Horror isn’t just for Halloween. There’s a lot of frightful things about winter: the long nights, the cold weather, the sense of isolation that seems so frequent during this time of year. Things can seem a little bleak during winter—which is what makes the season perfect for scary stories.
These horror books span continents and centuries. But they all take place in the dead of winter, and the characters are often haunted by what’s lurking in the snow.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
On a cold winter night, a woman joins her new boyfriend on a roadtrip to meet his parents, despite her doubts about their relationship. Things get more and more eerie as the two drive through the snow and arrive at his parents’ farmhouse, and the woman can’t escape her intuition that something is deeply wrong.
At under 250 pages, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a short read with a twist that packs an ice-cold punch.
Dark Matter: A Ghost Story by Michelle Paver
Jack is desperate for a change. So when he gets the opportunity to join a scientific expedition in the Arctic, he decides to leave his dreary London life behind and head north. It doesn’t take long for his luck to turn.
As Jack’s companions are forced to leave him one by one, Dark Matter’s creeping dread keeps you guessing: Is there a malevolent presence stalking Jack’s cabin, or is he losing his mind alone in the polar night?
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Years after a group of friends commits a haunting act of violence, they’re hunted by a being hellbent on revenge. The Only Good Indians is filled with so many twists and dark reveals, it’s hard to say much without risking spoilers. But readers can expect a slow-burn supernatural slasher that’s filled with dread, graphic and gory imagery, and biting social commentary set in the snowy Northwest.
The Drift by C. J. Tudor
In a world ravaged by a deadly virus, three narratives play out: students at a prestigious academy survive a bus crash only to be stuck in a snow drift, a group of strangers is stranded in a cable car above a frozen mountain, and employees at a remote facility battle with power outages that threaten their safety. Filled with shocking reveals, this page-turner keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Where the Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes
Thirteen years after his failed Arctic expedition, explorer William Day must return north to save a friend who’s gone missing. As he searches, he must face the trauma he’s tried to keep in the past. This novel is told in alternating timelines: one of William’s first exploration, and the other of his rescue mission.
The Terror by Dan Simmons
Another story set in the Arctic, The Terror is a fictional tale with infamous real-life inspiration: the 1845 failed expedition of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. The ships become icebound when trying to navigate the Northwest Passage, leaving the crew stranded.
Tensions rise, the crew fights to survive, and it becomes clear that isolation and starvation aren’t the only dangers on the ice. Something monstrous is roaming the ice, preying on them.
Snow by Ronald Malfi
After their flight is cancelled due to a blizzard, a group of strangers bands together to rent an SUV and brave the storm on the road. Things go awry almost immediately, and the group realizes this isn’t a normal snow storm. In the wind and cold, something is turning people into flesh-hungry monsters.
Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell
Felix and Faye expect to spend their days hiking during a romantic trip to the mountains to celebrate their engagement. That changes when a blizzard slams their cabin. As each night passes, the couple begins hearing footsteps, screams, and incoherent voices from the dark. Voices that Faye begins speaking back to in her sleep.
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
The Winter People is told in two entwined stories. The first of Sara, a grieving mother in 1908 who would do anything to see her dead daughter again. The second of Ruthie, a present-day teenager whose mom mysteriously vanishes one January night.
As Ruthie searches for her mother, she unearths long-buried secrets and begins wondering if there’s any truth to the rumors that the dead haunt the woods around their small town.
The Shining by Stephen King
Hoping to mend his fraught relationships with his wife and young son, troubled Jack Torrance takes a job as the lone winter caretaker at a remote hotel in the Rocky Mountains. But as the snow piles higher, it becomes clear that the family isn’t alone in the Overlook Hotel—and that the other presences are loosening Jack’s grip on reality.
A must-read for any horror fan, The Shining is one of Stephen King’s most famous works.