2026 Spooky Season Horror Hopefuls | Recommendations Welcome!
Video Overview & Insights
Mike talks about some horror books that are on his potential Spooky Season list for this Fall.
The Hunger got delayed
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One I think you would like quite a bit is Ghoul by Brian Keene. It's kinda the tried and true coming of age, kids facing monsters (both real and supernatural). It's not on par with IT or Black Mouth, but it's solid and would scratch that itch for coming of age horror. Keene has written a ton of stuff, but Ghoul is the only novel I've read by him.
Coffin Moon https://amzn.to/4oSwxYX
Duma Key https://amzn.to/4v1Cc0a
I liked Duma Key a lot. Only issue was that I think it was slightly too long. But one of my favorites of his.
Little Girls https://amzn.to/4wb9GdE
Memorials https://amzn.to/4gGp3pM
Coffin Moon is good but not great
Mexican Gothic https://amzn.to/4g2o1Ek
Mystery Walk https://amzn.to/4weQtry
Head full of ghosts or cabin at the end of the world by Paul Tremblay!!
Psycho https://amzn.to/4eK3jXx
Rosemaryβs Baby https://amzn.to/3QZeuUm
They Lurk by malfi is awesome to,Horns by Joe hill,Mine by Mcammon,a Child alone with strangers by fracassi,when the wolf comes home or nestlings by nat cassidy,catriona ward that u havent read,Then of Course Carrion comfort by dan simmons,anything by Peter straub,Bentley little,and also Coffin moon was awesome but king and joe hill themselves and most ppl love Keith rosson haha
Seed https://amzn.to/3T1ETS0
Thatβs Not My Name https://amzn.to/3SuzvGW
Very nice picks, hope you find some new faves! When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy should also absolutely be on your TBR. And along with reading more female horror authors, I would also love to propose some queer authors, like Chuck Tingle (Bury Your Gays), Andrew Joseph White (You Weren't Meant to be Human) and Rivers Solomon (Model Home) π€©
The Child Thief https://amzn.to/4alD8oI
The Hunger https://amzn.to/3QL0bCP
Are you ever gonna go back to the Crichton reviews? I just started Prey and would love to know what you think of it
The Silence of the Lambs https://amzn.to/4xOvOvJ
The Sun Down Motel https://amzn.to/4al5jEn
I loved Mystery Walk! It's not quite "top 5 of all time" but still a great read, and has the signature McCammon style character work.
The Twisted Ones https://amzn.to/4b9BVky
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I just finished "Little Girls", it was very good, like all Malfi.
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Mike K.
Iβve heard Hunger is looking at March next year now
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Read Red Dragon before The Silence of the Lambs. Both books are excellent!
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Mike! You definitely should read the Red Dragon before Silence of the Lambs!! Just as good of a book with a better killer imo!
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Darcy Coates writes some fun supernatural horror. The Strain trilogy from Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan is solid.
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Thought you were going to talk about Summerween, not Halloween TBR π
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0:00 Introduction & Purpose
October already on the horizonβ¦ itβs the best time of the year though so canβt complain too hard about the passing of 2026.
2:01 King or King Adjacent
10:13 Been On My List For Awhile
When the wolf comes home by nat Cassidy
Lost mans lane Scot Carson
Those are probably my two favorite horror books Iβve read over the last year or so . I think you would really dig both
16:24 The New Blood
21:35 Final Thoughts
The Silence of the Lambs book is much, much MORE.
You're probably not interested in semi-cozy but sometimes heartbreaking ghost stories.
But, in case you want to check them out, here's the info.
Loose Ends
A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery, (Book One)
By: Terri Reid
Also:
The Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz is amazing.
And, I remember this being scary:
The King of Bones and Ashes
Witches of New Orleans, Book 1
By: J. D. Horn
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Theme music provided by Infraction
Coffin Moon was pretty okay, but not great.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkRrhwhJ2Ia_ZlkTQ4XFWJA
Music used: Epic (No Copyright Music)
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy is on my TBR for recent releases
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Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0(CC BY 3.0)
Patrick Senecal is considered the Stephen King from Quebec. Some of his work have been translated. Seven Days; 5150 rue des Ormes are incredible
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Another great list Mike, can't really go wrong with them! Very quickly, that synopsis for Coffin Moon isn't at all what the book is about (not sure what book synopsis you had there!), but Coffin Moon is actually a gritty 70's vampire road trip that feels very punk rock grindhouse, you'd definitely love it it's a real bloody revenge tale!
Also I'd highly recommend When The Wolf Comes Hone by Nat Cassidy. Stephen King and Joe Hill have both praised that book and for good reason... it's amazing! Nat Cassidy is going to be huge, and King and Hill are both backing him
#MikesBookReviews #SpookySeason #HorrorBooks
This checks out. Juneβs almost overβ¦ Mikeβs ready for spooky season. π
More User Perspectives
I think you read the wrong synopsis for Coffin Moon, I just read it a week ago. It is a a Vampire tale, but a very good one. I always approach Vampire horror with a trepidation, probably due to growing up in the Twilight movie generation (although Dracula and Salem's Lot are both top 10 horror novels of all time for me).
