As we welcome in October, there’s nothing quite like getting into the spirit of the season than sharing some hair-raising tales. I’ve compiled an approachable list of some of my favorite spooky stories to cozy up with on a brisk autumn evening. This compilation comprises women who write in the horror, gothic, and thriller genres. Women have been paving paths of literary mystery and terror since the fruition of these eerie genres. From classic chillers to modern mortifiers, this chronological selection of spine-shivering novels and short stories will conjure feelings of autumn down to the bone.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)

• Dr. Frankenstein and his Monster, the iconic duo, is a story that has endured throughout generations. Narrated through a series of letters with altering writers, it explores the human psyche, unbridled ambition, vengeance, guilt, and ostracization. Shelley dares us to reexamine our understanding of evil with her brilliantly nuanced approach. This terrifying science-fiction novel is a cult classic that continues to be adapted and reimagined in inexhaustible ways.
• Read for free here: Frankenstein

The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892)

• This disturbing short story reads like a diary from the lens of a woman restricted to bed rest by her doctor, who is also her husband, to cure her nervousness. This practice was administered to women back in the day and later abandoned in favor of reason. The woman is kept in a bedroom with hideous yellow wallpaper, which becomes a dark obsession that catalyzes her descent into psychosis. The story deals with themes of women’s autonomy, identity, and mental health in a pre-suffrage period.
• Read for free here: The Yellow Wall-Paper

“A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf (1921)

• This is the shortest read on the list, but don’t underestimate Woolf’s notable layered and complex narrative style. There is much more than what meets the eye, or lack thereof, in this ghostly tale that spins the notion of a haunted house directly over our heads (you’ll understand what I mean). If you’re not too keen on horror, this brief story spins an unexpectedly heartwarming tale.
• Read for free here: ‘A Haunted House’

“A Good Man is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor (1955)

• This suspenseful short story hovers over the shoulder of a prudent grandmother and her family’s drive to Florida for vacation. Themes of generational clashes, deception, and morality mixed with bouts of humor wind through each turn of this family’s fateful road trip. O’Connor transports readers into her vivid Southern Gothic worlds like a fly on the wall desperate to intervene and prevent impending demise.
• Available on Amazon: A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959)

• A small group of investigators stay at a notorious haunted house to document paranormal events. They quickly find themselves disoriented and terrorized in the old home, which also seems to fixate on one woman in the group. Will the otherworldly grip of the house ever let her go? This novel wrestles with relationships between the psychological and supernatural, the past and the present. It has been adapted into a Netflix series that is currently available. This novel is Jackson’s most well-known work, but she has an extensive collection of ghostly stories to keep you spellbound this season.
• Read a preview for free here: The Haunting of Hill House | Novel
• Watch the Netflix series here: The Haunting of Hill House | Series

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (1983)

• This gothic horror novel follows the ominous journey of a young English lawyer sent by his company to settle the estate of a late widow at her abandoned home. A constant foreboding insidiously lurks throughout the novel as our innocent protagonist finds himself caught in a web of horrific despair inflicted by an apparition of a woman dressed in mourning attire. This novel has since been adapted for the screen, radio, and stage. A recent film adaptation, starring Daniel Radcliffe as the young lawyer, is available on select streaming platforms.
• Read a free sample here: The Woman in Black

So Far From God by Ana Castillo (1993)

• This is an excellent option for people who aren’t partial to horror genres but still want to read something with grotesque and supernatural elements without intense scares. Set in a small town in New Mexico, this folkloric story concerns Sofia and her four daughters navigating hardships like exploitation, prejudice, poverty, and more. A clever, omniscient narrator will guide you through this strange family’s tumultuous journey that quite literally takes flight from the get-go.
• Read a sample or purchase the book here: So Far From God

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2020)

• In a contemporary gothic horror novel set in the 1950s, a charming young woman receives a frantic letter from her married cousin pleading for her to visit. Complying with her cousin’s dire request, the woman quickly takes notice of the unusualness of the house and her in-laws that reside there during her stay. Her curiosity about the family’s secrets leads her to uncover their dreadful truths, but not without gripping consequences.
• Read a free sample here: Mexican Gothic

May your nights be filled with just the right amount of fright with these tales of terror. The best way to enjoy these eerie escapades is to curl up with a warm blanket, light a candle, and pour a cup of your favorite cocoa or tea. Select a sinister story if you dare, and let these women lead you through the shadowy corridors of their wicked imaginations. From the ghostly whispers of the past to the startling screams of the present, this collection will surely give you goosebumps. May your October be filled with thrills and literary chills!

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