15 Upcoming Horror Books Coming Out In 2025

2025 is shaping up to be a great year for horror readers, with a number of exciting new releases hitting shelves over the next year. There are enough of them to keep the scares coming all 12 months, and they span a wide range of story types and tropes. There’s truly a horror novel for every type of reader, with a good mix of debut authors and big names adding to the lineup.

Stephen King is releasing a new novel in 2025, as are horror icons like Ronald Malfi, Stephen Graham Jones, and Grady Hendrix. Joe Hill is also returning with his first novel in nine years, ensuring 2025 leaves readers with a lot to look forward to. There’s no shortage of great horror to dive into, from the truly bizarre to the socially relevant. There are a lot of new books to keep up with, but the biggest can’t be missed.

15

Witchcraft For Wayward Girls By Grady Hendrix

Release Date: January 14, 2025

The cover of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix featuring a black background, the title text in yellow, and the bottom of a lava lamp

Two years after releasing How to Sell a Haunted House, Grady Hendrix is back with Witchcraft for Wayward Girls in 2025. The author’s latest book blends horror with fantasy, following a group of young unwed mothers who discover witchcraft during their stay at Wellwood Home. They’re sent there to hide their pregnancies until they can give up their babies, and their lives are strictly managed. Their newfound magic can help them reclaim their autonomy, but it comes at a cost. Hendrix’s latest sounds more relevant than ever, with its feminist themes and dark magic proving huge selling points.

14

At Dark, I Become Loathsome By Eric LaRocca

Release Date: January 28, 2025

At Dark I Become Loathesome cover featuring parts of a red stony face with pieces missing

Acclaimed horror author Eric LaRocca is releasing At Dark, I Become Loathsome in 2025, and it sounds like it could be one of the year’s darkest additions to the genre. At Dark, I Become Loathsome follows the grieving Ashley as he performs a ritual for those contemplating whether they want to live or die. Ashley’s services lead him to a man named Jinx, who sends him spiraling down a darker path. Judging by early Goodreads reviews, LaRocca’s latest is as disturbing and chilling as it claims. It’s one to check trigger warnings for, but extreme horror fans won’t want to miss it.

13

Listen To Your Sister By Neena Viel

Release Date: February 4, 2025

Listen to Your Sister cover featuring a red and green background and tree silhouettes

Listen to Your Sister is Neena Viel’s debut novel, and the 2025 release is being pitched for fans of Jordan Peele and Stranger Things — comparisons sure to put it on readers’ radars. The novel follows Calla and her brothers as they’re forced to go on the run after the youngest gets in trouble at a protest. Their time staying in a remote cabin proves that Calla’s recurring nightmare about her brothers dying could be more than just a dream. Promising to tackle relevant social subjects and difficult family dynamics, Listen to Your Sister is a horror debut to watch out for.

12

They Bloom At Night By Trang Thanh Tran

Release Date: March 4, 2025

They Bloom at Night cover featuring the neck of a woman with dark black hair

One of the most exciting young adult horror releases of 2025, Trang Thanh Tran’s They Bloom at Night is getting rave reviews on Goodreads months ahead of its release. Set in a Louisiana plagued by red algae and mutated monsters after a terrible hurricane, this queer horror book follows Noon as she’s tasked with locating a creature that’s killing people. Noon’s journey forces her to ask difficult questions about monsters and herself, promising body horror along the way. Poised to tackle climate change and trauma, They Bloom at Night sounds powerful and incredibly relevant.

11

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter By Stephen Graham Jones

Release Date: March 18, 2025

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter cover featuring the bottom of a buffalo's head and neck and the title text in red

Stephen Graham Jones wrote two of the best horror books of 2024, and the author is returning with The Buffalo Hunter Hunter in 2025. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a historical “American Indian revenge story,” set in the western U.S. in 1912. The novel combines a vampire narrative with the real horrors Indigenous people faced, as the events of the book stem from the massacre of 217 Blackfeet. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is poised to unpack hard truths about American history, making it an important and powerful addition to 2025’s lineup.

10

Blood On Her Tongue By Johanna van Veen

Release Date: March 25, 2025

Blood on Her Tongue cover featuring flowers, a dog, and the title text in white

Johanna van Veen made a splash in 2024 with My Darling Dreadful Thing, and the author is following her debut with Blood on Her Tongue. Set in The Netherlands in 1887, Blood on Her Tongue follows Lucy as she attempts to figure out why her sister, Sarah, is acting odd — enough so that she could wind up institutionalized. When Sarah becomes hungry, things get truly twisted. This vampire tale has sisterhood at its core, but it promises a dark and atmospheric narrative on par with the author’s previous release. Needless to say, it’s not one to miss in 2025.

9

Senseless By Ronald Malfi

Release Date: April 15, 2025

Senseless cover featuring a dead woman with red hair in a red dress with no nose

Ronald Malfi has built a reputation as a must-read horror author, and his 2025 book sounds like a thrilling and ambitious addition to his lineup. Senseless weaves together two murder cases and multiple narratives, all of which point to something unnatural occurring in Los Angeles. The vampire novel combines a more straightforward police thriller with a supernatural horror plot, giving readers the best of both worlds. Early Goodreads reviews suggest it’s gory and wild, delivering everything readers expect from an icon like Malfi.

