My first experience with fantasy horror as a child was through the book and movie versions of Coraline. It quickly became a classic, beloved not just during Halloween but throughout the year. However, in light of recent events, many of us are seeking alternatives that still explore the possibility of a darker world close at hand.
Beyond provoking terror, Coraline sparked a childhood sense of adventure—something that many of us have been looking for ever since. Fortunately, you've come to the right place. In this list, deception runs rampant; if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
But don’t turn back down, you’re almost through the tunnel. A dazzling, sparkling world of fiction awaits, where anything is possible—for a price…
The Cemetery Boys
After paying off his mother’s extensive medical bills, Stephen knows it’s pointless to argue with his father when he decides they are moving. But that doesn’t mean Stephen has to enjoy living with his grandmother in the middle of nowhere.
When he meets punk girl Cara and her magnetic twin brother, it seems that Stephen’s summer is finally looking up. Soon, though, endless nights of fun spent in the cemetery take a sinister turn, and it becomes clear that there is more to Devon than meets the surface.
Ormeshadow
In the winner of the 2019 Shirley Jackson Novella Award, a young man and his family must move to a family farm. Gideon Belman holds deep resentment towards his father, whose failures that have led him to this desolate place, where it is said a sleeping dragon dreams below.
To escape from his house, Gideon finds refuge in the land, only to discover the history that has been passed on through generations. A wisdom has been buried deep within the soil, and it falls to him to uphold it.
A Monster Calls
Ever since Conor’s mother became sick, and the treatments seemed to stop working, he’s had the same dream every night. But tonight is different—it’s real. An ancient being has appeared at Conor's window, seeking dangerous answers, and above all, the truth.
This tale, from twice Carnegie Medal-winning author Patrick Ness, is a journey that is equal parts heartbreaking and adventurous, following a child who must have the courage to make the right decision, much like the young protagonist in Coraline.
Piranesi
Piranesi has grown used to his house of endless corridors and rooms—he is not afraid. In fact, it is his life’s purpose to make sense of the labyrinth, its various waves and patterns.
Twice a week, a man called The Other, the only other person in the home, visits Piranesi and asks for help with his research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But, over time, Piranesi learns they are not the only ones within the buildings' endless walls, and that he doesn’t know nearly as much as he once thought about his world.
The Thief of Always
Harvey is an intelligent 10-year-old boy who has grown tired of his ordinary life. One day, a creature takes him to a world where all days are fun and bright, and Christmas arrives every night.
But, much like Coraline in the Other World, Harvey’s fantasy world will reveal itself as his greatest nightmare…
Small Spaces
A spine-tingling ghost story that is sure to raise hairs around the campfire, Small Spaces begins with 11-year-old book lover Ollie, recovering a volume from a river that a woman has tossed. She reads a chilling story, only to discover the next day, during her school field trip to Smoke Hollow, that the names of the very characters she’s been reading about now line the gravestones.
The terrifying coincidences don’t end there. On the ride home, the bus breaks down, and the driver delivers a message: “Best get moving. At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you.” With that, Ollie and her friends set off into the night in a race against time—or risk being held prisoner in a sinister world!
Featured image: Focus Features
