A Short Stay in Hell by Stephen L. Peck this book fucked me up and gave me crippling existential dread. it's also one of the best books i have EVER read. it's just over 100 pages so it's a super fast read. at the end i was just sitting in bed staring at the wall feeling so many different emotions. this book is part horrifying, part heart-warming, funny at times, sad as fuck/tragic, but mainly horrifying and it's a total mindfuck that had me questioning a lot of my beliefs in my real life. this was an absolute 5 star read. please give this one a shot especially if you want to to have crippling anxiety/dread for the foreseeable future. Answer from wifeunderthesea on reddit.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/horrorlit › what’s the best and most disturbing psychological horror you’ve read?
r/horrorlit on Reddit: What’s the best and most disturbing psychological horror you’ve read?
December 5, 2023 -
Most people say their most disturbing book is the one with the most blood and gore and stuff (understandably). And while i enjoy that too my true love is psychological horror and I’m always looking for recommendations. What is the best/most disturbing/creepiest in your opinion?
Top answer 1 of 39
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A Short Stay in Hell by Stephen L. Peck this book fucked me up and gave me crippling existential dread. it's also one of the best books i have EVER read. it's just over 100 pages so it's a super fast read. at the end i was just sitting in bed staring at the wall feeling so many different emotions. this book is part horrifying, part heart-warming, funny at times, sad as fuck/tragic, but mainly horrifying and it's a total mindfuck that had me questioning a lot of my beliefs in my real life. this was an absolute 5 star read. please give this one a shot especially if you want to to have crippling anxiety/dread for the foreseeable future.
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we need to talk about kevin
Audible
audible.com › topic › audiobooks-psychological-horror
Psychological Horror Books | Listen on Audible
Explore the best-selling and newly released psychological horror on Audible. New to Audible? Try Audible free.
Videos
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OwlCrate
owlcrate.com › blogs › community › psychological-horror-books
10 Psychological Horror Books To Make You Feel Unsettled – OwlCrate
November 14, 2025 - This is a dark and disturbing story, but, in a strange way, it is also a grotesque coming-of-age narrative you just can’t look away from. The depiction of violence in The Wasp Factory is very graphic, so it is definitely not for everyone. ... House of Leaves is said to be many things at once, but it’s definitely a book with some typical horror elements.
What Is Quinn Reading?
whatisquinnreading.com › blog › the-most-disturbing-books-ive-ever-read
The Most Terrifying and Disturbing Horror Novels, Ever — What Is Quinn Reading?
1 week ago - Ready to have your brain melted by the scariest books ever written? Great! Because this list is filled with doomed boy scouts, blood-thirsty cryptids, and even a haunted IKEA (yes, a haunted IKEA) — aka, the reasons why I'm unable to sleep at night. These novels are terrifying, disgusting, and chilling in equal measure.
BOOK RIOT
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25 Of The Absolute Scariest Psychological Horror Books | Book Riot
April 22, 2024 - Once there, each of them tries to curate a survival experience, unaware that all the others are, too. Haunted is one of the most terrifying psychological books because–due to the nature of the narrative–each character brings a new, fresh hellscape. ... Ready for some thrills and chills? Sign up to receive the latest and greatest from the world of horror.
Barnes & Noble
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Psychological Horror, Horror, Books | Barnes & Noble®
Explore our list of Psychological Horror Books at Barnes & Noble®. Get your order fast and stress free with our pick-up in store options.
Goodreads
goodreads.com › shelf › show › psychological-horror
Psychological Horror Books
Books shelved as psychological-horror: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Misery by Stephen King, The Shining by Stephen King, The Yellow Wal...
The Lineup
the-line-up.com › home › 23 psychological horror books that will mess with your head
23 Psychological Horror Books That Will Mess with Your Head
May 23, 2022 - The best psychological horror books touch upon a reader’s deepest fears. Even more so than malevolent creatures that go bump in the night or extraterrestrial beings from millions of miles away, the scariest of all is what pokes and prods from within our very own minds. From disturbing tales ...
The Booker Prizes
thebookerprizes.com › the-booker-library › features › the-scariest-books-novels-chosen-by-our-readers
11 of the scariest books and novels, chosen by our readers | The Booker Prizes
What our readers said: ‘Prophet Song scared and disturbed me more than any other book I can recall. I have not stopped thinking about it. The slow descent of the family from suburban normality into a situation that is simultaneously horrifically ...
