Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.
Are you ready to be scared in 2026? Us too. Because there are so many good horror books coming out this year, and we’re already creeped out just thinking about them. At the same time, we simply cannot wait to read them.
Here are the five horror books that we here at Book Riot are the most excited about checking out in 2026. Grab your TBR and prepare to have an excellent reading year.
You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom by Vincent Tirado (William Morrow, March 10)
Papi Ramon is the recently deceased patriarch of a wealthy family, and he’s sown a little chaos by dropping this banger in his will: “One of you is a demon I made a bargain with long ago. Get rid of ’em, or you’ll all be damned. Ciao!” No one takes the proclamation seriously, save for his undisputed favorite, Xiomara. But when the rest of the family sends the lawyer away to retrieve the original draft of the will, a storm hits and leaves them all stranded together. Over the course of 12 harrowing hours, all hell breaks loose, and it will be up to Xiomara to suss out the demon and take them out. If you love a modern Gothic, add this one to your list. – Vanessa Diaz
The Body by Bethany C. Morrow (Tor Nightfire, February 10)
The moment I first laid eyes on the red shovel and stained glass on this cover, my brain immediately went, “Oh yeah, that’s some church horror.” My suspicions were confirmed when I saw Bethany C. Morrow describe The Body as being about the horror of churchianity, Godless religion, and of abuse begetting abuse. My own body is likely wholly unprepared for The Body, but in Morrow’s capable hands, I look forward to what promises to be an absolutely bloody reckoning. – Vanessa Diaz
The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White (Del Ray, March 10)
I adored Kiersten White’s Dracula retelling, Lucy Undying, so when I found out she was writing a story about the daughter of Van Helsing and her obsession with the serial killer who killed her father, I was over the moon. Vampires, forensic science, mutual obsession, and blood-soaked correspondence—that sounds like a supernatural story for the ages, and I absolutely can’t wait to read it! – Rachel Brittain
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Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward (Tor Nightfire, February 24)
Nowhere is a place to hide, where children run wild and no adults are allowed to enter. One night, siblings Riley and Oliver leave their homes and run to Nowhere to join the Nowhere Kids, abandoning their previous lives. But there’s something dark awaiting them in Nowhere, and the children learn there is no such thing as hiding from your troubles. Catriona Ward is a horror author known for her mind-bending psychological storytelling, so her latest is sure to deliver shocking surprises.
When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson (Putnam Young Readers, March 3)
The final book on our most-anticipated list comes from Alexis Henderson, the author behind the dark horror/fantasy novels The Year of the Witching, House of Hunger, and An Academy for Liars. After Roslyn’s sister Adeline dies under mysterious circumstances, Roslyn gets closer to the strange group of girls Adeline was hanging out with before her death, hoping for answers. It turns out the girls have made a deal with Death himself to save their own lives. In exchange, they travel the country finding souls for Death to devour.
Want to add even more books to your TBR–perhaps some thrillers or romances or YA reads? Then you’ll want to make sure you check out our big roundup of Most Anticipated Books of 2026.
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