When I was writing the Third Edition of the Readers' Advisory Guide to Horror, I originally had over 20 annotated choices per subgenre appearing in chapter 4-13. However, for word count sake, I had to reduce each lists to a well packaged dozen. Obviously making the cuts was hard, but I was able to include the tittles of those deleted annotations in an appendix at the end of the book with a promise that the annotations would run here on the blog.
And that promise begins today. Each list will be posted on the blog over a series of 10 weeks, every Tuesday, beginning June 1, 2021 and running through August 3, 2021. This weekly series will serve to promote the book's upcoming release in August of 2021, but I have also created an archive of all of the lists that will live here. That page is the official index of this bonus content.
In the book, my top three choices in each list are marked to denote Becky's Picks. I will also do that in these lists to give you a place to begin as you suggest. Just like the titles in the print book, every title appearing here is a great options for all public libraries. You can use these lists for collection development, displays, lists, and suggestions. Each subgenre has an essay discussing its history and appeal in the book which you can order here.
Chapter 10: Satan and Demonic Possession
[+] Denotes Becky’s Picks
Editor's Note: This list is all male. I know this. It is because the women are in the print book. When I made the lists for the book, I made sure all lists were diverse and inclusive. In this subgenre that meant the men got the ax.
Arnopp, Jason. The Last Days of Jack Sparks. 2016
First things first, Jack Sparks is dead. He died while writing a book about the paranormal, a book is part of this novel. But how and why? Opening with an unsettling exorcism, one Sparks goes on to mock on Twitter and spiralling into a tale that mixes all out terror, black humor, a found footage frame, and the possession trope, readers will hate Sparks more with each turn of the page, even as they fear for him and themselves. Arnopp further enhances the unease of the written words as he plays with format and page layout. A satisfying Horror tale with just enough intricacy to the plot to keep it fresh and compelling. It will also scare some readers right out of their social media accounts.
Danielewski, Mark Z. House of Leaves. 2000
With its book within a book frame, House of Leaves tells the story of a home under the control of the Devil through the manuscript that its former inhabitants left behind. This is a creepy, thrilling, and intelligent novel. The apprehension and unease are bolstered by the book’s odd construction: footnotes, askew text, pages with only a word or two. There are real demons here too, but the ones Danielewski puts in your mind as you read are what is going to make you keep the lights on.
Dekker, Ted. Adam. 2008
FBI agent Daniel Clark is obsessed with catching the serial killer known as Eve. When she kills Clark and he is resuscitated after 20 minutes, his life turns upside down. Clark is battered physically and mentally from his ordeal, fighting for his life, to stop Eve, and for his very soul. Combining a menacing tone with violence, intense suspense, and a fast pace, is a solidly disturbing and chilling story. Adam is also a Christian fiction, Possession Horror tale, a frame that used to dominate this subgenre. While it is being overtaken by other frames here, it is important to remember it is still popular and Dekker is the most consistent Christian Horror writer right now.
Ennis, Garth. Preacher. Begins 1995
In this long running and popular graphic novel series, a former con man returns home to take over his father’s church, but not before being possessed by a powerful entity of cryptic origin and agenda. Joining with his unconventional friends, he then begins a quest to find God in an evil world. This is a character driven, action packed story, that sustains the bleak, violent and gritty atmosphere with both words and pictures. While the original graphic novel series ran from the late 90s to the early 2000s, the series saw renewed interest when it was made into a popular 4 season TV series in 2016.
+Janz, Jonathan. Exorcist Falls. 2017
Merging the demonic possession trope with a fast paced serial killer thriller, Janz introduces readers to a Chicago held hostage by a vicious serial killer who is targeting 16 year old girls. A young priest, Jason Crowder, is called to the home of a parishioner who is clearly possessed but also knows way too much about the murders, and in the struggle for his soul, the demon enters the priest. The intense first person narration by Crowder enhances both readers’ sympathy for him and their sheer terror at seeing what the devil is capable of. This is a bloody and violent novel that will appeal to a variety of genre readers.
Keene, Brian. City of the Dead. 2005
The king of the zombie novel imagines what would happen if the dead not only rise but do so at the behest of demons who are angry at God. This possessed zombie army, consisting mostly of animals, traps a handful of survivors in a well stocked skyscraper and relentlessly assaults them. Keene switches the point of view among the interesting and complex survivors without losing sight of the awful bloodshed going on outside.
+Kirkman, Robert. Outcast. 2016
Kyle Barnes has a gift for pulling demons out of possessed bodies, but this gift has had negative effects on his life. When a young boy’s soul is overtaken by a violent demon, a Reverend enlists Kyle to help. But along the way, Kyle is forced to come to terms with exactly why demons are so drawn to him. Kirkman proves he is not a one hit wonder with a compelling and original story, an intriguing if flawed hero, and a terrifying and violent story. The plot driven, fast paced tale is further supported by dark, detailed illustrations.
Miura, Kentaro. Berserk. Begins 1990
In this long running, Horror-Dark Fantasy series, swordsman Guts is out for revenge carries The Brand, a symbol that dooms him to a life besieged by demons. The series follows, in graphic detail, Guts’ quest to destroy the demon ruler. His adventures lead him to battle a variety of monsters, bring danger to all who surround him wherever he goes. His sprite sidekick adds humor, empathy, and magical help to the antihero and allows for breaks in the graphic violence and battle sequences. Widely considered among the best manga series of all time, Berserk is a huge series centered around its hero and intricate world-building that shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. [Editors note: Miura died suddenly in 2021. There is no word on the fate of the series as of today's post.]
Pyper, Andrew. The Demonologist. 2013
English Professor David Ullman has made a career out of studying the demons in Milton’s Paradise Lost, never believing they were more than metaphors and products of the human brain. However, a work invitation to Venice, a trip he brings his daughter on for fun, begins to unravel everything David thought he knew about his life, the world, and demons. Told with both Thriller and Horror tropes, this is a fast paced, atmospheric tale with a demonic frame that makes for wide appeal.
+Russell, Daniel, I. Entertaining Demons. 2017
Splatter Punk meets satire this bloody, frightening battle of demons vs reality TV. Molly, the newest star of the popular reality TV show, “PI: Paranormal Investigations,” is not staging her paranormal experiences for the camera, she is the victim of a very evil demon, one that has managed to survive through millennia. An alternating view point between the protagonists and the demons, who are descending upon Molly and her entire town, this is an action packed story of sympathetic characters up against a powerful moral evil, but it is also a darkly humorous satire on modern life. This is an example of the recent resurgence of Extreme Horror that you can safely add to your collections.
