Cathedral – John Carpenter
Supernatural horror graphic novel
In the middle of downtown Los Angeles, an abandoned cathedral stands, fenced in and ignored by the world around it. The preoccupied passers-by have long since ceased to notice the dilapidated church in their midst, never mind sensing the danger and centuries old evil trapped inside its walls.
A gruesome murder one late night pulls the structure into the spotlight, triggering a police investigation into the loss of one of their own. Lieutenant Christine Marks, along with detectives Paul Hernandez and Steve Mayfield, must enter the church in search of the monster that murdered her father. Every step takes them deeper into the belly of the church revealing the mystery of an ancient evil imprisoned within.
For centuries, shamans, warriors and priests have fought a powerful demon, holding it to this piece of earth. Now it’s trying to rise again, and these three must learn the secrets of those who’ve gone before them in order to find the demon and end the centuries long battle, once and for all.
Their stamina, resolve and faith will all be tested and every small victory along the way brings them closer and closer to indescribable horrors only hinted at in myths and nightmares.
The Citadel of Orphans – Boris Bacic
Dark fantasy horror – Book 3 of The Beyond
Something ancient and deadly lives in the mines.
After weeks in isolation, Trish is transferred from the dungeon into the mines. Her entire purpose there is to work all day long, until she either dies or earns her freedom. Accidents happen daily: prisoners get crushed under rocks, disappear in pitfalls, or get killed by guards. The unluckiest get dragged into ‘the depths’, from which no one ever returns.
Some prisoners have been there for years, and have forgotten their past lives already, but Trish still daydreams about Elias, and about getting out of the city of orphans. With the help of a new friend, she plots to escape. She must survive the dangers of the mine while also searching for a way out. This becomes increasingly difficult, because one of the guards is keeping a close eye on her, and so are some of the prisoners, and they will not hesitate to rat her out.
To make matters worse, something lurks inside the mines. Something old, which terrifies all the veteran prisoners. And it’s waiting for the guards to send the next batch so it can feed.
Crudely Drawn – Heather Ann Larson
Monster horror
As a young child, Baylor experienced a devastating event that would alter the direction of her life. Filled with trauma and guilt, she tried to confide in someone who refused to believe her story, so she bottled up what transpired, not even talking about it with her brother, Kyler, who was there that night.
Years later, the same monsters that visited her home as a child, the kind of terrifying creatures that seemingly crawl out of one’s nightmares, return to wreak havoc.
With help from her best friend, Bill, and her brother, she must face these things and destroy them. Baylor knows she can’t fail, or others will die.
The Gospel of Men – Matt Shaw
Extreme horror
They called it “self-improvement” but, really, it was nothing more than rot dressed in designer clothes.
It began as whispers on forums most didn’t see; the obnoxious promise of masculinity regained, and domination reclaimed. As the internet grew and new platforms emerged, the whispers turned to shouts, and now it’s everywhere: podcasts, short clips, viral speeches, each one a sermon in this new, unpleasant digital church of resentment. The faces change as more are recruited into spreading the hate, but the message remains the same: be ruthless, be feared…
… Be the alpha.
The braindead followers repeat the catechism like prayer. Women are nothing but obstacles, compassion is weakness, and the world owes you something.
Every day, a thousand more boys scroll and listen to the bile, hungry for a voice that sounds so sure of itself. They come looking for strength to help them through this harsh world, but they leave with venom in their veins.
The influencers call it a movement.
The rest of the world call it the “manosphere”; an unpleasant marketplace of rage, sold in thirty-second clips with millions watching every day…
Watching. Laughing. Donating. Subscribing. Learning.
But, enough is enough. It’s gone on long enough and one man has decided that if these boys insist on learning through a screen… Then that’s exactly where the lesson will be delivered.
Meat Bees – Dane Erbach
Creature horror
By the time Scarlett Sutton arrives at her dad’s cabin in the Smoky Mountains, two locals have already been eaten alive by wasps. Of course, she doesn’t know this yet. All Scarlett knows is her mom finally checked herself into a hospital to take care of her mental health, leaving Scarlett alone with her dad all summer.
After he insists that she get a job, Scarlett accepts a position at nearby Stovetop Outfitters, hoping to spend as much time away from him as possible. She doesn’t expect to trip over a skeletonized corpse beneath the zip-line during one of her shifts, and definitely doesn’t expect to be thrown into a Netflix-style true crime investigation.
The local sheriff’s department is so overwhelmed by these unsolved deaths that when one of the Stovetop Outfitters employees disappears next, Scarlett and her co-workers set out to find him on their own. They discover something much more horrifying: a swarm of yellow jackets stripping the meat off his body. Scarlett never signed up to solve a disgusting mystery, but in order to protect her friends and family, she must defeat the mountain’s darkness and all these godforsaken wasps.
Only Angels Have Blue Eyes – J. Todd Kingrea
Supernatural horror
Things are looking up for Maylin Cole and her 4-year-old daughter, Margo. Fleeing an abusive relationship, the private clinic Heaven’s Hope offers shelter and the promise of a new life. Led by the charismatic and beguiling Seraph Nakir, they learn a surprising truth: they’re actually angels who have lost their way.
