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I have always loved reading a book that electrifies the brain with some serious twists, shocking revelations, and weird characters. But sometimes my brain is zapped just looking at the book covers. It might turn out that the book wasn’t that great, or it was just as nerve-racking as the cover. But it definitely piques your curiosity and interest in what might follow in the content.

These 25 creepy covers had me looking back at them again and raising the hair on my skin. Most of them are short story collections about weird characters. Some of them are horror stories. But they are mostly fiction.

Some of these covers are of pretty old books, but some of them are recent publications. What amazes me is even the old ones, when cover designing and printing wouldn’t have been an easy task due to the lack of technology, even then, these pictures made me sit up straight.

Let me know which ones freak you out. The last one is my favorite or rather, most un-favorite. It will shock you. Take a look.

1.

Is that a mummy or a mask, not sure which, but those vast hollow eyes send my heart racing. Supposedly, this is the best book by this author, and it was even adapted into a movie. It is a collection of short stories in exotic surroundings.

2.

Whoa! I wouldn’t ever want a monster of this kind anywhere near my house. The monster did show up in this story but worse than the central character Conor ever dreamt of. This story is an award-winning book loved by thousands of book readers. I dare you to read!

3.

I’ve never been on Tinder, the dating app. But if it’s half as bad as this, I am running for the hills.  :)Seems like a werewolf book to me. The eyes are incredibly hypnotic and creepy.

4.

Oh Gosh! Is the title more horrifying or the cover?A collection of twisted mind stories by an award-winning author.

5.

There’s no such word "Lipidopterist". But I was amazed at the unique way the author writes his name and, of course, the golden puffed up lips that look like they’ve been chopped off a dead body. Gross!

6.

Zombies have always freaked me out. I cannot fathom how people watch this absurdity for hours in movies. The ashen skin, the blood trickling from the mouths, the haunted eyes, and the frigid moves, what’s not to like, right?

7.

Creepy times infinity. There’s something about mixing the colors black and red that shouts out – haunted. Don’t you think?  Not to mention the columns of sparkling white teeth. Another collection of twisted dark stories that will keep the lights on at night.

8.

Listen to the title of the book, and you might think this is a story about love. Look at the cover and boom; I’m out of the book store. It’s a cover that may haunt for nights or talk you out of lonely travel. A psychological thriller about a mother’s quest for her daughter’s killer.

9.

There’s something creepy about a woman’s hair all over her face and looking at you through them (reminds me of Grudge, the movie). Add to that a rustic, abandoned cabin and a wedding gown, and it’s a sure tale of passionate love-hate. Another short story collection by a bestselling author. 

10.

I always wondered about the association of crows with haunts. This cover stands out because of the colors or the lack of it- Black, grey and white, perfect colors for a good spook. This one’s an interesting collection as it offer’s wicked spins to classic poems of Edgar Allan Poe.

11.

If the title didn’t creep you enough, here’s the cover. It immediately gives out sadistic vibes of tortures and pain for pleasure.

11.

What’s with the blue? This book's readers have written about expressing strong negative and unpleasant emotions rise in them after reading it. Is that good writing or bad? I am inspired enough with the spooky cover; I don’t need to read this book. Even the author’s name creeps me out- Chuck (ring a bell?)

12.

As if one monster wasn’t enough on the cover to creep you out. The designer's got the whole family coming to get us. The vicious teeth, bloodshot eyes, I wonder how the readers hold this cover in their hand. I’d read it from a distance. Or an eBook.

13.

There’s something eerily haunting about a forest so thick with trees that light cannot pass through. And a lonely house at the end of it only makes me wish I never have to be there.

14.

More like lizard head for me, but creepy nonetheless. Based in Japan, a story of survival.

15.

A desperate call for help when the killer is right on your heels – that’s what the cover conveys to me and sets my heart racing. Just a hunch – this book should be a good thriller.

16.

I can’t point out one terrifying thing about this cover. Maybe it’s the haunting, empty look, or the grim expression or the dried chapped skin resembling a dead body left out in the sun. But it’s not a dead body, because the look is so alive and chilling. Maybe he has a skin disease.

17.

The sight of kids anywhere is such a joy to behold. So there’s something glut-clenching and heart-breaking about seeing kids in pain. You feel immediate empathy, but the picture is so magnetic you cannot look away.

18.

The eyes, definitely the hollow, deep, haunting eyes. They speak volumes. The pain in those eyes creeps you out.

19.

The sight of blood is always a punch in the gut for me. The blood-soaked feet and the eerie way the hair is flowing promises a grim and sordid tale.

20.

The sight of a baby’s pram against a morbid background is enough to freak me out. Seeing the tools hanging atop, I clench my chest. I can hear the baby wail. Can you? Shiverrrr….

21.

What is it about a close-up of the face that is so disturbing? Maybe it’s the fact that the model here is depicting extreme pain-physical or emotional. This looks like a silent, desperate scream for help.  

23.

A back silhouette always scares me because I wonder when she turns around what it will be. A zombie, a faceless face, a bloody face, or something even more sinister.

24.

It pains me to see a beautiful classic distorted in this way. The next time I re-read Pride and Prejudice, I’m will remember this picture in the back-of-my-mind and shiver.

25.

Oh my god! I can’t even look at that picture for too long. All the dark words cannot describe this cover. Scary, creepy, disgusting, sordid, sinister, evil, sad, dark, horrid, and nightmarish I could go on.

Some of the cover images have been changed over the years. I came across these titles while looking for good mystery books to read on Goodreads. And I have downloaded all these covers from Goodreads. I haven’t read any of these books honestly, but I hope the authors did justice with their stories to these brilliant spooky cover designs.

Happy reading! Or not!

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