Circus Horror

The carnival arrived at dusk, bleeding rust and promising escape. For Lily, it was a one-way ticket out of her dead-end town. But when the moon rises, the main attraction is unleashed. The Carnival Nocturne is a predator, and its charismatic owner holds a monstrous secret. When a local boy vanishes and the first body is found mutilated near the Ferris wheel, Lily realizes the truth: the cheap tricks and rigged games are a cover for something ancient and hungry. A violent storm cuts them off from the world. The power dies. The screams begin. Trapped on the carnival grounds with a handful of ...

The terrifying sequel to Farm... It's been 6 months since Kevin escaped the gruesome, brutal confines of the farm, and 6 months since the infamously evil, demented cult that owns it managed to lure him back. But this time, Kevin is no longer a prisoner and is instead seduced into being an accomplice to the Farmer family's sick, twisted shenanigans; helping them to carry out their latest venture... the circus. Nancy, Kevin's long-suffering wife, goes looking for him with the help of her friends when police are unable to track down her husband. However, what appears to at first be a straight-...

The third novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. In Circus of the Damned-now in trade paperback for the first time-a rogue master vampire hits town, and Anita gets caught in the middle of an undead turf war. Jean-Claude, the Master Vamp of the city, wants her for his own-but his...

Dave and his four-year-old, Jacob, find a circus tent in the woods behind their house. A strange voice invites them through the dark doorway. When they refuse, the tent swallows them.

"You have two days to pass your audition. You better pass it, feller. You’re joining the circus. Ain’t that the best news you ever got?" Delivered by a trio of psychotic clowns, this ultimatum plunges Jamie into the horrific alternate universe that is the centuries-old Pilo Family Circus, a borderline world between Hell and Earth from which humankind’s greatest tragedies have been perpetrated. Yet in this place - peopled by the gruesome, grotesque, and monstrous - where violence and savagery are the norm, Jamie finds that his worst enemy is himself.

With his bestselling blend of nail-biting intensity, daring artistry, and storytelling magic, Dean Koontz returns with an emotional roller coaster of a tale filled with enough twists, turns, shocks, and surprises for ten ordinary novels. Here is the story of five days in the life of an ordinary...

A dazzling gothic tale of Faustian bargains, jealousy, and murder set in a spectacular circus, where star-crossed lovers' destinies are forged at an unexpected price—perfect for readers of V. E. Schwab​'s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. In Victorian London, where traveling sideshows are...

Critics are hailing Francisco Angulo latest novel Freak as "a modern gothic masterpiece" (The New York Times) that is "impossible to put down" (Washington Post). Set against the backdrop of a mysterious traveling circus, Freak chronicles the experiences of a group of extraordinary characters who possess uncanny abilities and physical anomalies that set them apart from mainstream society. Led by the enigmatic magician known only as "Nikola," the "freaks" of the circus unveil a riveting story of drama, suspense, romance, horror, and humanity. As Angulo peels back the layers of his vividly ...

WARNING! This book contains evil clowns. What, still reading? I mean, aren’t you kind of in or out at evil clowns? Fine, whatever. It’s your funeral... So, yeah, the rural Montana town of Possum Point has victims, er, people, too. A rancher, a cheerleader, a recluse, a mysterious stranger and many more. But you’ll just have to accept that your favorite is probably doomed anyway. When the circus of destruction comes to town the only real question is who gets... THE LAST LAUGH The complete serial--beginning, middle, and blood-soaked end--available in one collected edition for the first ...

From the New York Times bestselling author of Hounded—“a superb urban fantasy debut” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)—comes an Iron Druid Chronicles short story in the captivating Carniepunk anthology. The ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan gets more than greasy corn dogs and flat...

The third novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. In Circus of the Damned-now in trade paperback for the first time-a rogue master vampire hits town, and Anita gets caught in the middle of an undead turf war. Jean-Claude, the Master Vamp of the city, wants her for his own-but his...

