Halloween Reading: Deciding What To Read Now and What To Halloween Read

As I wrote in my previous post I suggested a good way to get in the spooky spirit starting September, was to pick out a horror short story collection and something considered a classic in the genre. But like most avid readers I run into the problem of what do I read now and what do I save for Halloween month? There are no perfect answers to this question by any means, but the sub categories I try to fill in my Halloween reading list is a haunted house story, something wildly controversial, a killer animal narrative, and a loss of innocence/growing up novel.

Two of the most infamous "real" horror novels

The Amityville Horror is the supposedly "true" story of the Lutz family moving into a home where a family slaying occured and shortly after being beset by terrifying supernatural forces. Although the haunting aspect has been debunked from what I have heard it's still a chilling what if and I think it will be perfect mood reading. Michelle Remembers is extra infamous because it was the book that set off the Satanic Panic of the 1980's or rather the belief that Satanists were among us and wanted to destroy us all, especially our kids. The novel is purportedly the repressed memories of the titular Michelle who through hypnotherapy remembers her repressed memories of Satanic ritual abuse. The novel has been thoroughly debunked but its lasting ramifications in certain American court cases like the McMartin Preschool Trial have me super intrigued to read this for October.

King's Contribution to killer beasts and Autumn flavored Bradbury

There's nothing like a good animal attack story. From Jaws to my Halloween pick, Cujo you really can't beat the streamlined simplicity of man versus angered nature or in this case pet. Personally, I have only seen the movie version of King's rabid dog story and I'm hoping the level of tension is the same. Another book I have only seen the film adaptation of is Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. The only book in my suggestions that takes place near Halloween it's the classic story of good versus evil embodied by two boys coming up against a demonic carnival. There's something to be said about the consistent presence of loss of innocence/growing up novels in the horror genre. Be it that growing up is a form of horror or rather growing up is the horrifying realization that adults don't know everything the subject thrives in this genre. I could have easily chosen Stephen King's It, Craig Davidson's The Saturday Night Ghost Club etc. to check off this sub category but there's just something timeless about Bradbury's writing that makes me want to read his work for Halloween. Well those are my suggestions for sorting out a Halloween reading list. Have any sub genres that are your favorite? Comment below!