
13 Horror Reads For The Squeamish
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Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love dressing up, I love spooky folklore, and I love the cozy feeling of reading a good ghost or witchy story at night. The problem is, I’m a wuss. Even though as a kid I voraciously read every horror novel I could find (I know I wasn’t the only one with a gigantic pile of Goosebumps), once I transitioned into adult novels, horror was just too, well, horrific. People actually die, and often in gory or horrendous ways. I had to DNF It after a few sleepless nights.
But I still find myself wanting to read spooky books in October. Over the years, I’ve managed to find some not-so-scary reads to scratch that itch.
If you’re the same, I’ve ranked these 13 horror reads for the squeamish by their scare level. The more ghosts the scarier, but none of these should leave you in a cold sweat.
A classic work of magical realism, The House of Spirits makes a perfect October book for readers who don’t like horror. It’s a sweeping multi-generational family drama with ghosts, mermaid girls, and seers. The political elements are far more likely to make you squirm than the supernatural ones. 👻
Machado’s stories will definitely make you uncomfortable. Every time I reread them, I pick up on some new, unsettling context. While they contain supernatural and weird aspects, it’s not those parts that are unsettling — it’s how our reality treats those weird elements. For example, “The Husband Stitch” retells “The Girl with the Green Ribbon around Her Neck.” Do you remember that tale? In Machado’s reinvention, it’s not the green ribbon holding together a body and a head that’s creepy. It’s how the protagonist’s relationship to a patriarchal society forms around the green ribbon that will give you the shivers. I’ve read this story so many times, and it still kinda freaks me out. 👻👻👻
In this very meta YA horror, Winnie works for a summer on her aunt’s reality TV show about paranormal activity and ghosts. As she researches the New Jersey Devil for the show, she starts questioning its reality, and its possible connection to her mother’s death. Told in scripts, letters, illustrations, and more, this is a non-scary examination of the horror genre and how horror can help with pain and loss. I recommend reading the print version. I tried reading this first on the Libby app, but it was very difficult to zoom in on the scripts, and it would be easier to read via print (though it might be fine to read on the kindle — I didn’t try). 👻👻
Far more a historical fantasy than a horror novel, there’s enough supernatural scare for horror to be a sub-genre. The main character Mouse, for example, is accused of being a witch. With the supernatural power to heal, Mouse wonders whether her abilities come from God or Satan. She fears she knows the answer. Set in a medieval Bohemia, this is a thrilling read with only a slight amount of scare. And book 3 of the trilogy — Book of the Just — is out now, so you can read the complete series. 👻👻
Somehow I found this book about a child trying to kill her mother funny. And I read this only a few months after giving birth. But despite the premise, and that the little girl claims to be possessed by a witch, this isn’t a particularly scary read. It has just enough scare to make it great for October. 👻👻👻
Though it features the daughters of classic horror monsters, Strange Case reads much more like a historical mystery than a horror. The central cast includes: Mary Jekyll, Diana Hyde, Justine Frankenstein, Catherine Moreau, and Beatrice Rappaccini (though I should not forget Mrs. Poole, the housekeeper, and Alice, a house maid). These sleuths have some murders to investigate, which results in a feminist retelling of classic horror. I love it, and there’s only a little squeam in the murders. The second book, European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman, is out now, but I haven’t had the chance to read it yet. 👻👻