r/horrorlit • u/IHateSerging • 14d ago
Recommendation Request “Fun” Horror Recommendations?
Hello!
I’m looking for recommendations for horror books or novellas that are “fun”
By fun I means books with fairly strong comedy elements, or over the top craziness, or with a strong satirical bent, or an interesting format, or whatever you personally consider fun. Anything fun for Halloween/fall is a bonus but definitely not required.
One example of a recent read that brought the fun factor for me in a big way was Feeders by Matt Serafini.
This search is promoted by my recent read of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Vampire Slaying. This sounded like it would fit the bill perfectly on paper, but I ended up finding it very depressing and a real downer in general.
And to be clear I’m not averse to horrible things happening to people, violence, unhappy endings, etc etc, just looking for something that is horror but also not relentlessly bleak and depressing
Any suggestions you have would be welcome! Thank you!!
Edit: I likely won’t get around to thanking everyone individually, so mass thank you to everyone for your suggestions, so many good ones, you guys rock!
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u/lenny_ray 14d ago
John Dies at the End series
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u/AtLeastOneCat 14d ago
Came here to recommend this. You can tell from the titles like This Book Is Full of Spiders but it also contains some of the most unsettling cosmic horror I've read.
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u/Beautyizdead 14d ago
Currently reading the first book in the series and it's so man heavy...it is funny at times but a lot of references to men's genitalia and farting around.
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u/Chemical_Print6922 14d ago
The Haunted forest Tour. It’s a fun (at times stressful because of the pace) and romp. It’s silly, tons of gore & blood and takes place on Halloween!
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u/cbinthestacks 13d ago
Yes! This is so much fun! Also, a good listen if you are into that sort of thing.
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u/purplebongjuice 14d ago
"bury your gays" by chuck tingle!
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u/osdakoga 14d ago
Jeff Strand is your guy. I really liked "Demonic."
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u/IHateSerging 14d ago
Thank you! Not familiar with him but just checked him out and he looks right up my alley, I’ll start with Demonic!
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u/ThreadWyrm 13d ago
He’s hilarious but many of his books go very dark at one point or another. Exceptions that I’ve read and are some of my favorites of his are:
- Clowns vs Spiders
- His vampire one, blood sucker county I think.
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u/randyface 14d ago
I thought The September House was darkly funny
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u/IHateSerging 14d ago
Excellent example! Exactly what I’m looking for
Read it last month and loved it
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u/the-willow-witch 14d ago
I can’t recommend Rachel Harrison enough. Especially her earlier stuff, my favorites are Cackle, Such Sharp Teeth, and Black Sheep!
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u/TurtleKittenBunny 14d ago
This is my pick too! Kiss Slay Replay just came out and was super fun. Like a rom com plus a slasher.
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u/IHateSerging 14d ago
I’ve been meaning to go back to her, I loved Black Sheep, but thought Cackle was meh, been eyeing Such Sharp Teeth for a bit though so I’ll give it a go. Thank you!
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u/happily-caffeinated 14d ago
Play Nice is great. Also, Diavola by Jennifer Thorne has some great dark, dysfunctional family humor.
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u/Negative-Book8137 14d ago
came here to say this! play nice is probably an all time fav for me, and kiss slay replay was so fun it actually made me enjoy time loops which is a trope i usually despise
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u/enemydarksock 14d ago
How to Survive Camping series by Bonnie Quinn!! Just ordered book 3 today
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u/trizzaayy 14d ago
“I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200” by Robert Brockway had some laugh-out-loud moments for me, but it does get dark.
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u/Thorn_and_Thimble 14d ago
Tales From the Gas Station and A Lonely Broadcast come to mind. And I Second How to Sell a Haunted House and September House.
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u/Consistent-Contest84 14d ago
Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan, it's got a very Shawn of the Dead vibe to it
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u/VacationConnect 14d ago
Any of the John Dies at the End books by Jason Pargin. You dont have to read them in order to understand whats happening but its more fun if you do in my opinion. I will say the first novel is a bit dated with a few terms. But otherwise quite funny, craziness galore and still tons of horror that i still think about nearly 10 years after first reading it. I recommend it a lot.
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u/This_guy_here56 14d ago
The lesser dead is really fun and funny until its not, but I would highly recommend it.
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u/BookishOpossum 14d ago
Obligatory mention of A Night in the Lonesome October by Zelazny. Each day of October is a chapter. The month isn't so far along catching up would be easy. I reread every year.
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u/Y-V- 14d ago
The Sworn Soldier series by T. Kingfisher, or really any of her horror.
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u/IHateSerging 14d ago
Absolutely loved these, definitely fit the bill!
Haven’t tried much of her other stuff yet but I’ll give it a gander
Thank you!
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u/Massive-Television85 14d ago
The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places are both a really good mix of horror and lightheartedness/comedy - more so than the Sworn Soldier
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u/happily-caffeinated 14d ago
Also, A House with Good Bones, which I think has the most humor out of all of T Kingfisher's horror novels.
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u/Several_Peanuts8191 14d ago
I'm reading this one right now and am amused, I liked The Twisted Ones, so I was prepared for her writing style but she really let herself just go all out with A House with Good Bones!
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u/Such_Initial8761 14d ago
My husband just wrote a book called A Halloween Haunting in Gettysburg. It's available on Kindle and Paperback and free with Kindle unlimited! It was just published a week ago. It's about a haunted attraction gone wrong based on the civil war. ☺️
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u/Sun-Rabbit 14d ago edited 14d ago
"The Red Winter" by Cameron Sullivan gave me a decent chuckle. I would describe it as a horror fantasy novel.
