Halloween reads: 5 books that celebrate the spooky

We might not be bringing out our jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween, but there’s nothing that can stop us from celebrating the spooky. Halloween has always been a day filled with mystery, magic and superstition. HT City brings to you a list of five books you can curl up with this October 31st or gift to a friend. Make sure you make it scary. Happy reading!

The Woman in Black:

The book by Susan Hill is a delicious spine-chiller. The story revolves around Arthur Kipps, a young solicitor who goes to attend the funeral and settle the affairs of Mrs Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House. What tumbles out are secrets, which are more sinister and terrifying than any nightmare. The book has also been adapted into a film starring Daniel Radcliffe.

The Haunting of Hill House:

The classic supernatural thriller by Shirley Jackson, published in 1959, is pure terror. The book is considered to be one of the greatest ghost stories of the 20th century. The book has been adapted into two feature films and a play. It is the story of four seekers, who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House where Dr Montague, an occult scholar, looks for the evidence of a haunting.

Song of Kali:

The novel Dan Simmons is a breathless horror story set in Kolkata’s streets. Robert Luczak has been hired by Harper’s to find a noted Indian poet, who has reappeared under strange circumstances, years after he was thought dead. But nothing is simple in Kolkata and Lucsak’s routine assignment turns into a nightmare when he learns that the poet is rumoured to have been brought back to life in a bloody and grisly ceremony of human sacrifice.

Pet Sematary:

The novel by master of horror Stephen King, has also been made into a film. After moving into their new home, the Creed family’s cat is killed after wondering onto the highway. Doctor Louis Creed buries the cat in the ground near the old pet cemetery. The cat returns to life, its personality changed for the worse. When Louis’ son, Gage, dies tragically, Louis decides to bury the boy’s body in the same ground despite warnings and Louis’ visions of a deceased patient.

Heart-Shaped Box:

The son of Stephen King, Joe Hill’s ghost novel will keep your heart pounding past midnight. Aging, self-absorbed rock star Judas Coyne has a thing for the macabre, so when his assistant tells him about a ghost for sale on an online auction site, he immediately puts in a bid and purchases it. The black, heart-shaped box that Coyne receives in the mail not only contains the suit of a dead man but also his vengeance-obsessed spirit.