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  • General Recommendations
  • Staff-Created List

DPL Staff Picks: Spine-tingling Suggestions

Created September 2025. As summer fades and fall creeps in, we asked Deschutes Public Library staff to share their picks for stories that chill, thrill, and delight. Sorted alphabetically by title.

User from Deschutes Public Library

69 items

  • "Cillian Murphy. That’s it." -Serena G. || "Zombies terrify me, but I absolutely love the thrill and edge of your seat feeling of this movie." - Amy W.
    DVD, 2003[United States] : 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, [2003] — TWENTY
  • All the Living and the Dead

    From Embalmers to Executioners, An Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work

    Campbell, Hayley
    "Not necessarily a spooky book, but a fascinating dive into the death industry. Campbell interviews morticians, crime scene cleaners, embalmers and others to learn more about what they do and how they got into their respective professions." -Annie B.
    Book, 2022New York : St. Martin's Press, 2022. — 363.75 CAMPBELL HAYLEY
  • "Art from 1985 to 1998. One wrongful death, one ghost, and a few surprises." -Paige BF.
    Book, 2024New York : Flatiron Books, 2024. — FICTION / GONZALEZ XOCHITL
  • "I will recommend this book a thousand times! Anytime someone asks for the cringiest, most edge-of-your-seat, 'what is happening here?' book—this is it. I almost don’t want to tell you what it’s about… I just want you to read it!" -Emily O.
    Book, 2018New York : St. Martin's Press, [2018] — AF Stage, Z
  • "Playing this board game feels just like starring in your own horror movie. A thrilling good time." Le B.
    3D Object, 2010Renton, WA : Wizards of the Coast, [2010] — GAME / BETRAYAL (for Deschutes County Library cardholders only)
  • "Campy and silly-scary with lots of twists that are both surprising and hilarious! When snarky Vesper goes back to her tiny hometown for a wedding, she uncovers the truth about her famous, scream queen mother and her absent father." -Haley R.
    Book, 2023New York : Berkley, [2023] — HORROR / HARRISON RACHEL
  • "A cute, light horror telling the story of three generations of women who own a funeral parlor. The Evans family are a staple of their small town; unbeknownst to the town, they have a secret that helps keep everyone safe and will be put to the test…
    Book, 2024New York : Minotaur Books, 2024. — HORROR / RYAN LINDY
  • "It’s so cringy… you just can’t stop watching! There’s a certain griminess to it that’s oddly craveable." -Emily O.
    DVD, 2024[United States] : MGM, [2024] — DRAMA / BLINK
  • "This manga series for adult readers tells the story of a boy who realizes with dawning horror that his mother isn’t just overprotective—she’ll stop at nothing to keep him safe." -Le B.
    Book, 2020New York : Vertical Comics, an imprint of Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC, [2020] — GRAPHIC NOVEL / BLOOD ON V.1
  • "This eerily charming graphic novel for young readers is a modern day fairytale that shows the perils of greed, as well as the perils of being mean to spiders." -Le B.
    Book, 2024Toronto ; Berkeley : Annick Press, 2024. — GRAPHIC NOVEL / SHARP SID
  • "Esta novela cuenta la historia de una sociedad secreta de vampiros que existen en la Ciudad de Mexico. Es romántico, lleno de acción, y en el estilo singular de Moreno-Garcia." -Le B.
    Book, 2022Madrid : Umbriel, 2022. — TERROR / MORENO-GARC SILVIA
  • "When I first read the novel this film is based on, my first thought was “Oh, this is going to make a great movie!” It’s not a movie that takes itself seriously, it’s a tongue-in-cheek look back at 80s slasher movies. It’s just plain fun! If you…
    DVD, 2025[Place of publication not identified] : Shudder, [2025] — DVD Clown
  • "This 2024 movie starring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens tells the story of Gretchen, who must uncover the secrets of an isolated facility in the German Alps." -Le B.
    Streaming Video, 2024Neon, 2024.
  • "An estranged family gets back together for their matriarchs 80th birthday, when a storm causes them to get trapped on the island until the tide goes out the next morning. One by one they start dying…" -Jasmine C.
    Book, 2022New York : Flatiron Books, [2022] — AF Feeney, A
  • "This author is at the top of his game! Everything he writes is gruesome and bone-chillingly scary. Scenes from his novels are hard to forget. This is the second installment of his Indian Lake trilogy. All three are worthy and terrifying reads."…
    Book, 2023New York : Saga Press, 2023. — AF Jones, S
  • Drowning

    The Rescue of Flight 1421

    Newman, T. J.
    "This is the authors second book that takes place when a flight crashes into the ocean after take-off from the coast of Hawaii. Those that survived the crash believe they are the lucky ones until the plane starts to sink to the ocean floor,…
    eBook, 2023Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 2023
  • "A board game for anyone who hears the call of Cthulhu. This long, complex game is punishingly difficult, but if you work together you might save your town. Or you might succumb to madness... Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn..." -…
    3D Object, 2013Roseville, Minnesota : Fantasy Flight Games, [2013] — GAME / ELDRITCH (for Deschutes County Library cardholders only)
  • The End of the World as We Know It

    New Tales of Stephen King's the Stand

    "I am a MASSIVE Stephen King fan, so of course I picked this up immediately! I have now read every story twice, and am working my way through it a third time. There are so many amazing authors that contributed to this anthology. You’ll read stories…
    Book, 2025New York : Gallery Books, 2025. — AF King, S
  • "Suspenseful film about two brothers who escaped from a death cult as kids, but curiosity drives them back as adults to see what life they walked away from. Film was shot on a low budget, yet presents great dialogue, acting, and a tense build-up…
    Streaming Video, 2018Well Go USA, 2018.
  • "I am recommending this book as well as her second book, 'Drowning'. They both revolve around air travel and what seems to be impossible decisions that need to be made. This book and the next one are gripping and will have you holding your breath…
    Book, 2021New York : Avid Reader Press, 2021. — ACTION & THRILLER / NEWMAN T