Best Horror Stories From DC Comics, Ranked

Summary

• DC comics blend horror with popular icons, creating gripping and dark narratives that explore intense fear and psychological horror.
• Gotham By Midnight uncovers eerie mysteries in an iconic city, showcasing intense clashes between justice and supernatural beings.
• The Witching Hour and other horror tales push boundaries with morbid plots and eerie humor, establishing themselves as top DC horror stories.

Once explored in DC Comics, the horror genre was not just fuel but a main style in layered stories, where danger reaches beyond a usual villain in superhero comics. By examining the horror of the mind and brutal violence, these tales are presented with skill under the guidance of major horror figures.

These horror tales in DC Comics introduce key pop-culture icons who inspire dark stories and appear often in related works, revealing the skill of artists and the devotion of readers. Yet, the best DC horror narratives aren’t always linked to superheroes; many masterful stories emerge from standalone characters and unsettling settings, deeply exploring humanity’s darkest fears beyond heroism’s shadow.

9

Gotham By Midnight

The Horror In One Of The Most Famous DC Cities

• Autor: Ray Fawkes & Ben Templesmith
• Genres: Thriller Policial, Supernatural, Mistery
• Release Date: January 2015

By exploring the supernatural in the darkest DC city, Gotham becomes a setting for eerie creatures and dreadful mysteries. The plot follows a team led by Lieutenant Jim Corrigan, who hosts Spectre, and their mission is to investigate the paranormal events in Gotham, delivering one of DC’s greatest terror stories.

Covering themes like justice and vengeance, the main character often clashes with Spectre, who wants to bring punishment to the guilty. While trying to handle such power in a grim setting, the series gains an extra layer from the protagonist’s psychological horror, emerging as one of the top tales about the most iconic city in the comic book world.

8

I… Vampire

A Vampire Battles The Threat He Himself Created

• Autor: JM DeMatteis & Tom Sutton
• Genres: Supernatural, Horror
• Release Date: March 1981

Although it first appeared in The House of Mystery, I… Vampire grew so much that it gained its own series. This tale follows the vampire Lord Andrew Bennett, who turned his lover Mary, only to see her become a major villain aiming to rule the world, forcing him to fight for decades to destroy her.

In a bloody story of revenge and supernatural beings, this series relies on horror at its core and never shies away from grim details. Featuring a tragic figure who struggles against his own nature while trying to cleanse evil from the world, its dark ambiance and looming threat of the world’s end make it one of DC’s greatest horror tales.

7

The Witching Hour

The Greatest Reference For DC Horror Series

• Autor: Multiple artists
• Genres: Horror, Supernatural
• Release Date: February 1969

Blending terror elements like morbid tales and supernatural dread, The Witching Hour stands as one of the top DC titles in the horror genre. Its anthology format features short, standalone stories where ordinary people face paranormal events, and its legacy remains influential, helping popularize terror narratives in DC comics around the world.

Another classic element appeared when three witch sisters (Mordred, Mildred, and Cynthia) introduced each story, using their eerie humor to create a unique, unsettling vibe. In the first edition, The Trip Into Madness, a woman is chased by a carriage that wants to lead her to a realm of madness and death.

6

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth

Psychological Terror Rules Every Page Of This Story

• Autor: Grant Morrinson
• Genres: Pshycological Horror
• Release Date: October 1989

Exploring Batman’s psyche and his villains with depth, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth ranks among the best horror series from DC Comics. It starts with a revolt in the psychiatric hospital that houses major villains, prompting the Dark Knight to quell the chaos, but as he descends into the claustrophobic halls, his mind grows more unsettled.

Seen as one of the greatest Batman stories, its mature, terror-focused style sets it apart from usual DC superhero works. When Joker forces the hero into his twisted game, Batman meets the violence and madness he struggles to control, both within himself and in his foes, making this tale one of DC’s top entries.

5

The Sandman

The Series Explores Fear And The Human Mind With Skill

• Autor: Neil Gaiman
• Genres: Dark Fantasy, Supernatural Horror
• Release Date: January 1989

The Sandman is among the most iconic works from DC Comics, showcasing unique horror elements that push the boundaries of traditional storytelling. Preludes & Nocturnes and The Doll’s House stand out as stories that reshape the superhero comic genre with fantastic and supernatural themes, diving into cosmic and psychological horror and ranking among DC’s best.

With Sandman imprisoned for nearly a century, Preludes & Nocturnes examines human weakness in the face of cosmic beings, reflecting a classic theme in horror tales. Meanwhile, The Doll’s House explores psychological terror through the character Rose Walker, who searches for her identity and fears being swallowed by something beyond what her mind can grasp.

4

American Vampire

The DC Horror Story With Great Masters Of The Genre

• Autor: Scott Snyder & Rafael Albuquerque
• Genres: Gothic Western, Weird West, Horror
• Release Date: March 2010

Featuring creators like Stephen King and Scott Snyder in its initial issues, American Vampire reimagines classic vampires in a modern setting. It depicts a new strain of vampires in America, examining their evolving powers through key historic events and revealing how those shifts affect each character’s fate, shaping the course of this grim saga.

Filled with brutal violence and supernatural beings, terror defines American Vampire, making it one of the most unsettling DC Comics series. Even though King only worked on the first arc, his involvement was vital in setting a grim, raw tone in this universe, securing its status as one of DC’s greatest horror stories.

3

Batman: The Killing Joke

The Most Famous Story Of The Dark Knight

• Autor: Alan Moore
• Genres: Superhero, Horror
• Release Date: March 1988

Exploring Joker’s history and background, Batman: The Killing Joke is one of DC Comics’ biggest successes. Featuring Joker as a central figure, his past misfortune led him into madness, triggering a series of grim events that affect characters cherished by Batman fans and ending in a surprising finale for a superhero comic.

Horror elements appear in its narrative, including psychological terror and thriller, diving into the human mind and insanity, as well as graphic violence such as what befalls Barbara Gordon. With Batman and Joker pushed to their limits, The Killing Joke emerges as one of the strongest arcs in the Batman saga and a complete horror experience in one of DC’s finest comics.

2

House Of Secrets

The Greatest DC Comic Book Horror Anthology

• Autor: Multiple artists
• Genres: Fantasy, Horror
• Release Date: December 1956

Covering terror and mystery, House of Secrets is among the most influential DC Comics series, presenting anthologies that feature supernatural creatures, haunted mansions, family secrets, and grim discoveries. Each tale offers a moral or twist at the end, securing this title as one of DC’s top entries in the genre.

One of the most notable tales is the first appearance of Swamp Thing in House of Secrets #92, marking the creature’s debut in DC lore. Then, The Ultimate Evil, by Jack Kirby, introduces Morgaine le Fey (one of DC’s most formidable sorceresses) on a quest for the source of evil, exploring how wickedness is defined and represented, making this a top DC horror story.

1

Swamp Thing

The Scariest Character In DC Comics

• Autor: Len Wein & Berni Wrightson
• Genres: Superhero, Horror
• Release Date: 1972

As one of Alan Moore’s most acclaimed works, Swamp Thing stands as the best terror story in DC Comics, earning praise for its dark and layered narrative. The original plot centers on scientist Alexander Olsen, murdered by his assistant and reborn as a monstrous being who takes revenge on his killer yet becomes a Louisiana legend after his wife rejects him.

Wishing to become human again but trapped in a monstrous form, the creature faces a tragic kind of horror that tears at its identity. As if that were not enough, Swamp Thing fights multiple supernatural threats, exploring unsettling settings in his saga and touching on environmental themes, ultimately standing as DC’s best horror tale.