Are you a voracious reader who loves books that make your heart race and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up? If so, you have probably wondered to yourself, “where can I read free horror books online?” Luckily, there are plenty of sites where you can read a horror book for free. Here are three sites where you can read free horror books online, as well as some recommendations.
Project Gutenberg is the oldest digital library and has over 60,000 books to choose from. All you need to do is select “Search and Browse” from the dropdown menu at the top and search for “horror”. Then you’ll get a list of horror books sorted by popularity. You can read each book in your browser or download an epub or Kindle file.
Here are some of the horror books you can read for free on Project Gutenberg:
Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
Victor Frankenstein is determined to create intelligent life. But when his creature comes to life, he realizes he has made a monster. The monster is abandoned by his master and shunned by everyone who sees him. The monster sets out to destroy his maker and all that he holds dear.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to aid Count Dracula in purchasing a London house and makes terrifying discoveries about his client and his castle. Soon after, several disturbing incidents occur in England—an unmanned ship is wrecked at Whitby, puncture marks appear suddenly on a woman’s neck, and an inmate in a lunatic asylum raves about the imminent arrival of his “Master”.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Young and naïve scientist Henry Jekyll works to unlock the secrets of the soul. He tests chemicals in his lab in order to make a mixture that he hopes will isolate and eliminate human evil. But when he drinks the mixture, it unleashes dark forces within him and transforms him into the terrible and murderous Mr. Hyde.
Like Project Gutenberg, ManyBooks is an e-library that offers many public domain novels. There are also works by indie authors. The site has a very aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use interface. All you need to do to find horror books is select “Horror” from the site’s main page. Next, you’ll see a list of horror books sorted by popularity. You can download each book or read online.
Here are some of the horror books you can read for free on ManyBooks:
The Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft
Three independent narratives are linked together by a narrator finding notes left by a dead relative. The narrator must piece together the whole truth and the disturbing significance of the information he possesses.
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
Griffin is a scientist who theorizes that if a person’s refractive index is changed to exactly that of air and his body does not absorb or reflect light, then he will be invisible. He successfully carries out this procedure on himself, but as a result, begins to become mentally unstable.
Fosgate’s Game by David C. Cassidy
Every week Englishman Chadwick Harlow has drinks with his business partner. But when casual conversation takes a menacing turn into the supernatural, Chadwick’s wits are put to the test in a deadly challenge. Clinging to life but praying for death, he must summon the will to survive before he falls prey to a terrifying descent into madness.
Open Library is more like a traditional library than the other e-libraries on this list. You are only able to borrow titles for a limited time. But this site has a wide selection of contemporary books. The book you want might not be available, but you have a good shot at finding any book you want to read in the Open Library. Just search for the horror book you want to read in the search field on the main page.
Here are some of the horror books you can read for free in the Open Library:
The Shining by Stephen King
This novel centers on Jack Torrance, a struggling writer and recovering alcoholic who accepts a position as the off-season caretaker of the historic Overlook Hotel. His family accompanies him, including his young son Danny who possesses a “shining”—an array of psychic abilities that allow him to see the hotel’s horrific past. After a winter storm leaves the family snowbound, the supernatural forces of the hotel influence Jack’s sanity, putting his wife and son in grave danger.
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
This book tells the story of Louis’ mortal and immortal life. He recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life. Wanting to comfort lost young child Claudia, he makes her into a vampire. The hatred they both have for Lestat sends them halfway across the world to seek others of their kind. They eventually find them but don’t find the answers they were looking for, and instead discover dangers they scarcely imagined.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
The carnival rolls into town when best friends Jim Nightshade and William Halloway are 13 years old. They encounter several menacing figures in the carnival, including the carnival’s leader, the mysterious “Mr. Dark”. Mr. Dark seems able to grant the townspeople their deepest desires but in truth, these wishes have a price that will wreak havoc on this small Midwestern town.
Author’s Bio: Jillian Karger was born in Ohio but has lived in and around New York City for over a decade. Since graduating from NYU in 2009, Jillian has had a long string of jobs doing things like scouting books to be adapted for film and researching trivia questions for “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”.
She has done freelance writing as well for sites like Cracked.com and had her Twitter jokes featured on BuzzFeed and funnyordie.com. Jillian has also self-published two novels on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Jillian-Karger/e/B07B894DNW).
Follow her blog posts about books and writing advice, read books and publish them for free at: https://www.fictionate.me.
