Looking for the best horror audiobooks to frighten and thrill? You've come to the right article.
We've hunted around the web for the spookiest stories out there to add to your reading list. Some of these books were released very recently, and some of them are older but still stand the test of time as the best horror audiobooks.
Read through the list of the best horror audiobooks, find a scary audio book that sounds like a good fit, and settle in for a truly chilling evening.
This List of the Best Horror Audio Books Will Cover:
20 Best Horror Audiobooks to Get Your Creep On
In no particular order, let's dive into some of the best horror audiobooks to devour right now.
1. The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart
Alaina Urquhart is the co-host of Morbid, a true crime podcast.
And let me tell you, some of the best horror audiobooks are written by a podcast host. When you spend so much time reading about true crime, you know exactly what gets audiences spooked. And this is a spooky horror audiobook!
In The Butcher and the Wren, we read between two perspectives: a medical examiner and a serial killer. They're in a constant battle of playing a cat-and-mouse game, which is why it's a fascinating story and one you'll love if you're into crime.
2. Wrong Place Wrong Time: A Novel by Gillian McAllister
Wrong Place Wrong Time is about a mother who sees her son stab a man out of the blue but then the next day, she lives the same moment over.
And again.
And again.
She needs to quickly figure out how to stop her son from becoming a murderer, before she's trapped in the same day forever.
It has a quick pace and fantastic writing, designed to keep you intrigued until the end. This book is such a page turner, it has certainly earned its spot on the list of best horror audiobooks.
3. The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry
The Ghost Tree is one of the best horror books on Audible.
One teenager has the weight of the world on her shoulders: she's starting to see visions of a monster who is terrorizing the town.
People are going missing and her own father was killed just a year before.
If you love haunted woods mixed in with some coming-of-age stories, you're going to think this is one of the best horror audiobooks ever.
4. The Ritual by Adam Nevill
Four university friends come together for a hiking trip. It was designed as a typical boys' trip – a good healing hike through nature.
They decide to take a shortcut and that's where all hell breaks loose. They start to realize they've taken a turn they should not have.
If you love creepy woods, stories about good friendships, and ancient fables, The Ritual won't let you down. It's one of the best horror audiobooks in recent memory.
5. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House is one of the most famous horror books of all time, and no list of the best horror audiobooks should leave it out. It has gone on to be the backbone of many movies and shows including the famous The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix.
If you haven't read this book yet, it's truly a classic in the horror genre. It's one of the books you must listen to if you're a fan of this genre or ever need to write a spooky story yourself.
Even Stephen King himself describes The Haunting of Hill House as having a major influence on his own work and has called it one of the best horror novels of all time.
In this book, we meet four characters who all have their own reasons and intentions behind going to Hill House. Each will confront their own demons as well as a few lurking around each corner in this fascinating classic.
6. World War Z by Max Brooks
While most people know of World War Z as a movie, it's also one of the best horror audiobooks. With everything going on in the world lately, it's even scarier post pandemic than ever before.
While it's a great book to read, it's definitely a next-level experience as an audiobook.
With narration guests including Mark Hamill and Henry Rollins, you can't go wrong with this on your TBR.
7. All Good People Here: A Novel by Ashley Flowers
Ashley Flowers is one of the hosts of Crime Junkie, a true crime podcast.
Although this book is fiction, you're bound to be pulled in due to her podcast work and experience in the crime world.
All Good People Here is a story about a journalist who is haunted by the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor. Twenty years later, another girl goes missing, which is what catches her attention and why she comes back. This one will have you staying up late for sure – it's one of the best horror audiobooks.
8. December Park by Ronald Malfi
December Park is one of the absolute best horror books on Audible.
Children start to vanish in the quiet area of Harting Farms. With police slow to solve the crime, five kids take up the challenge to solve it on their own.
It's a slow burn novel, but that just adds to the impact of the story.
We get to know the characters and their perspectives in the backdrop of a crime that is plaguing the town.
This is one of the best horror audiobooks with fantastic writing and twists throughout the story that are bound to keep you up late to try and finish the story.
9. Pet Sematary by Stephen King
You can't write a list of the best horror audiobooks without at least including one book from Stephen King.
While there are tons of books of his to choose from to give you chills, Pet Sematary is a great one to experience as an audiobook.
