chilling novellas which explore humanity's dark side. In “You’re Not Supposed to Be Here,” a sinister couple drags a young family into a game with frightening consequences. In “Where Flames Burned Emerald as Grass,” a widower and his daughter cross paths with a strange and nefarious man in the Costa Rican rainforest. These tales expose those horrors and depravities which live out in broad daylight.

Related: 9 Horror Short Story Collections to Keep You up at Night

April 6th

whisper down the line

Whisper Down The Lane

By Clay McLeod Chapman

Drawing inspiration from the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, Whisper Down the Lane follows Richard, a man without a past. Living firmly in the present, Richard has a new marriage, a first chance at fatherhood, and a pleasant life as an art teacher. Then the body of a ritualistically murdered rabbit appears on school grounds, complete with a birthday card for Richard. Richard doesn't have a birthday—but Sean does.

At five years old, Sean helped to unite the nation under one blazing cause. After hearing word that his favorite teacher was under investigation, he told one little lie. A lie that preyed upon the fears of the 1980s that evil could be lurking inside anyone.

Thirty years may have passed, but someone has to pay the price for the lies told. Sean may not exist anymore, but Richard does.

April 13th

the mary shelley club

The Mary Shelley Club

By Goldy Moldavsky

Rachel Chavez is new to Manhattan Prep, a school full of kids as bored as they are rich. She buries herself in horror movies to avoid the memories from her past that she'd prefer to keep out of her mind. But when she's recruited into the Mary Shelley Club, she becomes a part of a mysterious group of students who perform Fear Tests. It's fun at first—the pranks based on urban legends and movie tropes. But as the Fear Tests begin to escalate, Rachel realizes she's in the middle of a game she can't afford to lose.

May 4th

the whispering dead

The Whispering Dead

By Darcy Coates

Keira—homeless and desperate to escape the raging storm—takes refuge in an abandoned cottage. But set on the edge of the cemetery, her new abode is surrounded on all sides by gravestones and a dark whispering. She's the only person who can see the spectral shapes swarming the cemetery, and now the specter—a woman who died before her time—leads the horde that has put a target on Keira's back. Keira determines to put the spirit to rest, but as a dangerous web tangles around her, the price may be her own life.

Related: The World Comes to an End in Snow

July 13th

the final girl support group

The Final Girl Support Group

By Grady Hendrix

Who can resist the Final Girl trope? In this heart-pounding thriller, six women are part of a group of survivors which has come together for two decades. They have survived the unthinkable. Now someone's coming for them—will they make it out a second time?

Related: 8 Ways to Be the Final Girl (or Guy) in a Horror Movie

July 20th

come with me

Come With Me

By Ronald Malfi

When Aaron Decker's wife, Allison, is murdered, his entire life is turned upside down. Tormented both by Allison's absence and her ghost, Aaron discovers a strange motel receipt from the other side of the country. Fueled by unending grief and curiosity, Aaron sets out to investigate the weeks leading up to Allison's death. Though as Aaron uncovers more and more dark secrets about the woman he married, his own life is put at risk.

Related: Ronald Malfi: Where to Begin with the Bestselling Horror Author

August 3rd

the woods are always watching

The Woods Are Always Watching

By Stephanie Perkins

In this spine-chilling contemporary horror novel, the woods of the Pisgah National Forest bear witness to indescribable terrors. Two women go out to backpack in the woods, and it's not long before things go terribly wrong. And it only gets worse when they cross paths with a serial killer.

August 31st

my heart is a chainsaw

My Heart Is A Chainsaw

By Stephen Graham Jones

Jade lives in a rural lake town falling quickly to gentrification. But when tourist start to go missing, it feels more like it's falling into slasher tropes. As tensions rise between her community and the celebrity newcomers, she watches the town she loves fall into chaos—compounded by the rich development of Terra Nova on what was supposed to be designated park lands.

Related: Stephen Graham Jones: Where to Begin with the Award-Winning Horror Author

Featured image from cover of "A Bright Enchanted Suffering" by Eric LaRocca.