Well, for starters, take a look around - it’s not all roses and rainbows out in the world right now! And maybe, just maybe, immersing yourself in a story full of revenge, deception, heart-pounding anxiety, jump scares and violence will give your mind the room to process social stigmas and systemic stress through this dark, reflective genre. Academics set the beginning of the genre in 1764, with Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, blending supernatural terror and medieval settings to establish Gothic fiction, followed decades later with Frankenstein, published in 1818 by Mary Shelley, shaping modern science fiction and monster horror.
The horror genre is seeing a resurgence in popularity and one of the biggest changes in horror publishing is that the genre is no longer restricted to one kind of reader. Horror now overlaps with thriller, mystery, fantasy, romance, literary fiction, graphic novels, and folklore. We’ve rounded up recent titles reviewed by DPL staff which may encourage you to dip into this evolving genre - and if you get hooked, know that there is a Horror Core Collection ready to get you into the deep end of the pool!
-
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim - All Ji-won wants is for her family to be whole again and to connect with her Korean heritage. Instead, she has to navigate getting along with her mother’s new and annoying blue-eyed boyfriend. Ji-won starts dreaming and fantasizing about blue eyes and takes it upon herself to satiate her hunger. If you love reading about feminine rage, connecting with Korean culture and family, and a little bit of body horror, this one’s for you! Monika Kim does an excellent job insulating the reader in Ji-won’s mind and rage.
-
Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward - Two siblings slip away under cover of night, bound for Nowhere - an abandoned ranch in the Rockies rumored to be haunted by its former movie-star owner and now a refuge for runaways. Freedom might lie ahead, but in escaping the devil they knew, they’ve entered something far worse. In the ranch’s burned-out shell waits a darkness that demands a terrible price for sanctuary.
-
Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir - Unnur was living a normal, if lonely, life until a black cat showed up at her door. Unnur reunites the lost pet with its owner - a young woman named Ásta who is in desperate need of some help. Unnur reluctantly agrees to take in the cat until Ásta is able to care for it again herself. Soon, Ásta becomes a fixture in Unnur's life and the two form an unlikely friendship. But like a black cat, trouble is tailing Ásta, and Unnur is the only one there when things take a violent turn.
-
The Unheld by Luke Larkin - Startling monsters and occult oddities abound in this chilling horror Western as a girl journeys across the haunted Montana Territory to rescue her father from an otherworldly creature. Charlie gathers a truly motley crew of an Occultist and a Northern Cheyenne lawman to hunt the monstrosity down. Full of wonder and longing, The Unheld is a powerful story of found family and redemption in an atmospheric setting on the frontier of reality and possibility.
-
They Bloom At Night by Trang Thanh Tran (Young Adult) - Fans of Tran's other teen horror title, She is a Haunting will not want to miss this their latest genre-defying dystopian masterpiece, which follows life in Mercy, Louisiana for teenage Noon and her mother as they search for her father and father, keeping their fishing business afloat while a mysterious red algae continues to consume the town. Meanwhile, more residents are disappearing with little to no trace.