For me, it was a 7.5 out of 10. In my arbitrary system that means above average with some great ideas that i still think about after reading. What the novel does right in my opinion is that the vampires are not "Arch". Instead they are base, violent, impulsive and in many ways their vampirism is a parallel for an addiction.
The novel has some really cool wild west tie ins, 70's biker gangs and just fucked up characters.
as for a horror rec for spooky season. Let the Right One In is my choice. I read this before Coffin Moon. Which is probably to C.M's detriment.
Anything by Brom is great. I just finished The Sorrowstones by Felix Blackwell and Knock Knock Open Wide by Neil Sharpson and both were great. Also Isabel Canas has some really good horror. The Possession of Alba Diaz is my fave
@samanthawinchester1059I want to read a lot of Broms books but theyβre all shaped so weird I feel like it would stand out like a sore thumb on my bookshelf
@HardbackHoarder95He is not exactly horror, but you should really try some Dean Koontz. Twilight Eyes, Watchers, Intensity, many others.
@jeffainsley6000Hi Mike, you seem to have forgotten James Herbert. If you want a ghost story in the traditional sense, I recomend 'Haunted'. It builds the sense of dread. There are also 2 sequels as part of the Ash trilogy though each book is it's own story and self contained. The atmosphere is second to none. Haven't read many horror books but this stuck with me and gave me nightmares. Don't watch the film though as that wasn't great and changed a major plot beat and was not scary. Book though has great atmosphere.
@escapingreality3306I think you may have read the wrong synopsis for MEMORIALS, Mike! Just want to make sure you donβt go in expecting something elseβI just read it myself. Very enjoyable in a coming-of-age/summer horror adventure way, although the plot was a bit disappointing for me.
@AlbertWilmarth1917great video check out Nick Cutter's new book The Dorians. Lovecraftian horror. very good.
@horror_on_tapFunny, I read psycho and Rosemaryβs baby almost back to back. When I read psycho, it was good. Itβs a little tough knowing the plot twist, but I still thought it was an excellent read. Rosemaryβs baby was phenomenal. Even knowing what is going on that book was a five star read.
@jakobwetzel7065You might enjoy Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez. Was an amazing read.
@CablesComicsIt's funny you said Mexican Gothic because I was going to mention Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker. I am a newbie to the horror genre, but I loved the atmosphere that Baker created in this novel.
@micahbumps4375HarperCollins says Hunger comes out March 2, 2027.
@ZachCaughtEmHave you read How to Survive Camping #1; The Man with No Shadow by Bonnie Quinn? Campy (pun intended) Horror.
@patriciamorrison7671Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie
@M-bb8zmCurrently reading Swan Song by Robert McCammon. It feels like the first time I heard Greta Van Fleet. Yeah it's good, but it feels like Bobby copy-pasted The Stand and just changed the names and the cause of the apocalypse. It is kinda nice to feel like I'm reading The Stand for the first time all over again, though.
@ZachCaughtEmIve read over 100 horror books and here are some of my favorites if your looking for some recommendations
1. The fisherman
2. Horns
3. Maggies grave
4. The deep
5. Frankenstein
6. Ship of fools
Favorite short story collection full throttle by joe hill
Scariest but not my favorite come closer
Iβm reading the original Peter Pan right now to prepare myself for The Child Thief on my TBR for Sept-Oct read! The original is scary itself.
@patriciamorrison7671Amazing spooky season list!
@Talking_StoryMexican Gothic has the feel of both Gothic setting along with a Lovecraftian vibe. I read this a couple of years ago and I loved it, highly recommend.
@josh333fulA good thing about Pyscho is it's not a big time investment. Very short
@stevenstewart782Youβll love Thomas Harris. Read Red Dragon as well/first. Not directly linked but Lector does appear.
@LEONBARBER1I recently read a book called The Wolf Tree. Itβs a mystery novel set in the UK but it has a wonderfully spooky ambience. Itβs not long either so it may be a nice weekend read.
There is also The Ring, the original Japanese novel that the movies are based on.
Sounds like a great list, Mike. I think you might enjoy That Which Stands Outside by Mark Morris and This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer. I want to read Tales From the Gas Station and Krelloy, but don't know how soon i can add them to the rotation. Stay safe and happy reading.
@Tim_with_Tomes_and_TalesChild Thief is a masterpiece
@HodorSaidHodorAre you going to do the new Stephen King book Other Worlds Then These coming on October 6?
@joeconwayrI could not recommend When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy enough! I would bet $$ Cassidy would sit up there with Malfi, as one of your new fav modern horror authors.
Werewolf book, but also a hellva lot more than just that. Go in as blind as you can - I donβt recall the last time I had as much fun reading a book myself. Hope you give it a shot sometime! Cheers!
In my experience, The Silence of the Lambs is one of very few movies (I could count them on one hand) that are better than the book.
@Bombadil-ez9ns