15 Books Set In Cursed Towns
Some towns are too quiet. Others have secrets buried beneath their cobblestone streets. And then there are the towns where something ancient, malevolent, or simply wrong lurks just beneath the surface, whispering through the trees, trapping souls, and twisting fate itself.
Cursed towns offer the perfect backdrop for spine-tingling horror, gothic romance, and eerie mystery. Whether the curse is a generational burden, a supernatural force, or the town itself feeding on its people, these 15 books set in cursed towns will draw you in—but will you ever leave?
1. Small Favors by Erin A. Craig
🌾 A Town Surrounded by Darkness
Ellerie Downing lives in Amity Falls, a small, isolated town surrounded by dense, whispering forests that once hid monsters. When supplies run low and strange things begin happening, people start making dangerous bargains. But what is the price of a wish, and who—or what—is really listening?
📖 Read if you love: Folk horror, eerie fairy tale vibes, and creeping dread.
2. Pine by Francine Toon
🏚️ Ghostly Visions and Unanswered Questions
A remote Scottish village is plagued by cold winds, strange disappearances, and eerie figures appearing on the roadside. When a girl vanishes without a trace, young Lauren begins seeing shadows and signs that something isn’t right—something her father and the townsfolk refuse to acknowledge.
📖 Read if you love: Gothic atmosphere, slow-burn horror, and ghostly mysteries.
3. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
🌊 A Town That Drowns in Its Curse
For two centuries, the town of Sparrow has been cursed—every summer, the spirits of three drowned sisters return to possess girls and lure boys into the water to die. But when a mysterious newcomer arrives, he and local girl Penny must break the cycle—before it claims them, too.
📖 Read if you love: Haunting romance, eerie seaside towns, and witchy legends.
4. Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power
🌽 A Town That Shouldn’t Exist
Margot has always wondered where she came from—until she discovers a strange town called Phalene, where her mother’s past twists into something monstrous. As she searches for answers, she finds something waiting for her in the cornfields—something that knows her name.
📖 Read if you love: Psychological horror, eerie family secrets, and unsettling small towns.
5. The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
👻 A Ghost That Won’t Let Go
Jake Livingston is one of the only Black kids at his school—and he can also see ghosts. Most are harmless echoes of the past, but when he encounters the vengeful spirit of a school shooter, he realizes this ghost isn’t done hurting people. And he’s chosen Jake as his next victim.
📖 Read if you love: Supernatural horror, social commentary, and high-stakes suspense.
6. Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
🕷️ A Town That Eats Its Own
On the island of Sawkill Rock, girls disappear. Everyone knows it, but no one talks about it. When three girls become entangled in the town’s dark, monstrous secret, they must decide: will they be the next victims, or will they fight back?
📖 Read if you love: Feminist horror, dark fairytales, and unsettling island towns.
7. The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
🏚️ A House That Breathes Secrets
Jane makes a practical marriage arrangement—but when she follows her husband to his decaying ancestral home, she discovers locked rooms, occult symbols, and a curse that should have died with the house itself.
📖 Read if you love: Gothic horror, haunted houses, and eerie small-town superstition.
8. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
🌿 A Town Built on Rot
Noemí travels to a remote Mexican estate to check on her cousin, only to find a place crawling with decay, whispers in the walls, and a family harboring a terrible secret. But the curse of High Place isn’t just history—it’s alive.
📖 Read if you love: Classic gothic horror, slow-burning terror, and eerie, sentient places.
9. House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
🌙 A Family Tied to Something Inhuman
The Hollow sisters disappeared for a month when they were children, only to return different—ethereal, dangerous, and cursed. Years later, when one of them vanishes again, the remaining sisters must follow a dark trail into a world that wants them back.
📖 Read if you love: Urban fantasy, body horror, and cursed bloodlines.
10. The Shadow Year by Hannah Richell
🏞️ A Town Frozen in Time
A mysterious, abandoned house in the English countryside holds the memories of a doomed group of friends who sought to escape society. When Lila inherits the place, she becomes obsessed with uncovering what happened—and why the house still feels so…alive.
📖 Read if you love: Dual timelines, psychological horror, and unraveling dark histories.
11. The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
🌲 A Town That Breathes Magic and Monsters
Four families rule Four Paths, a town surrounded by woods where something ancient lurks. When newcomer Violet arrives, she discovers the town’s twisted history, its monstrous curse, and her own terrifying role in it.
📖 Read if you love: Paranormal suspense, found families, and eerie small towns.
12. What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo
🐺 A Town Where Everyone is a Monster
Returning to her estranged family’s mansion, Eleanor quickly realizes something is deeply wrong. Her family isn’t human, the town is steeped in old magic, and her grandmother may be the most dangerous of them all.
📖 Read if you love: Gothic horror, monstrous families, and unsettling folklore.
13. The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher
📖 A House Where Reality Cracks
When Mouse cleans out her deceased grandmother’s home, she finds a journal filled with paranoid scribbles about strange, unnatural creatures. But then, she sees them herself.
📖 Read if you love: Cosmic horror, eerie folklore, and unsettling paranoia.
14. Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis
🎥 A Town Frozen in Fear
The town of Harrow Lake is obsessed with the horror movie filmed there. But when Lola, the director’s daughter, visits, she realizes the film was based on something real—and the town hasn’t stopped living in its shadow.
📖 Read if you love: Creepy urban legends, small-town horror, and old Hollywood mysteries.
15. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
🏚️ A Town Where Nothing Makes Sense
A missing girl. A reclusive man. A talking cat. This isn’t just a story about a cursed town—it’s a labyrinth of psychological horror where nothing is what it seems, and the truth is more terrifying than the curse itself.
📖 Read if you love: Mind-bending horror, unreliable narrators, and stories that change everything you thought you knew.
🌙 Would You Dare to Visit These Towns?
These cursed towns may lure you in with their secrets—but be warned: some doors, once opened, can never be closed. Which eerie setting are you most excited to explore? Let’s talk in the comments! 🏚️🔮