Novella Wicked has never felt so good. Serena's rental car dies on an empty desert highway, and a vintage carnival blazes to life in the darkness where nothing stood moments before. A pink balloon leads her through striped tents to the hall of mirrors—to a seven-foot demonic clown with a wicked grin that never fades. Dangerous. Silent. Possessive. Irresistible. And he’s got his sights set on her. Monster x Human • One Night of Magic • Possessive but Gentle Monster • Destiny • Silent Hero • Body Worship • Mysterious Carnival • Supernatural Pregnancy • Demonic Clown • No...

NEWLY EDITED EDITION: Laura Kendall, two time Olympic archery champion, works her skills for the Maxwell Traveling Gypsy Circus; A circus using the free spirit of the gypsy life style, fashion and mysteries as it's theme to bring in crowds far and wide. Laura, traveling with her son, Jason, thrills audiences, becoming the top act at the big top. Yet, the window to compete is never totally shut. When the circus sets up tent at the sleepy coastal town of Fort Myers, Fla. An animal attack grabs the attention of Karen Walker, Animal Control Officer for the Lee County Sheriff's Department. After...

Jamie is rebuilding his life after his previous escape from the Pilo Family Circus, with no memories of the circus besides the clown outfit in his cupboard. Far below, as the circus stirs back to life, Jamie finds himself filled with urges to be a clown again (making inappropriate jokes at work, an urge to put on his clown outfit, etc.). He also finds that his friends and family do not trust him because of that night he was found by police in a clown suit with blood on his shoes and no memory of what happened.

The Bosci Expo is coming to town. Tony and his best friend Paul can hardly wait, clueless that the circus brings with it a cursed little being. The old ventriloquist, Pomroy Prettygut, once again has to clean up after the dummy’s handiwork. Dismayed with the wooden man’s appetites for human strength, yet resigned to the fact he must live with the creature until the curse was satisfied. What is going on with the peculiar Bosci Expo? Is there a killer in the circus, or is he on the loose?

What would you give to survive? Zelda gave everything. Zelda thought the circus was a place of wonder—but it’s a cage. Targeted by the infamous Snake-Eye, her only chance for survival is the mysterious Alder. But his “help” comes at a terrifying cost: transformation into a living doll. Trapped in a ragdoll body, Zelda’s freedom—and her very humanity—hangs by a thread. Only Eli can save her, but Snake-Eye’s vigilance and Alder’s dark motives make every second a fight for her life. In a world of magic, shadows, and deceit, can Zelda reclaim her body and her destiny… or ...

Nothing bad ever happens in the quiet little town of Hope. However, when the circus rolls in one misty morning in late October, everyone decides to go see what they have. Even the Jorgenson family and their 8 year old son Noah head on down to the circus big top, but when it is time to leave he is nowhere to be found. With the help of Sheriff Langley, his parents search the premises, but they don't find him. Now that it is closing time, they are forced to leave in hopes that he will come home. Will they ever find him and all the other children that have gone missing from other towns?

On the surface, Ashford, Vermont, seems like a quaint New England college town, but to those who live among the shadowy remains of its abandoned mills and factories, and beneath its towering steel bridges, it's known as Burntown. Eva Sandeski, who goes by the name Necco on the street, has been...

Step Right Up to Terror. Stay Because You Can’t Leave. From creaking rides and bone-white tents to performers who’ve long forgotten what it means to be human, 500 Horror Writing Prompts: Circus takes you on a twisted tour through a world where wonder and dread walk hand in hand. Each of the seven sections dives into a specific corner of circus horror. from cursed clowns to manipulative ringmasters, crafted as 2–3 sentence story starters to spark your next chilling tale. Whether you're writing novels, screenplays, or short fiction, these prompts are designed to stretch your imagination...

The Most Amazing Show in the World is coming to the sleepy border town of Buckhorn, New Mexico with incredible creatures never before seen under any big top. When word gets out there’s a circus is in town, everyone flocks to the show for what they believe will be the time of their lives filled with breathtaking acts and amazing monsters. But soon the night of thrills will turn into bloodcurdling chills when the circus is sabotaged and monstrous creatures run wild in CRYPTID CIRCUS.