Horror Books to Read in One Sitting This Halloween

We’re only a few days away from Halloween, so if you’d like to squeeze in some seasonal reading before November arrives, I’ve gathered together six horror novellas and graphic novels that you can read in one sitting. Get through a few in the coming days or save them for Halloween itself! As a bonus, each of these checks off a task in the 2026 Read Harder Challenge. Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky In this satirical graphic novel, a transfeminine person named Sammie is invited to an old friend’s bachelor party. The party is at El Campo — think Las Vegas turned up to 11 on a floating island. This is a dystopian capitalist world where you can hunt your clone as casual entertainment. There, Sammie seems to be the only one who notices a creepy cult slowly converting all the other members of the party, while everyone else tells them they’re overreacting. Even without the supernatural elements, though, the constant misgendering and micro- and macro-aggressions Sammie experiences are pretty upsetting. Luckily, they are always able to call their wife and queer friends for advice and support. There are plenty of over-the-top elements, but the emotion is grounded, and Sammie felt like a defi...