Books Horror Five Horror Books Set in Inescapable Towns Like it or not, you’re not going anywhere… By Lorna Wallace | Published on January 22, 2026 Kurouzucho village, depicted in Junji Ito’s Uzumaki Comment 0 Share New Share Kurouzucho village, depicted in Junji Ito’s Uzumaki Inescapable settings in horror books are often on the smaller scale. For instance, a family are trapped in their bathroom in We Need to Do Something (2020), four friends are trapped on a hilltop in The Ruins (2006), and a group of Boy Scouts are trapped on a small island in The Troop (2014). But some authors have chosen to widen the scope a bit, trapping their characters within the confines of a seemingly normal town. Here are five books that come up with creative ways to make whole towns eerily inescapable, running the gamut from a witch’s curse to the threat of toxic air. Uzumaki by Junji Ito (1998-1999) I don’t read all that much manga, but when I heard the premise of Uzumaki I knew I had to give it a go, and I’m so glad I did. Kurôzu-cho is a normal little town in Japan… that is, until an obsession with spirals slowly starts infecting the residents. Teenagers Kirie Goshima and Shuichi Saito are among the first to take note of the spiral plague, witnessing how plants, buildings, and even people are bending (literally!) to conform to the mesmerizing shape. When it becomes clear that the town is doomed, the few uninfected people remaining try to do what any sensible person would do: leave. But the supernatural spirals have ensured that that isn’t an option. I would have eaten up a story about malevolent spirals in any format, but Junji Ito’s art really brings the weirdness to life in a horrifying—yet captivating—way. It’s been a few years since I read Uzumaki, but some of the images are still burned into my brain. Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge (2006) Dark Harvest is set in 1963 in a small unnamed Midwestern town that is surrounded by miles of cornfields. For most of the year, this town seems just like any other. But each Halloween, instead of the streets being full of trick-or-treaters, all teenage boys between the ages of sixteen and nineteen are forced to participate in an odd ritual known as the Run. Their goal is to kill Sawtooth Jack—a pumpkin-headed scarecrow monster that comes to life every October 31st. The boy who manages to spill the creature’s candy innards is handsomely rewarded with cash and, best of all, a ticket out of town. That might not sound like much of a motivational prize, but for anyone with dreams of life beyond the cornfields, it’s the only way to leave. The reasons for this lockdown are a little hazy, but I won’t speculate here so as not to spoil anything. Although Dark Harvest left with me with a few questions regarding the lore of Sawtooth and the town’s rules, I enjoyed the ride nonetheless. If you can suspend your disbelief just a little more than usual, you’ll be treated to a chilling and fantastical Halloween tale. Wool by Hugh Howey (2012) Long before the plot of Wool kicks off, an unknown apocalyptic event occurred which resulted in the Earth’s atmosphere becoming toxic to humans. Before the planet’s surface became totally uninhabitable, a few thousand people managed to seek shelter in a vast purpose-built underground silo. Generations have passed since then, with the current residents of the unusual subterranean town having virtually no knowledge of life beyond the 144 levels of the silo. In the rare instance when someone expresses a desire to go outside, they aren’t actually forced to stay below. No, instead the door is opened for them and everyone watches—there are cameras to monitor conditions on the surface—as they succumb to the deadly air. Aside from being a fascinating setting, Wool is driven by a sense of mystery, with a few characters endeavoring to uncover the secrets of the silo. As a result, there are twists aplenty peppered throughout this gripping post-apocalyptic story. Pines by Blake Crouch (2012) Pines might seem like a regular mystery thriller for the bulk of the story, but there’s a sci-fi element lurking there, waiting to be revealed. Our main character is Secret Service agent Ethan Burke, but he doesn’t know that on page one when he wakes up in the small town of Wayward Pines, Idaho, with basically no memory of his life. Ethan soon recovers and remembers that he’s come to town in search of two missing colleagues, but he can’t shake the feeling that something is off with Wayward Pines, despite its seeming idyllic outward appearance. This feeling turns out to be justified when he tries to leave, only to find that the entire town is encircled by a tall electric fence. But Ethan isn’t easily daunted, and he quickly puts his detective skills to use. Pines isn’t the kind of book you savor; it’s the kind of book you devour. I found myself flipping the pages at lightning speed to uncover the secrets at the heart of Wayward Pines. HEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (2013) Back in 1664, the residents of Black Spring—a little town in the Hudson Valley—murdered Katherine van Wyler for being a witch. But their act of violence backfired. For more than 300 years, Katherine’s desiccated corpse has wandered the town silently and sightlessly (her mouth and eyes were sewn shut to stop her from casting further spells). Anyone who tries to leave is cursed with a brutal onslaught of suicidal feelings driving them to return, and as a result the residents are essentially chained to Black Spring. Modern technology has made dealing with the Black Rock Witch a lot easier. The townspeople can now track her movements on their phones, making it easier to not only avoid her, but also to hide her existence from visiting outsiders. But modern technology might also be the town’s downfall, thanks to a group of teens deciding to break the chains of their restricted lives by revealing the witch to the world over the internet. HEX is a book of contrasts, with old and new being blended to creepy effect. The idea of a seventeenth-century witch existing alongside phones and apps might not sound like it would work, but in Thomas Olde Heuvelt’s hands it absolutely does. There are, of course, other examples of inescapable towns in horror stories. Stephen King’s Under the Dome (2009) is surely a glaring absence on this list, but I’ve not gotten around to reading it yet. Please feel free to mention any other books I’ve missed in the comments below![end-mark] The post Five Horror Books Set in Inescapable Towns appeared first on Reactor.