Horror for Halloween Staff Picks (10/28/25)

Looking for a scary story to read on Halloween? We’ve got a couple of recommendations that are sure to spike your heart rate!

AMANDA’S PICK: THE BODY BY BETHANY C. MORROW

THE BODY follows a woman still healing from religious trauma who must survive a series of bizarre and escalating attacks on her marriage that ultimately reveal Hell isn’t reserved for the afterlife.  This savvy and smart social horror will sit right alongside MODEL HOME by Rivers Solomon and THE REFORMATORY by Tananarive Due, as well as propulsive and dangerous psychological thrillers like MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER.

EMILY’S PICK: DEAD FAKE AND NIGHT TERROR BY VINCENT RALPH

This is a new YA horror series coming next year, and all four books in this series are set in the fictional small town of Bleak Haven. But each book is set in a different decade, using the lore and horror of the town as a backdrop (which is a concept I’m personally very excited about). The first book, DEAD FAKE, is set in the 2020s and delves into AI and deep fakes. The second book, NIGHT TERROR, is set in the 80s and takes place in a mall bookstore. This series is fast-paced, classic horror, written for a new generation of readers. The first two books will both be out in January, with the second two following after that, so readers will be able to devour it as fast as possible.

MARGO’S PICK: YOU DID NOTHING WRONG BY CG DREWS

I’ve loved all of CG Drews’ young adult books, so I was really excited to hear about their adult debut–especially because it’s a haunted house story (my favorite horror trope)! YOU DID NOTHING WRONG follows a mother who moves into a new home with her autistic son and charming new husband. Her husband is renovating the house, they have a baby on the way, and everything is falling into place—until her son says he can hear voices in the walls, and that the renovations are hurting the house. Something strange is happening, but is it her son, or the house? This is pulse-pounding domestic suspense crossed with classic haunted house horror. If you loved WE USED TO LIVE HERE, THE PUSH, or BABY TEETH, this will be right up your alley. 

HALLIE’S PICK: DOLLFACE BY LINDY RYAN

If you’re in the mood for a classic Halloween slasher, you need to read DOLLFACE. Horror author Jill has just taken up suburban life, hoping to fit in with the PTA moms and make some friends. But when a plastic-faced serial killer starts a rampage through town, one overly made-up mom at a time, Jill finds herself wrapped into a killer’s murderous spree. Will she be the final girl? A blend of frothy fun, murderous rampage, all wrapped up in 1990s nostalgia, DOLLFACE is sure to bring on the horror for Halloween!