Blogtober Day 6 – 8 HORROR NOVELS WITH BODY POSSESSION AND BODY SHARING

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The phrase “possession” frequently brings up ideas of an exorcism, whether or not you’re a horror lover. Think of Regan from The Exorcist being possessed by Pazuzu right in front of her parents, or the metro scene from Possession. Given that these films were and still are mainstays of the body possession subgenre, it makes sense.

When you think about it, the subgenre’s popularity isn’t actually all that surprising. Watching a fictitious character try to recover control of their body, and occasionally fail, is the best way to appreciate how in control your own is.

The sub-genre obviously encompasses more. It’s not all exorcisms and demons, though such stories are still prevalent. But consider The Fly’s bodily takeover, Puppet Masters’ parasites, and The Thing’s thing. Venom is a kind of possession, even when their buddy-cop antics finally pay off. As long as physical control is weakened, which is frequently caused first by something else entering the body, possession can take many various forms.

And books’ subgenre has a lot of the same variability. Your goods and body sharings are available in a wide variety of tastes. I’ll give you eight to get you going.

LEECH 

BY HIRON ENNES

When a medical professional working in a remote area passes away, the Institute sends a replacement. What’s concerning, though, is how the doctor avoided being discovered by the other physicians, who share every thought, sight, and bodily function in order to save lives. However, when the winter isolates the town from the outside world, an isolated mine and a tenacious parasite converge on the chateau, leaving the doctor torn between shared awareness and physical autonomy.

HELPMEET 

BY NABEN RUTHNUM

Louise’s spouse is deteriorating. Literally. Louise takes care of her husband, using her nursing skills while she gets ready to move him to his boyhood home in Buffalo. But a shadow in a picture’s corner and an affair in the past make something terrible in the voids left by her husband’s body apparent. A sick stomach should absolutely avoid reading this novella. This one is for fans of body horror, locales from the 1900s, and excellent writing.

COME CLOSER 

BY SARA GRAN

Amanda hopes that completing one final project—the Fitzgerald House—will allow her to fulfill her ambition of starting her own architectural practice. The unusual tapping annoyed her in her apartment, but she won’t let it stop her from moving on. But it alarmed Amanda when she argues with her husband about things she can’t recall and old behaviors she’s long since given up come back during blackout periods. Will she regain the power she once had over her life, or is this all in her brain and something physically wrong with her body?

SEED 

BY ANIA AHLBORN

Jack had had a shadow follow him home when he was a child. But all of it is now behind him. He is happily married and has two little daughters. But Jack notices the shadow and its flashing eyes after the family is involved in a vehicle accident one evening. One of his daughters does. Jack must confront what happened to him as a child and what the darkness forced him to do as soon as his daughter acts abnormally in order to figure out how to avoid it from happening to his daughter as well.

MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM 

BY GRADY HENDRIX

Everyone acts a little differently in high school, right? That’s what Abby tells herself, at least, when her closest friend Gretchen acts strangely after a party. She claims she is being touched by unknown forces, and pandemonium appears to follow her wherever. Abby, who is desperate to learn what is wrong with her closest friend Gretchen, concludes that Gretchen is possessed and has to be saved before it is too late.

GODDESS OF FILTH 

BY V. CASTRO

What’s wrong with having a little seance that is driven by plenty of laughing and some alcohol? Five females band together in the middle of the summer to unleash their inner witch. They contacted father Moreno for help when Fernanda acts oddly and speaking in another language. However, the priest quickly becomes fixated and may really do more harm than good, leaving the girls unsure of their next course of action.

A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS 

BY PAUL TREMBLAY

The world watched as Marjorie and her family dealt with the teenager’s alleged demonic possession fifteen years ago when they became a reality TV hit. A Catholic priest and medical expenses prompted the family’s agreement. Merry, Marjorie’s younger sister, agrees to be interviewed for a book in the aftermath. Merry struggles with the truth of what occurred to her and her family while an audience saw it unfold as memories return and doubts are raised.

THE GIRL FROM THE WELL 

BY RIN CHUPECO

Okiku goes on the rampage, killing anybody she chooses after being murdered hundreds of years ago. She particularly enjoys exacting retribution on men who murder children since she has experienced that kind of betrayal. She put her violent instincts on hold when she meets Tarquin, a boy with odd tattoos and a struggle for control going on inside of him. Even if it means using rituals and exorcisms, she will do everything it takes to rescue him.

Will you check out any of these books? Let me know what you think of them.