While some of the best-known writers like Stephen King and Clive Barker have left an undeniable mark on modern horror, this was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to astonishingly creative and original authors working today. From Lovecraftian explorations of the very nature of fear to more psychological journeys into the depths of existentialism, several recent horror books were worthy of achieving classic status.

Many of the mind-blowing twisted horror books just waiting to be discovered and gain their status as modern classics.

10 The Fisherman (2016)

John Langan

The influence of H.P. Lovecraft on John Langan’s The Fisherman was evident as he explored topics of cosmic horror, emotion, grief, and the grotesque. While The Fisherman begins with the recently widowed man Abraham and his friendship with Dan, who also lost his wife in a terrible accident, their shared love for fishing leads them to Dutchman's Creek, where they learn of dark horrors dating back decades. Through a story-within-a-story narrative, the pair learns the tale of the mysterious Fisherman and how it connects with a German immigrant who found himself embroiled in a dark and evil plot.

The Fisherman goes to dark places and expectedly features horrific sea monsters, terrifying body horror, and unknowable threats from the ocean's depths. Through elegant prose highlighting the pain of things left unsaid and the effect this can have on our lives, The Fisherman was a probing exploration of loss that addressed grief in a real way. With beautiful and haunting imagery, The Fisherman’s reputation will only continue to grow as the years go on.

9 There Is No Antimemetics Division (2021)

Sam "qntm" Hughes

The British author Sam Hughes writes extraordinary sci-fi horror stories under the pen name “qntm,” pronounced like “quantum.” With a fast-growing reputation, Hughes' starkly original works like There Is No Antimemetics Division tap into the cultural zeitgeist and fears around technology, artificial intelligence, and the unknowable future of computers. This unique sci-fi horror story was set in a fictional universe and explored the concept of "antimemes", which are ideas and entities that censor themselves through memory loss, data corruption, and other anomalous means.

As an immersive and deeply intelligent novel, There Is No Antimemetics Division invites readers into its world and reflects on the existential unease of living within a society and systems where the truth is increasingly difficult to discern. As contemporary culture becomes further fractured amid conspiracy theories and political instability, having writers like Hughes explore these topics in a richly imagined world feels essential.

8 The Terror (2007)

Dan Simmons

While many readers will know Dan Simmons from his sci-fi series Hyperion Cantos, his genre-bending fictionalized of Captain Sir John Franklin's lost expedition in The Terror was essential reading. As a mix of historical fiction and supernatural horror, Simmons’ book explored his version of what happened to the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror ships in the Arctic during the mid-1800s. With a relentless sense of dread and despair, The Terror addressed the issues of starvation, illness, disease, and cannibalism that occurred when the ships became trapped in the icy region.

The Terror saw crew stalked by a terrifying monster across the Arctic in a fear-inducing tale that spanned years. Although some viewers may be familiar with this story from the AMC TV adaptation of The Terror, Simmons’ novel truly captured the almost mythical nature of this nightmarish narrative. As a mix of Lovecraftian dread and historical fiction, The Terror was one of the most frightening novels of the 21st century.

7 The Ballad of Black Tom (2016)

Victor LaValle

American author Victor LaValle revisited H. P. Lovecraft's story "The Horror at Red Hook” to serve as the basis for his fantasy-horror novella The Ballad of Black Tom. While Lovecraft has had a notable influence on modern horror, the harsh truth was that he held racist viewpoints, and his fear of cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity was reflected in his work. The combination of Lovecraft’s questionable beliefs and undeniable genius laid the groundwork for the biracial author LaValle to retell the story from the perspective of a Black man.

By taking Lovecraft’s work and recontextualizing it in a racial context, The Ballad of Black Tom managed to find new meaning in old works and highlight that although the classics remain relevant, it’s still important to question their subtext. Through the combination of classic horror elements like sorcerers and supernatural creatures with modern explorations of race, LaVille told a tale that felt timeless yet incredibly relevant. As a brief read that unpacks the author’s complex relationship with Lovecraft, modern horror fans should seek out this novella.

6 A Short Stay in Hell (2009)

Steven L. Peck

A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck delved into the existential horror of the afterlife as an ordinary man dies and finds himself not reunited with his family but in his own personal Hell. Set within a vast library containing every book ever written, Soren can escape by finding the story of his life, and only then will he be freed to enjoy heavenly bliss. Within his literary prison, Soren encounters others and, over more than a thousand years, discovers love and joy in an emotional journey that gets to the very heart of the human experience.