8

When The Wolf Comes Home By Nat Cassidy

Release Date: April 22, 2025

When the Wolf Comes Home cover featuring a window with the night sky and the top of a black wolf's ears

With early reviews giving it a 4.74 Goodreads rating, When the Wolf Comes Home could be Nat Cassidy’s best horror book yet. Its positive reception makes it one of the genre’s biggest releases of 2025. Cassidy’s latest follows an actress named Jess, who goes on the run with a young boy hiding outside her apartment. The boy’s father is after them, and he leaves a bloody mess in his wake — one that could have scarier implications than it seems. This gripping premise sets When the Wolf Comes Home up for success, vowing to take readers on a heart-pounding thrill ride.

7

The Staircase In The Woods By Chuck Wendig

Release Date: April 29, 2025

The Staircase in the Woods cover featuring a spiral staircase in the midst of trees

Chuck Wendig’s The Staircase in the Woods debuts in April, and it will see Wendig defying genres once again, just as he did when he blended sci-fi and horror in The Book of Accidents. His latest promises to combine horror with the fantastical, as it follows five friends who happen upon a “staircase to nowhere” in the woods. One ventures up it and is never seen again, prompting the others to search for him when the staircase reappears decades later. A tale with the potential to be as eerie as it is whimsical, The Staircase in the Woods sounds like a must-read.

6

Never Flinch By Stephen King

Release Date: May 27, 2025

Never Flinch book cover featuring the title text in thick black text and a white background

A new Stephen King book is always great news for horror fans, and Never Flinch will return readers to the world of Holly Gibney. King’s latest will follow Detective Izzy Jaynes and Holly as they investigate a killer whose threat against “thirteen innocents and one guilty” proves alarmingly sincere. It also sees Holly serving as a bodyguard for a women’s rights activist, with its two narratives promising a murder mystery and relevant social commentary. King’s latest has a high bar after 2024’s You Like It Darker, but knowing the “King of Horror,” Never Flinch will reach it.

5

The Bewitching By Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Release Date: July 15, 2025

The Bewitching Cover featuring a green background, a hand, and the title text in yellow

Mexican Gothic scribe Silvia Moreno-Garcia is back with a fantastical horror book in 2025, and The Bewitching spans generations with its intriguing story. The novel follows a graduate student named Minerva, who is researching author Beatrice Tremblay. As it turns out, the author’s biggest book may have been influenced by a dark force that actually exists — and continues to haunt Minerva’s campus. There’s also a connection to Minerva’s great-grandmother, setting Moreno-Garcia’s 2025 novel up to tell three gripping stories within one ambitious 2025 release.

4

Lucky Day By Chuck Tingle

Release Date: August 12, 2025

The temporary cover of Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle featuring a black background and white text

Chuck Tingle’s Bury Your Gays was one of the best horror releases of 2024, so the anticipation for his 2025 book is high. Lucky Day isn’t out until August, but its short and sweet synopsis renders it a can’t-miss novel. A story that sees a bisexual statistics professor teaming up with a government agent to investigate a string of absurd deaths, Lucky Day sounds like it will infuse its horror with outlandish humor. Its synopsis also promises a “supernaturally lucky casino,” which is intriguing all on its own. And if anyone can pull all this off effectively, it’s Tingle.

3

8114 By Joshua Hull

Release Date: August 26, 2025

The cover of 8114 featuring a red house, a black doorway, and two red eyes

Joshua Hull’s 8114 comes out in August 2025, following a podcast host named Paul, whose friend takes his own life in what used to be Paul’s childhood home. Perplexed and distraught, Paul sets out to uncover the reason for this. His investigation leads him down a rabbit hole into his past, which could hold answers about the tragedy. However, it seems something more supernatural may be at play, setting the stage for a mystery that could lead back to the house itself. An intriguing horror novel that tackles a serious subject, 8114 has a lot of potential among 2025’s new horror releases.

2

Nowhere Burning By Catriona Ward

Release Date: October 7, 2025

The temporary cover of Nowhere Burning featuring a black background and white text

Known for Looking Glass Sound and The Last House on Needless Street, Catriona Ward has a new book hitting shelves in 2025: Nowhere Burning. Set in the Rocky Mountains, Nowhere Burning follows two children as they seek out a new life at a supposed refuge for kids. But Riley and Oliver get more than they bargained for when they meet the Nowhere Kids, who are living among something dark — and clearly have darkness within themselves. Nowhere Burning is poised to be another standout from Ward, especially if it lives up to its eerie and original premise.

1

King Sorrow By Joe Hill

Release Date: October 23, 2025

King Sorrow temporary cover featuring a yellow background and black text

In addition to a new Stephen King book, horror readers also have a new novel from Joe Hill to look forward to. King Sorrow will be Hill’s first release since The Fireman in 2016, making it even more exciting. King Sorrow will see Arthur Oakes and his friends summoning a dragon-demon in order to kill two enemies, but there’s a catch. They soon learn they’ll need to do the same ritual every year, a devastating and terrifying realization. This bonkers setup is a great way to reunite readers with Hill, and hopefully, it lives up to the hype.