As the calendar turns the page and the spooky season begins, the days start to get shorter, the nights grow longer, and everything is just a little scarier. And while there are plenty of creepy movies and TV shows to watch this October, some of the best scary stories to fill up the Halloween season exist right on the four-color page.
While DC Comics is best known for its superheroes, the company has a long history with horror books. From classic titles like House of Secrets to the modern scares with series like The Nice House on the Lake, the famous publisher has given readers the willies for decades, and thanks to collected editions and DC Universe Infinite, there are plenty of stories ready to give readers nightmares.
10 Sandman Brings The Gothic Horror
Most likely DC's best-known horror title, Neil Gaiman's Sandman, which he created with a long list of amazing artists, is not only one of DC's best titles, but one of the greatest stories in modern literature.
The series follows the life of Dream of the Endless as he finally escapes from decades-long imprisonment and retakes his kingdom. It's filled with amazingly spooky stories, including a journey to a serial killer convention, trips to Hell, and a war against the Kindly Ones that will leave readers in tears. Sandman is the perfect title to cozy up with during a rainy night.
9 DCeased Rises To The Occasion
When a corrupted version of the Anti-Life Equation turns people into zombie-like monsters, the heroes of the DC Universe find themselves up to their capes in Walking Dead-style horrors. Written by Tom Taylor and with art by Trevor Hairsine, DCeased is sure to make the most hardened reader grimace, and will more than likely make some fans shed a tear or two as their favorite heroes fall to the zombies.
And if DCeased doesn't fill that zombie-sized hole for Halloween, there's DCeased: A Good Day to Die, DCeased: Unkillables, DCeased: Hope at World's End, and DCeased: Dead Planet to bring readers even more nightmares.
8 Elvira's House Of Mystery Can Celebrate Two Events
For forty years, Elvira has stood tall as the Queen of the Macabre. The TV horror host has helped fans get through some of the shlockiest horror movies ever made with her signature wit and charm. And as the world celebrates Elvira's fortieth anniversary, it's a wonderful time to dig up her comic book past by reading Elvira's House of Mystery. The series has long been out of print, but thanks to DC Universe Infinite, fans of the world's most famous goth girl can catch up with her comic book adventures again.
7 Justice League Dark Brings The Spooky Heroes
While Superman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League handle the usual alien invasions and Injustice League schemes, Justice League Dark is out there taking care of the things that go bump in the night.
This team of DC's greatest supernatural heroes, including Zatanna, Deadman, Detective Chimp, and John Constantine, keeps the world safe from demons, monsters, and the wizard Merlin, all while working out of the basement of the Hall of Justice. The Upside Down Man alone is sure to give some readers nightmares.
6 Alan Moore's Swamp Thing Is Soaking In Horror
Starting with The Saga of the Swamp Thing #21 and continuing to issue #64, Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing not only changed the history of the character but altered the course of comics forever. Moore's work on Swamp Thing brought about a revival of horror comics, leading to the creation of books like Neil Gaiman's Sandman and the birth of DC's Vertigo imprint. Without Moore's run on Swamp Thing, there is no telling what the comics landscape where horror is once again rising up would look like today.
5 Batman & Dracula: Red Rain Goes For The Jugular
Known as the Dark Knight Detective, Batman has always had a touch of Dracula in his DNA. However, that connection became more than just an homage when Doug Moench and Kelley Jones created Batman & Dracula: Red Rain, the first part of an Elseworlds trilogy that saw the Caped Crusader turned into a creature of the night.
Batman & Dracula: Red Rain has continued to stand out as one of the most interesting and creepy Batman stories ever told, thanks in large part to the amazing artwork of Kelly Jones.
4 Batman: Faces Brings Humanity To The Strange
Of course, a character as dark as Batman has had plenty of horror-centric stories over the decades, but none of them are as filled with humanity as Faces. Written and drawn by Matt Wagner, Faces sees Batman face off against his old foe Two-Face as the former DA turned villain puts together an army of misfits to create his own nation.
Matt Wagner blends together the noir horror stylings of movies like Tod Browning's Freaks with the humanity that Denny O'Neil has brought to the stories of the Dark Knight, creating a story that is equal parts intense, scary, and touching.
3 Hellblazer Conjures Up The Scary Stuff
John Constantine has had many an adventure in the world of magic, and no series has better captured his horrific journeys as Hellblazer. Running for 300 issues, Hellblazer includes work by some of the most talented writers and artists in all of comics, including Jamie Delano, John Ridgway, Garth Ennis, Mark Buckingham, Eddie Campbell, Steve Dillon, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, and Jock. The longest-running of DC's Vertigo series, Hellblazer will keep readers glued to the page as John Constantine faces off against every type of horror a person can think of.
2 The Conjuring: The Lover Picks Up The Big Screen Scares
Rising out of the hit movie series, DC's The Conjuring: The Lover features a five-issue prequel story to The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It written by screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Rex Ogle with art by Garry Brown.
The story, set before the events of the latest Conjuring film, tells the story of Jessica, a college freshman who soon finds that she has become the target of something horrifically sinister. Adding to the scares, The Conjuring: The Lover features backup stories by a number of comic icons, including Scott Snyder, Denys Cowan, Tim Seeley, and Kelley Jones
1 Basketful Of Heads Cuts Deep
Written by Joe Hill, best known to comic fans for Locke & Key, with art by Leomacs and Reiko Murakami, Basketful of Heads was the first title released under DC's Hill House Comics imprint. The seven-issue series follows June Branch, as she tries to escape a rain-coated figure with a basket and an axe while working to save her boyfriend. With the sequel series Refridgerator Full of Heads coming out October 19, this time written by Rio Youers with art by Tom Fowler, this is the perfect time to get under the covers and catch up with the story.
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