The best Christian horror and thrillers books

Why am I passionate about this?

The question I have for Christian authors is this: are we Christian authors or authors who are Christian? The realm of horror is the perfect genre to explore the human condition in all of its depravity. Why do Christians avoid this genre when at the end of the day? I grew up watching horror movies with my grandmother and I enjoy the thrills and chills, the questions the genre asks, and the various ways horror can be depicted. Christians understand the dark forces that underlie our natural world. And we understand the darkness within ourselves. But unlike Hollywood horror, we know what the solution – Christ. So that’s why this is a passion of mine.


I wrote...

Dark Cherub

By Parker J. Cole,

Book cover of Dark Cherub

What is my book about?

Shadows lurk in the darkness, preying on hundreds of women—women who have one hidden thing in common. A young woman witnesses the unsettling disappearance of her high school principal and soon finds herself facing a harrowing decision.

Two friends find themselves facing a power that threatens not only their lives, but the lives of thousands more. One is fighting her own shadows from past decisions. The other is followed by a lurking adversary who nearly killed her five years before. She begins to connect a series of events, and a frightening realization comes to light: they face a power that cannot be fought with guns or weapons. Will they find the answers, and the strength, to cast away the grip of a hostile presence that only wants them dead?

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Road to Hell

Parker J. Cole Why did I love this book?

The Road to Hell explores the worse day in the main character’s life.

He loses his job, gets into a car accident, and then dies and goes to hell. From there, the story explores our main character forays into hell and how it changes his life when he comes back.

From someone who really didn’t know about God to a person who now acknowledges that He exists, it’s startling journey. I read this book in a few short hours. It was gripping and that good.

By Jess Hanna,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Road to Hell as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Lucas Stone suffers a horrific accident, experiences the terrors of Hell, and returns from the dead paralyzed and alone until an unexpected new friend finds him. Arrogant, self-absorbed speaker and author Drake Crawford has written a new book that challenges the traditional Christian theology of Hell. Luke and Drake are drawn together by supernatural forces beyond their realm of understanding to face the spiritual battle that lies ahead on... The Road to Hell.


Book cover of If It Causes You to Sin

Parker J. Cole Why did I love this book?

I first heard the audio dramatization of this book on a podcast call The Untold Podcast, showcasing speculative fiction from Christian authors.

The story is short, telling of our unnamed narrator who is struggling with sin in his life. He reads the Bible verse, if thy hand offend then, cut if off. From there begins his meltdown into wanting to take off his hand because he has done sinful things with it.

What made this one so chilling is the rational outlook of the narrator. Then comes the grisly bits that make you squirm in your chair as you listen. Now, it’s in book form and I guarantee you, it’s a very good book. Thank God for grace!

By Jess Hanna,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked If It Causes You to Sin as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Hades Proper

Parker J. Cole Why did I love this book?

Hades Proper is a sci-fi horror book that deals with questions of God, hell, goodness, and faith.

When I read this book, I was blown away at how relatable the characters were. The book reads pretty fast as we are taken from a massive earthquake that opens a fissure deep to the center of the earth.

After the scientist sends instruments to read what the interior of the earth is, we discover that this fissure leads to what can only be described as Hades Proper. For those familiar with Sheol, in the Old Testament, Hell was divided into two sides, the Paradise side, and the Hell side.

When our cast of characters go down this fissure, they find the Paradise side abandoned but filled with all kinds of wonders. But then, the plot thickens as they cross over into the Hell side. It’s a great book sending all sorts of chills down your spine as well as questions of faith, heaven, and hell.

By Sean Rainwater,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hades Proper as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

After an onslaught of simultaneous, worldwide earthquakes ravages the Earth, a team is sent to explore a crevice that may go down farther than man has ever been able to go.Dr. William Roth is a brilliant scientist. A successful geophysicist. A prominent atheist. An alcoholic with a scarred past. When he is tasked with leading a team of 7 people on a mission that will take them deep into the Earth, he jumps at the opportunity. Millions have died around the world, the planet is in mourning. This could be the light, the hope that the world needs, and he…


Book cover of I call him HIM

Parker J. Cole Why did I love this book?

