We’ve received brilliant book recommendations in the past from Cambridge and Somerville librarians and booksellers. Over the course of spooky October we consulted the staff of ManRay – the Cambridge nightclub known for Karaoke Noir events and theme nights such as Fantasy Factory and Crypt Wednesdays – for some of their favorite dark and scary reads. We’ve included lightly edited blurbs from publishers to explain each title.
“Mexican Gothic” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A young woman gets a mysterious letter from her cousin warning that her husband is going to kill her. She travels to their family house in the Mexican countryside, where darker family histories are unearthed.
ManRay’s take: “A great starter book if you’re not already into the thriller genre. It’s not spicy, but it is disturbing.”
“The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson
A bona fide horror classic and haunted-house story blueprint in which horrors begin as merely strange and unnatural and slowly consume the visitors who dare to step inside: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar; Theodora, his assistant; Luke, the future inheritor of the estate; and Eleanor, a lonely woman with a dark past.
ManRay’s take: “Considered an LGBTQ-friendly read, since it contains queer themes, this quick read is scary enough to curl your black-painted toes.”
“I’m Thinking of Ending Things” by Iain Reid
A disturbing psychological thriller that warps readers’ expectations the further they travel through it. A young woman in doubt about her relationship accompanies her boyfriend on a visit to his parents’ home, but a seemingly straightforward trip becomes mind-bending and terrifying.
ManRay’s take: “A nightmare road trip that is so bizarre, engaging and twisted you won’t be able to find your way back home.”
“Sweetpea” by C.J. Skuse
Rhiannon is an editorial assistant with a seemingly normal life who harbors a dark secret: a kill list. “Sweetpea” blends thriller and comedy with a first-person perspective and an absolutely unforgettable protagonist.
ManRay’s take: “Do you like serial killers? Do you like them to be darkly comedic and outrageous? We do.”
“Pet Sematary” by Stephen King
One of King’s scariest novels follows a family in rural Maine who discovers that, as the saying goes, sometimes dead is better – particularly when it comes to family pets and the burial ground near their home.
ManRay’s take: “A resurrected child. A cursed burial ground. An ancient wendigo. Want to borrow our night-light?”
“The Bell Witch: An American Haunting” by Brent Monahan
A chilling blend of fiction and nonfiction about a Tennessee haunting – the only documented case in U.S. history of a spirit causing a person’s death.
ManRay’s take: “Whether this is a true story or not is up for debate. How scary Old Kate is, is not! This documented haunting (since 1817) is dead scary.”
A stronger
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