Collider has published a ranked list of what it considers the eight best horror books of the past 20 years, framed by the observation that 21st-century horror has shifted away from larger-than-life monsters towards more intimate, psychological scares drawn from everyday fears. The piece argues that modern horror increasingly weaves in real-world issues and socio-cultural themes, broadening the genre across psychological, social and body horror, as well as revivals of myth and dark fantasy, and spanning novels, novellas and manga.

The available text details the lower entries on the list. At number eight is Josh Malerman's debut novel Bird Box (2014), a post-apocalyptic story about a blindfolded mother protecting her children from unseen creatures that drive people to madness; it was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel and adapted into a 2018 film starring Sandra Bullock. At number seven is Dan Simmons's The Terror (2007), a supernatural reimagining of Captain Sir John Franklin's doomed Arctic expedition aboard HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, which was nominated for the 2006 British Fantasy Award and adapted into an acclaimed AMC series. NOS4A2 (2013) is listed at number six, though the article text cuts off before describing it.