Goblins, ghosts, and ghouls, oh my! Here at Penguin Classics, we love a good old-fashioned scare and our favorite Halloween treats are books! Whether it is our usual go-to-horror picks (The Haunting of Hill House and Frankenstein: The 1818 Text, anyone?), or a collection of haunting accounts of real-life exorcisms, we can’t get enough of creepy classics. If you are craving a bone-chilling classic, take a look at some of our suggestions below, and start reading...if you dare.
American Supernatural Tales
Chilling supernatural tales from Poe, Bradbury, Hawthorne, and Stephen King.
The Haunting of Hill House
The greatest haunted house story ever written, the inspiration for a 10-part Netflix series.
The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories
The definitive texts, with an illuminating introduction and notes to each story.
The Raven
A new anthology of Poe’s work, which defied convention, and shocked readers and critics.
Haunted Castles
Horror legend Ray Russell’s haunting and macabre stories.
Frankenstein
A famous work of horror fiction: a devastating exploration of the limits of creativity.
Dracula
Bram Stoker’s peerless tale of desperate battle against a powerful, ancient vampire.
The Penguin Book of Exorcisms
Haunting accounts of real-life exorcisms through the centuries and around the world.
The Penguin Book of Hell
Three thousand years of visions of Hell, from the ancient Near East to modern America.
The Penguin Book of the Undead
The walking dead from 15 centuries haunt this compendium of ghostly visitations.
The Penguin Book of Witches
Chilling real-life accounts of witches, from medieval Europe through colonial America.
Japanese Ghost Stories
Brilliantly entertaining and eerie ghost stories, regarded as major classics in Japan.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories
The timeless collection that introduced Rip Van Winkle and the Headless Horseman.
The Turn of the Screw and Other Ghost Stories
A collection of James’s stories, the basis for the Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor.
Blind Owl
A new English translation of one of the most important, controversial Iranian novels of the twentieth century.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Shirley Jackson's beloved gothic tale of a peculiar girl named Merricat and her family's dark secret, now a part of the Penguin Vitae series.
Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe
Two terrifying modern classics by cult horror favorite Thomas Ligotti, in time for their 30th and 25th anniversaries.
The White People and Other Weird Stories
Classic tales of the fantastic, creepy and weird, with a foreword from the award-winning director of The Shape of Water Guillermo Del Toro.
The Best of Richard Matheson
The definitive collection of terrifying stories by “one of the greatest writers of the 20th century” (Ray Bradbury).
Hangsaman
Shirley Jackson’s chilling second novel, based on her own experiences and an actual mysterious disappearance.
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text
For the bicentennial of its first publication, Mary Shelley’s original 1818 text, introduced by National Book Critics Circle award-winner Charlotte Gordon.
The Bloody Chamber
For the 75th anniversary of her birth, a Deluxe Edition of the master of the literary supernatural’s most celebrated book—featuring a new introduction by Kelly Link.
Stay in Touch
By clicking Sign Up, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. You can opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information anytime.
