You know the classics: Dracula, Frankenstein, Cthulhu etc. But do you know where they come from? Better yet, do you know who created them? If you like horror, you’ve likely heard of some of the people on this list. Nevertheless, it’s important to note the people who have been influential not just in the horror literature genre, but the genre of horror itself. These following authors are considered to be the most inspiring masters of the art of scaring.
10 – H.P. Lovecraft
HP Lovecraft
Works: The Call of Cthulhu, Herbert West- Reanimator, The Lurking Fear
09 – Edgar Allen Poe
Edgar Allen Poe
Works: The Fall of the House of Usher, The Raven, The Tell-tale Heart
08 – Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley- Richard Rothwell [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Works: Frankenstein, The Last Man, Valperga
07 – Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Works: Interview with the Vampire, The Queen of the Damned, Prince Lestat
06 – Richard Matheson
Richard Matheson
Works: I am Legend, Hell House, The Shrinking Man
05 – Jack Ketchum
Jack Ketchum – By Georges Seguin (Okki) (English: Own workFrançais : Photo personnelle) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Works: The Girl Next Door, The Woman, Right to Life
04 – Clive Barker
Clive Barker – By Steven Friederich (CliveIMG_0690) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Works: Books of Blood, The Damnation Game, Imajica
03 – Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson
Works: The Lottery, The Haunting of Hill House, The Sundial
02 – Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker – By unidentified photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Works: Dracula, The Man, The Mystery of the Sea
01 – Stephen King
Stephen King
Works: The Shining, Carrie, Misery
