There’s a lot of new horror coming in May. Mind-bending haunted houses. Gas stations you can never escape. Clones that take over your life. Searches for eternal youth, belonging, and self-improvement that go terribly, terribly wrong. Girl bosses morphing into werewolves. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
It’s the perfect time of year to craft that TBR and pile all of the new horror atop it. May 2026 horror books are going to haunt your nightmares for years to come.
Accumulation by Aimee Pokwata (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, May 5)
What happens when you realize the house you thought was the house of your dreams is actually haunted? When documentary filmmaker turned stay-at-home mom Tennessee “Tenn” Cherish moves into a big house in upstate New York with her husband, Ward, and her two children, she thinks she’s getting the life she always wanted. But Ward is away for work a lot, and the more time Tenn spends alone in the house, the more she notices strange things happening to her kids and in the house itself. Is it the house that is making everything fall apart, or is she losing her mind?
But Won’t I Miss Me by Tiffany Tsao (HarperVia, May 5)
The Substance meets Nightbitch in Tiffany Tsao’s speculative horror novel. In a world where climate change has ravaged the planet, humans birthing babies also give birth to a small version of themselves who quickly grow, consume the original parent, and take their place as a superior, “superhuman” parent. For some reason, however, this does not happen to Vivi. Instead, Vivi is constantly exhausted and unable to handle the pressure of parenthood. When these “defects” destroy her life, Vivi is desperate to uncover what went wrong.
The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean (Tor, May 5)
From Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters, comes an historical ghost story set in Hong Kong during World War II. Mercy Chan is a ghost-talker who has no memory of her past and not a cent to her name. A powerful ghost haunts the Kowloon Walled City, killing innocent people and terrorizing the district. What’s more, it claims to hold the secrets of Mercy’s forgotten past.
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She Waits Where Shadows Gather by Michelle Tang (Poisoned Pen Press, May 5)
Michelle Tang’s debut gothic horror novel is set in Manila. Carlos Tam hosts a reality TV show where he exposes paranormal hoaxes. He’s made a living off of proving that ghosts aren’t real, but when he moves to his ancestral home in the Philippines, he and his wife, Avery, find chilling mysteries around every corner. Then Carlos is in a terrible car accident that leaves him silent, helpless, and completely dependent on his wife to care for him. It’s in this state that Carlos hears the house speaking to him in a voice only he can hear.
I Know A Place by Nat Cassidy (Shortwave, May 5)
Nat Cassidy’s first short story collection includes 13 short stories and novelettes, including the Bram Stoker Award-nominated novella “Rest Stop,” a story of a musician trapped in a supernatural gas station. But this is just one of many strange places Cassidy invited you to visit in this collection. This horrific “travelogue” invites readers into the darkest, creepiest corners of the world, where even the most normal things can become dangerous.
Femme Feral by Sam Beckbessinger (Penguin, May 12)
This feminist horror/dark comedy follows 46-year-old tech executive Elle, who is already stressed out by her demanding job and her secretive daughter. But now, on top of that, her body is going through troubling changes. The doctors say it’s perimenopause, but Elle feels like the rage inside of her is something else. Along with hot flashes and brain fog, Elle feels taken over by fur, teeth, and an insatiable desire to howl at the moon.
Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey (Tor, May 12)
Hugo Award-winning author Sarah Gailey’s latest horror novel is set in a strange, secluded island called Kindred Cove, where the local community holds an annual Salt Festival. Celia is lonely, searching for a family and a sense of belonging. She travels to Kindred Cove to attend the Salt Festival, a transformative experience of healing and joy. Celia is certain this is where she will finally find herself. This is an eerie psychological horror story that will get under your skin.
The Dorians by Nick Cutter (Gallery Books, May 19)
Horror author Nick Cutter is known for stories that will make you squirm. His newest, The Dorians, is a reimagining of Frankenstein with clear nods to The Picture of Dorian Gray as well. Five older adults who were on the brink of death volunteer for a revolutionary treatment that claims to put death on pause. The subjects call themselves “the Dorians,” and they agree to implant a biological agent into themselves that will restore their youth and promise everlasting life. But at what cost?
I’ll Watch Your Baby by Neena Viel (St. Martin’s Griffin, May 26)
This historical horror novel is a haunting reimagining of the very real story of Linda Taylor, often referred to as “the welfare queen.” In 1974, Lottie Turner was running all sorts of scams, including trafficking young children to families desperately looking to adopt. In 1994, Bless found a real family in a crew of criminals traveling across the country. But when they end up hiding out in a house in Tennessee, Bless and the rest of the gang are terrorized by supernatural forces linked to Lottie.
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