Horror may be one of the most exciting genres to read. Not only is the content downright scary, making the hairs stand up on readers’ forearms, good horror, whether featuring completely fictitious blood-thirsty vampires or realistic ghost hauntings, is also convincing.
Writing horror fiction must also be a real hoot, not to mention, a fulfilling feat!
All the authors on this list have either won numerous awards for their works of horror, or have been immense influences on later authors who, like many readers, were ‘wow’-ed by their craft. Better yet, they each have well over 10 horror novels and/or novellas that can be enjoyed over an extended period of time. Thus, choosing one here won’t be the end of the horror frenzy.
1) H.P Lovecraft (1890 – 1937)
H.P. Lovecraft was a talented writer who published several stories in horror/weird fiction. While he was not very known during his lifetime for his work (and so, mostly published in small pulp magazines), Lovecraft become posthumously famous after years after his death and is now known as an influential figure in supernatural horror fiction. Several of his works have been adapted into various forms of media, along with an upcoming movie starring Nicolas Cage named “Color Out of Space,” based on the story of the same name. The Call of Cthulhu (1928) is Lovecraft’s most popular and well-read cult/myth horror short story. Cthulhu’s myth has since become a shared universe between Lovecraft’s original work and many horror authors who have been inspired.
3 Most Well-Known Works:
The Call of Cthulhu (1928)
At the Mountains of Madness (1936)
The Dunwich Horror (1928)
2) Stephen King (b. 1947)
Dubbed the undisputed “Master of Horror” by many, Stephen King is undoubtedly one of the most popular horror authors. Having published 63 novels and written a couple hundred short stories under both his true name and the pseudonym Richard Bachman, King’s fan base has grown exponentially and so has the quantity of film and TV adaptations of his works. Critical of his own work, King famously once threw away his uncompleted draft of his first novel, Carrie (1974), which has since become a testament of his abilities and has been adapted into films three separate times. His most popular novel, It (1986), follows a horrific killer clown in a small town of unfortunate children who starts going missing every 27 years.
3 Most Well-Known Novels:
It (1986)
The Shining (1977)
The Stand (1978)
3) Peter Straub (b. 1943)
Peter Straub grew up an avid reader who quickly recognized his life’s passion in writing. Contrary to his parents’ hopes and aspirations for his future, Straub began writing while at school and, evidently, became good at it, completing a couple of novels later in life. However, after lukewarm responses to his first two novels outside of the supernatural/horror genre, Straub walked into the greater public’s eye with his first novel of the supernatural genre, Julia. As if he’d realized his true calling, Straub continued with supernatural/horror novels and eventually became a popular horror novelist. His most popular book, Ghost Story (1979), which has also been adapted into a movie, is about a group of middle-aged men who come to the horrifying realization that their malicious act in the past has come back to haunt them.
3 Most Well-Known Works:
Ghost Story (1979)
Floating Dragon (2003)
Shadowland (2003)
4) Joe Hill (b. 1972)
An instant bestseller with this first novel, Heart-Shaped Box (2007), Joe Hill hit the ground running. His writing has been featured in many a magazine and anthology after having established a name for himself with his first book (a collection of stories), 20th Century Ghosts (2005), which was awarded the famed Bram Stoker Award. Hill’s third novel, NOS4A2 (2013), a novel about a young woman named Victoria who, having escaped his twisted playground in the past, is number one on Charlie Manx’s list of human playthings.
3 Most Well-Known Works:
NOS4A2 (2013)
Horns (2010)
Heart-Shaped Box (2007)
BONUS: Locke & Key is his popular comic book series
5) Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797 – 1851)
Often credited with writing the first science fiction horror novel with Frankenstein (1818), a timeless tale about a horrific beast man created deep in a science lab in Switzerland, Mary Shelley is one of the most popular authors in the horror/gothic fiction genre. Though a woman in the early 1800s, Shelley’s work was taken seriously during her lifetime. However, most of her shorter works were published and promoted posthumously, as she spent great efforts getting her husband’s novels published. Still, Frankenstein has been reproduced tens of times in both written and media formats.
3 Most Well-Known Works:
Frankenstein (1818)
The Last Man (1826)
Mathilda (1818)
6) Laurell K. Hamilton (b. 1963)
While mostly experienced in the fantasy and romance genres, with several books in a couple of successful series under her belt, Hamilton has become a very popular writer in the vampire horror/dark fantasy genre and is said to be one of the most influential writers in urban fantasy. Her most popular works are, unsurprisingly, books one, two, and three of the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Guilty Pleasures, book #1 (1993), introduces Anita Blake to her most guilty and forbidden pleasure as a hunter and an interrogator of the undead, the vampire master Jean-Claude. The earlier part of the series has more of the vampire horror flavor in them, while the later books (after Narcissus in Chains, book #10) become more erotica romance-centered.
3 Most Well-Known Works:
Guilty Pleasures (1993)
The Laughing Corpse (1994)
Circus of the Damned (1995)
7) Anne Rice (b.941)
Her fantastic mind enriched by a childhood of storytelling with her sister, Alice, Anne Rice grew up to be one of the most popular American horror authors after her novel debut with Interview with the Vampire (1976), which she began working on shortly after the death of her youngest child. She is said to have changed the way readers view vampires, as her characters are vulnerable, alluring, and offer dialogue on the human condition. Rice’s most popular novel, Interview with the Vampire features a tired and forcibly turned immortal relaying his tale of sinister misfortune to an opportune journalist who captures it from beginning to end.
3 Most Well-Known Novels:
Interview with the Vampire (1976)
The Queen of the Damned
The Witching Hour
Any one of these authors you choose to read are guaranteed to get you hooked! The more you read from them, the farther you’ll be knocked off your feet.
They’re not the most popular authors of horror for no reason!
