13 Skin-Crawling Body Horror Books

Jason was born with an ultra rare condition in which every sensation results in excruciating pain. As a result, Jason spends his days locked up in a sensory deprivation bag in order to feel nothing. Then a miraculous treatment gives him a shot at a normal life. But Jason isn’t the same. He no longer feels pain, so now he must make others feel it. Be prepared for horrifically graphic descriptions from the opening paragraph to the closing one.

During her childhood, Phoebe’s friends experienced a strange affliction that resulted in the rest of the town referring to them as the Rust Maidens. And now whatever was plaguing them appears to be back. When Phoebe returns to her childhood home to help her aging father, she is pulled back into the mystery and must take a good hard look at how she is connected to the grisly transformations.

When it comes to body horror manga, Ito has definitely set the standard. Shiver is a bind-up of nine of Ito’s most notable stories. Think of any kind of gross, disturbing thing that can happen to the human body and you can bet that it’s in this collection. Because this is a manga, there are pictures involved, so know that going in. (TW: trypophobia, suicide)

Nicholas and his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Nakota, discover a portal to another dimension (you know, as one does). They call it the “funhole,” but they find it hard to stop thinking about it. In fact, it becomes something like an obsession. At night, Nakota begins experimenting and tosses things into the funhole. Then these things start reappearing, but they’re not the same. So what happens when Nicholas decides to stick his hand in the funhole?

Okay, so this premise takes a bit to wrap your head around, but I promise this novella is a wild ride. When Molly bleeds, (self-harm, nose bleeds, her period, etc.) her blood generates doppelgängers who are out to kill her and only her. Molly’s parents have long been the ones to get rid of the doppelgängers that they call the “mollies,” but once evidence appears that suggests this has been happening to Molly since birth, she begins to wonder what they’ve had to sacrifice to keep her safe. (TW: self-harm)

We’re in a world where humans shed their skin every seven years and with it, all of our memories and feelings. Essentially, a reset. Our main character has a condition where she sheds her skin more often, but unlike others, she is eager to forget her past and looks forward to it. Others are desperate to keep their memories and will do anything to get back into their skins and prevent their inevitable molting.

Another collection of short stories, each one concentrates on a different part of the body and the horrific things that can happen to said part of the body. If short story collections aren’t your thing, all of them in this bind-up are connected, so it very much reads like a singular narrative. This one definitely feels the most “real” of all of these titles, concentrating on horrors that many actually experience. (TW: eating disorders, self-mutilation)

Around the world, large groups of people are viciously attacked by a mysterious black mass of creatures. Welcome, killer man-eating spiders. And these aren’t your run-of-the-mill spiders. These suckers are coordinated and capable of massive, organized swarms. Told in short and snappy chapters from different POVs, this book moves fast and furious, as if it has eight legs. For all arachnophobes out there, you have been warned. Proceed with caution.