Do you dare to explore where shadows linger and eerie whispers dance in the air? If sleepless nights and goosebumps are what you crave, you’re in the right place. But what if the tales that haunt you came from closer to home?
Across Africa, the concept of Halloween is slowly taking root, year after year. While we may not go all out to wear spooky costumes or hand out candy, the continent is rich with chilling stories steeped in local folklore and supernatural myths. Our spin on Halloween may be unique, but the scares? They’re universal.
Join me on a journey into all things dark and spooky in the African literary scene. Rich with real-life inspirations that leave little room for doubt in the supernatural, these are 10 horror-themed books by African authors to start the spooky season off the right scary way.
1. The Sleepless by Nuzo Onoh
An innocent boy is lured to his death by the one person who should have protected him. Someone knows the truth about his disappearance: his little sister, Obele, a child who hears a secret voice telling her terrible things no child should know. Obele knows too much and must be killed. Her salvation lies in her new friends—a group of giggling little girls she meets at an abandoned “cursed house.” But their friendship comes with a terrible price. Obele starts questioning who—or rather, what—her new friends are. Worse, how can she free the tormented ghost of her dead brother, trapped by a witch doctor’s curse? Set during the Biafran War, The Sleepless follows one child’s struggle against both natural and supernatural forces that threaten to end her life. And perhaps death from the skies is a better option than the terrifying alternative.
Find it here.
2. Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
A post-apocalyptic horror/dark fantasy novel exploring African culture and mysticism.
In a far-future, post-nuclear-holocaust Africa, genocide plagues one region. The aggressors, the Nuru, have decided to follow the Great Book and exterminate the Okeke. But when the only surviving member of a slain Okeke village is brutally raped, she escapes into the desert and gives birth to a daughter with hair and skin the color of sand, knowing instinctively that her child is different. She names her daughter Onyesonwu, meaning “Who Fears Death?” in an ancient African tongue. Under the tutelage of a mysterious shaman, Onyesonwu discovers her magical destiny—to end the genocide of her people. Her journey forces her to grapple with nature, tradition, history, love, and the spiritual mysteries of her culture—and ultimately, death itself.
Find it here.
3. White Is For Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
In a vast, mysterious house on the cliffs near Dover, the Silver family is reeling from the loss of Lily. Her twins, Miranda and Eliot, and her husband Luc mourn her absence deeply. The house, which creaks and grumbles malignantly, confuses visitors with its maze-like rooms. Generations of women inhabit its walls, and Miranda—attuned to spirits and with an appetite for chalk—feels more connected to them than to her family. As she slowly slips away, one dark night she vanishes entirely, leaving the survivors to tell her story.
A spine-tingling Gothic tale told by a quartet of crystalline voices, White Is For Witching is electrifying in its expression of myth, memory, loss, and magic.
Find it here.
4. My Sister, The Serial Killer Oyinkan Braithwaite
When Korede’s dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what’s expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This’ll be the third boyfriend Ayoola’s dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede’s long been in love with him, and isn’t prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other…
Find it here.
5. Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
An extraordinary debut, Freshwater explores the surreal experience of a fractured self. It follows Ada, a young Nigerian woman born “with one foot on the other side.” Unsettling and powerful, the novel evokes a rare way of experiencing the world, illuminating how identities are constructed.
Ada begins life as a troubled child in Nigeria. Her parents prayed her into existence, but as she grows into a volatile, splintered self, it becomes clear that something went awry. When Ada moves to America for college, the selves within her gain more power. After a traumatic event, these alternate selves—protective, hedonistic Asụghara and Saint Vincent—take control, spiraling her life into darkness.
Narrated by Ada’s different selves and based on the author’s experiences, Freshwater dazzles with energy and grace, heralding a fierce literary talent
Find it here.
6. Where The Dead Brides Gather by Nuzo Onoh
Described by Irenosen Okojie as “A heady, addictive horror delight,” Where The Dead Brides Gather follows Bata, an eleven-year-old girl tormented by nightmares. After waking one night with dazzling white skin, hair, and eyes, Bata becomes involved in the terrifying attack of a ghost-bride. Though she vanquishes the ghost, she dies during an exorcism attempt and is taken into Ibaja-La, the realm of dead brides. There she meets the ghosts of brides who died tragically before their weddings. Granted secret powers, Bata must learn to use them to protect her loved ones in the human realm.
Find it here.
7. Such A Beautiful Thing To Behold by Umar Turaki
An inexplicable plague known as the Grey grips the small village of Pilam, quarantined without pity. Only the young are immune. Dunka, the eldest son of a family devastated by the plague, sets out to find a rumored cure. Meanwhile, his siblings navigate the chaos, forging new bonds with other young survivors. Such A Beautiful Thing To Behold is a gripping story of survival, love, and the human spirit’s tenacity.
Find it here.
8. Ghostroots: Stories by ‘Pemi Aguda
In this beguiling collection of twelve stories set in Lagos, Nigeria, ‘Pemi Aguda explores the tension between our yearning for individuality and the ways we are haunted by the past. These stories reveal the forces of family, myth, tradition, and modernity in Nigerian society, powered by empathy and glinting with humor.
Find it here.
9. House Woman by Adorah Nworah
When Ikemefuna is sent from Lagos to Texas for an arranged marriage, she anticipates a picture-perfect American life. But soon, her in-laws’ demands for a grandson become suffocating, and the America she imagined seems distant. As family secrets come to light, Ikemefuna must navigate the pressures of tradition and her own conflicting desires. House Woman is a thrilling exploration of generational pain, secrecy, and survival.
Find it here.
10. Caged Ocean Dub by Dare Falowo
In Lagos, witches wear their sons’ skins, and otherworldly beings collect intelligent life forms in the depths of the universe. This collection, inspired by real events and indigenous cosmologies, features Falowo’s notable previously published stories alongside new tales of magic and terror.
Find it here.
African authors have crafted stories that are not only scary, but showcase the diversity of cultures and folktales. That being said, this list is not exhaustive. We couldn’t even begin to list all the terrifying African Tales, but we can get you started!
Have a spooky Halloween and happy reading!
Bongiwe T. Maphosa
Bongiwe Maphosa is a budding author with a passion for storytelling. With her thought-provoking narratives, she takes her readers on a literary adventure. Bongiwe's works on the human condition from a fresh perspective have earned her recognition and publications in the Avbob Poetry Anthology of 2019, The Writer's Club of South Africa 2021, and JAY Lit in 2021. She hopes to cement her place in the literary community.