Before We Go Blog
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Psychological Horror Novels That Break Your Brain - BEFOREWEGOBLOG
May 1, 2025 - But can the same be said of humanity, the general massive flawed species that inhabits this world? That is the brain breaker problem that Tremblay tackles. It is scary, and intense not in a traditional slasher type horror style, but it certainly leaves you disturbed and questioning everything you thought was true when you finish the book.
BuzzFeed
buzzfeed.com › alliehayes › disturbing-scary-horror-books-reddit-thread
People Are Sharing The Most Disturbing Books They've Ever Read, So Goodbye Sleep
June 15, 2022 - It seems like he's is recusing himself throughout the book, to the point that you find yourself feeling subconsciously sorry for him at points before realizing, "Wait, hold up, I need to stop sympathizing with a child rapist..." ... "It's about a psychotic, depressed, misogynistic teenager who lives with his alcoholic father in a relatively unpopulated island. He spends his time with his makeshift weapons, killing local animals, while awaiting his even-more-disturbed brother's return home.
Quora
quora.com › What-are-the-top-10-horror-psychological-thriller-novels
What are the top 10 horror/psychological thriller novels? - Quora
Answer (1 of 7): I would recommend my personal hot-list of psychological thriller novels, featuring various authors over different generations. You will surely enjoy the chills & the thrills. * Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier. * The Widow - Georges Simenon. * Strangers on a Train - Patricia Highs...
Blue Rose One
blueroseone.com › home › most disturbing books | must-read list to haunt you
Most Disturbing Books | Must-Read List to Haunt You
November 28, 2025 - You may also like: Die With Zero Book by Bill Perkins | Book Summary | BlueRoseOne · You might also be interested in: 15 Negative Personality Traits You Should Avoid · Incidents Around the House: A Novel by Josh Malerman is a scary psychological horror novel that ranks among the most disturbing ...
Celadon Books
celadonbooks.com › home › lists › creepy suspense books that will leave you chilled
Creepy Suspense Books That Will Leave You Chilled - Celadon Books
October 18, 2024 - Horrifying secrets abound, and, like in every good psychological thriller, a disappearance is never what it seems. In Watching from the Dark, a woman is murdered while on a video call with her boyfriend, which makes this a macabre story for the current era. But it still contains the elements of a good thriller: a small-town detective and twists and turns that will leave you chilled. Bram Stoker Award-winner Paul Tremblay’s Survivor Song is a suspenseful and disturbing story about a rabies-like virus spread by saliva.
Early Bird Books
earlybirdbooks.com › home › 51 psychological thriller books that mess with your head
51 Psychological Thriller Books That Mess with Your Head
May 21, 2024 - In a terrifying marriage of horror and psychological suspense, Tania Carver's novel keeps the chills and surprises coming as the duo confronts a dark and elusive evil. ... By Thomas H. Cook · Purely by luck, Steve Harris did not meet the same fate of his mother and brother, who were murdered by his father in 1959. Since then, Steve has tried to move on with his life, though a new true crime book threatens to open old wounds.
BookRaid
bookraid.com › reader-blog › 3555 › the-most-disturbing-psychological-horror-books-ever-written
The 12 Most Disturbing Psychological Horror Books Ever Written - BookRaid
Are you a self-proclaimed masochist who loves to creep under the bedsheets with a book that gnaws at your sense of comfort? Do you fancy the kind of h ...
Goodreads
goodreads.com › list › show › 2455.The_Most_Disturbing_Books_Ever_Written
The Most Disturbing Books Ever Written (3196 books)
3,196 books based on 11301 votes: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, 1984 by George Orwell, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, A Story of Yesterday...
Blue Rose One
blueroseone.com › home › 10 best psychological horror books to read at night
10 Best Psychological Horror Books for Night Reads
September 16, 2025 - Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs is a frightening classic that combines psychological horror and crime fiction. The plot follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she seeks the assistance of imprisoned cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter in catching a serial killer.
HowStuffWorks
entertainment.howstuffworks.com › arts › literature
The Scariest Books of All Time Prey on Your Insecurities | HowStuffWorks
October 16, 2025 - It’s one of the most disturbing books ever written, and every chapter feels like a punch to the gut. ... A scout leader and a small group of boys head into the Canadian wilderness, where they meet a man infected with an engineered, hunger-inducing parasite. What follows is body horror, psychological collapse, and gore that’s hard to forget.
Shepherd
shepherd.com › bookshelf › psychological-horror
The best psychological horror books of all time
Explore the most loved psychological horror books of all time as voted on by our community