The Horror Movie Book Tag

It’s been many many (many) moons since I did a book tag post, but I saw this one on Louise’s blog Monstrumology and could not resist. This tag was originally created by Royal Reader. As you probably already know, I love horror movies, so this tag feels perfect for me. I am going to tweak it a little. This tag calls for book recommendations, but I am also going to recommend horror movies/shows as well. Hope your October is full of many delicious and fearful surprises so far. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

Zombie apocalypse: a book you would save when civilization ends

I considered a lot of books for this prompt, but one I kept going back to was Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore. After rereading their novels a couple of years ago, I’ve come to conclusion that this is their best work. It’s one of the most beautiful novels I’ve ever read.

Bonus Horror Movie Recommendation: The best zombie movie is Train to Busan. If you love edge-of-your-seat action and emotional stories, this one needs to be on your watchlist!

Vampire: a book you would stake through the heart

I have never read a book that I hate more than Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush. It’s literally been ten years since I read it and I still remember how angry it made me. I am still bitter that I spent money on it. Sexual harassment is not sexual tension and I am really mad this book pretended it was.

Bonus Horror Movie Recommendation: I had so much fun watching Vampires vs. the Bronx. It has such a nostalgic feel to it and I’d recommend it to anyone who isn’t too into scary horror.

Haunted house: a book that still haunts you

Tiffany D. Jackson never fails to mess with my head, but out of all her novels, Allegedly has stuck with me the most. From time to time I just sit there thinking about it for a while. It’s one of my all-time favorite debut novels.

Bonus Horror Show Recommendation: By far my favorite haunted house show is The Haunting of Hill House. I’ve seen it all the way through I think four times. The tension is just so good, the anticipation of the scares was so intense that I sometimes had to take breaks while watching it for the first time.

Psychological thriller: a book with a twist you did not see coming

There is no way that I could have possibly seen the twist in Bethany C. Morrow’s Cherish Farrah. It is all so disturbing, I couldn’t even write a proper review of it. Deeply, deeply messed up.

Bonus Horror Movie Recommendation: I can’t imagine there are many people who haven’t seen Get Out, but if you haven’t, let this be the final sign you need to watch it. I could probably talk about this movie for hours. It’s also a really good movie to rewatch and see what you missed.

Creepy doll: a book that seems innocent but isn’t

So I wouldn’t exactly say Claribel A. Ortega’s Witchlings lacks innocence, but I think looking at it a lot of people mistake it for a lighthearted middle grade fantasy. Witchlings tackles grief, child abuse, and discrimination. It’s still a fun read, but it has many layers to it as well.

Bonus Horror Movie Recommendation: The number one creepy doll on my list is Chucky. I remember being terrified of Child’s Play as a kid and I even had this doll that resembled Chucky. I chucked that thing in the garage, but I can’t remember whatever happened to it. Maybe it’s still out there, waiting for me.

Monster: a book you could barely tackle/defeat

The way Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell almost defeated me. This is the longest book I’ve ever read at 1,006 pages. I literally stopped reading in the middle and read something else because it was so long. I don’t think I will ever be able to tackle a book of this length again.

Bonus Horror Movie Recommendation: I don’t think I watch enough monster horror movies, but one I really enjoyed is The Descent. The movie made me feel all sorts of claustrophobic.

Comedy-horror: a book with mixed genres that worked (or didn’t)

This was a difficult question. I don’t think I read a lot of mixed genre novels, but the one that did come to mind was Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark. It’s part horror, part alternate-history, and part fantasy. I’ve never read anything like it.

Bonus Horror Show Recommendation: Comedy-horror is always so underrated. I think a lot of people expect horror to always be scary, but sometimes it can be a lot of fun. One of my favorite shows is What We Do in the Shadows. I am a bit behind on it, but it always makes me laugh.

(cliched) Teen horror: a book you found super cliched/stereotyped

I was not a fan of Kami Garcia’s The Lovely Reckless. I don’t remember much, but I do remember how deeply cliché it was. It was such a disappointing read.

Bonus Horror Movie Recommendation: I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed the Fear Street trilogy. It’s so bloody and fun.

Demonic possession: a book so gripping you needed an exorcist to escape it

I could have gone with so many books for this prompt, but I am picking Rebecca Roanhorse’s Trail of Lightning for the simple fact that even though we have no idea if or when we will get a final book in this series, I continue to think about it and am wishing so hard for more.

Bonus Horror Movie Recommendation: The Conjuring is one of my all-time favorite movies and one that is always at the top of my recommendation lists. This one is packed with scares that will keep you up at night.

Science fiction: a precious book you would permanently sacrifice to aliens for the good of mankind

This question hurts me so much. You want me to pick a precious book to be lost forever? The cruelty! I guess I would have to pick Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I’ve held this one close to my heart since I was a teen and it would pain me a lot to give it up. But is mankind really worth it? I’m half-joking…

Bonus Horror Movie Recommendation: I really enjoy the whole Predator franchise. These movies and the Alien movies are at the top of my favorite horror sci-fi list. Getting a prequel like Prey was such a delight. It was a refreshing take on the Predator and definitely one worthy of many rewatches.

Which horror movies would you recommend me? Feel free to consider yourself tagged if you are interested in doing this one!

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