Horror

You Feel That Chill? That’s New September Horror in the Air

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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.

We’re coming into my favorite time of year, and if you’re a horror fan like me, you’re probably just as excited as I am for the autumn months. Of course, we read horror all year around, but there’s something about reading horror in the fall that just hits different. They don’t call it spooky season for nothing, after all! And in fall 2024, we’re getting so many exciting new horror reads to get us through our favorite season.

There’s so much good horror coming out this September. It was hard to narrow it down to just ten titles to share with you. Included in this list are some of my most anticipated horror novels of the whole year. Along with some classic scary things like ghosts and vampires (a whole lot of vampires), September is coming through with fresh new horror concepts you’ve never read before. Scary horror video games. A violent world with no fear. A home improvement show with a spooky twist. The list goes on.

Every book on this list deserves to be on your TBR this season. So grab a PSL, put up your creepy Halloween decorations, enjoy the cool breeze and the changing leaves outside, and most importantly, pick up these horror books as soon as they hit shelves.

american ghoul book cover

American Ghoul by Michelle McGill-Vargas (Blackstone Publishing, September 3)

September is a good month for vampire fiction, and we’re kicking off the month with this debut. Lavinia has been recently freed from enslavement when she meets Simone, a white woman who also happens to be an undead vampire. The two form a friendship and head north together, but Lavinia soon discovers that teaming up with a vampire is a lot more trouble than she bargained for. And as bodies start piling up around them, people are getting suspicious.

book cover of haunt sweet home

Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker (Tordotcom, September 3)

Love ghost hunting shows? Love home makeover shows? Then you would love the reality TV show Haunt Sweet Home, which is a little bit of both. When Mara joins the show as the night-shift production assistant, at first it’s all smoke and mirrors and tricking homeowners into believing they have ghosts. But then weird things start happening on set. And Mara is forced to ask herself who she’s really been tricking all this time.

we came to welcome you book cover

We Came to Welcome You by Vincent Tirado (William Morrow, September 3)

Vincent Tirado’s adult fiction debut is The Other Black Girl meets Midsommar. After a difficult year, things are looking up for Sol Reyes and her wife, Alice Song, when they buy a house in Maneless Grove. It’s a beautiful, gated community where everyone is welcome and the neighbors are all friendly. Too friendly, actually, if you ask Sol. Alice, however, is convinced that they’re just being neighborly. But then Sol discovers the journal of a resident who disappeared a few years ago, and disturbing secrets are revealed.

immortal dark book cover

Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma (Little Brown, September 3)

Were you hoping for more vampires? Here they are. Kidan Adane’s sister, June, is the only living family member she has left. So when June goes missing, Kidan will stop at nothing to find her. Even when that means infiltrating the elite Uxlay University, a school where humans and vampires coexist. She suspects the one responsible for her sister’s disappearance is the vampire Susenyos Sagad. As cruel as Susenyos may be, however, he is equally alluring.

william book cover

William by Mason Coile (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, September 10)

This new AI horror story is a book you won’t be able to put down. After countless hours of work, engineer Henry has finally done it. He’s created an artificially intelligent consciousness, which he names (you guessed it) William. But no one knows about William, not even Henry’s pregnant wife, Lily. When Henry finally decides to introduce William to the world, starting with Lily and her friends and coworkers, things go terribly wrong.

sleep tight book cover

Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert (Crooked Lane, September 10)

This horror thriller about a serial killer has twists and turns you won’t expect. Disguising himself as a priest, Father Silence once preyed on the rural town of Twisted Tree, and when the police finally uncovered his “House of Horrors,” there were 19 dead and only one survivor. Now, two decades have past, and the morning after Father Silence is put to death, the detective responsible for putting him behind bars is found dead, and a new serial killer who calls himself The Outcast is taking responsibility for the murder.

so thirsty book cover

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison (Berkley, September 10)

Haven’t had enough vampires, you say? Here you go! Sloane Parker is feeling dissatisfied with her life, so she’s not super excited about her upcoming birthday. But then her husband surprises her with a weekend getaway with her best friend Naomi. Sloane is anticipating a quiet, relaxing weekend of lounging and wine tasting, but Naomi has something else in mind. It all starts with a wild night out with some exciting strangers. After that night, nothing will ever be the same.

such lovely skin book cover

Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne (Page Street YA, September 17)

This title? This cover? I’m obsessed. Viv has had a difficult summer after causing an accident that killed her little sister. But now Viv finally returns to Twitch, hoping she can make enough money off of streaming to offer her parents penance for what she has done. Then something strange happens. While playing a horror game, an NPC asks Viv for a secret, and she finally tells the truth about what happened to her sister. Little does Viv know that by doing so she has welcomed a demonic mimic into her life.

ruin road book cover

Ruin Road by Lamar Giles (Scholastic, September 17)

This book is one of my most anticipated of 2024. Cade Webster is a football star at a good school, but all of his privileged classmates tell him he lives in a bad neighborhood. Outside of his neighborhood, people are afraid of Cade for being too big, too strong, and too Black. All Cade wants is for people to see him for who he is, and so one day when he stumbles into a pawn shop, Cade makes a wish. He just wants people to not be scared of him anymore. But you know what they say. Be careful what you wish for. Cade soon realizes that it’s not just him that people no longer fear. And with this newfound courage, horrible and violent things start happening all around him.

devils kill devils book cover

Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton (Tor Nightfire, September 24)

We started with vampires, and we’re ending with vampires and a lot more. This book is a gothic horror filled with monsters, angels, devils, and vampires. All her life, Sarita has been watched over by a guardian angel called Angelo. And while Angelo protects her, Sarita decides to keep him a secret. But secrets can’t stay hidden forever, and after Angelo murders someone Sarita loves, he can no longer remain hidden in the shadows. Now if Sarita hopes to survive, she will be forced to acknowledge the darkness that has always surrounded her and face it head-on.

September horror is looking really good, which only has me even more excited for what we can expect in October! Wondering what’s coming? Be sure to come back and check out the best new releases of October next month. In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to our horror newsletter, The Fright Stuff.

As always, you can find a full list of new releases in the magical New Release Index, carefully curated by your favorite Book Riot editors, organized by genre and release date.