When you think of Halloween, what do you think of? Beyond candy and costumes. Horror movies and jump scares? Are you one for the suspense, the unease and tight feeling in your chest?
Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of scary movies. Horror, gore, that’s never been my thing. I tend to go for thrillers, suspenseful, who dunnit, are they going to make it out in time, something is out there… I also love a good plot twist. Think, “the call is coming from inside the house” or Bruce Willis’ character being dead the whole time. I’d much rather be on the edge of my seat with that tightness in my chest and that uneasy feeling in my gut.
So with that in mind I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite creepy reads with y’all for Halloween!
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This has easily become one of my most recommended reads and not just for spooky season! My favorite thing about this book is the setting, hands down. The author does an excellent job of setting the stage for a haunting tale and developing characters. The overall vibe has you questioning your own sanity at some points and nothing else can make you identify more with a main character. “Mexican Gothic” is one of those rare books I can read over and over and enjoy every read, and each time I still get that same on edge, apprehensive feeling. I cannot recommend this book enough! Whether it’s spooky season or not, give this one a try!
- Paris Apartment – Lucy Foley
Full transparency, I had to put this one aside for a while because I just happened to start reading it at a particularly stressful time in my life and the tone was so unsettling it actually made my anxiety worse! I think some part of that is also due to the fact that I listened to it on audiobook and the narration did an excellent job of setting the mood. This book did an awesome job of keeping me guessing which I always appreciate and the ending definitely was worth the stress inducing read!
- Radium Girls – Kate Moore
“The glowing ghosts of the radium girls haunt us still.” ―NPR Books A non-fiction option that is honestly more terrifying than fiction. A true story about the girls that worked in the radium dial factories during the first world war. What the young women that worked in this industry went through is panic inducing. I clearly remember shuddering and cringing at the descriptions of what those girls suffered through just because of a job that so many coveted. The years and lifetimes of suffering were shocking, and also a story that everyone should hear in my opinion.
Bonus Round!
Like I mentioned above, if I’m going to enjoy a good creepy story my preference will always be an audio format. Above I shared some of the creepiest books I would recommend, but as y’all may remember I am a lover of a good podcast. So here are a couple creepy podcast recommendations I can’t get enough of right now.
- Radio Rental
Absolute top of the list! I love everything about this one; the stories told by the people that experienced them, the format of the show itself based around the goings on of a, not so normal, video rental shop, and the absolute genius that is Rainn Wilson and his character the illustrious Terry Carnation. If you love the creepy, the weird, the paranormal please go listen to this one.
2. Noble
Another example of real life is creepier than fiction. This podcast has six episodes and recounts the very true and very disturbing events that took place in the small town of Noble, Georgia. Over 300 bodies were discovered on a crematorium property in 2002 and this podcast goes into those events and the repercussions for those involved from the investigators to the families. The fact I have never heard of this case before is beyond shocking! Some of the content is definitely not for the squeamish, but this one is the perfect quick and creepy podcast to listen to this Halloween.
- Inner Sanctum Mysteries
Inner Sanctum was actually a radio show that aired originally from 1937 to 1956. This show posts rebroadcasts of those episodes as they aired at that time and all of the shows come complete with casts and sound effects that are both cheesy and perfectly creepy. The sound quality isn’t the best obviously, but it adds to the vibe so well and I really enjoy how authentic it feels! (I do think my love for this one might have a little something to do with my love for the “Ham Radio” episode of Fraisier, but that’s a story for a later time.)
While some people might jump straight to outright horror this time of year I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite creepy reads, and listens, with you guys to celebrate the spooky season. As you can see I still have a stack of books here that will be perfect for Halloween, but I’m always looking for more. What’s a book you feel like fits the creepy vibe of Halloween the best?
