Classic horror

Novels that not only define horror but also explore deep psychological and existential themes, making them timeless reads that have left a lasting impact on the genre.

Updated October 21, 2024
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Frankenstein
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft 1797-1851
Paper Book
Obsessed by creating life itself, Victor Frankenstein plunders graveyards for the material to fashion a new being, which he shocks into life by electricity. But his botched creature, rejected by Frankenstein and denied human companionship, sets out to destroy his maker and all that he holds dear....
Carmilla
Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan 1814-1873
Ebook
Sink your teeth into the cult classic vampire novella that inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula. Fear sweeps the countryside as people fall victim to a strange illness. After a peculiar accident, beautiful Mircalla becomes a ward at Laura's family home. Soon,...
The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Stevenson, Robert Louis 1850-1894
Paper Book
This intriguing novel, both fantasy thriller and moral allegory, depicts the struggle of two opposing personalities -- one essentially good, the other evil -- for the soul of one man.
The picture of Dorian Gray
Wilde, Oscar 1854-1900
Paper Book
HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. 'How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrid, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young... If it was only the other way!' Wilde's first and only published novel recounts the story...
Dracula
Stoker, Bram 1847-1912
Paper Book
The most famous of all vampire stories, Dracula remains a compelling read, rattling along at break-neck speed, a true page-turner. Here is a new edition of one of the great horror stories in English literature, the novel that spawned a myth and a proliferation of vampire tales in film, television,...
The turn of the screw, and other short novels
James, Henry 1843-1916
Paper Book
By turns chilling, funny, tragic, and profound, this collection of six Henry James short novels allows readers to experience the full range of his skills and vision. The title story, "The Turn of the Screw," isa chilling masterpiece of psychological terror that mixes the phantoms...
The phantom of the opera
Leroux, Gaston 1868-1927
Paper Book
The haunting of Hill House
Jackson, Shirley 1916-1965
Paper Book
First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House- Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a 'haunting...

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