Life as a teenager is like walking around in the skin: every experience is magnified against exposed nerve endings and desperate minds. That’s why horror is the perfect genre for young readers. This form is full of elevated emotions, pounding terror, and the first exquisite pain.
YA Horror has something for everyone, no matter what kind of reader you are.If you’re anything like me, you may need to go as far as your high school diary or yearbook for true teenage horror, but nothing more. fun Horrifyingly, any of these terrifyingly good books can’t go wrong.
“Carmilla” by Sheridan Le Fanu
“Carmilla” by Sheridan Le Fanu, a classic 1872 vampire novel. What “Carmilla” lacks sophistication — the final act is hastily clichéd, decidedly laughably overt, and actually charming — it’s a surprisingly gentle and unbiased tale of gay longing. Carmilla wants to expel her sweet new young friend? Yes! But she feels bad about it, and what makes this story perfect for YA readers, even if it predates the young adult category by decades, is the evocative, huge It is an obsessive quest for first love.
“This is not a test” Courtney Summers
Even if vampires don’t shed your blood, probably zombies will. While she’s best known for her edgy modern YA, Courtney Summers is also the author of the zombie novel This Is Not a Test. In the midst of a zombie onslaught, the novel’s protagonist, Thrawn, doesn’t know if he wants to survive, much less how. This novel turns the concept of The Walking Dead into a haunting and thoughtful metaphor for her teens struggling to see their way to a brighter future.
“The Getaway” by Lamar Giles
Lamar Giles’ dystopian horror novel The Getaway promises a brighter future, but it doesn’t happen. The story takes place in a theme park bunker at the end of the world, and since I love twisted amusement parks, all the necessary settings for this book hooked me. There are no easy answers (but loads of tension and terror) as her four teens at the center of this novel navigate the violence and oppression that lurk in Funnest Place Around. “Getaway” eventually asks a price too high to pay for a veneer of safety. And what happens when that veneer cracks?
“In the Woods” by Emily Carroll
Readers looking for something deliciously chilling should take a winter walk in Emily Carroll’s graphic collection Through the Woods. The story focuses on a young man facing the world for the first time, either hope or despair, but it’s full of claws. Gorgeous and evocative full-color art sprawls and skitters across the page. The impression it leaves in my mind is a nightmare in bold three colors: black for night and trees, white for snow and teeth, and red.
Shirley Jackson’s “We’ve Always Lived in a Castle”
This title also predates the YA label, but Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a perfect little wonder for teenage readers. The novel tells the story of 18-year-old Merricat, her castle (her more empty home), her sister Constance, and the strange magic Merricat employs to protect them from a jealous world. I will introduce the thinking of Pieces of her tragic family history and ominous details sprinkled throughout the story all help us understand what exactly Constance did and what or who she needed to be protected from. Everything wriggles under your skin when you try.
‘The Honeys’ by Ryan La Sala
Failure to protect his beloved sister is also a tragedy at the heart of Ryan La Sala’s “The Honeys.” The main character, Mars, is gender fluid, developing a keen awareness of threats and subtle attacks and a yearning for a place of acceptance. This bizarre and original novel takes on the most terrifying of all teenage settings, a sun-soaked tale presented at a summer camp. luxuriate in terror.
“Dead Flip” by Sarah Farizan
And finally, if another kind of camping appeals to you, Sara Farizan’s “Dead Flip” might be for you. Or, in this case, this book is positively brimming with 80s and 90s nostalgia, so there’s a can of tabs. It features childhood friends reuniting, young people navigating their identities in surprisingly honest and poignant ways. It’s terrifyingly fun to read.
Kiersten White is a Bram Stoker Award-winning author of over 20 novels, including The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, Hide, the Sinister Summer series, and Star Wars: Padawan.