The first half of 2026 promises a striking range of horror, from taut psychological thrillers and gothic mysteries to inventive speculative nightmares. Some stories unfold in isolated houses or small towns brimming with their own dark histories; others examine grief, obsession, and the disorienting ways the world can shift when least expected. There are historical horrors, contemporary thrillers, and boundary-pushing narratives that aim to redefine what the genre can do.
What follows is a list of twenty books that have already sparked our curiosity — and that we can’t wait to dive into in the coming months.
Dead First, Johnny Compton (Feb 10, Putnam)
What it’s about: Private investigator Shyla Sinclair is hired to find out why mysterious billionaire Saxton Braith can’t die. The case brings her face-to-face with the supernatural, her own grim past, and a secret that threatens everything she loves.
Why we’re excited: Dead First sounds set to blend the grim pleasures of a classic noir detective story with a touch of the supernatural. Following Shyla Sinclair as she unravels a case threaded with mortality, secrets, and obsession, it’s a safe bet we’re in for a darkly atmospheric journey. If Compton fully leans into the uncanny, it could be just the sort of opening salvo we need to set the year off with a genuinely gripping, unsettling start.
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Temple Fall, R.L. Boyle (Feb 17, Titan)
What it’s about: A group of teenagers break into an abandoned house on the moors for a night of partying, but a séance unleashes a deadly force that tears them apart and leads to one boy’s death. Haunted by a mysterious Victorian woman only she can see, Flynn must confront her traumatic past and uncover a generational curse before her remaining friends begin dying on their eighteenth birthdays.
Why we’re excited: Boyle’s Temple Fall promises a heady mix of gothic dread and psychological tension, following a group of teenagers whose curiosity stirs forces way beyond their understanding. If the author leans into the eerie possibilities of the moors, the séance, and the generational curse, then I think fans of atmospheric supernatural horror are in for a real treat.
Nowhere Burning, Catriona Ward (Feb 24, Tor Nightfire)
What it’s about: Riley and her brother flee their troubled home for Nowhere, an abandoned ranch turned refuge for runaways – but the scorched grounds hide dark secrets, and sanctuary comes at a deadly price.
Why we’re excited: Nowhere Burning promises a harrowing survival story that blends the dark fairy-tale whimsy of Peter Pan with the ruthless stakes of Lord of the Flies, all set against the unforgiving backdrop of the Colorado Rockies. With early praise from Victorian Psycho author Virginia Feito – who calls it “gripping, beautiful, haunting and virtuously crafted”- we’re really eager to see how Ward balances peril, imagination, and atmosphere in her latest outing.
Daytide, Chris Panatier (Feb 26, Rapture)
What it’s about: In a world ravaged by the Longing, a psychological pandemic that drives its victims to suicide, Adam struggles to survive after losing his friend Kaya. When a persistent priest claims to have found a cure, Adam is drawn into a disturbing discovery inside a cathedral that may offer salvation – or something far darker.
Why we’re excited: Daytide promises to take readers to a world that’s as weird as it is unsettling, where a psychological pandemic warps reality and tests what people are capable of. With a black-metal Wizard of Oz vibe and original artwork by Panatier, it looks set to be one of the most visually striking rides of the year.
Haven, Ani Katz (Mar 10, Penguin)
What it’s about: Hoping to repair their strained marriage, Caroline joins her husband and newborn on a retreat to an exclusive island community tied to his powerful tech employer. When their son disappears, she must confront the island’s secretive, cult-like culture and uncover what the company is really doing before her child is lost forever.
Why we’re excited: Katz’s Haven explores the dark intersections of isolation, technology, and parental fear. When a child goes missing in a shadowy, cult-like island community, the novel looks set to be a taut, unnerving story about control, secrecy, and the human costs of ambition.
Crawlspace, Adam Christopher (Mar 17, Nightfire)
What it’s about: As a corporate-led space mission prepares to make a history-changing test flight, its crew instead finds itself trapped in a nightmarish journey between dimensions. Haunted by impossible visions and besieged by ancient forces, they must uncover the true purpose of their mission to survive.
Why we’re excited: Christopher’s Crawlspace will take readers to the far reaches of space and terror, following a crew trapped between dimensions. If the visions and ancient forces are as intense as they promise, this one sounds like a must-read for fans of claustrophobic, high-stakes thrill rides with cosmic horror at their core.
