Spooky Books | Illustrated by Kayli Thompson | The Wright State Guardian
Most horror movie fans like a good, scary book to sink their teeth into, but finding a book that gives you the same vibes as a movie you like can be hard. Here is a list of three movies that remind me of three books you can read before Halloween is over.
If you like The Craft (1989), try “Bunny” by Mona Awad
The Craft is about a coven of wanna-be witches who initiate a girl with telekinetic powers and disaster and drama ensue when things go wrong.
Similarly, “Bunny,” is a dark academia novel that follows Samantha, who is initiated into a weird group of girls in her MFA Creative Writing program who refer to themselves as “the Bunnies.” Both do not hesitate to poke fun at the genre, and the mischief that the Bunnies get up to is similar to the coven of girls in The Craft.
You will not be able to stop laughing -- and gasping in horror -- at this truly outrageous (and kind of genius) book.
If you like Evil Dead (2013), try “Uprooted” by Naomi Novik
While this is not strictly a horror novel, this magical world is full of things that go bump in the night. In this remake of the classic movie of the same name, Evil Dead follows a group of young adults who take one of their friends out to a cabin in the woods to help withdraw from her drug addiction.
“Uprooted” is a fantasy novel about a village that is plagued by the woods and the horrors that lie within. While the two stories are very different, the tone and atmosphere are both very similar. In the two stories, the forest also plays an important role and acts as if it’s its own character, and the disturbing imagery will make it difficult to look at trees the same way again.
If you like Jennifer’s Body (2009), try “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” by Grady Hendrix
Jennifer’s Body -- a somewhat campy movie that I will defend for being both genius and ahead of its time -- follows two close friends at school after a “virgin sacrifice” goes awry and Jennifer becomes possessed by a demon.
Similarly, “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” is about how four close friends are torn apart when one of them goes missing in the woods and comes back possessed. Both lean heavily on the cheesiness and gore and make a point that what’s most important of all is the power of friendship.
