Looking for an infection of diversity for your Halloween TBR? Search no more I’m sharing a mix of new and backlist BIPOC Horror books that will haunt your mind with every turn of the page.
New 2025 BIPOC Horror Book Releases
Interested in launching your Halloween read-a-thon with something new? These new horror releases of 2025 will satisfy your craving for diversity.
A personal favorite is Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan. Featured in July’s Aardvark book box selection this novel is perfect for fans of Gothic, folkloric horror with a splash of magical realism. It explores generational trauma, the injustice of how missing Black and Brown women is often overlooked, and how the complicity of men continues the cycle of violence and abuse against women.
When it comes to dark, Gothic horror rife with pining and yearning as a young woman is possessed by an evil spirt The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas will definitely deliver. Set in the 1800’s when Spain had colonized much of the South Americas The themes explored in this novel include the devastating oppression of colonialism, patriarchy, and classism and its impact on the autonomy and freedom of women and the lower class as the upper class and wealthy are propelled by greed and power. Also, Cañas’s prose is exquisite pure poetry.
Tang Thanh Tran’s They Bloom at Night is a haunting Queer eco-horror that explores the monsters that live beneath and within us. Set in Louisiana and exploring the realities of Queer identity and acceptance.
Lastly, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones subverts traditional vampire lore into and Indigenous revenge story. It’s a noxious infusion of social commentary regarding colonialism and American history as the true horror story.
Older Diverse Horror Gems Worth Summoning
These backlist titles are the perfect spooky books for Halloween starting with The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas is the perfect mash up of Mexican Gothic and Rebecca. A supernatural suspense set after The Mexican War of Independence with a woman who’s desperate to carve out a better future for herself and becomes entangled with a sinister haunting.
Don’t forget The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones who’s rapidly becoming my favorite Horror Author. This novel explores cultural identity as four Blackfeet men who’ve abandoned their culture and traditions following a disturbing event in their youth that’s left them haunted and hunted by a vengeful entity.
What Kind of Fright Fits Your Night?
From queer horror books that explore identity and immortality, to a seemingly benign relationship that has sinister undertones. There’s a book to match your vibe.
I Live to Serve the Witch by Jacque Aye is a witchy novella written in the style of a dark fairy tale as Ceciline dedicates her life to serving her mistress the witch despite her denying her request to learn magic. When a stranger shows up on her doorstep Ceciline begins to question if the witch has the best intentions for her.
Looking for a taste of something sensual and sinister? Try Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab. A sapphic vampire story that follows three women from three different eras who all have an insatiable hunger that will lead their paths to cross. The Gothic vampiric vibes are immaculate and it’s perfect for fans of Interview with the Vampire.
Which book will you summon first and add to your Halloween reading list? Let me know in the comments below and have the spookiest of Halloweens. 🦇
