List of horror fiction writers

This is a navigational list of notable writers who have published significant work in the horror fiction genre, who also have stand-alone articles on Wikipedia. All items must have a reference to demonstrate that they have produced significant work in the horror genre.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

A

• Ania Ahlborn ^[1]
• Jay Anson ^[2]
• Margaret Atwood ^[3] (born 1939, Canada)
• Dathan Auerbach ^{[3] [4]}
• Mona Awad ^[1]

B

• Iain Banks ^[4] (1954–2013, Scotland)
• L. A. Banks ^{[3] [2]}
• Tracey Baptiste ^[3]
• Clive Barker ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]} (born 1952, England)
• Laird Barron ^[3] (born 1970, US)
• Agustina Bazterrica ^{[4] [2] [1]}
• John Bellairs ^[3] (1938–1991, US)
• E. F. Benson ^[7] (1867–1940, England)
• Lauren Beukes ^[5]
• Ambrose Bierce ^[8] (1842 – c. 1914, US)
• Jerome Bixby ^[3] (1923–1998, US)
• Algernon Blackwood ^{[3] [6] [7]} (1869–1951, England)
• William Peter Blatty ^{[3] [4] [2] [9] [5]} (1928–2017, US)
• Robert Bloch ^[9] (1917–1994, US)
• Ray Bradbury ^{[3] [4] [2] [10] [5]} (1920–2012, US)
• Poppy Z. Brite ^{[3] [4]} (born 1967, US)
• Max Brooks ^{[3] [4] [5]}
• Christopher Buehlman ^{[3] [2]}
• Chesya Burke ^[3]
• Octavia E. Butler ^{[3] [4] [2]}

C

• Rachel Caine ^[2]
• Ramsey Campbell ^{[3] [6]} (born 1946, England)
• M. R. Carey ^[3]
• Emily Carroll ^[3]
• Angela Carter ^{[3] [2]}
• Robert W. Chambers ^{[3] [7]} (1865–1933, US)
• Stephen Chbosky ^[2]
• Joey Comeau ^[5]
• Justin Cronin ^[9]
• Nick Cutter ^{[3] [1]}

D

• Roald Dahl ^[2] (1916–1990, Wales/England)
• Mark Z. Danielewski ^{[3] [4] [5]}
• Walter de la Mare ^[7] (1873–1956, England)
• Joe Donnelly ^[4]
• Daphne du Maurier ^{[3] [2] [5]} (1907–1989, England)
• Tananarive Due ^[4] (born 1966, US)
• Lois Duncan ^[3]
• Katherine Dunn ^{[4] [2] [5]}
• Lord Dunsany ^[7] (1878–1957, England/Ireland)

E

• Bret Easton Ellis ^{[3] [4] [2] [5]} (born 1964, US)
• Harlan Ellison ^[3] (1934–2018, US)
• Guy Endore ^[3] (1901–1970, US)
• Mariana Enriquez ^{[3] [10] [11]}

F

• Gemma Files ^{[3] [4]} (born 1968, Canada)
• John Fowles ^[3]

G

• Neil Gaiman ^{[2] [10] [5]} (born 1960, England)
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman ^[3] (1860–1935, US)
• William Golding ^{[3] [2]}
• Sara Gran ^{[3] [4] [2]}
• Mira Grant ^[3] (born 1978, US)

H

• Elizabeth Hand ^[3]
• Thomas Harris ^{[9] [5]} (born 1940, US)
• Zakiya Dalila Harris ^[4]
• Rachel Harrison ^[4]
• Nathaniel Hawthorne ^[3] (1804–1864, US)
• Grady Hendrix ^{[2] [5]}
• James Herbert ^[6] (1943–2013, England)
• Thomas Olde Heuvelt ^[1]
• Joe Hill ^{[3] [9] [5] [1]}
• Matt Hill ^[12]
• Susan Hill ^{[3] [2] [5]}
• Jennifer Hillier ^[2]
• William Hope Hodgson ^[7] (1877–1918, England/Belgium)
• Nalo Hopkinson ^[3] (born 1960, Jamaica/Canada)
• Andrew Michael Hurley ^[1]
• Shaun Hutson ^[6] (born 1958, England)

I

• Junji Ito ^{[3] [10] [1]} (born 1963, Japan)

J

• Shirley Jackson ^{[3] [4] [2] [10] [11] [5] [1]} (1916–1965, US)
• W. W. Jacobs ^[3] (1863–1943, England)
• Henry James ^{[3] [11] [5] [1]} (1843–1916, US/England)
• Simone St. James ^[2]
• M. R. James ^{[6] [7]} (1862–1936, England)
• Daisy Johnson ^[11]
• Stephen Graham Jones ^{[4] [2]} (born 1972, US)

K

Stephen King

• Alma Katsu ^{[3] [4] [2]}
• Jack Ketchum ^{[3] [5]} (1946–2018, US)
• Cassandra Khaw ^[10]
• Caitlin R. Kiernan ^{[3] [4]}
• Stephen King ^{[3] [4] [2] [10] [9] [5] [1]} (born 1947, US)
• T. E. D. Klein ^[5] (born 1947, US)
• Kathe Koja ^[3] (born 1960, US)
• Dean R. Koontz ^[3] (born 1945, US)
• Daniel Kraus ^[3]
• R.F. Kuang ^[1]