Wolf Worm, T. Kingfisher (Mar 24, Nightfire)
What it’s about: In 1899, a struggling scientific illustrator accepts a rare job at a reclusive doctor’s remote manor, only to uncover disturbing experiments and sinister folklore in the surrounding woods. As strange animal behavior and whispered legends surface, she discovers that her employer’s scientific breakthroughs are fueled by a horrifying human cost.
Why we’re excited: T. Kingfisher’sWolf Worm is already being called hearty, atmospheric, gruesome, and funny. Early buzz, including Olivie Blake’s take that only Kingfisher can make horror “lovely, even sweet, while simultaneously nauseating, grizzly, and revolting,” suggests readers are in for a wildly inventive ride where laughter and revulsion collide in the best possible way.
Wretch, or, The Unbecoming of Porcelain Khaw, Eric LaRocca (Mar 24, Saga)
What it’s about: After his husband dies, Simeon Link finds himself overcome by grief and seeking comfort in an unusual support group called The Wretches, who offer an addictive and dangerous source of relief. They introduce Simeon to a curious figure known as Porcelain Khaw – a man with the ability to let those who are grieving have one last intimate moment with their beloved… for a price.
Why we’re excited: Eric LaRocca’s Wretch is being described as a nightmarish, tech-Gothic thrill ride exploring sorrow, memory, and the messy, transgressive sides of love. Early buzz is already as good as it gets — Chuck Palahniuk calls it “A Single Man sent down the raw, thrilling path of body horror, combining a classy read with shudders galore”
Nothing Tastes as Good, Luke Dumas (Mar 31, Atria)
What it’s about: Trapped in his body and a dead-end life, Emmett joins a radical weight-loss trial that transforms him overnight – but at a terrifying cost. As blackouts, violent cravings, and a string of disappearances mount, he must face the possibility that becoming accepted may mean becoming a monster.
Why we’re excited: Luke Dumas, acclaimed for the “disorienting, creepy, paranoia-inducing” A History of Fear (Paul Tremblay), returns with Nothing Tastes as Good, a spine-tingling thriller that reportedly blends the satirical bite of The Substance with the suspenseful mastery of Stephen King. We can taste how good this is going to be already.
Bodies of Work, Clay McLeod Chapman (Apr 7, Titan)
What it’s about: An overlooked elderly janitor secretly creates a vast artistic obsession fueled by the murders of forgotten women. When the voices of his victims begin to speak back, his carefully controlled world collapses as the ghosts of the unseen demand revenge.
Why we’re excited: Clay McLeod Chapman’s Bodies of Work looks set to be a surreal, dreamlike dive into the ghosts of our past and the obsessions that drive artistic creation. Having delivered one banger after another in recent years, we’re more than intrigued to see how he tackles the dangerous allure of obsession its unsettling consequences.
The Hive, Ronald Malfi (Apr 14, Titan)
What it’s about: After a violent storm, the residents of a quiet bayside community become obsessively attached to mysterious objects that drive them toward secretive, dangerous behavior. As the town begins to act with a single, ominous will, a young boy discovers a strange power that may be the only thing standing between Mariner’s Cove and an unstoppable fate.
Why we’re excited: The Hive traces a community drawn into compulsive and secretive behavior. The way ordinary lives shift into collective menace promises a story that is both unnerving and sharply observed.
Morsel, Carter Keane (Apr 14, Nightfire)
What it’s about: Sent on a last-chance appraisal job in rural Ohio, a struggling office worker becomes stranded in the Appalachian woods with her dog and a relentless presence stalking her. As night closes in, she learns the wilderness isn’t the only thing ready to consume her.
Why we’re excited: Morsel turns the wilderness itself into a menace, with a relentless presence stalking its stranded protagonist. The mix of isolation and psychological tension has us hoping we’re in for as gripping and edge-of-your-seat ride as the premise suggests.
These Familiar Walls, C.J. Dotson (Apr 14, St. Martin’s)
What it’s about: After a violent figure from her childhood returns to terrorize her family, Amber inherits her childhood home and tries to rebuild her life, only to discover it is haunted by more than memories. To protect her loved ones, she must confront long-buried secrets and the deadly truths lurking within her own past.
Why we’re excited: These Familiar Walls centers on a protagonist confronting past trauma in a haunted home. The intersection of family stakes and lingering threat has us more than excited for what sounds like a must-read for readers drawn to nuanced psychological horror intertwined with the supernatural.
