Tis’ the season for curling up in front of the fireplace with hot coco and a good book… let’s make it horror. Whether it’s victorian ghost children, Krampus or the Schnabelperchten there is plenty of room for horror during the holiday season. It is the darkest time of year after all. Here are seven Christmas/holiday horror novels on my December TBR that should be on yours too!
Christmas and Other Horrors – Edited by Ellen Datlow
This is a wonderful anthology of contemporary holiday themed horror short stories by an array of authors including Cristopher Golden, Stephen Graham Jones and Tananarive Due. What I love about this anthology is that these stories were written exclusively for this book and vary widely in the folklore and mythology that they are influenced by. There is an absolutely horrifying story about the Schnabelperchten of Salzburg, Austria (which I had never heard about before), a creepy scarecrow tale from Australia, and a home invasion gone wrong that is tied in with the Welsh tradition of Mari Lwyd. These stories are very short and inspired by many corners of the world. This makes it very easy to read one or two of them before bed each night, or to binge read them in a few sittings. Some of these chilling tales have really creeped me out, which is all the more reason to stay bundled up and inside this holiday season.
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
Vic McQueen goes looking for trouble and finds it in Charles Talent Manx. To some Charles Manx is a serial kidnapper and murderer, to others he is a vampire… hence the license plate on his 1938 Wraith “NOS4A2″… get it? Manx uses his old car to travel the roads of his imagination to a twisted place called Christmas Land, where he keeps his creepy little children who have hooks for teeth and are always hungry. While Manx has his Wraith and Christmas Land, Victoria McQueen has her bike and an imaginary bridge that allows her to travel exactly where she needs to go. The two cross paths putting Victoria and her family in danger, all she wants to do is forget about her bridge and Manx, but someone needs to stop him.
Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer
Christmas plus 80s horror plus cursed objects? Yes please! This Christmas horror takes place in the 80s and follows Lussi Meyer who has recently started a new job in the horror publishing industry. She receives a strange (and cursed?) Secret Santa gift, and soon after her coworkers begin to fall victim to horrific accidents. Lussi is forced to find out more about the cursed item before it’s too late.
A Good Year by Polis Loizou
This is a unique literary horror set in 1920’s Cyprus during the twelve days of Christmas leading up to Epiphany. Chilling, atmospheric and steeped in Cypriot superstition and traditions, A Good Year follows an unhappy young couple during the most spiritually vulnerable time of year. Despo is pregnant with her first child and is terrified of the Kalikantzari, while her husband Loukas is struggling with his own demons. Whether there is a true supernatural threat or not, Despo’s fears throughout her pregnancy are real. Loukas struggles to accept his unexpected attraction to an Englishman, putting an even bigger rift between him and his unhappy wife. While this short novel does not feel like your typical horror, it is dark, brooding and gives you a sense of unease throughout.
Krampus: The Yule Lord by Brom
I will always recommend Brom based on his illustrations alone, but what we have here is the perfect Christmas dark fantasy adventure. I always think of Brom’s stories as dark fantasy vs. horror because he puts us on the same team as the supernatural taking us along for the ride, which makes the vibes less scary and more of an epic dark adventure. As a horror reader, this is truly refreshing and I had so much fun with this Krampus story, in which we follow Jesse Walker who is down on his luck and unwittingly joins Krampus and his Belsnickels as they take on Old Saint Nick, who it turns out is not the Saint you think he is.
Sunless Solstice: Strange Christmas Tales for the Longest Nights
Another horror anthology, this one takes us back in time with winter solstice horror stories ranging form the late 1800’s to the 1970’s. More along the lines of your classic Christmas victorian ghost stories, this may be a bit too tame for those used to contemporary horror. For those who love a good classic Christmas ghost story, this may be right up your alley. Spooky Christmas stories to read by the fire this holiday season.
Candy Cain Kills by Brian McAuley
A classic 90s slashers flick, but make it Christmas… and a novel. An unsuspecting family, a remote cabin that happens to also be a horrific crime scene, AND a legendary killer on the loose… what could go wrong? A read in one sitting novella at only 145 pages, Candy Cain Kills is a highly anticipated Christmas horror read for me this month. With a nearly five star rating on Goodreads I have high hopes for this one!
Whatever you end up reading this Holiday season, I wish you all five star reads for the rest of December and into the new year! Cheers to the bookish community and to a year full of crushing our reading goals and enjoying our reading journeys wherever they take us. Happy Holidays!
Comment below with your favorite holiday reads!