Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.
Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.
Horror fans, 2025 has been such a scary year, and a good year for scary stories. Maybe it’s because when the world around us is so terrifying, it’s somehow relaxing to escape into a fictional world of fears. It’s hard to say if 2026 will be any less scary than 2025. But one thing we do know? There are going to be a lot of really great horror novels to get us through the year. Here are three of the most highly anticipated horror novels coming out in the first half of 2026.
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The Body by Bethany C. Morrow (Tor Nightfire, February 10)
Bethany C. Morrow is a best-selling author who writes across many genres, for both YA and adult readers. It’s been four years since Morrow’s last book, so of course, horror fans everywhere will be excited to be getting a new supernatural horror story in 2026 by her. Mavis left her congregation years ago, but the guilt and trauma of the church have never left her mind. And after a terrible accident, Mavis begins to wonder if the church hasn’t forgotten her either.
All Access members continue below for more of the most anticipated horror books of 2026.
The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer (Emily Bestler Books, April 21)
Marcus Kliewer’s We Used to Live Here had horror fans’ brains all twisted up in 2024, and now it’s being turned into a movie starring Blake Lively. And for 2026, Kliewer’s got a new book that’s going to have everyone talking. After desperately hunting for a job for what seems like forever, Macy Mullins jumps at the opportunity to take a three-day job as a caretaker as a way to make quick money. Little does she know how terrifying three days can be.
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
Kylie Lee Baker is following up her critically acclaimed 2025 novel Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng with this historical horror. This story follows two characters who live in completely different centuries. In 2026, Lee Turner flees to Japan after killing his college roommate. In 1877, samurai Sen is living in exile, hiding from imperial soldiers. Both Sen and Lee are hiding in a house behind sword ferns, and one day, both will find a door into another world.
Horror fans, which books are you most excited to read in 2026? Make sure you subscribe to The Fright Stuff to keep track of all the upcoming book releases and get all the creepy book recommendations.
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