The best horror novels with the most intriguing protagonists facing the most unsettling ghosts

Darkhouse is the first in the Experiment in Terror novels by Karina Halle. I absolutely fell in love with her writing style, the way that she builds the world of Dex and Perry, their complicated acquaintance, and the lighthouse in which they find themselves drawn back to. Complete with anti-hero and strong heroine, as soon as I read this first book, I devoured the series. Without saying too much to spoil the series, I have to say that this ghost story was one that has gotten under my skin and one that I know I’ll go back to in the future.

The Shining has always been one of my favourite horror novels. I discovered it in my teens and have re-read it countless times since then. The subtlety of the horror found in the Overlook Hotel as Jack and Wendy navigate their new roles gets deep under my skin—that isolation, completely cut off from civilisation, is both romantic and terrifying. It leaves me wondering how I would cope if I was locked away somewhere for a length of time like that. As an author I always think it would be amazing to have that time to work on a novel, but what if things weren’t as they were meant to be?

This was the first book I read by Ambrose Ibsen and I was instantly hooked by his work. He has such a unique voice that draws the reader into the words he weaves, into the world that he creates. This novel in particular left my skin crawling as I followed Harlan Ulrich PI on his investigation into the Sick House, leaving me jumping at the shadows. If you want to sleep with the lights on, this is definitely one for you.

The Woman in Black was the first Susan Hill novel that I had the chance to read and I wasn’t disappointed. A gothic horror novel that drew me in, the slow-burn story bringing chills with every page that I turned. As I followed the main character in his quest, I couldn’t stop turning the pages as the tension and atmosphere drew me in, ramping up the horror and leaving the hairs on the back of my neck standing on edge.

I have to admit that I saw the series based on this book before I happened to read it and while the series got under my skin, the book left me terrified. The slow-burn horror of the house devouring its victims, the way it changed everything for those staying under the roof in a perfect gothic supernatural horror, was enough to make it onto this list. One I would definitely recommend.