Great Horror Inspired by Frankenstein

Bloomsbury Publishing, Children's

Frankenstein by Junji Ito by Jocelyn Allen

Junji Ito is the master of horror manga—the only thing more terrifying than his storylines is his twisting, black-and-white art often laced with mesmerizing patterns, slow suspense, and shocking body horror. All his expertise aligns perfectly with a retelling of Frankenstein that is faithful to the original while also utilizing all of Ito’s best work to bring the twists and turns of the classic to life. The volume comes with an extra gothic story to boot, because the more Ito, the better.

Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

In the midst of everyday violence, bombings, and general chaos, a man furious at the way people’s bodies are being carelessly treated and discarded gathers a bunch of blasted body parts together, stitching them into a monstrous single figure that he hopes will serve as some kind of protest. The problem is (as you might guess), the monster comes alive. But even as it kills, and stories of its violence spread, some decide that the monster is a figure on their side, as it disrupts the haunting disillusionment of their day-to-day lives.

Frankenstein: Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz and Kevin J. Anderson

In this mystery by the author of perhaps a countless number of suspense novels, a serial killer is haunting the streets of humid New Orleans. He seems to be collecting body parts from the corpses, but to what end? The mysterious Deucalion, detective O’Connor, and partner Maddison come together to try and solve the mystery, only to break open a can of worms much bigger than one serial killer case. It’s a Koontz series, so be ready for cliffhangers and being roped into the sequels.

Destroyer by Victor LaValle, illustrated by Dietrich Smith with Joana LaFuente

In this Bram Stoker Award–winning adaptation by LaValle, Frankenstein’s monster gives up his attempts to be integrated into the human community. He’s turned away entirely, becoming the Destroyer. If he cannot be part of humanity, if peace truly can’t be achieved, then he will use his strength to wipe humans off the earth. He finds an ally in Dr. Baker, whose teen son was killed by police. But soon, two local scientists start to wonder if the two of them are out of control.

Unnatural Creatures: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women by Kris Waldherr

The women of Frankenstein get little room in Shelley’s original, so Waldherr gave them a rich gothic stage. Retelling the story from the point of view of Victor’s mother, his betrothed Elizabeth, and servant Justine, Waldherr centers a very different kind of story while pulling in the same atmosphere and eeriness of the original classic. While more gothic than strictly horror, Waldherr’s book is a nod and a love letter to the original, even as it rounds out its characters.

Revival by Stephen King

What hasn’t Stephen King written a horror story about at this point? That said, Revival is not at all a straightforward retelling. It takes more indirect inspiration. It centers around the charismatic Reverend Jacobs, whose traumas and obsessions begin to warp his views on God, humanity, and possibility. He begins to believe that lightning could open a door to heaven, or life itself, in a riff on faith healing and religious obsession. This slow-burn horror novel reportedly has one heck of an ending, and all King fans should take their opportunity to check it out.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Elizabeth Lavenza is miserable, and so it seems like just about anything would be preferable to where she’s at. So she jumps at the chance to become the caregiver of young Victor Frankenstein, happy to have food and shelter if nothing else. But it’s not long before she begins to realize just how dangerous her new job is. It’s her job to manage his descent into madness, his temptation for violence, and it won’t be easy to keep herself, let alone others, safe for much longer.