Intensity

College student Chyna Shepherd is targeted by serial killer Edgler Vess and has to fight for her life. Intensity moves between their points of view, so the person in danger and the person causing it both have a place in the story. That is quite enough company for one book, thank you.

For me, the frightening part of that set-up is knowing the threat has a name and a point of view. The fear comes from a person pursuing another person, with no promise of a comfortable distance between them. I would call it properly scary if that sort of danger gets under your skin. If you need a monster to make a story frightening, this may be a different sort of night than you had in mind.

This is for someone who wants survival horror with a human threat at its centre. Pick a dark evening when you can give the shifting viewpoints your attention. I would also recommend having something gentler ready for afterwards, even if it is just a cup of tea and a determined look at a perfectly ordinary wall. Bedtime has enough problems.