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Welcome to the wonderful world of horror poetry! What’s horror poetry, you ask? Well, it’s more or less what it says on the tin. It’s poems that incorporate elements of horror into them, whether that be a terrifying monster, a psychological scare, or a chilling setting, much in the same way a horror movie or horror novel might. These poems come in all different forms and lengths too, from a Shakespearean sonnet to a pages-long free-verse to anything in between. The Bram Stoker Awards, run by the Horror Awards Association, even have a category for superior achievement in poetry!
Some classic examples include Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market” and Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven,” which I’m sure many of us had to read in English class at one level or another. A more recent example is “To Live in the Zombie Apocalypse” by Burlee Vang, a poem about survival and adaptation to a new world. There are many more examples out there for anyone who might like to explore this fun and frightening intersection of horror and poetry.
For anyone wanting to check out a collection or two in this realm, check out these eight horror poetry collections to get you started!
Underworld Lit by Srikanth Reddy
A novella-length prose poem, Underworld Lit delves into academia, mythology, and mortality through the lens of a college professor in the midst of a mid-life crisis. It’s both funny and scary as it plays with form, including quizzes throughout the poetry. This story will take you from normal life to the classroom to various underworlds and their horrors!
Into the Forest and All the Way Through by Cynthia Pelayo
This Bram Stoker award-nominated and highly emotional collection is full of true crime poems about different missing and murdered women. While this topic might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s impactful as the author pays tribute to the women at the heart of real crime.
How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend by Linda Addison
Bram Stoker award winner Linda Addison combines horror, poetry, and science fiction in this delightful collection. From stories of zombies to UFOs and everything in between, Addison writes great humor and eeriness into each poem in the collection.
The Rat King: A Book of Dark Poetry by Sumiko Saulson
The Rat King covers a variety of dark subject matter that tends not to be shown in the light of modern society. Mental health, homelessness, and death intermingle with supernatural creatures to expose the ways we hide away or ignore the scariest parts of our real world.
The Devil’s Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes by Sara Tantlinger
Taking inspiration from serial killer H.H. Holmes, Tantlinger’s poetry collection combines truth with fiction to form her own version of the famous figure. Told through various perspectives, including objects and even settings, this gory collection dazzles with sadness, anger, and passion seeping out of each page.
A Collection of Nightmares by Christina Sng
Christina Sng is a bit of an icon when it comes to horror poetry and this collection is no different. Her beautiful writing collides with horror and science fiction to create an uneasy but highly enjoyable read!
Monster Verse: Poems Human and Inhuman Edited by Tony Barnstone and Michelle Mitchell-Foust
This collection full of hard-hitting authors like Neil Gaiman and Lewis Carroll is all about monsters, human and otherwise, for all you creature lovers out there! Both classic and new authors come together to explore where the thin barriers between humanity and monstrosity blur.
Can You Sign My Tentacle? by Brandon O’Brien
Hip-hop meets classic monsters meets poetry in this fun and funky collection by Brandon O’Brien that explores cosmic horror and the very human problems of racism and violence at the same time. You’ll get a kick out of the imagery as O’Brien mixes together Lovecraftian horror and hip-hop culture.
I hope you found something both beautiful and scary in this list! If you’re in the mood for more, check out these horror poetry collections or these scary poems!