This post is all about 19 body horror books or extreme horror books that will send shivers up your spine.
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Hello, ghosts and ghouls! Welcome to my little cozy corner of the web, Booked and Bewitched, where we chat about all things horror, gothic, mystery, and goblin-mode related!
This week we are talking about all things Body Horror Books related.
For those of us who don’t normally read this genre, I’ve done my best to give you a brief overview. Body horror defined- as a subgenre of horror that focuses on disturbing descriptions of horrors done to humans and or creatures. It also tends to focus on psychologically disturbing imagery to make you want to bleach your eyeballs.
So without further ado, let’s get into these Body Horror Books! And if you need more horror-themed entertainment choices. Go check out-
*25 Nintendo Switch Horror Games
Disturbing Body Horror Books
1. New body horror books 2023
So Basement of Horror is a splatterpunk horror anthology by some of the best authors in the genre. If you’ve been looking for a body horror 2023, these 13 stories are sure to give you the willies.
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From the creator of Splatterpunk Zine, thirteen stories of classic splatterpunk by some of the finest voices in modern indie horror. Dare you go down into the basement of horror?
Featuring: J.F. Gonzalez, Jeff Strand & Bridgett Nelson, Glenn Rolfe, Wile E. Young, Robert Essig, Patrick Lacey, Lucas Mangum, Brendan Vidito, Candace Nola, Scott Cole, Kristopher Rufty, Carver Pike and Brian Keene.
2. Triggering body horror books for adults
So, if you’ve been looking for a body horror book for adults, Kink by the Barnes Brothers might just be it. This one centers around a one-night stand and is full of all the triggers. Just be aware, you need to go into this one with caution.
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Trigger Warning: This book is messed up. Proceed with Caution.
Cassie knew exactly what she was looking for when she trawled the world of mobile dating to find the perfect man for an afternoon of rough, kinky, CNC fantasy. She only did this once a year, and this time it was going to be extra special. But, there was just one problem…
Rich thinks he’s hit the jackpot when he meets a hot older woman on a dating app. She’s gorgeous and all she wants is a hookup. One afternoon of no-strings-attached fun.
But is Rich man enough to tie her up and play the role of aggressor in her dark, twisted, and violent fantasy?
3. Supernatural body horror book
So Abel Kain, the author of The Devil’s Guide To Becoming A Billionaire, reached out to me, and asked me to give his book a read, it is free on Kindle Unlimited so I wasn’t gifted anything. This is a short read, nothing imposing which I enjoyed, I feel like many body horror books try and drag the story out too long. Overall I enjoyed it, I like the fresh take of the demon possessing the human telling us the story, and I’m still not sure how I feel about the money machine.
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“I guided his hand as we fused flesh and machine. A few fingers for counting… Tightened sinew to bone and iron for stability… And a soft wet tongue to carry the payload.”
Abel Kain’s short novella explores the dark, whimsical, and brutal world of a lowly delivery driver turned billionaire, told from the perspective of a demon living in his ear.
Laid out in five easy steps, The Devil’s GUIDE TO BECOMING A BILLIONAIRE reveals every inch of the process from Starting to The Art Of The Successful Exit — in a single day’s read.
At times satirical, and others brutally honest, Tiberius the demon has much to say about his trade.
4. Serial killer body horror book
So, Just One Bite by Jack Heath, not gonna lie, I saw the sex doll factor in the blurb and thought, oh this oughta be interesting. For someone who doesn’t read a ton of body horror books, my mind seems to have no problem conjuring up images. Maybe it’s all the true crime documentaries.
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There’s a serial killer in Houston, Texas, and Blake is running out of time to solve the case. His investigation takes him to a sex doll factory, a sprawling landfill in Louisiana, and a secret cabin in the woods.
As they hunt the killer together, FBI agent Reese Thistle starts to warm to Blake—but she also gets closer and closer to discovering his terrible secret.
Can Blake uncover the killer without being exposed himself?
5. Erotic body horror book
Ok, The Life Of Anna by Marissa Honeycutt is not for everyone. When you start putting genres like erotic and body horror together, things can get very triggering, really quick, for a lot of folks. With that being said, this is a Goodreads fan favorite and highly rated on Amazon. So if you feel brave, give this one a go.