In Pet Sematary, generations of residents in a small town have buried their pets in the same location. Just beyond the graveyard, there's a different kind of burial ground.
This book was so dark that after Stephen King finished it, he first put it into a drawer with no plans to release it.
That fact alone should be a top reason you add it to your list of scary audio books.
10. Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
In Earthlings, we follow a young child named Natsuki. She has a hard life, which is half of the horror in this book.
This is one of those books that falls under the “You need to read it to believe it” type of plots.
If you've ever wondered if you're following in a path in life that doesn't seem like a right fit, this book will describe exactly how you're feeling.
Be ready for a wild ride with Earthlings.
11. The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker
The Hellbound Heart is the horror novella that was later used to create the 1987 film, Hellraiser.
The story is centered around a hedonist criminal who comes to own a puzzle box that can summon demonic beings.
It's a very gory and scary audio book, so you need to be in the mood for that. However, if gore with your spooks is up your alley, this will be one of the best horror audiobooks to listen to.
12. Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus
A perfect town that's hiding secrets combined with a threat of murder during homecoming… it sounds like the right recipe for a creepy book.
We meet Ellery, who is moving home to live with her grandmother. Years ago, her aunt went missing and more recently, a homecoming queen was killed.
This is where the story of Two Can Keep A Secret begins and as you can imagine, it's a wild ride the whole way through.
13. The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn
In The Shuddering, a group of close friends are in the snowy mountains of Colorado. They're snowed in, which can already be nerve-wracking enough when you're not prepared for such weather, but something is lurking in the woods.
What was a fun trip now becomes a fight for their lives against not only outside forces, but against the harsh elements as well.
You won't want to visit the mountains for a while after listening to this one.
14. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Mexican Gothic is a fantastical fever dream, made even better in audiobook format. After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to come save her, Noemí Taboada journeys to High Place, a mysterious manor in the Mexican countryside.
Noemí is completely mesmerized by High Place, but she soon finds she may never be able to leave.
15. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
NOS4A2 is one of the best horror books on Audible. Seriously, so much better than in written form.
Victoria McQueen is the only child who ever escaped the sadistic Charlie Manx, who regularly kidnaps children to take them to his twisted “Christmasland.” Vic has spent her whole life trying to forget Manx, but unfortunately, he never forgot her – and now he has her son.
16. The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman
Looking for a scary audio book? Pick up The Lesser Dead. Narrated by the author himself, this is one of the best horror audiobooks of all time.
Joey Peacock is a vampire, who has a regular routine when feeding in Manhattan. But now, some strange vampires are hunting in his subways – vampires that seem to be different from him. And now even he may no longer be safe.
17. Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
Now here is a book causing a lot of noise on BookTok. Tender is the Flesh is a stomach-clenching tale of a future where animal meat is made toxic to humans by a virus. Now, the government has made it legal to eat human flesh instead.
Marcos works at a “special meat” processing plant. They aren't allowed to speak to the “cattle” there, but unfortunately, he starts to see one of the women as human. You won't see the ending coming.
18. How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Grady Hendrix books can be hit or miss for me, but How to Sell A Haunted House was an undeniable win. It's one of the best horror audiobooks – especially if you are afraid of dolls or puppets. I was so creeped out at one point that I had to pause and take a breather.
All I can tell you is that if I ever hear “kakawiwi” out in public I will absolutely lose it.
19. Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
Tingle is best known for some pretty out there erotica, but he decided to debut a horror novel, and he had a big win with it. Camp Damascus is one of the best horror audiobooks that poignantly portrays the demons the queer community faces in America.
Welcome to the camp – the “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. You don't want to know how they get their success rates.
20. Hide by Kiersten White
Kiersten knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. If you are looking for the best horror audiobooks to get your blood pumping, look no further than Hide.
The premise?
People enter a challenge to hide in an abandoned amusement park for one week. If they aren't found, they can win a life-changing amount of money. But this isn't a regular game of hide-and-seek, and they are being hunted.
Could Your Horror Book Be On This List?
So that's our list of the best horror audiobooks around! After listening to a few, you might just feel inspired to write a horror novel yourself, or create your own audiobook! If so, be sure to check out our resources below.
- Horror Book Title Generator
- Difference Between Horror and Thriller Genres
- How to Write a Horror Story
- What is Southern Gothic?
- 20 Scary Story Ideas
