There’s just something about a weird or haunted small town that just scratches a particular itch for us. It’s not a new concept – far from it, in fact! But everyone and their mother has read Stephen King’s journeys through Castle Rock, Derry, Jerusalem’s Lot, etc. and the many books from the 80s and 90s that were inspired by them. But what about the road less traveled. The road that leads to places like Renfield County, Goblin, Velkwood, Kettle Springs and their lesser known counterparts are equally as terrifying and important.
This list is not even remotely comprehensive or exhaustive, but focuses on a wildly different grouping of books from the modern age, all the way back to 1973.
8114 by Joshua Hull
8114 is from one of our favorite indie horror publishers, Clash Books, and was featured in one of our previous Horror Quarterly Boxes. It follows a podcaster who, begrudgingly, returns to his hometown after the suicide of his childhood best friend. As he tries to uncover what really happened, he discovers a rotting underneath the small-town's surface.
The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelly Armstrong
Based loosely on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Haunting of Paynes Hollow follows a young woman who must spend a month in a remote cabin on her estrange grandfather's land in order to secure a life-changing inheritance. And, there's a definite catch to this deal.
Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
We love when our favorite author graces us with a new horror tale. Wolf Worm is a gory southern gothic set in the backwoods of North Carolina in 1899. It follows a young entomologist who uncovers a disturbing secret about the famed Dr. Halder. This one had all of us squirming.
The Unseen by Ania Ahlborn
When a strange, lost child turns up at the Hansen's secluded Colorado farm, the family makes the decision to adopt him, because what could go wrong? Turns out, a lot. The Unseen is the perfect mix of family drama, haunted house story, and cosmic horror. It's an eerie, unsettling read that had us screaming at the characters to please, please stop investigating strange noises.
Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi
I mean the title kind of says it all here, doesn't it? Small Town Horror is a ghost story, but not quite in the way you think. Told through the reunion of five childhood friends, Small Town Horror is a chilling tale about how our past decisions and old secrets come to haunt us.
The Spite House by Johnny Compton
Johnny Compton is one of our favorite authors and his debut novel, The Spite House will be one we always recommend to horror readers. The Spite House follows family on the run who agree to be the caretakers of a "spite house" known as "the most haunted place in Texas." The quickly, quickly come to regret it.
Blood Trail by Matt Query and Harrison Query
The Query brothers are experts at the small-town/rural horror genre. Their novel Old Country is one that still gets talked about on the regular at Underbrush. However, I'm here to recommend their newest novel, Blood Trail. Blood Trail is what 30 Day of Night would have been if set in rural Montana instead of Alaska.
The Children by Melissa Albert
While it's more of a dark, gothic fairytale, don't underestimate this one's ability to give you chills. Two siblings are forced to revisit their remote childhood an their mother's legacy as adults and they find something much darker than they expected. This is a story for everyone who longs to look under the surface.
The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste
We had to include this one as its author is a recipient of the Bram Stoker Award for best novel. The Haunting of Velkwood is horror by way of Jeff Vandermeer and his Southern Reach novels. This novel is full of the nostalgic longing for a home the characters can never truly return to and if that isn’t the most relatable thing, then I don’t know what is.
Edenville by Sam Rebelein
Sam Rebelein is the most imaginative author that the horror genre currently has to offer. His debut novel, Edenville, is the first of a series of interconnected stories that take place in the fictional county of Renfield where slaughtered families, magical pooping pigs, cursed barnwood, eldritch horrors, and cosmic entities collide! Start here and then dip over to his short story collection, The Poorly Made and Other Things – then wait patiently for 9/23 for Galloway’s Gospel.
The Clackity by Lora Senf
I don’t care if this list is populated by mostly adult horror, Lora Senf’s middle grade masterpiece, The Clackity, demands to be shouted about from the highest of mountaintops. If you grew up cutting your teeth on RL Stein and his wacky brand of 90s horror, or if you have kids that you hope to impart that same love of the macabre, well, Lora Senf delivers some of the most chilling fiction for readers of all ages.
Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Ceasre
Adam Ceasre is in a league of his own. Ceasre has been an integral part of the Great Slasher Renaissance that has been taking over the world. Clown in a Cornfield was at the forefront of the resurgence and has been followed by two sequels, with the third in the series winning this year’s Bram Stoker Award for YA fiction. PLUS Friendo the Clown graced the silver screen at the beginning of the summer with the film adaptation of the first novel.
Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
Lee Mandelo’s addition to this list is quite possibly the most intimate and strangest one to include, but we stand by it. Summer Sons is a story of relationships, death, the afterlife, being haunted (literally) by someone you love, and being queer in America. While Mandelo might not be touting pages upon page of detailed descriptions of stores, roads, town inhabitants, and history – that doesn’t make it any less about what happens when small towns are mean and inhospitable.
