The best horror books for teens have to do two things. First of all, they have to be scary, of course. but they should also serve to introduce young readers to the genre, drawing them in and making sure they get hooked. A whole generation of kids started out at a very young age as horror readers with goosebumps; Before a certain boy wizard and his wizarding school came along, goosebumps author R.L. Stine was the best-selling children’s author of all time. but for some, the genre comes next, and this list of the best horror books for teens offers great places to start.
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the best horror books for teenagers
1. the betrayal – r.l stine
Speaking of R.L Stine, did you know that he also wrote horror novels for teens? Fear Street is the name of his young adult series, and while not quite as prolific as Goosebumps, there is plenty here to get started with – and these books are seriously grown up, too. There are 51 books in the series before you start counting the spin offs and mini-series that came along after.
Betrayal is the first of one of those miniseries, Fear Street: Saga. The saga explains the origins of Fear Street, a place where gruesome murders and paranormal occurrences are par for the course. Betrayal takes readers to Puritan America, depicts the feud between the Fier and Goode families, and helps explain the curse that lurks on Fear Street. It’s a great place to start with Stine’s books, especially if you’ve seen the movies.
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2. carrie-stephen king
Stephen King is, of course, one of the most popular authors of all-time, and his novel writing career started way back in 1974 with Carrie – still one of his best-known and most popular books. It also happens to be one of the best horror books for teens, especially ones who are new to horror or to Stephen King himself; prepare to be really freaked out reading this.
carrie tells the story of a lonely and bullied high school student who comes from an abusive religious home. she rediscovers that she has telekinetic powers and uses them to take revenge on the people who have wronged her and cause a huge disaster in the city. In addition to showing all the horror promise King would come to be known for, teens will also find Carrie terrifyingly relatable.
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3. cirque du freak (the darren shan saga book 1) – darren shan
So far, this list of best horror books for teens is severely lacking in a vampire tale – but luckily, Darren Shan has us covered with his twelve book young adult series, The Saga of Darren Shan. Four trilogies make up the entire series, following Darren Shan (the character) being made into a half-vampire in return for the life of one of his best friends.
cirque du freak is the first book, introducing the characters and much of the vampire lore, which is a bit different than what we’re used to from bloodsuckers. Shan vampires don’t bite their victims’ necks; they drink small amounts of open veins. they can scale walls with their long nails. they can absorb the spirits of their victims and are partially immune to sunlight. Teens have loved this series for quite some time, and it’s easy to see why it’s still popular.
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4. coraline – neil gaiman
Coraline is better known as a book for kids, but if there are any teens just dipping their toes into horror, it is a good place to start. And, in true Neil Gaiman style, it works on several different levels anyway – and teens may just find it scarier than kids. It is a very creepy, atmospheric story, but there’s also a graphic novel version, which might appeal to different sorts of young readers, or those who are a bit reluctant to start.
One rainy day, Coraline discovers that there is another world through a mysterious door in her apartment building. in the other world, which is almost exactly the same as hers, her other mother and her other father have more time for her, and coraline enjoys her time there. When she is given the chance to live there forever, Coraline refuses, but then she has to rescue her parents from the wrath of another mother, who traps them in the other world.
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5. scary nation – justina ireland
Zombie horror is practically a genre of its own, and in Dread Nation, Justina Ireland combines it with some alternative-reality historical fiction as well as a bit of sapphic romance for added flavour. Many horror novels work on some allegorical level to tell a different story, but Dread Nation isn’t even trying to hide the fact it has some serious political statements to make as well.
In an alternate history America, the fact that zombies started showing up completely derailed the civil war. Black and Native American children attend combat schools to learn how to fight zombies, so they can become protectors of rich people. Jane knows that school is an opportunity for her, but she just wants to go home. When people start mysteriously disappearing, Jane realizes that zombies are the least of her problems.
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6. frankenstein – mary shelley
There should be space for a classic or two on a list like this, and it is lucky that Frankenstein is easily one of the best horror novels for teens.
For those new to reading the classics, Frankenstein is short and doesn’t look intimidating on the shelf. Mary Shelley was just a teenager when she wrote this book, she pretty much invented the sci-fi genre when she did, and she’s kind of freaked readers out ever since.
frankenstein, of course, is not the name of the monster. Doctor Victor Frankenstein is the man who builds the monster, brings it to life, and then discovers that he and his creation have quite different points of view. When it comes to horror, teens might find Frankenstein quite gentle compared to some of the others on this list, but it shouldn’t matter when the story is this good.
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7. the girl from the well – rin chupeco
This is one of the newer novels on the list, but it has easily earned its place as one of the best horror books for teens. For fans of Japanese horror, this is the perfect read – and it is also just a really good, creepy ghost story. This is the sort of horror story that will keep readers up at night, watching the shadows move in the corner of their rooms.
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okiku is the spirit of a murdered child, who wanders the earth and releases the spirits of other murdered dead. When he meets Tark, a troubled boy feared by those around him, he recognizes that he harbors a demon. okiku wants to free tark, but if the demon dies in the process, tark will die too.
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8. the ruthless – danielle vega
Keeping on the demon theme for a while longer, Danielle Vega’s The Merciless centres on that topic too. The book was marketed as The Exorcist meets Mean Girls, and readers generally agree that the story delivers plenty when it comes to those two comparisons.
sofía flores regrets getting involved when her friends, three perfect girls, tell her they want to help brooklyn stevens; she didn’t know that it would involve trying to exorcise the demon they believe brooklyn harbors. sofia just wants to get away from ‘exorcism’, but she can hardly speak against her friends. after all, she could be next.
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9. the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde – robert louis stevenson
One more classic for the list, The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde doesn’t really need any introduction; like Frankenstein, the story has become a pop culture staple. Also like Frankenstein, the novel is short and easy for teens to pick up – even those who might be a bit reluctant to try something older.
dr. Henry Jekyll has spent much of his life trying to suppress “evil impulses” from him. Desperate, he creates a serum that he hopes will sever the part of his personality that has these urges. Instead, he transforms into the evil and ruthless Edward Hyde, who grows stronger throughout the story and commits evil deeds. the story is gothic horror, rather than straight horror, but it’s a classic for a reason.
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10. there is someone inside your house – stephanie perkins
Rounding up this list with a good old serial killer story is the order of the day. Stephanie Perkins is probably best known for her romance novels, but although there is some romance in There’s Someone Inside Your House, for the most part it is a classic, creepy tale playing on that teen horror movie staple trope of the killer who gets inside the house.
makani young moved from hawaii to nebraska to live with her grandmother. Makani is having a hard time adjusting to her new life. and then, as if that wasn’t enough, someone starts picking on the students at his high school, one by one, in very gruesome ways. Will makani survive the killer or will she just be another victim?
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