Horror by Women: 8 books sure to give you a fright

Horror is often considered a male-dominated genre of fiction. But, women are making it their own with scary stories about the female experience that can linger in readers’ minds long after the trick-or-treaters have left.

The eight assembled books focus on horror by women and include a beloved modern classic and some overlooked books that will give you a fright. 

8 Horror Books by Women

Repeatedly named one of the scariest pieces of fiction ever written, “The Haunting of Hill House” follows four main characters visiting the titular Hill House. Its premise is simple: four strangers meet to spend time at Hill House in an effort to prove it’s haunted.

Dr. John Montague invites Eleanor “Nel” Vance, Theodora “Theo,” and Luke Sanderson, nephew of the home’s owner and future heir, to stay. The guests soon discover Hill House’s hauntings with smells, cold spots, writings on walls, and see Eleanor begin to merge with it.

Even 64 years after its publication, “The Haunting of Hill House” continues to fascinate and inspire horror lovers. The National Book Award finalist has been adapted into two films: “The Haunting” released in 1963 and “The Haunting” from 1999.  It’s also the basis for Netflix’s popular “The Haunting of Hill House” debuting in 2018.

A Bram Stoker Best Novel Award Winner, Sarah Langan’s third novel centers on architect Audrey Lucas as she moves into apartment 14B in the Breviary after breaking up with her boyfriend. 

In her desperation to find an affordable place to live, Audrey refuses to be driven away by the violent history of her apartment and the intense nightmares she’s having directing her to build a door. She finds herself waking up feeling exhausted and isn’t sure it’s related to her OCD or something else.

Langan’s novel warranted a 2:22-minute trailer and  received praise from the likes of internationally  bestselling author Tess Gerritsen. “Sarah Langan is an audaciously terrifying storyteller, and ‘Audrey’s Door’ practically hums with frantic energy and hair-raising tension.”

“The Beauty” overtly flips the idea of pregnancy, penis possession, and idealized femininity to create a world where concepts of traditional gender roles are challenged. 

Narrated by a young man named Nathan, the novella explores a village where all the women have died and are replaced with mushroom creatures who impregnate the men causing their anatomy to change in order to birth and breastfeed infants. 

Aliya Whiteley doesn’t shy away from body horror with the mushroom women dominating the human men. “The Beauty” is recommended for readers who enjoy social commentary with their scares. 

Gwendolyn Kiste created an memorable horror allegory using Cleveland’s history as part of the manufacturing rust belt to set her tragic tale of teenage girls transforming into hideous half-human half-machine monsters.

“The Rust Maidens” offers dual timelines of Cleveland in 1980 when protagonist Phoebe Shaw is finishing high school and 2006 when she returns home. Phoebe is haunted by her recollections of the rust maiden phenomenon and how it ruined the lives of her friends and neighbors. She carries this weight with her as a middle aged adult and tries to avoid interacting with anyone who can remind her of the past.

With its unique perspective on coming-of-age, femininity, and changes in the City of Cleveland, “The Rust Maidens” offers strong thematic elements perfect for a book club discussion. Kiste’s debut won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel in 2018.

Catriona Ward’s second novel centers on an isolated clan residing in a dilapidated castle in Scotland who brainwash girls from infancy to do everything in their power to please a giant oceanist snake known as The Adder. Evelyn, an ambitious child, decides the only way to achieve her goal of fulfilling “Uncle’s” wishes and accessing The Adder’s powers is to embrace violence.

The novel told backward between 1917 and 1946 but opens in 1917. It  shifts points of view among Evelyn, her fellow clan member Dinah, and Chief Inspector Christopher Black.  Dinah is the only survivor of a ritualistic attack that killed six, and she’s determined to hold Evelyn accountable for the act. 

Despite its dense writing style and troubling subject matter, “Little Eve” won the  2018 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel and The August Derleth Prize at the British Fantasy Awards for Best Horror Novel 2019.

V. Castro subverts the traditional demonic possession story with her well-received novella “Goddess of Filth.”  In this coming of age tale, Castro critiques organized religion, imperialism, the virgin-whore complex, and shows the power of loyal friends.

Five Hispanic high school girls hold a seance in small town Texas where they unknowingly release ancient Aztec spirit Tlazoltéotl, known as the “goddess of filth.” The deity inhabits the body of shy, repressed Fernanda releasing her sexuality and allowing her to address people’s sins. 

While Fernanda’s parents and the local church are very concerned, a local academic views Fernanda and Tlazoltéotl as partners, rather than seeing it as a demonic possession that needs to be stopped.  Fernanda’s friends stay with her throughout the ordeal, and their loyalty as young women bolsters the story’s feminist themes.

“Goddess of Filth” was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction in 2021.

“A Dowry of Blood” is a retelling of “Dracula” framed from the point of view of the vampire’s first wife, Constanta.

Like its inspiration, the novel is told entirely through written content–Constanta’s diary beginning in 1492 and going into the 20th century– with historically appropriate language that may confuse readers more accustomed to contemporary language. Constanta never refers to her spouse by his given name but only by “my lord,” which shows her automatic and unwavering submissiveness to him.

S.T. Gibson gradually moves Constanta toward embracing agency to protect the other vampires in her family and taking a stand against Dracula. The progression is set against various historical periods and acts of violence committed by “my lord.”

“A Dowry of Blood” is a niche novel for those seeking a new twist on “Dracula” with a prominent female character.

“Graveyard of Lost Children”  features new mother Olivia dealing with the mental health issues that plagued her own mother, Shannon, and the malevolent Black Haired Woman.

Oliva, married to a busy career woman, is finding the transition into motherhood difficult and negatively compares herself to other mothers who breastfeed easily and are managing their new responsibilities with aplomb.

She’s estranged from Shannon, who tried to put her down a well when she was 4 months old. Shannon swore the baby wasn’t hers but a changeling, and the only way to have her child returned was to give the infant to the Black Haired Woman.

Told from two perspectives from two generations, the “Graveyard of Lost Children” demonstrates how outdated and dangerous ideas around pregnancy and motherhood hurt women and their children. 

For a different kind of scare, see Heroine Chic Review’s recommendations about women getting revenge.