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Anna’s entire life was planned out before she was born. Her entire purpose is to serve those in control and be the perfect tool to control everyone around them. One man will seek to take her unique gifts into himself and become both the source of power and the hand that wields it.
But Anna has a vision of a man. A man whom her Master is determined to discover and destroy. A man who will change Anna’s life forever.
The Life of Anna follows the naive and innocent Anna as she enters a dark world of greed, politics, and an evil puppet master who pulls the strings of her world. And beyond.
Readers be warned, for this journey is not for the faint of heart. You are about to venture into a world of dark plots, sinister villains, and deeply erotic taboo encounters.
6. Extreme body horror books
Need we go into much detail here? The title is Trigger Warning: Body Horror, the anthology. Don’t believe me, go read the author’s description of their work.
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Trigger Warning; a phrase that informs the reader that what they are about to read is going to be upsetting. Body Horror; torture, transformation, disfigurement. Prepare for the most upsetting, gruesome, and unwholesome stories dredged from the minds of today’s most promising horror writers. Stories, where flesh sloughs off into heaping piles, where tongues leak puss, lick at torn wounds in lust, stories where parasites are the least of anyone’s worries. Prepare for tales that made our editors sick and reviewers cringe, but as you read, remember: You’ve been warned.
7. Non-binary body horror books
So Blood and Bone is a body horror anthology that is written by non-binary women, with a focus on the horrors the female body can and has endured. I would give a word of caution to anyone who has survived abuse, this could be a very triggering read for you.
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Since the earliest creation myths, women’s bodies have been a site of conflict, venerated and feared in equal measure. In this collection, talented female and non-binary writers rip with twenty-two powerful, visceral body horror stories that explore, celebrate, and dissect (sometimes literally) femininity and the female experience. The stories traverse difficult and sometimes controversial ground, digging into subjects like eating disorders, the beauty industry, pregnancy, infertility, body dysmorphia, domestic violence, rape, and sexual abuse–all done with passion, humor, and creativity. Approach with an open mind and a strong stomach.
8. Most disturbing extreme horror books
If Stephen King thinks your book is amazing, then we all need to read it. Given your King fan anyway. Breed by Chase Novak is the modern-day twisted retelling of a Rosemary’s Baby kinda story and I can’t wait to read it.
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Alex and Leslie Twisden lead charmed lives-fabulous jobs, a luxurious townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and a passionate marriage. What they don’t have is a child, and as they try one infertility treatment after the next, yearning turns into obsession. As a last-ditch attempt to make their dream of parenthood come true, Alex and Leslie travel deep into Slovenia, where they submit to a painful and terrifying procedure that finally gives them what they so fervently desire . . . but with awful consequences.
9. Indigenous body horror book
So, Never Whistle At Night is an indigenous body horror novel that I can’t wait to read. The area that I was born and raised in, is rich in indigenous history, so this will only add to my horror tales from childhood. And make the heavily wooded area I call home all the more creepy at night.
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Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home.
10. Top extreme horror books
The Pram by Joe Hill is one of those books that you read and it gives you the heebie jeebies. Needless to say, this is a Goodreads fan favorite, an Amazon fan favorite, and a must-read for sure.
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Willy and Marianne’s farmhouse in Maine has acres of meadow and fresh air, and a lonesome bridle path in the forest along which Willy daydreams and ambles. When he’s loaned a decrepit old baby stroller to cart his groceries home, the rickety squeak of the wheels comforts him. So do the sweet coos of a baby Willy knows can’t be real. Can it? In this twisted thicket, wishes come true—with a price.
11. Sci-fi body horror books
So Hater by David Moody is one of those possible sci-fi body horror books slash zombie horror books. This one is set to become a film by the loved Guillermo del Toro. I think that alone gives us all a clue as to just how off the rails this read will be.
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REMAIN CALM DO NOT PANIC TAKE SHELTER WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS THE SITUATION IS UNDER CONTROL Society is rocked by a sudden increase in the number of violent assaults on individuals. Christened ‘Haters’ by the media, the attackers strike without warning, killing all who cross their path. The assaults are brutal, remorseless, and extreme: within seconds, normally rational, self-controlled people become frenzied, vicious killers. There are no apparent links as a hundred random attacks become a thousand, then hundreds of thousands. Everyone, irrespective of gender, age, race, or any other difference, has the potential to become a victim – or a Hater.
