I’ll start with a confession: I’m not really a fan of horror fiction (mainly because I’m a massive wimp who will leave the house at the mere sight of a spider) but that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the wide variety of covers the genre has to offer. Therefore, in honour of Halloween 2020 I’ve gathered together (in no particular order) ten of my favourite spookilicious book covers for your perusal and enjoyment.

After 27 years at Penguin Random House, Senior VP and Executive Creative Director Paul Buckley possesses an enviable amount of professional freedom. "It's up to me what I choose to art direct or what I choose to design personally," he told Spine. He and his staff oversee 16 imprints, annually shepherding more than 1,000 book covers and jackets through the design process. Buckley himself designs several dozen. But despite attending the School of Visual Arts on an illustration scholarship, Buckley had never illustrated for Penguin. "In all these years I've never tried to pitch myself as an illustrator to my team," he said. "I can always find someone far better than myself." Or could until Penguin decided to publish a series of well-known horror titles as part of its Classics imprint.