Another great one is 'Bird Box' by Josh Malerman. The concept of not being able to see outside without risking madness and death is really terrifying. It has a great atmosphere throughout the story.
A really good horror book from that list is 'The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires' by Grady Hendrix. It combines the charm of a southern book club with the horror of vampires in a really interesting and often comical yet still spooky way.
One could be 'Pet Sematary' by Stephen King. It's a terrifying tale about a burial ground with some very dark secrets. The concept of bringing the dead back to life in a not - so - normal way is really spooky.
Stephen King's 'Misery' is quite famous. It's about a deranged fan who holds an author captive. It's a really intense and disturbing read. Another is 'The Keep' by F. Paul Wilson. It has a great atmosphere of mystery and horror in an old castle. And 'Swamp Thing' has some really interesting horror elements related to the swamps and the supernatural.
Among the popular 2000s horror fiction books, 'Annihilation' by Jeff VanderMeer is a standout. It has a very strange and otherworldly setting. The story follows a group of scientists who enter an area known as Area X, which is full of mutated and unknown creatures. It's a slow - burn horror that gets under your skin. Also, 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin is popular. It's a post - apocalyptic horror story that features vampires in a new and terrifying way.
A book that was quite popular in the 90s is 'Bag of Bones' by Stephen King. It's about a writer who returns to his old lakeside home after his wife's death. There are all sorts of spooky things going on there, like ghosts and strange occurrences in the town. King is a master at creating a sense of unease and dread, and this book is no exception.
One of the notable horror fiction books from the 1980s is 'Pet Sematary' by Stephen King. It's a really creepy story about a burial ground with some very dark secrets. Another is 'The Shining', also by King. It takes place in an isolated hotel and has some truly terrifying moments. And 'Hellraiser' by Clive Barker, which introduced some really unique and disturbing horror concepts.
One of the notable horror fiction books from the 1970s is 'The Exorcist' by William Peter Blatty. It's a terrifying tale of a young girl possessed by a demon and the attempts to exorcise it. The book was extremely popular and later made into a very successful movie.
One great horror fiction book from the 1990s is 'The Green Mile' by Stephen King. It's a story set in a prison and has elements of the supernatural that are both terrifying and thought - provoking.
Sure. 'The Ruins' by Scott Smith is a great one. It has a really creepy atmosphere as it tells the story of a group of tourists who find themselves in a strange and deadly situation in the Mexican jungle. Another good pick could be 'The Girl Next Door' by Jack Ketchum. It's a disturbing read that delves into the dark side of human nature.
Some might have a strong sense of psychological horror. For example, like in 'The Silence of the Lambs', it plays on the fears and the mindsets of the characters and the readers. The idea of a serial killer on the loose and the complex relationship between the hunter and the hunted is a characteristic that makes it so engaging.
Some of the books in that list likely had a strong sense of atmosphere. For example, they might have created a really gloomy and oppressive setting, like a haunted house or a desolate forest. This helps to build up the fear factor.