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After

Night Film

Marisha Pessl2013

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Mr. Splitfoot

    Samantha Hunt2016

    Two timelines follow a pair of foster siblings in the past and a pregnant woman in the present as they navigate a cult and the woods of New York.

    Same dreamlike register, still mystery

    pace-1·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Ligeia

    Edgar Allan Poe2004

    A narrator mourns his first wife, Ligeia, then marries another who falls ill. He watches as the second wife's body appears to transform.

    Same dreamlike register, still psychological horror

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • Ghost Stories

    Henry James2001

    A collection of Victorian tales where the existence of ghosts is often left to the reader's interpretation.

    dreamlike → meditative, still psychological horror

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

    James Hogg1824

    A religious fanatic becomes convinced he is predestined for salvation and commits crimes at the behest of a mysterious stranger.

    dreamlike → cold, still psychological horror

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • This Girl

    Colleen Hoover2013

    A husband retells the story of his early relationship to his wife. It uses dual timelines to revisit events from the first book in the series.

    dreamlike → earnest

    pace-1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • The Score

    Elle Kennedy2016

    A college senior has a one-night stand with a hockey player to get over a breakup. They continue the arrangement as graduation approaches.

    dreamlike → playful

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Walking Disaster

    Jamie McGuire2013

    This novel retells the events of 'Beautiful Disaster' from the perspective of Travis Maddox. It follows his college years and obsession with Abby.

    dreamlike → propulsive

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • The Rising

    Brian Keene2003

    A father travels across an apocalypse where the dead are possessed by malevolent, intelligent demons. The world is ending permanently.

    dreamlike → bleak

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak+1

  • Shattered

    Dean Koontz1973

    A man and his future stepson drive across America while being stalked by the woman's vengeful ex-husband.

    dreamlike → tense

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

  • The Executioner

    Chris Carter2010

    A Los Angeles detective hunts a serial killer who murders victims using their specific phobias. Each crime scene features a blood-scrawled number.

    dreamlike → tense

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Blood on the dining-room floor

    Gertrude Stein1948

    A repetitive, circular narrative about a death in a country house. It uses experimental prose to obscure the facts of a traditional mystery.

    dreamlike → playful, still mystery

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Dhalgren

    Samuel R. Delany1975

    An amnesiac wanderer enters Bellona, a city cut off from the world where time and geography shift. He joins a gang and writes poetry.

    Same dreamlike register

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak0

  • The Throat

    Peter Straub1993

    A writer returns to his hometown to help an old friend whose wife has disappeared. He uncovers links to a series of murders from decades ago.

    dreamlike → tense, still psychological horror

    pace-1·prose0·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • A Head Full of Ghosts

    Paul G. Tremblay2015

    A camera crew films a family whose daughter exhibits signs of possession. The story is told through the sister's memory and the footage.

    dreamlike → tense, still psychological horror

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+1

  • Silent Children

    Ramsey Campbell2000

    A man discovers his father may have been a child killer, leading him into a confrontation with the past and a current threat.

    dreamlike → bleak, still psychological horror

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+1

  • The Fall of the House of Usher

    Edgar Allan Poe

    A narrator visits a childhood friend in a decaying mansion. The house and the family's health decline simultaneously toward a collapse.

    Same dreamlike register, still psychological horror

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1