Everyone has an angel name and is being prepared to ‘ascend’ when the time is right. Their angelic identities will play a significant role in aiding humanity when the world ends.
As the weeks pass, Maylin becomes accustomed to the peculiar confrontational therapy. The black curtains and bars on the windows no longer trouble her. The lack of privacy, mystifying theology, and strange rules become commonplace. She sees Margo less frequently since the children are kept in the basement.
The death of another patient awakens Maylin to dark secrets within the walls, and soon the horrifying truth about Nakir and Heaven’s Hope is revealed. Maylin must confront her insecurities, rediscover her individuality, and use her wits and resources if she hopes to save Margo and the other children.
The Residency – C.D. Major
Gothic horror
The opportunity of a lifetime, or the worst mistake of your life?
Life in London is hard for Ginny as a single mother barely scraping by. Once she was a promising artist with a glittering future ahead. On a whim, she applies for an artist’s residency – all expenses paid – and is astonished to be accepted.
Soon, Ginny is on a boat to a remote Scottish island, her daughter by her side. But was she too hasty, attracted by the promise of security and a chance to make art again? Locals she meets are tightlipped about the man who is Ginny’s benefactor, but she senses underlying fear. Her contract contains odd rules about avoiding the gallery at the vast property where she is living, and there is an undeniable eeriness to the place. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear she could hear whispers, and that the people in the paintings were changing overnight…
By the time Ginny realises what a grave mistake she has made, she is stranded. Accepting the invitation has sealed her fate and the only way to survive is through escape – or sacrifice.
Savage Waters – Ian Gielen
Creature horror
Kakadu National Park. One of Australia’s great national wonders. A place where beauty and danger coexist. A place to explore only for those who are well prepared. But there’s no amount of preparation that can save those who encounter the predator lurking in its deepest, wildest depths.
For years, tourists have been reported missing there, their families given explanations that never quite fit. When a new wave of disappearances is reported in the swampland region, a mercenary team is sent in covertly to uncover the truth.
Meanwhile, Kate and Rob, documentary makers and creators of the wildly popular Cryptozoologist Keepers website, receive a report of a mysterious creature seen in the same remote location and decide to investigate.
What the mercenary squad discovers, and what Kate and Rob capture on film, may very well challenge everything humanity believes about the natural world.
Small Town Slasher – Stephanie Rose
Slasher horror
Woods Bay is a quiet Washington town known for the kind of beauty that makes it easy to forget what came before.
Jenna Willcot rarely leaves home, her world narrowed by years of severe anxiety. When she discovers that her partner, who tragically died in a car accident, secretly booked her a stay at a horror-themed rental cabin in Woods Bay, she can’t bring herself to cancel it. The trip feels like a final gift. A last push forward.
Twenty-five years ago, eleven people were killed on the very land where Jenna’s cabin now stands. The truth was never fully uncovered, and Woods Bay moved on the way small towns do: quietly.
Jenna’s arrival coincides with the discovery of a new body just outside town. Then another. As fear spreads and old secrets resurface, Jenna teams up with locals Erica and Steve to survive what’s unfolding and uncover what still lingers in Woods Bay.
Some places don’t let the past stay buried.
Woods Bay is one of them.
The Unknown – Riley Sager
Psychological horror
In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it’s happening again.
Struggling actress Marin Keane is shocked when she lands a role in a major motion picture about the unsolved mystery of New Avalon, an island on sprawling Lake Faraday in Vermont. She’s even more surprised when she learns that the role requires a weeklong research trip to that very spot.
Because New Avalon isn’t your ordinary island. A century ago, it was a commune for spiritual mediums, until they all vanished in 1926. The only trace of them was five dresses hanging from the branches of an old oak tree in the middle of the island, one for each missing woman. Some locals say they simply left. Others think they were murdered. But the prevailing opinion, thanks to a diary left behind by one of the vanished, a young woman named Daisy Rue, is that a séance gone wrong conjured something supernatural that took them all one by one.
Not long after arriving, Marin and her castmates, including legendary actress Violet Wright and white-hot director Ronan Peters, begin to realize all is not right with New Avalon. They hear strange noises in the night and notice mysterious symbols left behind by the island’s previous occupants. And after a sudden health emergency leaves Marin, Ronan, and the other actors stranded on the island, the disappearances begin again.
Is it the work of someone trying to derail the movie? Or is the island’s alleged supernatural past catching up with the present? As fear and suspicion mount, Marin turns to Daisy’s diary, hoping it holds the key to figuring out what really happened to the women of New Avalon—and how to keep the island’s terrible history from repeating itself.
What We Do At Night – R.L. Stine
Middle grade horror – Book 7 of Goosebumps House of Shivers
When Noah Baumgardner starts a new school in Georgia, he has a hard time making friends. Everyone already has their groups, and the school year is almost over. Noah is worried he’s doomed to be the “new kid” forever.
But then Noah meets a group of kids who call themselves the Night Birds. They stay up late and hang out in a vacant lot near his house. The Night Birds seem a little strange, but Noah really wants to fit in with them. However, the Night Birds have a secret. Will making new friends end up being the last thing Noah ever does?