I call him HIM is an apocalyptic horror story about a man who is a fighting machine.

Hell has come to earth and wreaked havoc. Demonic beings lurk everywhere, feasting off of humanity. Our main character is simply called Him. He has no name, but only rage as he kills demonic hordes with his sword and his strength.

Where is God in a world filled with demonic influences? Where is God when the cry of humanity reaches out for answers? This thought consumes Him, but there may be a light. A young girl who may be the key.

Scott Kimak blends this horror, apocalyptic story with gritty violence, intense action scenes, coarse language, but also themes of redemption and sacrifice.

By Scott W. Kimak,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I call him HIM as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a post-apocalyptic world, a warrior and his family are driven underground, fighting for their very survival. When they do emerge, the futuristic planet they discover is very different from the one they left behind. Ruled by an evil presence which dominates and controls what is left of mankind, Earth has been reduced to a violent place of darkness, grief and destruction.I call him HIM follows the journey of this unnamed warrior as he loses both his family and his mind. As he hits rock bottom, all he can think of is his insatiable yearning for revenge until he meets…


Book cover of Balor

Parker J. Cole Why did I love this book?

Balor explores the story of a man who is desperate to win at any cost.

Carver does a wonderful job exploring racism, underground fighting, voodoo and hoodoo, respectively, Our main character is selfish, egotistical, and pathetic… until he partakes of a potion from a voodoo priestess that gives him access to powers from a spirit named Balor.

Throughout the story, he is given many times to try to unleash himself from the spirit, but in exchange, he receives the fame and monetary gifts he wants.

A chilling aspect is how influential he is on his girlfriend’s son. The boy looks up to him. Will he allow Balor to take complete control in order to gain what he wants?

It’s a story told from a hedonistic view with sensual imagery, coarse language, and spiritual warfare, but such a great book.

By Mark Carver,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Balor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don't Let Him Win. The brutal world of mixed martial arts is no place for cowards and weaklings. Danny Fitzgerald knows he has the guts to compete, but the success he craves keeps slipping through his fingers. Juggling a complicated relationship along with a dead-end job on the docks of Jackson, Mississippi, Danny yearns for domination in the sport that literally saved his life. And he will do anything to attain it. Anything. Balor is brutal, vicious, and carries with it a strong warning: do not play with forces that are beyond your control.


You might also like...

The Last Bird of Paradise

By Clifford Garstang,

Book cover of The Last Bird of Paradise

Clifford Garstang Author Of Oliver's Travels

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Fiction writer Globalist Lawyer Philosopher Seeker

Clifford's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Two women, a century apart, seek to rebuild their lives after leaving their homelands. Arriving in tropical Singapore, they find romance, but also find they haven’t left behind the dangers that caused them to flee.

Haunted by the specter of terrorism after 9/11, Aislinn Givens leaves her New York career and joins her husband in Southeast Asia when he takes a job there. She acquires several paintings by a colonial-era British artist that she believes are a warning.

The artist, Elizabeth Pennington, tells her own tumultuous story through diary entries that end when World War I reaches the colony with catastrophic results. In the present, Aislinn and her husband learn that terrorism takes many shapes when they are ensnared by local political upheaval and corruption.

The Last Bird of Paradise

By Clifford Garstang,

What is this book about?

"Aislinn Givens leaves a settled life in Manhattan for an unsettled life in Singapore. That painting radiates mystery and longing. So does Clifford Garstang's vivid and simmering novel, The Last Bird of Paradise." –John Dalton, author of Heaven Lake and The Inverted Forest

Two women, nearly a century apart, seek to rebuild their lives when they reluctantly leave their homelands. Arriving in Singapore, they find romance in a tropical paradise, but also find they haven't left behind the dangers that caused them to flee.

In the aftermath of 9/11 and haunted by the specter of terrorism, Aislinn Givens leaves her…


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