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In 1818, Mary Shelley released Frankenstein, a groundbreaking work that has terrified readers and influenced literature for over two centuries. While Shelley is often hailed as the matriarch of modern horror, who are her literary heirs? Women have crafted some of the most chilling tales in history, yet their recognition has often been overlooked. To honor their contributions and offer you some thrilling Halloween reading suggestions, here are 11 female horror authors you should explore.
Daphne du Maurier
Fans of Alfred Hitchcock films are likely already admirers of Daphne du Maurier. Hitchcock transformed three of her novels into cinematic masterpieces: Jamaica Inn, Rebecca, and The Birds. If the concept of The Birds intrigued you but the special effects felt outdated, du Maurier's original story is a must-read.
Hitchcock wasn’t the sole filmmaker eager to adapt her stories for cinema. Her short story “Don’t Look Now” became a chilling 1973 film featuring Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland. Du Maurier’s works have been adapted over 12 times for film and even more frequently for television. However, as is often the case with adaptations, her original tales remain far more unsettling than their screen versions.
Charlotte Riddell
For exceptional Victorian-era ghost stories, Charlotte Riddell is unparalleled. Scholar E.F. Bleiler once described her as “the Victorian ghost novelist par excellence,” and her tales are both eerily chilling and cleverly witty. Born in Ireland in 1832, she was a prolific author of supernatural fiction, particularly haunted house narratives. Despite financial struggles with her husband, Riddell—who wrote under the gender-neutral pseudonyms F.G. Trafford and R.V.M. Sparling—was a celebrated writer in her day, producing iconic short stories like “The Open Door” and “Nut Bush Farm,” alongside four supernatural novellas. Today, her stories exude a timeless charm, filled with eerie, abandoned estates and restless spirits.
Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson stands as one of the 20th century’s most impactful horror authors. Her novel The Haunting of Hill House was adapted twice for film and once for Netflix, while her short story “The Lottery" is a staple in American English classrooms. Despite her literary acclaim, Jackson battled lifelong depression and anxiety, often feeling stifled in her own household. Although she was her family’s main provider, her husband managed her finances and dismissed his infidelities. Her struggles with domestic life frequently surfaced in her writing. In works like Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Jackson masterfully builds an atmosphere of tension and fear, challenging the very notion of home.
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated author, is a contemporary icon of Gothic horror. Often referred to as “America’s foremost woman of letters,” Oates is renowned for crafting tales that terrify readers to their core. With a bibliography exceeding 100 books, it can be daunting to know where to begin. We suggest starting with her collection Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque or her celebrated short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?,” which draws inspiration from the real-life crimes of serial killer Charles Schmid.
Octavia Butler
While primarily celebrated as a science fiction writer, Octavia Butler frequently wove horror elements into her narratives. Her final novel, Fledgling, released a year before her passing, stands as her most horror-centric work, chronicling the tale of a young girl who uncovers her vampiric nature. Butler’s stories tackled racism through a fantastical lens, featuring futuristic dystopias and alien worlds, yet she never avoided confronting its grim realities. Even her more conventional science fiction plots often brim with tension, unveiling the hidden terrors of America’s past. Reflecting on her time-travel novel Kindred, Butler stated, “I aimed to write a novel that would make readers truly experience history: the suffering and terror Black people endured to survive.”
Asa Nonami
Asa Nonami’s literary style has drawn comparisons to works ranging from Rosemary’s Baby to The Twilight Zone. A celebrated author in the crime and horror genres, Nonami crafts narratives centered around intricate female protagonists facing dire circumstances. Her anthology Body features five chilling stories, each themed around a distinct body part, while her novel Now You’re One of Us follows a newlywed who uncovers unsettling secrets about her husband’s family. This ghostless horror story thrives on its unpredictable tension.
Lisa Tuttle
If you recall the ’80s horror paperbacks with gripping covers but lackluster plots, Lisa Tuttle is the remedy. She embodies the potential of mass-market horror, delivering unsettling, imaginative, and skillfully written novels. Her career began with a collaboration on the sci-fi novel Windhaven with George R.R. Martin, but she soon became a pivotal figure in ’80s horror fiction with works like Familiar Spirit, Gabriel, and the short story collection A Nest of Nightmares. Beyond horror, Tuttle has authored fantasy, young adult fiction, and even the 1986 reference book Encyclopedia of Feminism.
Tananarive Due
Tananarive Due is not only one of today’s finest horror authors but also one of the most fascinating. In the mid-1990s, as a budding writer, Due found herself onstage at a literary festival, performing in a rock band alongside Stephen King. She later secured a blurb from King for her second novel, My Soul to Keep, which he described as an “eerie epic.” Today, Due is a respected scholar, short story writer, and novelist. Her notable works include the African Immortals series, the haunted house tale The Good House, and the emotionally resonant yet terrifying short story collection Ghost Summer. She also teaches a UCLA course inspired by Jordan Peele’s 2017 film Get Out, titled “The Sunken Place: Racism, Survival, and Black Horror Aesthetic.”
Mariko Koike
Mariko Koike, a celebrated Japanese author, excels in suspense, romance, and horror. Her novel The Cat in the Coffin is a masterful exploration of the macabre. However, her 1986 work The Graveyard Apartment stands as her pinnacle in pure horror, chronicling the eerie experiences of a family who moves into a modern apartment complex adjacent to an ancient cemetery and crematorium. The story gradually builds tension through seemingly mundane details—a bird’s feather, a yellow hat, a smudge on a TV screen. It’s a gripping haunted house tale from an author who knows how to unearth terror in the everyday.
Helen Oyeyemi
Helen Oyeyemi’s writing transcends genres, weaving together horror, fantasy, fairy tales, and folklore. While not always strictly horror, her works often evoke unease or outright fear, frequently incorporating supernatural or surreal elements. In The Icarus Girl, published when she was just 20, Oyeyemi tells the story of a troubled young girl who befriends a mysterious figure of questionable reality. The novel blends paranormal and Gothic themes with Nigerian folklore. Her 2009 novel White is For Witching delves into the secrets of a peculiar house in Dover, England, and its inhabitants. Critics have hailed Oyeyemi as the “direct heir to [Shirley Jackson’s] Gothic throne.”
Jac Jemc
Jac Jemc’s The Grip of It follows a young couple relocating from a cramped urban apartment to a spacious suburban house, only to discover it’s plagued by inexplicable phenomena. While this may seem like a classic horror setup, the novel defies expectations. It’s a surreal, disorienting tale, crafted with feverish prose that captivates readers even during moments of apparent stillness.
