Horror Subgenre Challenge! - hosted by dexlud

Psychos, Slashers & Serial Killers
Maniacs. Madmen. Psychos. Sociopaths. Cannibals? Call them what you want. These human “monsters” have been part of the horror genre for a long time. This subgenre overlaps with the psychological horror category above, but the two can be mutually exclusive as well. You could have a “slasher” type of novel that doesn’t fit the psychological horror label, or vice versa. I’ve even thrown some cannibals into this category, with Jack Ketchum’s Off-Season. It’s a wonderfully written horror novel, but not for the faint of heart!, In these types of novels, it’s people we fear — people with dark thoughts and motivations we can scarcely comprehend. People who want or need to see others suffer.


Novels in this horror subgenre include: Psycho, by Robert Bloch. American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis. The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris (again). Off Season, by Jack Ketchum. Final Girls, by Riley Sager.
All books added
Rémina: La planète de l'enfer by 伊藤潤二, Junji Ito

Rémina: La planète de l'enfer

伊藤潤二, Junji Ito

291 pages • first pub 2005 (editions)

fiction horror manga science fiction dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Horror Movie: A Novel by Paul Tremblay

Horror Movie: A Novel

Paul Tremblay

288 pages • first pub 2024 (editions)

fiction horror dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly

Theme Music

T. Marie Vandelly

400 pages • first pub 2019 (editions)

fiction horror thriller dark mysterious fast-paced
Cirque Berserk by Jessica Guess

Cirque Berserk

Rewind or Die #4

Jessica Guess

172 pages • first pub 2020 (editions)

fiction horror dark mysterious tense fast-paced
An Affinity for Formaldehyde by Chloe Spencer

An Affinity for Formaldehyde

Chloe Spencer

121 pages • first pub 2024 (editions)

fiction horror adventurous challenging dark medium-paced
Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede

Maeve Fly

C.J. Leede

288 pages • first pub 2023 (editions)

fiction horror thriller dark funny tense fast-paced
There's No Way I'd Die First by Lisa Springer

There's No Way I'd Die First

Lisa Springer

8 hours, 45 minutes • first pub 2023 (editions)

fiction horror young adult dark tense medium-paced
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

The Writing Retreat

Julia Bartz

313 pages • first pub 2023 (editions)

fiction mystery thriller dark mysterious tense fast-paced
My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

My Heart Is a Chainsaw

The Indian Lake Trilogy #1

Stephen Graham Jones

416 pages • first pub 2021 (editions)

fiction horror thriller dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Goth by Otsuichi, Andrew Cunningham

Goth

GOTH リストカット事件

Otsuichi, Andrew Cunningham

240 pages • first pub 2002 (editions)

fiction horror mystery dark mysterious fast-paced