The Best Horror Movies Based On Books

Love a good scare? It doesn't have to be Halloween to enjoy a chilling horror title. Be warned—these horror audiobooks turned into horror movies will give you the scare of your life and leave you wanting more.

If you’re a horror genre fan, you’ve likely watched all the classic horror films and some eerie new releases. Audiobooks stand at the crossroads between books and movies, where you can enjoy thrilling horror novels and short stories with all the sound effects and acting talent of a Hollywood blockbuster. It doesn’t have to be Halloween for you to have a good scare. Whether it’s ghost stories or scary sci-fi tales that get you on the edge of your seat, we’ve gathered a list of the best horror movies based on books on Audible to add to your audio booklist.

The Good House

Written by: Tananarive Due

Narrated by: Robin Miles

Length: 21 hrs and 54 mins

Release date: 2004-07-09

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 161 ratings

The Good House is a stunning horror novel about ancient powers and modern retribution, set in a small Pacific Northwest town. When a young woman returns to her grandmother’s empty mansion, she is pitted against terrifying demonic forces that have been poisoning her family for generations. This thrilling title from award-winning writer Tananarive Due is brought to life in audio form by American actor Robin Miles. Fans of Stephen King’s works will love the depth of this eerie story and its slow-burning twists and turns. This strictly-adult horror tale contains plenty of mystery, romance and sex.”
The Bus on Thursday

A Novel

Written by: Shirley Barrett

Narrated by: Katherine Littrell

Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins

Release date: 2018-09-18

Language: English

3.5 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

Who says that a horror film or novel can’t be funny? Fans of dark humour will love The Bus on Thursday by Shirley Barrett, performed by Katherine Littrell. This unsettling but hilarious listen follows the story of Eleanor Mellett, who has had the worst of luck. After a bad breakup and lots of cancer treatment, Eleanor discovers Talbingo, a remote little town looking for a primary school teacher. The previous teacher vanished in the night, despite being the ‘most caring teacher ever.’ Eleanor lives alone in a remote cabin with no cell service, wondering why there are so many locks on the front door and who is knocking on it late at night. Will Eleanor get the fresh start she wanted, or is something more sinister at play?
The Ballad of Black Tom

Written by: Victor LaValle

Narrated by: Kevin R. Free

Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins

Release date: 2016-02-16

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 47 ratings

The Ballad of Black Tom is a novella about magic, horror and racism, all told from the perspective of a 20-year-old Black man living in New York City’s Harlem in the 1920s. As he works tirelessly to support his father, Charles Thomas Tester faces a number of terrifying threats and hardships. Along the way, he is confronted by horrific police brutality, violent racism, sinister gods and even a cult that worships Cthulhu. Kevin R. Free’s powerful narration brings the characters to life and builds all the tension needed to do this story justice. Fans of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Horror at Red Hook will love this deep and compelling listen.
The Witching Hour

Written by: Anne Rice

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Series: Lives of the Mayfair Witches, Book 1

Length: 50 hrs and 1 min

Release date: 2015-10-13

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 218 ratings

Set across differenteras and locations, The Witching Hour makes for a fascinating and gripping horror listen. From today’s New Orleans to Louis XIV’s France, this horror fantasy centers around the Mayfair Witches, who come from a long line of women (and men) cursed with witchcraft. For generations, these witches have been guided by a spirit called Lasher and tormented by family secrets. Kate Reading brings the first title of Anne Rice’s Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy to audio with her bewitching performance. Fans of witchcraft and magic stories won’t want to miss out on this haunting, spellbinding and romantic listen.
Final Girls

A Novel

Written by: Riley Sager

Narrated by: Erin Bennett, Hillary Huber

Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins

Release date: 2017-07-11

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 140 ratings

When discussing Final Girls, Stephen King said, “If you liked Gone Girl, you’ll like this.” His endorsement should be enough to convince you that Riley Sager’s hit thriller is a great horror title to hit play on. Ten years ago, six friends went on vacation. But only one of them made it out alive. In that instant, college student Quincy Carpenter became a member of a very exclusive club—a group of survivors the press dubbed “The Final Girls.” Now, Quincy is doing well, but her mind won’t let her recall the events of that night. What follows is a shocking psychological suspense story that will have you on the edge of your seat. What happened that night? And what happens when one of the “The Final Girls” shows up unexpectedly on Quincy’s doorstep?
Marina

Written by: Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Narrated by: Daniel Weyman

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Release date: 2014-07-22

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s haunting gothic mystery has been a cult classic in Spain. Marina is now an international bestseller. Daniel Weyman narrates the story of 15-year-old Oscar Drai, who meets the strange Marina while exploring an old quarter of Barcelona. Marina leads him to a cemetery. Together, they watch a macabre ritual on the last Sunday of each month. A woman shrouded in a black velvet cloak descends from her carriage to place a single rose on an unmarked grave. The pair decides to follow her. What follows is a thrilling tale of time travel, forgotten worlds and dark secrets. Marina is a must-listen title that will grip horror fans from start to finish.
My Best Friend's Exorcism

A Novel

Written by: Grady Hendrix

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Release date: 2016-05-17

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 379 ratings

Listeners are taken on a journey back to the 1980s with this thrilling tale of friendship and demonic possession. Grady Hendrix’s My Best Friend’s Exorcism follows the story of high school sophomores Abby and Gretchen. After a skinny dipping incident, Gretchen’s behaviour rings alarm bells, and weird things start happening. This upbeat horror audiobook is defined by high school drama, ’80s pop tunes, and nail-biting moments. Can the two best friends overcome the devil? Hit play on Emily Woo Zeller’s stellar audio performance to find out. In 2022, Amazon Studios released the movie adaptation of this horror-comedy title, with the same name.
Sawkill Girls

Written by: Claire Legrand

Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo

Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins

Release date: 2018-10-02

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

Fans of Victoria Schwab's works and Stranger Things will love this spine-tingling horror novel, brought to audio by the talented Lauren Ezzo. New York Times bestselling author Claire Legrand's Sawkill Girls follows the story of Marion, Zoey and Val. In this spellbinding horror title, the three teenage girls face off against an insidious monster that targets young women. Girls have been disappearing from the island of Sawkill Rock for decades, and kids share stories of the legend. No one dared to fight this larger-than-life menacing creature until now. Will the daring trio of Sawkill girls be able to work together to successfully put an end to this dreadful beast?
Brother

Written by: Ania Ahlborn

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins

Release date: 2015-10-13

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 52 ratings

Ania Ahlborn’s Brother takes listeners into the heart of Appalachia, where the Morrow family lives and keeps to themselves. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the police don’t knock on the Morrows’ door. This is a good thing, seeing what’s buried in the family’s backyard. But 19-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. He doesn’t take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees and dreams of seeing the world beyond West Virginia. He falls for Alice, a girl from a nearby town, but he’s haunted by his family’s past, particularly the disturbing deeds of his brother. You won’t want to pause this grim listen, narrated by Paul Boehmer, as the story of the Morrows unfolds.
The Chalk Man

Written by: C J Tudor

Narrated by: Andrew Scott, Asa Butterfield

Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins

Release date: 2018-01-11

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 70 ratings

This mystery horror story shows how seemingly unrelated events can have unexpected consequences. Now an adult, Eddie receives a chalk drawing of a figure that takes him back to his youth. Aside from the typical woes of growing up, Eddie experienced some shocking twists and turns in his childhood that he’ll never forget. He witnessed a brutal accident and found a body in the woods. It all links back to those creepy chalk figures. How will Eddie react, and where will this drawing take him? C. J. Tudor’s The Chalk Man has been praised by celebrated authors Stephen King, James Oswald and Fiona Barton. This tense and thrilling listen is narrated by Andrew Scott and Asa Butterfield.
The Haunting of Hill House

Written by: Shirley Jackson

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins

Release date: 2010-10-04

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 331 ratings

Given its typical horror story setting, complete with rusted gates and overgrown hedges, the derelict Hill House is a place anyone would avoid. Yet the house attracts the interest of four people–a scholar searching for serious evidence of ghosts, his lighthearted assistant, a homeless girl who is well acquainted with the paranormal and the future heir of the estate–with dramatically different intentions. As the four settle in, the house starts to reveal its supernatural powers. Bernadette Dunne performs this blood-chilling audio version of The Haunting of Hill House. This classic horror title has been adapted into a TV show series. The author, esteemed horror writer Shirley Jackson, has inspired the works of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman.
Mexican Gothic

Written by: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Narrated by: Frankie Corzo

Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

Release date: 2020-06-30

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 315 ratings

The celebrated Mexican-Canadian author Silvia Moreno-Garcia earns her rightful place on our list with Mexican Gothic. This Gothic fantasy makes for a creepy and compelling listen, narrated by Frankie Corzo. In Mexican Gothic, a young socialite discovers the haunting secrets of an exquisite old mansion in the Mexican countryside in the 1950s. Socialite Noemí Taboada receives a frantic letter from her cousin Catalina, begging to be rescued. What follows is a series of terrifying events, violence and total madness. Many dark and twisted secrets lurk behind the walls of this mansion. Will Noemí be able to save her beloved cousin and herself?
The Shining