12. Disturbing books
So Girl Flesh by May Leitz is an extreme horror book that will have you questioning your inner strength and willpower. Not as brutal as May’s other work, but it still hits you where it counts.
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Two women, wholly enraptured in their professional lives, find themselves thrust into the Texas mesa with nowhere to go and no one to trust. Angie is a chronically timid, guilt-ridden internet writer lost in a life she didn’t choose. Caroline is an ironic, nihilistic musician, pleased to find herself away from her responsibilities. They face unknown dangers and vast darkness, lost in a place without comforts. Will they succumb to the elements or find strength in their bond enough to escape?
13. Extreme horror books of all time
The Hunger by Alma Katsu is for all of us who have a questionable enjoyment of the story behind horrible the Dhamer pass. And let’s be honest, Stephen King found this disturbing, and I don’t think there’s a whole lot that can bother that man at this point in his career. So this one is a must-read for sure.
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As members of the group begin to disappear, the survivors start to wonder if something is disturbing, and hungry, waiting for them in the mountains…and whether the evil that has unfolded around them may have been growing within them all along.
Effortlessly combining the supernatural and the historical, The Hunger is an eerie, thrilling look at the volatility of human nature, pushed to its breaking point.
14. Serial killer body horror
So In My Father’s Basement by T.J. Payne caught my attention because the killer is not only a serial killer but doesn’t start his spree until he’s in his 60s. Which isn’t all that common, so I’m excited to read this one and see where we go.
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Out of nowhere, a retired 60-year-old handyman goes on a murder spree, abducting healthy young people and torturing them with hand tools.
After he’s caught, a media fascination with The Handyman swells. People want to know why he snapped. They want to hear ALL the grisly details.
But he’ll only tell his gruesome story to one person– His estranged son.
15. YA body horror books
Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power is for all the Wilder Girls lovers out there. My YA body horror was then adult-themed, but it still deserves to be on our TBR lists.
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Ever since Margot was born, it’s been just her and her mother, struggling to get along. But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants a family. She wants a past. And she may have just found the answer: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Only, when Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for.
As soon as they see her face, everyone in town knows who Margot belongs to. It’s unmistakable–she’s a Nielsen. When a mysterious girl who could be Margot’s twin is pulled from a fire, Margot realizes that her mother left Phalene for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what’s still there?
The only thing Margot knows for sure is there’s poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she’s there, she might never escape.
16. Must-read classic body horror books
Off Season by Jack Ketchum is one of those body horror novels that the author didn’t even want out in the world cause he questioned how it would be received. Needless to say, if you’ve never read this, you have to give it a shot.
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A beautiful New York editor retreats to a lonely cabin on a hill in the quiet Maine beach town of Dead River, during off-season; awaiting her sister and friends. Nearby, a savage human family with a taste for flesh lurks in the darkening woods, watching, waiting for the moon to rise and night to fall.
17. Best body horror books
As a mother, Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder is a body horror novel that makes me very uneasy which is the entire point of this genre. You must give this one a read.
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One day, the mother was a mother, but then one night, she was quite suddenly something else…
18. Extreme horror story
So Deju Vu by the Warren Barns is not as gory as their other stories, but I don’t think that’s saying a whole lot. Needless to say, the cover art grabbed me and gave me the chills so I knew I had to add it to my TBR.
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JOAN lives a miserable solitary existence in a gloomy apartment building. She hates her boss, hates her job, and is desperately lonely after her ex-girlfriend cheated on her and ran away with her ex-best friend.
Every day she wakes on the sofa. Head throbbing, nauseous and sick, unsure even what day of the week it is.
Then the screams begin. Coming from somewhere inside the apartment building…
19. Best body horror books
Mine, the horror anthology is a must-read for anyone who’s ever felt that their body has taken over and you’re trapped inside it. All the stories in this goodie focus on the body and how it can turn against you in a heartbeat.
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Bodily transformation. Possession of the body. Forced disembodiment. A baby consumes its mother in utero. Unrealistic postpartum expectations turn deadly. A witch avenges the voiceless. These 16 original horror stories explore the ownership and control—or lack thereof—that we have over our bodies.
This post is all about 19 body horror books to make you want to crawl out of your skin and hide.
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