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
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Frankenstein (unabridged) (AR).
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft 1797-1851
Paper Book
Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read At the age of eighteen, Mary Shelley, while staying in the Swiss Alps with her lover Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and others, conceived the tale of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the monster...
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Stevenson, Robert Louis 1850-1894
Paper Book
Robert Louis Stevenson originally wrote Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde as a "chilling shocker." He then burned the draft and, upon his wife's advice, rewrote it as the darkly complex tale it is today. Stark, skillfully woven, this fascinating novel explores the curious turnings of human character...
The picture of Dorian Gray
Wilde, Oscar 1854-1900
Paper Book
Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life; indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman inthe eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears...
The yellow wall-paper, and other stories
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins 1860-1935
Paper Book
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was America's leading feminist intellectual of the early twentieth century. The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories makes available the fullest selection ever printed of her short fiction, featuring the pioneering feminist masterpiece of the title, her stories contemporary...
Dracula
Stoker, Bram 1847-1912
Paper Book
Authentic music is combined with a new ballet score and various sound effects to create a gripping dramatization of this classic tale -- an undisputed masterpiece of horror writing.
The phantom of the Opera
Leroux, Gaston 1868-1927
Paper Book
The haunting of Hill House
Jackson, Shirley 1916-1965
Paper Book
Part of a new six-volume series of the best in classic horror, selected by award-winning director Guillermo del Toro. 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...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.