Coloring books are a fantastic way to relax and relieve some stress after a hard day of work, but these particular books may not be the best option for that. Halloween is one of our favorite holidays and we decided to compile the adult coloring books that are most likely to scare the living colors out of you.

5. Demons, Ghouls, And Zombies by Marti Jo’s Coloring

First up is this coloring book by Marti Jo’s Coloring which has 45 images for you to color filled with all sorts of scary demonic figures. You will be met face to face with zombies, the Grim Reaper and a ton of other gross and horribly fantastic creatures straight out of your nightmares. We also feel like we have to warn you that the most terrifying of paranormal creatures is also in this coloring book...that’s right there is a clown design!

This coloring book is printed on single sided pages of medium quality paper. The single sided printing helps reduce bleed through onto other designs. Due to the paper consistency we suggest you stick to colored pencils and if you do decide to move up to markers or gel pens make sure to place a spare piece of paper behind the design you are coloring so it can soak up any bleed through. The designs in this coloring book are grayscale images in order to add realism so be aware of this when considering this book.

4. Halloween Coloring Book by Halloween Designs

This coloring book has 25 designs for your horrific enjoyment that range from easy with large spaces to ones with smaller more intricate shapes. Between the covers of this adult coloring you will have the chance to color a plethora of skulls, spiders, snakes, and other Halloween classics.

The designs in this book are printed on one side of the page with the other side being blank. Along with that this book has moderately thick paper quality which will reduce the chance of ruining any of the other designs due to bleed through. To keep things on the safe side however we would still recommend using a piece of paper or cardboard behind the design you are currently coloring, especially if using heavier markers like Sharpies.

3. Gothic Halloween by Teri Sherman

This terrifying coloring book has been featured in Time Magazine, The New York Times, and USA Today and for good reason. The 31 designs in this book are seriously creepy and of good quality. You will have the opportunity to color cemeteries, skulls, demons and many other horror scenes. Interestingly there are actually a couple of designs which can be quite relaxing due to the repetitive theme and the detail work.

The designs in this ghoulish coloring book are printed on single sided sheets of bright white paper which makes coloring easy and helps the colors pop. Many of the designs are not very intricate and can be colored easily with only a few being intricate and requiring fine tipped markers or extra sharp colored pencils.

2. Alice’s Nightmare by Jonathan Green and Kev Crossley

This take on the popular story of Alice in Wonderland takes a horrific turn and puts an unfamiliar twist to the story. While you will find around 15 images to color in this book you will also get to read about Alice’s journey in a not so wonderful Wonderland. The designs in this book are heavily grayscale which may not be for everyone but if you use heavier colors and are looking for dark and creepy designs you will enjoy this book. Definitely not your run of the mill coloring book.

This book is printed using both sides of the page so if you are using markers you will experience some bleed through. That being said however a majority of the time the back of the coloring designs is a words only page so you will most likely not ruin any designs. We suggest using a spare piece of paper to stop any bleed through to additional pages which may feature a design.

1. The Beauty Of Horror by Alan Robert

If you are the kind of person who is scanning through Netflix on a Wednesday night and decides to casually watch a horror movie then this is the coloring book for you. Designed by Alan Robert this horror coloring book has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and GQ Magazine and you will quickly see why. Inside you will find all manner of decomposing zombies, killer clowns, grim reapers and all sorts of other bloody characters.

Although the designs are printed back to back the paper in this book is quite thick which will stop bleed through from most markers. Some of the designs have large shapes and are pretty easy to color while others are much more detailed and will be more of a challenge to even experienced colorers.

If you are tired of coloring pumpkins, spider webs, and black cats every time Halloween comes around and are ready for the real scare fest to begin then pick up one of these coloring books and enjoy the scariest of holidays!