Japanese Gothic, Kylie Lee Baker (Apr 21, Hanover Square)
What it’s about: Two people living centuries apart discover a door between their worlds. One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie. Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.
Why we’re excited: Japanese Gothic weaves ghost story, mythology, and family drama across centuries. The interplay of truth, deception, and emotional depth, combined with Lee Baker’s trademark inventiveness, promises a haunting and unforgettable tale.
Molka, Monika Kim (Apr 28, Erewhon)
What it’s about: In a Seoul office, IT technician Junyoung secretly spies on his female coworkers, fixating on Dahye, a young woman yearning for love and recognition. When a hidden-camera scandal erupts, Dahye’s world unravels – her boyfriend abandons her, her family rejects her, and visions of her dead sister haunt her – forcing her to confront obsession, betrayal, and the dark secrets lurking in her life.
Why we’re excited: Kim’s Molka hints at a sharply observed, morally complex horror that blends psychological tension with social critique. Following Dahye’s unraveling world, it sounds like a truly dark, provocative story where obsession, betrayal, and human cruelty collide.
I Know A Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours, Nat Cassidy (May 5, Shortwave)
What it’s about: Bestselling author Nat Cassidy guides readers through a series of chilling locations where darkness hides in plain sight – from an eerie gas station to a haunted kitchen – offering a collection of novellas and stories that explore fear, obsession, and the shadows lurking just beyond the light.
Why we’re excited: It’s always a sight for sore, googly eyes to hear of more Nat Cassidy content coming our way. I Know A Place takes readers through a series of locations where ordinary spaces conceal unsettling truths. After When the Wolf Comes Home was one of our top reads of the year, we’re especially eager to see Cassidy’s first short-fiction collection, and how his sharp, meticulously crafted storytelling turns everyday settings into sources of dread.
Femme Feral, Sam Beckbessinger (May 12, Penguin)
What it’s about: Ellie, a driven entrepreneur and mother, assumes her strange physical changes are perimenopause—until she realizes she’s turning into a werewolf. As her newfound strength and rage spiral out of control, she must navigate the dangers it brings to her family, career, and herself, all while learning how to harness the beast within.
Why we’re excited: Femme Feral takes the familiar idea of transformation and feminine rage and positions it against the pressures of family and career. Based on the premise, Ellie’s struggle could offer a tense and fascinating look at how supernatural power intersects with real-world stakes, so we can’t wait to see just how far the story pushes her – and us.
Marion, Leah Rowan (Jun 2, St. Martin’s)
What it’s about: After stealing money to help her sister escape an abusive marriage, Marion finds herself trapped in a remote inn where she kills a threatening innkeeper in self-defense. Now on the run as both thief and killer, she must navigate danger and uncover dark secrets to protect herself and her sister.
Why we’re excited: Marion flips Psycho on its head, turning the classic victim into a cunning, morally complex heroine. From the premise, it promises sharp suspense and high-stakes tension, and we’re keen to find out just how far Rowan pushes her twist.
Headlights, CJ Leede (Jun 9, Nightfire)
What it’s about: On the brink of leaving the FBI, Special Agent Daniel Stansfield is pulled back to Denver when seemingly innocent people are found on highways wearing the skin of strangers they’ve never met, each with a strand of hair tied around their tongue. To stop the cycle, he must confront his own traumatic past and the entity behind these gruesome crimes before more lives – including his own – are claimed.
Why we’re excited: CJ Leede has rightly been praised for the way she fuses heart with horror, crafting moments of genuine terror alongside fully realised, emotionally resonant characters. Headlights – with its grisly highway murders and psychological tension – sounds set to extend that signature blend, and we’re excited to see just how she hones her precise plotting and unsettling vision in her next, highly anticipated outing.
Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep, Paul Tremblay (Jun 30, William Morrow)
What it’s about: Julia Flang, a twenty-something temp, is tasked with remotely guiding a man in a vegetative state – whose implanted AI links him to a shifting, nightmarish reality – across the country. As his memories resurface and danger mounts, Julia and her unlikely charge must navigate a surreal, grotesque world while uncovering who he really is and who he must find.
Why we’re excited: Tremblay weaving technology and horror is all it took to know we had to read this. Guiding a man trapped in an AI-driven, nightmarish reality promises a frighteningly plausible horror yarn, and we can’t wait to see how Tremblay navigates this eerie, near-future terrain.
