top ten scariest book covers

Tuesday, October 29, 2013 |
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we all get to exercise our OCD tendencies and come up with bookish lists.  If you’d like to play along, check out this post.

top ten tuesday

I don’t do horror, either in book or film form.  But.  I have a weird thing about zombies – I’ll try them out.  And if there’s a little bit of humor involved (like in Zombies vs. Unicorns or Zombieland, for example), I’ll make an exception.  Still, I was surprised to see so many books I recognized on the ‘horror’ shelves over at Goodreads.  I guess I’ve been exposed to a lot of creepy books, even if I choose not to read them.  Yikes.

Top Ten Scariest Book Covers


1. The Black Spider by Jeremias Gotthelf, translated by Susan Bernofsky – I saw this cover in a publisher’s promotional email last week and was horrified to imagine that it will exist in hard copy form.  Stuff of nightmares.

2. Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #1: Professor Gargoyle by Charles Gilman – Okay, so it’s not run-away-screaming scary, but it’s pretty freaky.  Not a book I’d ever leave around, lest I scare myself when walking by.

3. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry – Arresting and alarming.  Also a really great book, but that cover!  Eeek.

4. The House of Dead Maids by Clare B. Dunkle – If you ever want to freak yourself out completely, do a Google image search for ‘black eyed children.’ 

5. Scowler by Daniel Kraus – I feel like I don’t even need to read the book, because I know already that it’d be too scary for me.


6. Execution (Escape from Furnace #5) by Alexander Gordon Smith – My brother loves this series, and while I was happy to give him books 1-3 for Christmas a couple of years ago, this cover gives me pause.  Extremely sinister things seem to be going on.

7. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith – There’s something spooky about certain small children anyway, and then when you mesh that with zombification…

8. Zom-B by Darren Shan – UGH get it away from me right now!

9. Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #4: Substitute Creature by Charles Gilman – Another entry in the Lovecraft Middle School series (is it cheating to put in two?).  That face is the kind of thing that gives me chills.

10. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey – Tell me I am not the only person who thinks that a bit of organic matter in a pickling jar isn’t freaky beyond belief?!  Or maybe I just have an overactive imagination.  Okay, turning away now.

Which one of these book covers is the scariest?

15 comments:

Tanya Patrice said...

SO many creepy covers!!! Love 'em because I'm morbid like that. My fave is probably The House of Dead Maids which got extra points for the awesome title.

Isa said...

Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #4: Substitute Creature freaks me out so much especially when I see it in videos and the faces keep changing. I really like the Dawn of the Dreadfuls cover, it's pretty cool.

Pages Unbound said...

Some of these are seriously creepy. I do NOT want to Google black eyed children. This one cover is scary enough for me!

Anonymous said...

You picked some seriously creepy covers. Some of them I'd just turn over so I wouldn't have to look at them.

My TTT

Amber (Books of Amber) said...

The House of Dead Maids is on my list as well. SO. CREEPY.

Shannon (Giraffe Days) said...

Ooh great covers! The House of Dead Maids totally creeps me out, and I love The Black Spider. I've got The Monstrumologist on my TBR - really must read that soon!

Shannon (Giraffe Days) said...

Ooh great covers! The House of Dead Maids totally creeps me out, and I love The Black Spider. I've got The Monstrumologist on my TBR - really must read that soon!

Tales of Whimsy said...

Oooooo #2 is a for sure. I can barely look at it.

Vilia said...

Dawn of the Dreadfuls takes the cake. Creepy small girl and blood. Bleh! Here's my TTT

Liviania said...

I'd add the cover for the treasury of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

Unknown said...

Substitu Creature creeps me out royally. It must be the eyes. haha.

My TTT: http://www.bookythoughtsandme.com/top-ten-books-to-read-for-halloween/

Doris @ OABR said...

Those soulless eyes in House of Maids give me the chills!

Here's Our List

Spiced Latte said...

I have Substitute teacher on my list too! I can't believe it's childrens book, that looks so creepy!

Great list!
My Top Ten List!

Cheryl said...

That cover for The House of Dead Maids is spooky, but I can't decide if it's worse than the Zom-B or Substitute Creature one.

kayerj said...

the covers alone have me scared :O Happy Halloween. kelley—the road goes ever ever on

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