Horror

10 New Horror Novels to Keep You Scared this March

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Emily Martin

Contributing Editor

Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.

Winter might be coming to an end, and the sun might be shining for longer, but believe me when I say March is about to get dark. This month’s horror novels are probably the creepiest of 2024 so far. Whether you’re in the mood for short stories, novels, or horror manga, March’s new horror releases are sure to fulfill your need for chills and thrills.

Get ready for a new take on Frankenstein, one of the first horror novels ever, set in a near-future version of America. Prepare yourselves for a short story manga collection featuring bone-chilling illustrations from Junji Ito. March is also bringing you a highly-anticipated horror sequel you’re not going to want to miss. And if you love a good haunting, March is full of haunted villas, haunted roads, haunted woods, haunted hills, and even full towns that are just straight-up, all-the-way haunted.

Serial killers, ghosts, scary body parts that move on their own. Readers, beware. March is going to be a scary month. And honestly, would we want it any other way? Here are ten books coming out this month that will have you scared no matter what time of day you read them. But you’ll be glad the sun is staying out a little bit longer.

chicano frankenstein book cover

Chicano Frankenstein by Daniel A. Olivas (Forest Avenue Press, March 5)

March kicks off with an exciting contemporary adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic horror novel Frankenstein. Against the backdrop of a United States politicizing the reanimation process, an unnamed paralegal is brought back to life. All memories of his life pre-reanimation have been lost, and as he searches for answers for the life he left behind, he falls in love with a lawyer named Faustina Godínez and comes to terms with a world that would rather he didn’t exist.

the haunting of velkwood book cover

The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste (S&S/Saga Press, March 5)

The Haunting of Velkwood is the perfect horror novel for Yellowjackets fans. Twenty years ago, Velkwood Street and everyone who lived there disappeared overnight. The only ones who survived were three best friends. They watched their homes and their loved ones disappear behind a near-impenetrable veil that’s now known as the Velkwood Vicinity. But what happened all those years ago? Now that a researcher is tracking down the survivors, will they finally be able to get answers?

book cover of the invisible hotel

The Invisible Hotel by Yeji Y. Ham (Zando, March 5)

In The Invisible Hotel, Yewon can’t control her vivid dreams of a hotel with infinite keys to infinite rooms. A place that’s horrifying and intriguing all at once. As Yewon’s real life gets further and further out of her control, she finds herself retreating more and more into her dreams. And as she retreats to the strange hotel in her mind, the line between reality and dreams becomes blurred.

murder road book cover

Murder Road by Simone St. James (Berkley, March 5)

In the summer of 1995, Eddie and April Carter are driving to their honeymoon hotel when they see something disturbing on the side of the road: a hitchhiker covered in blood and on the brink of death. Even though they rush her to the hospital, she dies, and the young couple become suspects in a murder. What’s more, this is only one of several murders that have occurred recently on that same road. As April and Eddie dig into the history of the town in the hopes of clearing their name, they discover that something supernatural might be going on in Coldlake Falls.

what grows in the dark book cover

What Grows in the Dark by Jaq Evans (MIRA, March 5)

Emma Weylan is convinced there are monsters hiding in the trees in the small town of Ellis Creek. One day, Emma walks into the woods and never comes out. Sixteen years later, her younger sister Brigit, who fled Ellis Creek after Emma’s disappearance, has become a fake spiritualist, investigating paranormal activity around the country (and fabricating results). Now, she’s returning to Ellis Creek to investigate the disappearance of two teenagers, and the events of her past come back to haunt her.

bury your gays book cover

Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror, edited by Sofia Ajram (Ghoulish Books, March 19)

This horror anthology features 16 new horror stories by queer authors exploring and subverting the tragic “bury your gays” trope. Get ready for new horror from Cassandra Khaw, Joe Koch, Gretchen Felker-Martin, Robbie Banfitch, August Clarke, Son M., Jonathan Louis Duckworth, M.V. Pine, Ed Kurtz, LC Von Hessen, Matteo L. Cerilli, November Rush, Meredith Rose, Charlene Adhiambo, Violet, and Thomas Kearnes.

the woods all black book cover

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo (Tordotcom, March 19)

Set in Appalachia in the 1920s, The Woods All Black is a queer historical romance/horror story/revenge thriller. When Leslie Brun is sent to the township of Spar Creek by the Frontier Nursing Service, he believes he’s truly ready for the judging eyes of Spar Creek’s backwoods/churchy inhabitants. But something violent is bubbling beneath the surface in this town, and the hills and the woods surrounding Spar Creek contain secrets and horrors beyond Leslie’s comprehension.

book cover of the angel of indian lake

The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones (S&S/Saga, March 26)

Stephen Graham Jones is back with the highly-anticipated third and final chapter in his Indian Lake Trilogy. This one takes place four years after the events of Don’t Fear the Reaper. Jade Daniels returns to Proofrock, Idaho, to rebuild her life after protecting her friend Letha and her family all those years ago. But Jade isn’t just back to settle down. She’s back to settle a score. It’s time for her to confront the Lake Witch and end the curse once and for all.

Cover image of Diavola, a 2024 horror book by Jennifer Thorne

Diavola by Jennifer Thorne (Tor Nightfire, March 26)

If the thought of being in close proximity with your family members for an extended period of time gives you the creeps, then get ready for Diavola, a funny and horrifying vacation-Gothic twist on the haunted house story. The Pace family is heading off on a vacation in a remote villa in Monteperso. So much family togetherness is almost too much for Anna Pace to bear. She’s always felt like an outsider in her family. And now, to make matters worse, she keeps hearing strange noises at night, and the villagers approach the family with unsettling warnings about the villa’s violent past.

stitches book cover

Stitches by Junji Ito & Hirokatsu Kihara (Viz Media, March 26)

And now for something a little different: a new horror manga coming out towards the end of March! Stitches brings together the iconic illustration style of Junji Ito with horrific unsolved mysteries by Hirokatsu Kihara. These eight short stories are a quick read that will leave you unsettled, especially when paired with Junji Ito’s images.


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