A new wave of horror fiction is trading jump-scares for yarn shops, diners, and haunted libraries, and this year one of the genre's standout titles plants its story squarely in rural Iowa. Some Kind of Haunted, a 2026 release from USA Today bestselling author Hazel Beck, unfolds in the fictional tourist town of Midas, Iowa, where twin siblings race to break an ancient curse before it resurfaces on Halloween night.
According to CBR, which spotlighted the book in its roundup of the five best cozy horror books of 2026, the genre is booming as readers look for stories that mix chills with warmth, humor, and romance rather than the relentless terror of franchises like The Conjuring. The report, published October 21, 2026, points to the popularity of series like Wednesday and films like Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas as proof that audiences want their macabre served with a side of comfort.
What is cozy horror, and why is it growing?
Cozy horror keeps the supernatural threats of traditional horror but wraps them in settings that feel familiar and safe: bookstores, cafés, small towns, libraries. Readers still get the suspense and danger the genre is known for, but the stories lean on humor, emotional connection, and community rather than gore.
CBR describes the trend as a contemporary boom, with publishers delivering a steady stream of titles that balance the spooky and the sweet. The Iowa-set Some Kind of Haunted sits near the top of that wave, and its choice of a small Midwestern tourist town as a setting speaks to something the genre does best: finding dread in the places Americans think of as home.
An Iowa curse with a Halloween deadline
In Beck's novel, Lexi Darling and her twin brother Logan travel to picturesque Midas, Iowa, to handle an unexpected inheritance from their estranged grandmother, who has recently died. Lexi plans to get in and out quickly. The town has other plans.
Once the twins arrive, they discover a curse has been waiting for their return, and it is set to resurface on Halloween evening. Solving a family mystery becomes the key to breaking the curse before it devours the town. Along the way, Lexi finds herself drawn to a grumpy diner owner, an enemies-to-lovers romance thread that CBR highlights as part of the book's appeal.
Beck pairs a quirky yarn shop setting with gothic atmosphere and supernatural chills, and CBR credits her with taking cozy horror