10 Delightfully Chilling October Book Club Ideas for Fans of Twisted Tales

The Haunting of Hill House is the perfect October read. In it, a group of researchers stay in an allegedly haunted house, and definitively cross out “allegedly” from all future publications.

Not only does Jackson explore the house in the book, but she also delves into such topics as mental illness and grief.

Your book club could spend time discussing symbolism and atmosphere… or even just compare the book to the Netflix series (they’re a lot different!)

This book was only published recently, in January 2025, so there’s a good chance your readers won’t have encountered it before. It’s always fun to read a new book as a group!

This book details the events in the life of Elise Knight after the untimely passing of her fiance, and the lengths to which she finds herself willing to go to get him back.

Reviewers describe this debut novel as being “like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in all the best ways”, but with a focus on the power of music.

Like The Haunting of Hill House, this book delves into themes of grief and good and evil. It’s ideal for clubs who enjoy haunting, atmospheric reads with unexpected turns.

If you already know this year’s September/October will be a busy one for you, why not go with a chilling short story instead?

I Am Legend is a chilling story about a vampire apocalypse.

If you’ve seen the movie, that might be a surprise to you! But don’t worry. Seeing the movie will not have spoiled the very different ending to this story which is bound to keep you up at night.

This is another story which will warrant discussion of the differences between the book and the movie, as well as isolation and loneliness, science vs. superstition, and the perception of normalcy.

Note: if you’re interested in the vampire theme of the book but want a more, say, traditional version, check out these other vampire horror books.

Cackle is a darkly fun novel about Annie, who’s always played it safe, who meets Sophie, a mysterious woman who seems able to give her everything she wants.

My favorite character? A little spider named Ralph. (And I’m actually not a huge fan of spiders, believe it or not.)

There’s plenty to discuss here, from themes of female empowerment, self-discovery, and friendship vs. manipulation – because there’s definitely a lot of gray area to cover.

This one isn’t a purely horror novel, so if you have some in your book club who are a bit averse to scarier stories, this paranormal romance novel (one which would fit alongside books like Twilight) might be your best bet.

In it, young Jade discovers who she is while falling in love with two boys: one, the school rugby captain. The other? A Victorian ghost who she seeks to help.

It’s a fun read with lots of 80s nostalgia, and there’s plenty to discuss with themes like transformation, life and death, nostalgia (okay, this might just be fun and fluffy, not deep – but that’s cool, too), and the power of secrets and legacy.

I learned about this book when it first came out, and was intrigued by the dark fairytale retelling angle… but stayed for the immense FEELS it made me feel.

I didn’t expect to feel so encouraged and devastated by the events of this book, and I’ll never look at swans the same way again.

Needless to say, there’s plenty to discuss here: trauma, survival, choice, fate, identity, and second chances.

I highly recommend it, especially if you’re looking for an LGBT-forward read.

Now if your book club is a bit squeamish and unafraid of a little nonfiction, may I suggest a heartwarming story about an abused raven and his human friend?

This book is fascinating in its exposition of how damn smart ravens actually are. There are several parts that also made me laugh out loud because of the trouble Loki got himself into.

This is an excellent homage to, of course, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven. You could definitely read that short poem in addition to Raising Loki, which could provide an interesting contrast for discussion.

Even if not, there’s plenty to discuss here about bird science (just me? okay), prejudice, stereotypes, friendship, and redemption.

It’s beautiful.

Now, if your book club is open to non-fiction but isn’t so squeamish and wants a disgustingly fascinating read, Mary Roach is SO GOOD at writing about the interesting side of science. In Stiff, she approaches matters of death care and investigation with unprecedented levels of humor.

In all honesty, Roach is practically an autobuy author for me because I’ve loved everything I’ve ever read from her. Stiff was the first book I read by her!

There’s plenty to discuss in this book, from the utility of human bodies after death to the cultural and historical attitudes toward death, ethics and consent, and mortality in general.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an excellent example of a classic gothic horror novel, which makes it a great book club read for October.

Yes, some in your group will likely have read it before, but reading it again doesn’t hurt 🙂

Themes in this book consist of the good and evil sides of human nature, repression and morality (there’s a lot of subtext of homosexuality in the text), the dangers of unchecked science (your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could they never stopped to consider whether they should), and the idea of fixed or fluid identity.

Side note: if you ever get the chance to see the Jekyll and Hyde ballet production, DO IT. It’s terrifying and beautiful and mesmerizing. Highly recommend.

I’ve heard good things about the musical, too, but can’t speak from personal experience on that one.

This book had mixed reviews and I can see why. I was of two minds about the ending…

But the middle?

Other Mommy is one of the scariest book monsters of all time, IMO. My skin was crawling by like the third sentence into the book.

Then there’s a scene on the playground and with a bathroom which both had me staring at a wall… but like in a good way.

I also really like Josh Malerman’s books in general, and this is up there as one of my favorites.

Terrifying subject matter aside, there’s plenty to unpack here concerning the loss of innocence and childhood trauma, family dysfunction and emotional neglect, reality vs. imagination, and scary monsters as a metaphor for internal struggles.