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Your list makes me want to check out Laymon :)
I feel worthwhile writers of horror/dark-fantasy, particularly modern ones, are difficult to come by.
An excellent place to mine recommendations is Lovecraft's essay on the history of horror/supernatural writing. He walks you through a reading list that may last you years, and when you read many of those authors you wonder when, exactly, the art of writing died - - much higher calibur than what we tend to see today.
Stephen King puts forth some excellent suggestions in his Danse Macabre - many of which, once you read them, you find that he mined ideas from. It reads a little like a confessional, IMO.
If you like Stephen King - you will love Richard Matheson. Not only is RM one of King's favorite authors (if not his singular favorite) - but SK has been mining Matheson most of his career. Some of it may be intended as homage - a lot of it may even be unconscious - but SK owes a lot of his reputation to Richard Matheson. I recommend starting with Hell House.
Hell House is, ironically, a sort of homage itself - - of Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House. Jackson is fantastic.
A writer named Thomas Tryon is highly underrated - his books Harvest Home and The Other are, IMO, superior to most of King's work (despite all the crap I seem to be slinging at King, I'm one of his constant readers - and his On Writing is among my favorite books).
That's totally fair.
This reminds me of another tip/trick I use though, given how often I read on devices. E-ink devices don't ever hurt, as they don't have liquid crystal displays that illuminate, but for the devices that do...
F.lux! Available as (free) computer software for your computer screen - also available as an app for your android devices you can get for free on google playstore (idk if it's available for iOS). Here's the lil marketing description on their site:
>Ever notice how people texting at night have that eerie blue glow? Or wake up ready to write down the Next Great Idea, and get blinded by your computer screen? During the day, computer screens look good—they're designed to look like the sun. But, at 9PM, 10PM, or 3AM, you probably shouldn't be looking at the sun.
>f.lux fixes this: it makes the color of your computer's display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day. It's even possible that you're staying up too late because of your computer. You could use f.lux because it makes you sleep better, or you could just use it just because it makes your computer look better.
So basically a combination of f.lux, my devices' brightness settings, and Aldiko's color inversion option (white text against black screen) makes it so my eyes don't die.
Also, if Moon+ doesn't crash on you, it has this great feature that makes you take an eye-break for 5 minutes after an hour of reading.
The Biweekly Recommendation thread (which may switch to monthly right now; I'm betwixt & between about that atm) is all about recommending free horror stories that're accessible on the internet so you may want to check that out (I thought my rec was a creepypasta but it turned out to have been published but still legally spread around the internet... at least I hope legally...? I should figure that out...).
As these rec threads continue, I'll consistently be adding them all into our rec library so it'll be a cool resource for anyone looking for some free horror 'snack' stories in the future (we just need to build it out together).
I self-published a horror book set in the 1500's. Not exactly predatory, BUT it is free on Kindle Jan 3 - 7th if you want to check it out: https://www.amazon.com/Against-Void-Luke-Bushman/dp/B09PHHBB7M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3SZUO5VPGTQQ&keywords=luke+bushman&qid=1641212371&sprefix=luke+bushman%2Caps%2C79&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-that-Dwells-Beneath-Aro/dp/B09JVFJKFX/ I recently published on kdp, i'm writing a follow up, taking on feedback myself. If you are writing from the protagonists perspective, use this as a way for them to analyse the world around them, let the characters bias thoughts and inner monologs out onto the page, I think I will be doing more of this in a longer novel as a sequel.
The scariest book I've ever read is the first book in the Serial Killer Series, Diary of a Serial Killer:
Synopsis: Olivia remembers being attacked by a monster, but the doctors say it is simply an overdose of caffeine. Knowing monsters aren’t real, she assumes their correct… that is until she starts noticing changes in herself and the strange blackout she had on the full moon. New friends and new love come into Olivia’s life, changing her world, or is it all a delusion she created for herself?
Out now on Amazon = https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QSKPC4X
Misery by Stephen King
Summary: Paul Sheldon is a bestselling novelist who has finally met his number one fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes, and she is more than a rabid reader—she is Paul’s nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also furious that the author has killed off her favorite character in his latest book. Annie becomes his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house.
Annie wants Paul to write a book that brings Misery back to life—just for her. She has a lot of ways to spur him on. One is a needle. Another is an axe. And if they don’t work, she can get really nasty.
Commentary: One of King's best works, and always best read during the nasty winter months. If you've seen the film but haven't read the book, then you're in for some surprises!
Summary: Stephen King’s apocalyptic vision of a world blasted by plague and tangled in an elemental struggle between good and evil remains as riveting and eerily plausible as when it was first published.
A patient escapes from a biological testing facility, unknowingly carrying a deadly weapon: a mutated strain of super-flu that will wipe out 99 percent of the world’s population within a few weeks. Those who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge—Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious “Dark Man,” who delights in chaos and violence. As the dark man and the peaceful woman gather power, the survivors will have to choose between them—and ultimately decide the fate of all humanity.
Commentary: it's just a classic I'm into having on as a BotM :)
White Trash Zombie series by Diana Rowland has some of the most beautiful covers I have seen. I would frame thee and put them in my home.
https://www.amazon.com/White-Trash-Zombie-Gone-Wild-ebook/dp/B00S75OJEI
<strong>Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike</strong>
English version comes out October 11th, Kindle $13, hardcover $20
Summary: Originally published in Japan in 1986, Koike’s novel is the suspenseful tale of a young family that believes it has found the perfect home to grow into, only to realize that the apartment’s idyllic setting harbors the specter of evil and that longer they stay, the more trapped they become.
This tale of a young married couple who harbor a dark secret is packed with dread and terror, as they and their daughter move into a brand new apartment building built next to a graveyard. As strange and terrifying occurrences begin to pile up, people in the building start to move out one by one, until the young family is left alone with someone... or something... lurking in the basement. The psychological horror builds moment after moment, scene after scene, culminating with a conclusion that will make you think twice before ever going into a basement again.
Commentary: I'll just quote the introduction of the summary on Amazon:
>One of the most popular writers working in Japan today, Mariko Koike is a recognized master of detective fiction and horror writing. Known in particular for her hybrid works that blend these styles with elements of romance, The Graveyard Apartment is arguably Koike’s masterpiece.
So basically I'm into this. I want to read this :)