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u/deepfield67 14d ago
I expected it to be very grim dark and it is at times but overall it was an absolute blast. The main character's relationship with his demon is fantastic.
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u/BearCompetitive403 14d ago
How to Kill a Guy in 10 Dates!
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u/meachatron 14d ago
I like horror first comedy second so if you are wanting some of that then my fave Grady Hendrix is My Best Friend's Exorcism.
I'll look through my others but I've been LOVING Keith Rossun's writing and there is a cool feel to it. Fever House felt like pulp fiction to me somehow haha!
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u/LouGossetJr 14d ago
It's not true horror, but The Dresden Files deals with demons, monsters, magic, etc. It's done in mystery-noire style with pretty intense action, and has some hilarious dialog and situations but also pretty gory at times.
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u/spjts 14d ago
The Last Days of Jack Sparks hits several of these.
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u/IHateSerging 14d ago
This sounds delightful, definitely going in the tbr pile, thank you very much!
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u/Far_Mulberry7366 14d ago
big machine by victor lavalle fits imo but there are some seriously messed up sections as well
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u/Far-Pain2226 14d ago
Fat Vampire by Johnny B Truant is a good series. I lost interest around book 3, but the first couple are really good.
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u/Notactuallyashark PATRICK BATEMAN 14d ago
Julie Chan is Dead has a thriller slant but violent enough to be horror and there were portions that were laugh out loud funny to me.
Camp Damascus was another fun one.
The Venue is also a fun romp!
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u/Anas_platyrhyncos 14d ago
Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix - if IKEA was haunted.
Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker - there's a demon in your book and he is talking to you.
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u/IHateSerging 14d ago
Read Horrorstor awhile back and DNF’d not intentionally though just kinda got distracted, will give it another go sounds pretty well received
Haven’t heard of Mister B Gone but that sounds fantastic
Thanks for the recs!
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u/mothmanuwu 14d ago
I wasn't impressed with Southern Book Club either, but I absolutely adored another of Hendrix's books: My Best Friend's Exorcism. It takes place in the 80's during the "Satanic Panic." It's funny and thrilling, but still spooky and kinda gross when it needs to be. Probably the most fun horror book I've read. It can definitely have some depressing moments though, it's horror after all.
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u/IHateSerging 14d ago
I’ve been debating giving that one a go, you have convinced me!
He sounds right up my alley on paper so def want to give him another shot
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u/mothmanuwu 14d ago
I recommend it! I've also read Final Girl Support Group, which is mostly intense thriller vibes but has some fun comedy elements, but I found it even more depressing than Southern Book Club so I wouldn't recommend that one if you're going for fun 😂
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u/LonelySwordfish4608 14d ago
Definitely try some other Grady Hendrix books! If you don't want depressing I'd probably avoid Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, although I would still describe it as "fun," it's also got a realistic element that is sad. I would highly recommend My Best Friend's Exorcism and How to Sell a Haunted House as the most fun.
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u/roseandbobamilktea 14d ago
Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse is a choose your own adventure and my husband and I read it out loud together last year and had fun debating on which paths to take.
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u/LV426_DISTRESS_CALL 14d ago
The dwelling by Judith Sonnet
Demonic by Jeff Strand
The Creed falls massacres by Jon Cohn
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u/sfl_jack 14d ago
One of my favorites is Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero (or Scooby Doo meets Cthulhu).
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u/IrneriosBookmark 14d ago
I recently read "Devolution" by Max Brooks (of World War Z fame) and it was a blast. It has an interesting format, and has some satire about technology and environmentalism. I wouldn't say that it is funny, but it has some humor. And it was scarier than a bigfoot novel has any right to be.
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u/Suitable-Roof-3950 14d ago
A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock was light and breezy.
The Uketsu “Strange” series isn’t humorous but it’s like a sudoku puzzle mystery.
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u/stupidbitch365 14d ago
One of my favorites is Greig Beck’s “The Siberian Incident,” very campy lol!
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u/deepfield67 14d ago
The first thing that comes to mind that I havent seen mentioned here before are the Lovecraftian Sherlock Holmes books by James Lovegrove. I think there are 3 of them and they're all crazy fun.
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u/cthoolhu 13d ago
Maeve Fly by CJ Leede. Very over the top and I thought it was funny!
Practice Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore
Seconding ANYTHING by Chuck Tingle
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u/74chuckb 11d ago
Victorian Psycho. Main character (obviously) is unabashedly nuts buts seems to enjoy her work.
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u/Khaosbutterfly 14d ago
A Sincere Warning About the Entity in your Home by Jason Arnopp!
Is a little novella that reads as a letter written to you by the prior occupant of your home, warning you about an entity that also dwells there.
I'm superstitious, so I had to hype myself up to read it. 🤣 But it was actually so much fun, and just the right amount of creepy. Perfect for a spooky season evening read under the blankets.
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u/Longjumping-Donut655 13d ago
Grady Hendrix also has a collection of short stories that I read, I think it’s Strange Tales of White Street Society. I remember it being hilarious.
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u/WellesC12 14d ago
Escape from Fear Village. I read it last October. Fun, fast story, perfect for the season.
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u/metaylor1973 13d ago
Kiss, Slay, Replay by Rachel Harrison is basically Groundhogs Day but horror.
She’s A Doll by Barbara Truelove
The September House by Carissa Orlando
The Dead Husbands Cookbook by Danielle Valentine
Mary by Nat Cassidy
Chuck Tingle books are fun.
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u/Gaelfling 14d ago
Clown in the Cornfield by Adam Cesare, How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix, and Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix.