Looking for New Folk Horror Books to Read? Or maybe you don’t know the first thing about Folk Horror? I’m here to reveal all and share some new titles in this subgenre!
Folk Horror Books
Folk horror is a genre I wasn’t that familiar with, but I’ve noticed that some of my favorite authors have started to incorporate it into their work.
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What is Folk Horror?
Folk horror centers around superstitions and folklore and typically includes ancient, secret rituals. Typically set in a remote or rural area, folk horror draws on our fears of isolation, the supernatural, and the malevolence of nature.
Folk Horror often finds inspiration in British, Scandinavian, and Slavic folklore. The subgenre grew in popularity during the 1960s-70s and has undergone a resurgence in recent years, with works that address modern anxieties and put a unique spin on current thriller and suspense subgenres, including vacation thrillers and police procedurals.
New Folk Horror Books to Read
The Reaping by Jessica Lourey – free on Kindle Unlimited
- Finnish folklore
- Creepy going-on in an isolated Northern Minnesota town
- A sanitorium/nursing home for killers
BCA agents Evangeline “Van” Reed and her sidekick, forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck, head to Northern Minnesota for a new case.
A recent homicide in the isolated town of Alku creepily mirrors the deaths of family in Alku twenty-five years earlier. An odd and unsettling place, Alku was settled by Finns whose source of income is a nursing home for murderers.
The Reaping really brings the folk horror creepiness with a lot of Finnish folklore, sinister children and more!
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
- A vacation thriller combined with folk horror
- A luxury resort opened in a hostile town
- A mysterious group called The Birds
- References Midsommar, a Swedish folk horror movie
Author Lucy Foley loves an isolated setting, whether that is a deserted island, a hunting lodge, or, in The Midnight Feast, a new luxury resort near a small town and a creepy forest.
Francesca Woodland is the doyenne of the Manor, a new luxury resort. But she also has a dark secret she’s keeping that is connected to a tragedy from her past.
Read my Spoiler Review of The Midnight Feast Here!
The Gathering by CJ Tudor
- An alt-history vampire story set in a remote Alaskan mining town
- A special investigator from Forensic Vampyr Anthropology Department arrives to investigate a grisly murder and any possible vampire involvement
- True Detective: Season Four meets True Blood
I don’t typically read vampire books either, but The Gathering was incredibly original and completely terrifying. With a fascinating group of characters, a unique setting, and a fun alt-history premise, this book kept me on the edge of my seat!
Drop all your folk horror recommendations in the comments!