13 female horror writers you should read

MIAMI, FL – NOVEMBER 17: Author Anne Rice discusses her book Prince Lestat: The Vampire Chronicles at Miami Dade College on November 17, 2014 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Johnny Louis/Getty Images)

5.) Anne Rice

I’m sure you guessed this one miles ago. Anne Rice is one of the big names in horror fiction, much less horror written by women. Though her work has sometimes been packaged and sold as romance, there’s no denying that Rice writes grand, gothic horror fiction.

She is best known for her series of novels, The Vampire Chronicles. Beginning with Interview with the Vampire, Rice established her reputation as a horror author. She has also written Christian fiction (though she later distanced herself from organized Christianity in 2013) as well as erotica. Her erotic works have been published under the pen names Anne Rampling and A. N. Roquelaure.

Where to start
Interview with the Vampire. Rice’s debut novel, published in 1976, remains one of the most recognized modern works of gothic horror and vampire fiction. The novel follows the 200-year life story of Louis de Pointe du Lac. Louis, an 18th-century plantation owner in Louisiana, is turned into a vampire by Lestat de Lioncourt. Lestat, who desires a companion, is less concerned about murdering and consuming innocents, and more interested in finding his next amusement ( later books in the series would introduce moral uncertainty into the character’s musings). Louis, meanwhile, is tormented by his new role as a killer.