Top Ten Tuesday- Top Ten Books Every Horror Nerd Should Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme hosted here at The Broke and the Bookish. The topic for this week is Top Ten Books Every X Should Read.

I decided to do top ten books every horror nerd should read. I chose this for my topic because I am a huge horror nerd and with Texas Frightmare (Frightmare is a horror convention) coming up at the end of the month I have horror on the brain. I can't wait to go and Robert Englund will be there, OMG!!! Whoops, sorry! Back to bookish things... these books are some of my all time favorite novels and I really do think every horror fan should read these. Each one is incredibly valuable to the horror genre in it's own way.

1.  House of Leaves By: Mark Z. Danielewski 

I picked House of Leaves as my top choice because I really love how this one shows that you can have more than just a scary story. The formatting (some pages have words upside down, diagonal on the page, and etc. ) of this book really adds to the mood of the book and increases the creepiness of the story. I know that I have talked on my blog about this one a lot, but I can't say enough just how great this book is. It's MUCH more than just a horror story. 

2. The Exorcist By: William Peter Blatty 

I bet you have seen The Exorcist movie, but have you read the book? I have seen this movie a lot since I was a kid and so I was a little hesitant to read the book. This was one that I thought the book wouldn't compare to the MOVIE. I'm happy to say that both are fabulous in their own right and this one is a must read for horror fans. 

3. The Troop By: Nick Cutter 

If you haven't read any of Nick Cutter's books yet then you are missing out. The Troop has a classic Lord of the Flies feel to it, but with some surprises that make this a winner on it's own. 

4. Locke & Key Graphic Novel Series By: Joe Hill & Illustrated By: Gabriel Rodriguez 

The first Locke & Key volume was my first graphic novel read... EVER. I picked this up only because I love Joe Hill's writing. I was very surprised at how much I loved this whole series and how unique it is. I have yet to find any graphic novels that compare to the story and art in this one. Definitely a must for any horror nerd, whether you are into graphic novels or not. 

5. Heart-Shaped Box By: Joe Hill 

Anything by Joe Hill is a must read. He definitely has his father's skill when it comes to writing horror, but he certainly has his own flair too. 

6. Rosemary's Baby By: Ira Levin 

Rosemary's Baby is another classic that I grew up watching the movie and was concerned about reading the book. While I think The Exorcist movie and book are equal in quality, I actually prefer the book on this one. I think you get more details in the novel that make the story even more chilling. 

7. Hell House By: Richard Matheson 

I love Richard Matheson's writing and Hell House is a classic haunted house story that all horror nerds need to read. Very spooky.

8. The Entity By: Frank De Felitta

Has anyone seen this classic horror movie? When I was a kid I watched The Entity and it is one that has had a lasting impact and terrified me ever since. I had no idea there was a book until I was well into adulthood and I just had to read it. If you thought the movie was creepy and disturbing, then you must read the book because more details makes it more terrifying.

9. The Amityville Horror By: Jay Anson 

Now I know all my horror peeps have seen at least one of The Amityville Horror movies. Well whether you have or not, this is a must read. This story (whether you think it's true or false) is incredibly fascinating and scary. 

10. Let the Right One In By: John Ajvide Lindqvist 

Let the Right One In is one of the oddest vampire books I have read. The author has been called a Swedish Stephen King and I can totally see why. I have read a couple of his books and they have all been great, but this is the best one I've read so far. While Let the Right One In may not be for everyone, due to the weirdness, it is more than just an average vampire story. Personally, I think the oddity of it makes it even creepier. 

Honorable Mentions:

Edgar Allan Poe- All of his work.
Stephen King- All of his horror novels.

You may be wondering why I left these guys off of the top ten and that is because I figured they are both obvious choices. I couldn't stand not mentioning them at all though. :P

So that's it for my Top Ten Books Every Horror Nerd Should Read! What do my horror peeps think- Agree? Disagree? What horror novels would you add to the list?