With elements of The Good Place, Dante’s Inferno, and Sartre’s No Exit, A Short Stay in Hell was a thoughtful examination of the horrors of eternity and the essential nature of hope. Taking major influence from “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges, Soren’s endless pursuit of discovering his own story explored the idea of what immortality would be like if forced to endlessly conduct a seemingly impossible task. While not a typical horror story, the psychological dread and dark realities of Peck’s brief novella made it truly frightening to ponder.

5 Wylding Hall (2015)

Elizabeth Hand

As a thrilling blend of mystery, psychological horror, and folk music, Wylding Hall was set in the British countryside as a 1970s acid-folk rock band produced their classic album while engaging in near-constant drug use. However, the record came at a cost as their lead singer mysteriously disappeared and was never seen or heard from again. Now, years later, the surviving meet with a young filmmaker and try to tell their own version of what really happened to Julian Blake.

As a light horror story that was made all the more intriguing by unreliable recollections of the band , Wylding Hall was a deeply atmospheric and creepy story with pagan undertones. With all the elements for a fantastic ghost story, Wylding Hall will appeal to horror lovers and music enthusiasts alike as it brings its intriguing 1970s era to life through music. As a quiet horror that focused on slowly building dread and tension, Wylding Hall was an otherworldly, almost Gothic novella.

4 Annihilation (2014)

Jeff VanderMeer

While many may already be familiar with Annihilation through Alex Garland’s 2018 Netflix film adaptation, those who have already seen the movie should not think that means they don’t need to read the book. With the novel Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer was able to more fully explore its themes and ideas, and it acted as just the first installment of his Southern Reach Trilogy. As a blend of cosmic horror, fantasy, and sci-fi, Annihilation invites readers into the mysterious zone known as Area X as a biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a military-trained surveyor go on a deadly expedition.

With all previous explorations of Area X failing due to disappearances, suicides, cancers, and mental trauma, Annihilation gave a unique insight into a near future of unimaginable horror. Featuring deadly fungus, Cronenberg-style body horror, and Lovecraftian terror, Annihilation was even more suspenseful and engrossing on the page than it was on the screen.

3 Last Days (2009)

Brian Evenson

The terrifying mix of body horror, psychological tension, and dark humor makes this Brian Evenson mystery-horror novel unforgettable. Following the story of Detective Kline, a man kidnapped by a religious cult that believes amputations bring one closer to God, Last Days addresses religious fanaticism and a deeply unsettling underworld of paranoia and fear. Through Evenson’s minimalist prose, Last Days had a Kafkaesque logic that bordered on the absurd.

As a novel that’s not for the faint of heart, the dark descriptions of this religious cult brought to mind the terrifying cinematic body horror of directors like David Cronenberg. With a thematic depth that addresses the brutal darkness lurking within the human soul, the pulpy detective setup also leaned into classic hardboiled works by writers such as Raymond Chandler. As a unique novel that will leave a mark on any reader who dares to attempt it, Last Days deserves to be highlighted as a modern classic.

2 Our Share of Night (2019)

Mariana Enriquez

With themes of occultism, fate, and the frightful underworld of maniacal cults, Our Share of Night was a slow-burn horror that delved deep into its characters' stories. From Argentine author Mariana Enriquez, Our Share of Night was set in the decades during and after Argentina’s military dictatorship and fused political allegory with outright gore. This sprawling narrative traversed the story of a son and his ailing father over decades as it moved over and back through time.

With one edition of the book clocking in at a whopping 736 pages, Our Share of Night was not a quick read by any stretch of the imagination, but it was deeply rewarding as it delved into the delusional beliefs of a cult called the Order. Combining aspects of ghost stories with family drama as well as political intrigue, Enriquez revealed herself as a major new voice in Latin American literature with this novel, which was her first to be translated into English.

1 Tender Is The Flesh (2017)

Agustina Bazterrica

Few modern horror books were more depraved, unnerving, or downright sickening than Agustina Bazterrica’s Tender is the Flesh. Set in a dystopian world where all animal meat had been contaminated with a deadly virus, the lack of viable alternatives meant that cannibalism was legalized and humans were bred like livestock. With human flesh rebranded as special meat, the most terrifying thing about this course of events was that the general population was able to conjure enough cognitive dissonance to consume it without question.

Amid this horrific premise was the story of Marcos, a human meat supplier who despised the flesh-eating industry but still participated in it. From brutal descriptions of humans being slaughtered to disturbing body horror elements, Tender is the Flesh forced viewers to reckon with the genuine meat industry and ask tough questions about the dire treatment of animals in the world today. This was a shocking story with a deeply thought-provoking subtext that highlighted horror writings' ability to showcase the terror of everyday actions, such as simply eating.