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Eric LaRocca's Favourite Chilling Reads

Posted on 5th October 2022 by Mark Skinner

Through a trio of stories that revel in both psychological terror and visceral body horror, Eric LaRocca's Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke is undeniably one of the most memorable and provocative collections of the year. In this exclusive piece, LaRocca recommends five novels that reach a similar pitch of horror as his own work - just in time for Halloween.

Please note: These novels (and LaRocca's own) are definitely not for the faint-hearted or easily offended.      

As cliché as it might sound for a horror author to divulge, October is my favorite month of the year. Not only is it the ideal month to observe New England’s superb foliage, but it’s also a time of year when people seem decidedly more unguarded and more unashamed to channel their most macabre fantasies. I find many people to be more fearless in expressing their true selves during the Halloween season than any other month of the year. That said, October is usually the perfect month to curl up by a roaring fire with a read that will quicken your pulse and curdle your blood. Here are some spectacularly frightening reads that are certain to terrify and disturb even the most desensitized reader.

The Cipher by Kathe Koja

Heralded by many as the debut novel that announced the remarkable arrival of a bold, new talent on the horror landscape, The Cipher is a classic of horror fiction that deftly couples body horror with cosmic horror and consequently creates something beguilingly unique in the afterbirth. When a young couple uncover a pitch-black hole in a storage room, they become utterly obsessed with their extraordinary discovery and essentially find their lives upturned. Koja’s prose is vivid and poetic, almost as dangerously alluring as “The Funhole” discovered by Nicholas and Nakota in the storage room. Koja’s horror masterpiece will shock and unsettle even the heartiest of readers.

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One of the most influential horror novels of the past forty years, Koja's blistering depiction of a group descent into depravity after the discovery of a pitch-black 'funhole' in a storage room is horrifyingly credible.
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Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

I had the honor of reading the original edition of Alison Rumfitt’s exceptional debut, Tell Me I’m Worthless, earlier this year and very few books have left me as bruised and stained as this particular novel. In fact, I think of this novel very often and it’s rare that I encounter a book that leaves me so indelibly marked. A story of rage, trauma, and the resilience of the queer spirit, Tell Me I’m Worthless is a haunting debut with such lyrical and evocative prose that will beguile all readers. I think the reason why I’ve been so drawn to this book since I first read it has to do with the fact that I’ve never read a genre-specific book with such complex, intricately detailed, and fully realized trans characters. Rumfitt’s characters are so textured and rich, it’s difficult not to be absorbed by them while you read. Tell Me I’m Worthless is a masterpiece of modern horror fiction and will chill even the most hardened reader.

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A multi-layered, extremely graphic horror novel that tackles themes of trans identity and the rise of fascism, Tell Me I'm Worthless traces the paths of three young women and the night in an abandoned house that has left them emotionally and physically scarred.
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Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite

Easily the most disturbing and transgressive of the books listed here, Exquisite Corpse chronicles the debauched escapades of convicted serial killer and necrophiliac, Andrew Compton. Told with a haunting lyricism and sumptuous descriptions of the most chilling depravity committed to the page, Brite’s novel is one of the most stunning and original works I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Some of the things described in this book will linger in a reader’s mind long after putting the book down. You have been warned.

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Shocking, transgressive and immensely gory, Brite's portayal of a chilling serial killer's exploits in London and New Orleans is certainly not for the faint-hearted but endures as a milestone of visceral horror.
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What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

A lush and exquisitely detailed reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead is one of the most startling and original pieces I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year. Although I initially fell in love with Kingfisher’s sumptuous prose early on in the novel, it was the wonderful inclusion of a non-binary retired Lieutenant hailing from the fictional country of Gallacia as our narrator that drew me further into the story. Not only are gender roles inverted in this beautiful retelling, but the chills and thrills are abundant in this fast-paced, hair-raising Gothic masterpiece. I can guarantee that after reading this book, you will not view rabbits nor mushrooms the same…

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A masterpiece of modern gothic writing, Kingfisher's bravura reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher sees a formidable ancestral home overrun by possessed wildlife and psychological terrors.
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I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

Most likely the most surreal and disorientating book on this list, author Iain Reid’s incomparable debut I’m Thinking of Ending Things is psychological horror at its most disquieting. The plot follows a young woman who has begun to have misgivings about her relationship with her current boyfriend. Despite her reservations, she decides to accompany him on a trip to visit his parents. From there, things begin to become quite strange and we, the reader, are left to piece together the strange fever dream that seems to be unfolding right before our eyes. Of course, many might be more familiar with the popular Netflix film based on the novel of the same title. However, Reid’s original source material endures as an utterly captivating and engrossing psychological chiller from start to finish. Evocative and devastating, I’m Thinking of Ending Things remains one of my favorite horror novels of all time.

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When a woman reluctantly agrees to visit the parents of her sinister current boyfriend, events take a terrifying, hallucinatory turn in this deeply disturbing slice of psychological horror.
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