L

• John Langan ^{[3] [4]} (born 1969, US)
• Joe R. Lansdale ^[3] (born 1951, US)
• Victor LaValle ^{[4] [11] [5] [3]} (born 1972, US)
• Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu ^[3]
• Ira Levin ^{[3] [5]} (1929–2007, US)
• Matthew Lewis ^[4]
• John Ajvide Lindqvist ^{[3] [4] [5] [1]} (born 1968, Sweden)
• Livia Llewellyn ^[3]
• H. P. Lovecraft ^{[3] [5] [1]} (1890–1937, US)
• Brian Lumley ^[1] (born 1937, England)

M

• Carmen Maria Machado ^[3]
• Arthur Machen ^{[3] [7]} (1863–1947, Wales)
• Josh Malerman ^{[3] [4] [2] [5] [1]}
• Robert Marasco ^{[3] [5]}
• William March ^[2]
• George R. R. Martin ^[4] (born 1948, US)
• Richard Matheson ^{[3] [4] [5]} (1926–2013, US)
• Robert R. McCammon ^{[5] [3]} (born 1952, US)
• Michael McDowell ^{[3] [5]}
• Jennifer McMahon ^[2]
• Sarah Monette ^[3]
• David Moody ^[6]
• Silvia Moreno-Garcia ^[2] (born 1981, Mexico)
• Toni Morrison ^{[3] [4] [2]} (1931–2019, US)
• Ottessa Moshfegh ^[2]
• Ryu Murakami ^[5]

N

• Adam Nevill ^{[4] [6]} (born 1969, England)

O

• Joyce Carol Oates ^[3] (born 1938, US)
• Ellen Oh ^[3]
• Helen Oyeyemi ^{[3] [2] [10]}

P

• Chuck Palahniuk ^[4] (born 1962, US)
• Michelle Paver ^[1]
• Tom Piccirilli ^[5]
• Edgar Allan Poe ^[3] (1809–1849, US)
• Laura Purcell ^[10]

R

• Ava Reid ^[2]
• Anne Rice ^{[3] [4] [5]} (1941–2021, US)
• Christina Georgina Rossetti ^[3]

S

Mary Shelley

• Riley Sager ^[2]
• Joan Samson ^[4] (1937–1976)
• Mary Shelley ^{[3] [4] [2] [5] [6]} (1797–1851, England)
• Lionel Shriver ^[2]
• Anne Rivers Siddons ^{[3] [4]} (1936–2019, US)
• Dan Simmons ^{[3] [4] [2] [5]} (born 1948, US)
• Scott Smith ^{[3] [2]}
• Clark Ashton Smith ^[7] (1893–1961, US)
• R. L. Stine ^[3] (born 1943, US)
• Bram Stoker ^{[3] [4] [2] [5] [1] [13]} (1847–1912, Ireland/England)
• Peter Straub ^{[3] [4] [2] [5]} (1943–2022, US)
• Whitley Strieber ^[3] (born 1945, US)
• Charles Stross ^[3]
• Koji Suzuki ^{[4] [2] [9] [5]}
• Søren Sveistrup ^[2]

T

• Sonya Taaffe ^[3]
• Michael Talbot ^[5]
• James Tiptree Jr. (pseudonym of Alice Bradley Sheldon) ^[3]
• Paul Tremblay ^{[3] [4] [5] [1]}
• Thomas Tryon ^{[3] [4] [2] [5] [1]}

W

• Sarai Walker ^[2]
• Catriona Ward ^[4]
• Sarah Waters ^[4]
• Edith Wharton ^[2] (1862–1937, US)
• Oscar Wilde ^{[10] [9]}
• Kai Ashante Wilson ^[3]
• David Wong (pseudonym of Jason Pargin) ^{[3] [5]}
• John Wyndham ^[2]

References

1. Kemsley, Saskia (2 October 2024). "Best horror novels that are must-reads, from classic spooky tales to modern scares". The Standard. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
2. Beabout, Leandra (3 October 2024). "61 Best Horror Books of All Time to Scare You Silly". Reader's Digest. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
3. Mayer, Petra (16 August 2018). "Click If You Dare: 100 Favorite Horror Stories". NPR. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
4. McRobert, Neil (9 May 2022). "The 50 Best Horror Books of All Time Will Scare You Sh*tless". Esquire. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
5. Foxe, Steve (30 August 2018). "The 50 Best Horror Novels of All Time". Paste Magazine.
6. WILSON, MICHAEL; MARSHALL-JONES, SIMON (23 April 2012). "10 English Authors That Helped Shape Horror Fiction". This Is Horror. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
7. Pridham, Matthew (6 January 2022). "10 Early 20th Century Authors of the Fantastic and the Ghastly: The Birth of the Weird". Archive Horrifica. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
8. Aycock, Anthony (18 March 2024). "The Weirdness of Ambrose Bierce: From "Owl Creek Bridge" to Horror and Satire". Reactor. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
9. Bergmoser, Gabriel (28 October 2020). "Top 10 horror novels". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 4 November 2024.
10. "13 best horror books that will send a chill up your spine". The Independent. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
11. Foley-Cox, Tess (30 October 2024). "Best horror books to read this Halloween". theweek. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
12. Clute, John (15 October 2023). "Hill, Mat". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction . Retrieved 19 February 2025.
13. O'Rourke, Evelyn (19 October 2024). "Long-lost Bram Stoker story discovered in Dublin". RTÉ.ie .

See also

• Lists of writers
  • List of fantasy authors
  • List of notable 20th-century writers
  • List of science fiction authors