Blackwell Library unveils terrifying new books for Halloween

The Blackwell Public Library is terrifying. 

The Blackwell Public Library has unveiled its new displays for October, including true crime, horror, and “cozy” reads for the fall season. 

Coming hot off a praised Homecoming display, the library has unveiled their “Absolute Horror” and “Terrifying But True” displays to celebrate the Halloween season. 

Absolute Horror includes works inspired by horror videogames including the recently released “Silent Hill 2” as well as last year’s “Alan Wake 2” with novels that promise to chill and thrill. 

“Absolute Horror” includes “Doll Face” by Tim Curran, “House of Leaves” by Mark Z. Danielewski, “Last Days” by Adam Nevill, “Devil House” by John Darnielle, “The Troop” by Nick Cutter, “Bone White” by Ronald Malfi, and “Violet” by Scott Thomas. 

“Doll Face” follows six friends who end up in a mysterious town where everything seems just a little…off. Come to find out, the town they’re in burnt to the ground over 60 years ago, and the version they now find themselves in is a twisted and nightmarish hellscape. 

“House of Leaves”, one of the most celebrated horror novels of all time, is the fictional record of a documentary filmmaker’s descent into madness as he discovers his California home is bigger on the inside than on the outside, leading him into insanity as he questions his reality. 

“Last Days” is a Blair Witch-style horror story about a man’s search for what happened to a terrifying cult known as The Last Days leading him on a globe-trotting adventure with horrific consequences. 

“Devil House” is an ode and a deconstruction of “true crime” junkies as it follows a true crime writer moving into the house that was the site of a grizzly murder in the 1980s. Not all is as it seems, though, and the writer has to reckon with the sins of his past and the murders that seem to haunt the home. 

“The Troop” follows a group of young Boy Scouts who encounter a terrifying biologically engineered monster on a seemingly routine camping trip. This gory thriller, not for the faint of heart, sees the scout group facing the wilderness, a monstrosity, and themselves. 

“Bone White” sees a man searching for his missing brother in the Alaskan wilds before he stumbles upon a mysterious mining town filled with mystery, terror, and an insidious conspiracy. 

“Violet” follows a woman returning to her childhood Kansas come after the death of her husband where her and her daughter come to realize the town is not all that is seems…and the woman’s childhood imaginary friend isn’t what she thought. 

The “Terrifying But True” book display features nonfiction selections including one from a Blackwell author. 

The nonfiction display highlights “Haunted Oklahoma”, “Paperbacks from Hell”, “The Dictionary of Superstitions”, “Life With The Afterlife”, “The Atlas of the Mysterious”, “13 Truths I Learned About Ghosts”, “Sister of Darkness”, “Esther”, “Oklahoma’s Most Notorious Cases”, and “The Last Book on the Left”. 

“Haunted Oklahoma” by Blackwell author Amanda Springer chronicles documented hauntings across the Sooner State. 

“Paperbacks from Hell” delves into the history and landscape that formed iconic and forgotten horror novels from the 1970s and 1980s that impacted the genre to this day. 

“Sister of Darkness” explores the prolific career of a female exorcist. 

“Esther” is the study of the impact of crime on a rural town, profiles the case of Esther Steele, who was killed after returning home from her local parish one evening, becoming the first murder victim in the long history of the town of Granite.

“Oklahoma’s Most Notorious Cases” details high-profile murders and mysteries in Oklahoma including the Girl Scout Murders and more bone-chilling true crime stories. 

“The Last Book on the Left” In their first book, the Last Podcast on the Left cast take a deep dive into history’s most infamous serial killers, from Ted Bundy to John Wayne Gacy, exploring their origin stories, haunting habits, and perverse predilections. Featuring newly developed content alongside updated fan favorites, each profile is an exhaustive examination of the darker side of human existence.