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Campbell Scott

Series: The Shining, Book 1

Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins

Release date: 2012-08-07

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 1,400 ratings

Any list of the best horror audiobooks would be incomplete without a classic Stephen King novel. This classic title was first published in 1977 by the bestselling master of horror who is responsible for the horror novels that were adapted into iconic horror movies, Psycho and Carrie. The Shining centers around Jack, the new off-season caretaker at the Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies. Jack’s son, Danny, possesses supernatural powers that allow him to access the hotel’s horrific past. The same terror soon captures Jack, preying on his faults and crafting him into an unhinged, homicidal villain. While you may have seen Stanley Kubrick’s iconic film adaptation on the big screen, Stephen King’s original is significantly different from the version adapted for the screen, with fresh nightmares and a deeper family drama at its center.
Dracula [Audible Edition]

Written by: Bram Stoker

Narrated by: Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, Simon Vance, Katherine Kellgren, Susan Duerden, John Lee, Graeme Malcolm, Steven Crossley

Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins

Release date: 2012-02-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 1,282 ratings

Dracula is an award-winning full-cast adaptation of one of the best and most iconic horror stories of all time. This listen returns to Bram Stoker’s original storytelling structure: letters, diary entries, and ship logs. Eight talented narrators bring the characters to life. Nobleman and centuries-old vampire Count Dracula set sights on moving to England from Transylvania in search of new blood. This classic Gothic horror sees Count Dracula destroy innocent lives, leaving a trail of bodies behind him. This gruesome tale of life, death and good vs. evil will chill your blood as you enter the world of one of the most famous vampires.
The Turn of the Screw

Written by: Henry James

Narrated by: Emma Thompson, Richard Armitage - introduction

Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins

Release date: 2016-03-15

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 173 ratings

Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy winner Emma Thompson lends her talent to Henry James’s Gothic ghost tale, The Turn of the Screw. When a governess is hired to care for two children at a British country estate, she begins to sense an otherworldly presence around the grounds. Are they really ghosts she’s seeing? Or is something far more sinister at work? The Turn of the Screw is a stunning psychological thriller about life, death, evil and the unknown. Thompson is joined by much-loved fellow actor Richard Armitage, who performs the prologue. With performances from two incredible actors, it’s a title you won’t want to miss.
The Exorcist

A Novel

Written by: William Peter Blatty

Narrated by: William Peter Blatty, Eliana Shaskan

Series: The Exorcist, Book 1

Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins

Release date: 2011-10-04

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 251 ratings

William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist is one of the most iconic horror books of all time. The novel was first published in 1971 and, in 1974, adapted into the cult horror film of the same name, winning Blatty an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. This timeless, blood-chilling listen is centred around the demonic possession of 11-year-old Regan MacNeil, the daughter of a famous actress. Two priests step in and attempt to exorcize the demon. Whether you’ve read the novel, watched the film, or are totally new to The Exorcist, this audiobook about faith and demonic possession will shock you.
Bird Box

A Novel

Written by: Josh Malerman

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Series: Bird Box, Book 1

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Release date: 2014-05-13

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 157 ratings

Josh Malerman’s postapocalyptic novel Bird Box was transformed into a Netflix original film starring Sandra Bullock, which became massively popular in December 2018. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows who or what is responsible or where it came from. Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors, including Malorie Hayes and her two young children, remain. Living in an abandoned house near the river, Malorie dreams of fleeing to a place where her family might be safe. But the journey ahead will be terrifying—20 miles downriver in a rowboat blindfolded with nothing to rely on but Malorie’s wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice, one tiny glance, and they will die. And something is following them. Is it a human, animal or monster? Cassandra Campbell brings this chilling horror-thriller to life.
The Birds

Retro Audio

Written by: Daphne du Maurier

Narrated by: Herbert Marshall

Length: 52 mins

Release date: 2008-12-18

Language: English

1 out of 5 stars 1 rating

If you’ve watched the iconic Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds, which came out in 1963, you’ll want to hear the unforgettable story it’s based on. Daphne du Maurier came up with the idea for this horror thriller when she was walking from her house to a farm. She saw a farmer plowing a field while the seagulls were diving and wheeling above him. She developed an idea about the birds becoming hostile and attacking him. The birds become aggressive after a harsh winter with little food in this audiobook. First, the seagulls, then birds of prey, and finally, even small birds all turn against people. It appealed to Alfred Hitchcock, and he turned it into a cult film.
Cujo

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Lorna Raver

Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins

Release date: 2016-01-01

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 146 ratings

Cujo is a 1983 American horror film based on Stephen King's 1981 novel of the same name and directed by Lewis Teague. Cujo was first published in 1981 and brought to life by American actress Lorna Raver. This suspenseful title follows the story of Brett Camber and his friendly Saint Bernard dog. In this case, Cujo is truly a man’s best friend. That is until, one day, Cujo chases a rabbit into a cave and gets bitten by a sick bat. What happens to Cujo, how he becomes a horrifying creature drawing in all the people around him, makes for a thrilling, heart-stopping listen.

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