Folk horror is a genre that has stood the test of time. Full of bleak, isolated landscapes, pagan-inspired rituals and strange occurrences, these stories are perfect to read in late fall as the days get shorter and the weather turns cold. If you love movies like The Wicker Man, Midsommar and The Witch, check out these nine terrifying reads.
The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister
The Haddesley family has always tended to the cranberry bog that sustains them. Every generation, they sacrifice their patriarch in exchange for a “bog-wife” to continue the family line. When the bog fails to uphold its end of the bargain, the siblings, each coping with grief and personal struggles, are divided over how to save their legacy. As tensions rise, long-buried secrets emerge, threatening to unravel both the family and the truth behind their generations-old pact.
The Bog Wife is a moody, atmospheric Appalachian Gothic that’s truly compelling and a great read for this time of year. It’s a perfect new example of folk horror. The rural setting, isolation and focus on the dark aspects of nature are all typical for the genre. There’s a slow-building unease, and even terror, that builds as strange things happen on the family’s land. Like Kay Chronister’s debut, this book is bleak, and it’s not for the faint of heart.
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The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson
Since her father’s death, Miranda Crabtree has survived by keeping a low profile. She transports contraband for a mad preacher and his diminishing band of followers in order to protect an old witch and a hidden child. But when the preacher issues an unthinkable demand, Miranda ends up on a treacherous path, pushing her to confront just how far she’ll go to protect those she loves from the dark forces lurking in the bayou.
Set along the rivers and bayous of Arkansas, The Boatman’s Daughter features plenty of folk horror hallmarks. Andy Davidson drops religious undertones and small-town prejudices into a fantastical yet gritty setting for a dark, unsettling read.
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline
Joan has been searching for her missing husband, Victor, for nearly a year when she finds herself a revival tent in a small town near Georgian Bay. There, she sees a man who looks exactly like Victor. He claims, however, that he’s a preacher named Reverend Wolff, with no memory of Joan and a new mission to save souls. With only the help of her eccentric nephew Zeus and a sharp-witted, foul-mouthed elder named Ajean, Joan sets out to uncover whether this enigmatic reverend is truly her husband and, if so, how to bring him back before it’s too late.
Cherie Dimaline’s debut novel draws on the traditional Métis story of the Rogarou, a werewolf-like creature that haunts the roads and woods. Empire of Wild highlights colonialism, religion and the environment while still keeping the tone of a suspenseful, supernatural fable.
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Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez
A grieving father and son embark on a road trip to the late mother’s ancestral home, only to uncover her dark legacy: a cult called the Order, obsessed with immortality. As the Order tries to claim Gaspar, the son, father and child flee, desperate to escape the powerful clan determined to secure its survival. But can they truly outrun fate, and how far will the father go to protect his son?
Our Share of Night is a hauntingly unique novel that weaves between London in the vibrant 1960s and Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship. While Mariana Enríquez explores family, the supernatural, and the enduring impact of love and longing, there’s plenty of horror present, too. Many parts feel like stepping into a nightmare, combining the brutality of Argentina’s actual history with the Order’s perverse rituals and cruelty.
Starling House by Alix Harrow
Eden, Kentucky, is a town plagued by bad luck and haunted by the legend of reclusive author E. Starling. When Opal receives a job offer at the infamous Starling House, she ignores its eerie history for the chance to get herself and her brother out of Eden. Soon, however, she and Arthur Starling, the house’s last heir, find themselves in a dangerous battle with sinister forces. They must confront the town’s buried secrets and their own fears to save their town and find a place to call home.
Starling House is what happens when you combine Gothic elements with folk horror, and Alix E. Harrow does this beautifully. She balances an eerie atmosphere with the chemistry between Opal and Arthur in a way that’s almost cozy, along with the fantastic, isolated setting that is Starling House and Eden.
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Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley
Richard and Juliette Willoughby’s lives are shattered when their young son, Ewan, dies suddenly. Their home on the moors, Starve Acre, was supposed to be a happy place, but now it’s haunted by loss. While Juliette seeks out a group of occultists to feel her son’s presence, Richard distracts himself by digging the barren field outside for a legendary oak tree. Yet, as they each deal with loss in their own way, they uncover unsettling truths that take them deeper into grief and mystery.
Andrew Michael Hurley is currently a star in the world of folk horror. Starve Acre is a story about grief and how easy it is to lose yourself in it. If you like the book, check out the 2023 film adaptation starring Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Four American Indian men are thrust into a desperate fight for survival when a haunting event from their youth resurfaces. Tracked by a relentless, vengeful entity, they find themselves ensnared by the cultural traditions they once left behind, now returning with violent force.
You’ll need a tough stomach to get through this one, for sure. The Only Good Indians is bloody, brutal and genuinely horrifying. Stephen Graham Jones blends classic horror with social commentary, and there’s an undercurrent of tension running through every page.
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Follow Me To Ground by Susan Rainsford
Ada and her father live on the village outskirts, needed and feared by the villagers. They wield the power to heal the sick by cracking open their bodies and burying them in the dangerous, reviving Ground. While Ada has never been interested in her patients, her life shifts when she meets Samson and starts an affair that disrupts both her father’s and Samson’s sister’s lives. Torn between tradition and a new future, Ada faces a choice that will alter Samson, the village, and the Ground itself.
While Follow Me to Ground reminds me a lot of The Bog Wife, it’s a completely unique and unexpected story. Sue Rainsford isn’t afraid to get weird or to leave questions unanswered. This is a dark, atmospheric read about the body and the nature of otherness that feels like a half-remembered folktale.
The Watchers by A.M. Shine
When Mina’s car breaks down at the edge of an uncharted forest, she’s forced into the dark woods. There, she finds a frantic woman who urges her to run to a bunker. As night falls, strange creatures known as the Watchers emerge, observing their human captives. Trapped with strangers and haunted by terrifying screams, Mina desperately seeks answers about the Watchers and, above all, how to escape their sinister grasp.
With elements of Irish folklore and a truly terrifying forest, The Watchers kicks off quickly, with a family on a drive through isolated woods that ends badly. A.M. Shine’s debut is a fast-paced, addicting horror novel perfect for anyone who enjoys atmospheric, tense survival stories. Plus, the sequel came out earlier this fall, so there are even more scares to check out.
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These nine books are just a few of the fantastic works of folk horror out there. Let us know what you think of them, and then list your favorites below.
All of these books are available to purchase from your local independent bookstore or Bookshop.org.
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