One of the most favorite pastimes of nerds is to recite cliché ghost stories. No matter where you are, and where you go, you will always find supernatural tales about spirits, ghosts and paranormal activities. However, not all ghost stories are meant to scare the people; the best horror books are much more than just terrifying people. They are wide-ranging however, haunting and references to scary places and people is common amongst all of them.

Here, are the top 5 horror books of all time that will send chills down your spine.
The Monkey’s Paw – This is a short horror story written by W.W.Jacobs, which was published in 1902 in England. The story is about Mr. and Mrs. White who has a son named Herbert. The family is left with a Monkey’s paw which is a talisman and grants 3 wishes to its possessor. The wishes indeed come true but with an enormous price. The moral of the story is to express that people’s lives are ruled by fate, and the ones who interferes with it has to face sorrow.

The Body Snatcher – Published in 1984, this fictional short story was written by Scottish writer R.L.Stevenson. The story is set in the mid-19th century and is about two robbers MacFarlane and Fettes, who used to attend medical school together and supplied dreadful materials to the medical schools. There are many twists and turns in this scary tale which will scare many.

The Woman in Black – This novel about a ghost that has haunted a small English town is a thriller fiction novel by Susan Hill, published in 1983. The story focuses on a young solicitor named Arthur Kipps who attends a funeral of an elderly woman. He spots a woman there, dressed in black with a pale and wasted face. He then faces a sequence of terrifying incidents with scary voices, chilling incidents and haunting by the woman dressed in black.

The Turn of the Screw – Written by Henry James, The Turn of the Screw is a petite novel, which was published in 1898. The ghost story describes a male friend reading a manuscript to an anonymous narrator. The manuscript is written by a former governess who is dead now. The manuscript is about the story of that governess, who she begins to see the ghost of an unknown man and a woman. She then investigates regarding them and her experiences with the ghosts later.

The Curse of Yig – This is a collection of horror short stories written by Zealia Bishop. It was released in 1953 and consists of following tales: The Curse of Yig, Medusa’s coil, The Mound. The Curse of Yig is about Snake God, Yig who takes revenge from people who kill serpents. The Medusa’s coil is yet another engaging tale whereas, The Mound is an about Indian mound which is haunted by a headless ghost.

So, these are some horror books that will stir you from top to bottom with their thrills and ghostly frills. Read them with utmost care because once you are engaged in reading, you actually enter the ghostly realm from where your return is almost IMPOSSIBLE…!