2020 Horror Books

Created by Bob Helmbrecht, Collection Development Librarian

Most readers are familiar with the “big names” in horror fiction like Stephen King and Anne Rice. The horror field has many very talented and diverse authors working in it, however, particularly in the small presses and even self-publishing. Here are a number of the best horror titles from 2020 that you may not have come across.

Antioch used to be a quiet small town where nothing bad ever happened. Now six women have been savagely murdered. The media dubs the killer “Vlad the Impaler” due to the gruesome crime scenes of his victims. Clues are drying up fast and the hunt for the monster responsible is hitting a dead end.

From the acclaimed and award-winning author of “The Hunger” comes an eerie, psychological twist on one of the world’s most renowned tragedies, the sinking of the Titanic and the ill-fated sail of its sister ship, the Britannic.

From the outside, it looks like an ordinary American home, but since its construction in 1956, people have vanished as soon as they go upstairs, the only clues are the things they leave behind: a wedding ring, a phone … an eye.

An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. Being developed as a Hulu limited series. 

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, “The Only Good Indians” follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. And if you like this one, be sure to check out his other 2020 novel, “Night of the Mannequins.” 

D. W. Griffith is a sorcerer, and “The Birth of a Nation” is a spell that drew upon the darkest thoughts and wishes from the heart of America. Now, rising in power and prominence, the Klan has a plot to unleash hell on Earth.

“Steel Magnolias” meets “Dracula” in this ’90s-set horror novel about a women’s book club that must do battle with a mysterious newcomer to their small Southern town.

The secrets lurking in a rundown roadside motel ensnare Carly, just as they did her Aunt Viv 35 years before. If Carly can find the answers Viv was searching for, she might be able to solve the mystery that has haunted her family for years.

In a matter of weeks, Massachusetts has been overrun by an insidious rabies-like virus that is spread by saliva. Those infected quickly lose their minds and are driven to bite and infect as many others as they can before they inevitably succumb. To try to limit its spread, the commonwealth is under quarantine and curfew. But society is breaking down and the government’s emergency protocols are faltering. 

The electrifying, award-winning, internationally bestselling novel about a dystopian world in which animals have been wiped out, humans are being harvested for food, and society has been divided into those who eat and those who are eaten.

A family on the verge of self-destruction finds themselves isolated in their bathroom during a tornado warning. This one is being produced as a movie for 2021.

After years of city life, Orla and Shaw Bennett are ready for the quiet of New York’s Adirondack mountains — or at least, they think they are. But none of the Bennetts could expect what lies waiting in the woods, where secrets run dark and deep.